‘Continuing the Journey’ conference nourishes youth ministers
“Being a youth minister gives me purpose,” said Tom Ferraioli, one of the participants at “Continuing the Journey,” a weekend conference for those involved in youth ministry and catechesis. Held April 17-19 at the St. John Paul II Youth Retreat Center in Kearny, NJ, the biennial event is organized by the Archdiocese of Newark’s Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
“Continuing the Journey” is designed to offer education and support to ministers, staff, clergy, catechists, and others who work or volunteer with Catholic youth. 140 attendees from 25 different dioceses joined this year’s conference. While most people came from the Archdiocese of Newark, groups also traveled from Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and other states.
Like Tom Ferraioli, who has been a youth minister for 34 years and feels called “to help teens find their way,” the participants at the conference are committed to a mission that comes with little recognition or financial compensation. “We’re definitely not in it for the money,” Ferraioli said. “This is a job of service.”
Feeding those who feed our youth
“Our main objective is to provide those involved with youth ministry in our archdiocese with the opportunity to participate in a professional-level conference that offers continuing formation, education, and community support,” said Rich Donovan, associate director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
National-level conferences can be expensive and require extensive travel, Donovan explained. “The majority of the youth ministers in our archdiocese are part-time or volunteers, so we wanted to offer them something that is more local and more affordable, but of a professional quality.”
Speaker Mike Patin regularly appears at Catholic gatherings across the country. He told Jersey Catholic that “Continuing the Journey” stands out from similar events he has participated in. “There are seven or eight national-level speakers here, which never happens at a regional or diocesan conference,” he said.
The 3-day event featured workshops and keynotes addressing the personal and professional challenges of youth ministry. In the main auditorium, exhibitors offered resources and new ideas for reaching out to young people. There were also opportunities for networking and faith sharing during sing-alongs, prayer services, and meals.
For Tom Conboy, director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, the conference is about making sure that participants leave feeling “well-fed, not just by food, but by everything they learn at workshops and from presenters, as well as by the spiritual support they receive here.”
The many gifts of youth ministry
Participants said that they felt inspired and grateful for the level of attention to their needs. According to Conboy, there were many first-timers at the conference who only recently entered youth ministry, but an equal number of participants who return year after year.
“This is a way to recharge my battery,” said Sandra Burgos, a youth minister at Saint Anthony of Padua Parish in Union City. Over 16 years of ministry, she has attended all but one of the seven “Continuing the Journey” conferences that the archdiocese has sponsored. “When I’m here, I learn from others and have the time to meditate on how my ministry is going. I also discover the tools I need to continue, while being reminded that it’s God who leads my ministry. We can’t be a protagonist without the author.”
Burgos is involved with several ministries in her parish, but her work with teens holds a special place in her heart. “It’s really important to me because it’s what began my own journey with Jesus when I was around 12 years old,” she said. Wanting her teenage sons to have the same experience, she began a youth group with a priest at Saint Anthony’s. In the ensuing years, she has touched the lives of hundreds of young people.
Burgos said that the greatest gift her ministry has given her is “patience.”
“It has also helped me develop my relationship with Jesus,” she added. “One of the first things you discover is that you not only give to the kids but also receive from them.”
More than just a job
Other participants also spoke enthusiastically of their personal connection and commitment to youth ministry.
As high school students, Tom and Jenn Ferraioli met during a youth group gathering at Holy Family in Nutley, NJ. They have both been involved in youth ministry since 1992, with the idea that it would be “just a college job.” 34 years later, they are more devoted than ever to their ministry and currently work part-time as youth ministers at Saint Joseph Parish in Bogota, NJ.
As a married couple, they agree the ministry “refuels and re-energizes us,” though it can also be very challenging. “This ministry teaches you humility,” Jenn Ferraioli said, “because when we think we’re in control, we suddenly discover we’re not.”
“We’re lucky, because when one of us isn’t 100 percent, we have the other one to make us 100 percent and bounce ideas off each other,” Tom added.
Still, they greatly appreciate being part of a conference where so many others share similar experiences, reminding them that they are “part of a community.”
“Even though we have each other, it’s still important to be reminded that we aren’t alone and are part of something far bigger,” said Jenn.
Walking the same walk
“Continuing the Journey” is designed to provide participants with ample opportunities to interact with speakers and other youth ministers, discuss common challenges, and share experiences. “We want to help people understand they aren’t an island, that there are others who walk the same walk as them and deal with the same issues,” Donovan said.
At the Sunday Mass closing the event, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, spoke about the appearance of Jesus to the disciples on the road to Emmaus when His followers “recognized the one who had always been walking with them.”
He reminded the gathering that “in a world that debates power, that divides over visions of leadership, that seeks to win and impose and make a deal, the gospel proposes something very different.”
“It begins with presence,” Cardinal Tobin continued, “with a God who walks with us, speaks to us in His word, gives himself to us in bread, and opens our eyes — not by force, but by love.”
After the final procession, the cardinal remained outside the center’s Sacred Heart Chapel to greet each participant personally, taking time to listen to them and answer their questions. It was an appropriate capstone to a weekend meant to personally enrich each participant.
“The attendees who come to this conference pour themselves out for young people,” Mike Patin said. “For this one weekend, the Archdiocese of Newark makes them feel pampered, refreshed, and rejuvenated. It tells these people that they are not alone, that the Church needs them. It’s a powerful, powerful witness.”
Follow the link to learn more about the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
To a photo gallery with more images from the “Continuing the Journey” conference, CLICK HERE.
Featured image: Speaker Steve Angrisano leads a session at the April 17-19 “Continuing the Journey” conference for youth ministers in Kearny, NJ, organized by the Archdiocese of Newark’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. (Photos by John Touhey / Archdiocese of Newark)
