Position Title: Director of Youth Ministry

Reports To: Pastor and Parochial Vicar

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Hours: 35 + per week – including evenings and weekends

Parish Summary: Saint Mary is a thriving suburban parish with over 3200 families. We have a large, established Life Teen Youth Ministry.

Position Summary: The Director of Youth Ministry will minister to the high school youth of the parish through vibrant comprehensive Catholic Life Teen youth ministry, including a Confirmation Ministry, with the goals of leading teens closer to Christ and forming missionary disciples. The director will serve as a collaborative member of the parish pastoral team and be a face of the parish and of Christ.

Position Responsibilities:
• Reach out to youth and families, particularly those on the peripheries; to invite them to a personal encounter with Christ, and to walk with them on their faith journey
• Implement the eight components of Comprehensive Catholic Youth Ministry as defined by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Prepare and facilitate programming including weekly Life nights, monthly Confirmation small groups, annual retreats, as well as other Life Teen events (including ACTS, retreat team, and other events throughout the Summer)
• Prepare youth for reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation
• Attend National Life Teen Events
• Attend all diocesan and area Youth Ministry meetings
• Develop a yearly curriculum and schedule for Confirmation and Life Nights to ensure that the ministry is meeting all Diocesan, Life Teen, and National standards.
• Coordinate Life Nights; assemble Core Staff to plan and present Life Nights.
• Recruit, train, and oversee adult volunteer catechists
• Recruit, train, form, and manage volunteers, including ensuring safe environment standards
• Communicate with youth, families, and parish – explaining the vision, providing resources, and ongoing updates
• Promote and facilitate vocational discernment
• Develop youth leadership
• Engage youth in parish life and service, including diocesan and national events
• Minister to parents
• Minister to youth and families in crisis
• Fundraise for major events and maintain budget
• Maintain a personal relationship with Christ through regular prayer, Mass attendance, and more

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
• Faithful, passionate Catholic disciple and role model who recognizes their own need for growth and a sense of self-worth that comes from being a child of God first and a minister second
• Solid understanding of the teachings and theology of the Roman Catholic Church
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, creative solution seeker, enthusiastic collaborator, and the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately
• Ability to interact with young people, parents, staff, parishioners
• Ability to advocate for the needs of the youth of the parish in the face of opposition
• Proficient with PowerPoint, Word, Excell, and Google Applications
• Strong verbal, written, and social media communication skills
• Experience with audio/visual and social media
• Understanding of and adherence to all aspects of Diocesan Safe Environment standards
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn Pope Francis’ Christus Vivit, the USCCB documents: Listen, Teach, Send: A National Pastoral Framework for Ministries with Youth and Young Adults, Renewing the Vision – A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry and Adaptation of Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age For Use In Parish and Youth Ministry Programs and The National Directory for Catechesis and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization’s Directory for Catechesis and other pertinent Church documents
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn diocesan documents from the Secretariat for Catechetical Formation: Sacrament Preparation: Handbook for Catechists
• Other people will describe the right applicant as: joyful, playful, self-motivated, empathetic, vibrant, energetic, enthusiastic, bold, positive, persistent, dedicated, and dependable
• Education minimum of a BA, with a Religious Studies or Theology degree preferred
• Prior leadership experience with teens and young adults (3+ years experience preferred in creating and leading Catholic formation experiences for that population)
• Commitment to the mission, ministry, values, and faith traditions of Saint Mary Parish and the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland; and living in full communion with the Catholic Church