The Church of Saint Anthony of Padua

"I’m starving! Is there anything to eat?!” As most parents would undoubtedly agree, as hard as it is to keep up with a teen's growling stomach, it is so much more of a challenge in our world today to satisfy their hungry hearts. Where do we go when we are hungry? The most popular room in the house of course: the kitchen! With this in mind, Saint Anthony's Youth Minitry Center was established to help parents keep their hungry teens well fed in both body and soul, especially after Confirmation. With the end of formal religion classes, it can seem for many of our teens as if their faith journey has come to an end. The unfortunate mindset of "I'm done," rather than, "I've just begun" leads to spiritual starvation. Following in the footsteps of our Lord, who taught us that the way to our hearts is through a good meal, we are offering an extensive menu of opportunities to be fed and to go feed...to be led and to go lead. Our Lord multiplied bread and fish to fill the empty stomaches of thousands of His listeners while filling their hearts with His Word and one with His very Body and Blood. Our Father is eager to do the same for you! Here at St. Anthony's, our kitchen is open to any teen who is looking to be fed. Please check out our menu by clicking on the link below. We'll save you a seat!

Menu for St. Anthony's Youth Center

Camp Wildfire:

Join us for a backyard camp experience at St. Anthony’s!
Camp Wildfire usually takes place during around the second week in July.

Teens that will be in 9th through 12^th grade by that upcoming September are able to participate.  Older teens are also invited to participate by helping us with the planning and organization.

Meals
Italian Night, Barbecue, Pizza, Chicken fingers…ice-cream sundaes, toasted marshmallows, S’mores, and an endless supply of snacks and Gatorade!

Fun
Water balloons, outdoor movie night, sports, contests, tie-dye, arts and crafts, contests, and much more not to mention prizes and a field trip!

Faith
Prayer, music, Mass, Saints alive, inspirational videos and more!

Brought to you by the Youth Ministry Team of St. Anthony's Parish!

Sign up 

Camp Fire

This camp will be offered for. middle school students who will be in 7th and 8th grade by September.

G.A.P. or “God and Pizza” is a youth faith formation program for teens that nourishes both the body and soul with a slice of pizza and faith served with a variety of toppings and topics at each meeting.  Teens gather to learn about important topics related to faith in an interactive and dynamic style through discussion, question and answer, media presentations, guest speakers, debate, music, drama/skits, and prayer.  G.A.P. is a way to continue faith formation through the high school years outside of the classroom environment. In general, the format is generally presentation, discussion, and dialogue. It is not a lecture based style more typical of a classroom setting.

Here is a sampling of what might be on the plate at a GAP meeting:

• Getting more connected to Mass. What is it really all about?
• How can I  really hear God while praying?
• How do I deal with anger and other emotions?
• How do I respond to discrimination, bullying, and other challenges?
• Hunger, poverty, unemployment, homelessnes,illness, and other social issues
• Conflict resolution
• Mangaging fear and anxiety
• How to make a decision
• Realtionships, dating, and communcation
• Understanding and discussing the Church's position on various moral issues such as abortion, cloning, the death penalty, marriage
• ...and many other topics!

All topics are presented in the light of our Catholic faith.  Presentations and discussions are conducted in a spirit of truth and compassion, with a respect for God, one another, and for the subject matter being presented or discussed.

G.A.S. (God & Sports) provides the opportunity for sports, games, trips to sporting events, and other athletic activities in combination with a blend of spirituality and awareness of athletes who model Catholic values. Open gym days/times will be made available at scheduled times and upon request. CYO basketball will begin here at St. Anthony’s in the fall. 

Registration for CYO basketball will take place this May. Youth from grades 3rd - 12th who are parishioners of St. Anthony's Parish are eligible to participate. Please use the link below to nagivate to the form you can use to let us know you are interested and we will send you more information when it becomes available. At the moment, we are gauging participation to see who is interested and how many teams we will be able to run in the fall.

 

Ministers at Mass are a group of teens who have an interest in participating in any of our Masses and liturgical events  as altar servers, readers, musicians, and/or ushers. There are opportunities at all of our Masses, but the focus will be on the 10:00 am and 6:00 pm Sunday Masses. Training will be provided!

Become a part of music ministry at St. Anthony's!
 
We are looking to provide a contemporary Catholic/Christian style of music at our 6:00 pm Mass. This is open to teens, college students, and young adults with musical talent of any kind. This group will also be invited to play/perform at other venues as well. 

T.A.G. or “Teen Acting Group” is for those who wish to use their skills in drama, theater, performance, and in music to provide spiritual enrichment during liturgies/Masses and in other forums and settings such as parish productions, skits, and talent shows.

The Youth Board will be comprised of but not limited to the chairperson of each group or team or his or her delegate, as well as any representatives of youth organizations in the parish and local community.  The Board will be governed by teens serving as president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer.  Youth Board meetings are held quarterly or as often as needed. Two representatives will be invited to represent the youth of the parish at Parish Council Meetings. 

Appointment as an officer on the Youth Board will be made by the pastor/chaplain based on an application and interview process in consultation with adult moderators.