GUEST POST: Are You On Parent Patrol?

I’m a relatively new parent. Both of my sons are under the age of 3. Even though neither are in school or religious education, I am blessed with an opportunity to still teach them many things during this pandemic. I cannot imagine what parents of other kids who are older and of school-age must be going through at a time like this. Perhaps this is another opportunity for us in the church. How are we taking care of parents of those who are in our ministry?

PRAYING FOR PARENTS

It’s easy, at times, to think of our ministry as only directed towards teens. I mean, that’s who comes to our weekly gatherings, correct? But in reality, we are called to serve teens and their families. In a time like this, are we making sure that we are praying for not our teens but also the parents and their families? If we do this, we will strengthen our relationship with those families. We will have a new appreciation for the ministry that they bring as parents as first catechists to those to whom we minister to. So, find time during your day, say an Our Father or a Hail Mary for those parents. It will go a long way.

THE CHECK-IN

Most of us are still doing our weekly via Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc. But are we reaching out to our parents to see how they are doing? Parents are working from home, and that is a new reality. For others, they have been furloughed or have been terminated. This is the field in which Christ is calling us to work in this day and age. Email, text, or call those parents to find out how we can intercede and pray for them. Or is there something that we as a community can offer them to help their family in a time of need?

ESSENTIAL TOOLS 

As youth ministers, we are also called to be catechists. It’s our job to educate young people and their families on the good news of Jesus Christ. Now would be a good time for us to look at how we resource parents to fill the voids created in this new reality. We should be using email, websites, and social media as a way to give parents adequate resources to connect with your teens in a better way. Some of these resources can be made in-house ourselves or our ministry team. We can look to publishers like Life Teen, Ascension Press, Dynamic Catholic, etc. to fill in the gaps. Consider offering these resources. 

None of this is easy, and I don’t think God means it to be. Most things worth doing in life are not easy. Connect with parents. Let them know how valued they are, especially when it comes to the formation of their teens. This is a time when we need to walk together.

How are you currently reaching out to parents? What’s working?

A native of Queens, NY, Paul has been serving the young Church in the Diocese of Brooklyn since 2010 and is the newest member of our Marathon Youth Ministry Team. Paul served as a middle school teacher in Queens and a Diocesan Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for over a decade. In addition to these roles, Paul has served as the Co-chair for the USCCB’s World Youth Day Panama Advisory Board and the Chair of NCYC 2019. Paul holds an undergraduate degree from St. Francis College in Downtown Brooklyn in History. In 2013 he completed his Master of Arts in Historical Theology from St. John’s University and more recently wrapped up a Masters of Science in School Building Leadership from Fordham University. Paul and his wife Alison have two children, James Anthony and John Paul