Vision Statement
Our ultimate goal is to foster a generation of disciples who, guided by their faith, will assume responsibility for themselves, their communities, and the world.
Mission Statement
Bellarmine Youth Ministry is dedicated to engaging young people from within and beyond the parish community. Following the example of Jesus Christ, we create an inclusive environment that encourages youth to build meaningful relationships with God, supportive adults, and each other. Our ministry inspires young people to recognize and embrace their important role as the present and future of the church. We empower them to become active disciples devoted to prayer and service.
The Bellarmine Chapel youth ministry program is open to teens from grades seven through twelve. During the school year, both the junior high and high school groups meet weekly on Sunday evenings from 4:30 p.m. until 6:45 p.m. At these gatherings, our teens have the opportunity to share a meal, participate in community-building activities, discuss topics important to them, and grow in faith together through prayer.
The format of our youth group gatherings is less like a classroom and more like a small faith community. Small groups are used to give our teens a safe place to raise and discuss questions based on the theme for the day, and activities help tie together the themes with current events, sacred scripture, Tradition, and doctrine. Cura personalis, care for the whole person, is very important in our youth groups. Teens are encouraged to be who they are, ask questions freely, and share their own experiences with the group.
In addition to our weekly gatherings, our youth ministry program offers opportunities to participate in monthly service events and fun nights. Our service events are held off-campus and are coordinated with local cities and organizations. Our fun nights may be held on or off campus.
All of our students have the opportunity to participate in a yearly retreat and are encouraged to support the younger children by volunteering for Daring Disciples Camp, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, and GIFT. Our high school students have the additional opportunity to participate in immersion and leadership programs across the country, such as Notre Dame Vision, Appalachian Institute, and NCYC.
Help Us Celebrate with our High School Graduates!
We want to celebrate our teens who are graduating from high school this year. Click on the button below to nominate your teen for recognition.
Celebrating GraduatesYouth Group Activities
During the school year, our youth groups meet on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. Themes for these gatherings include applying scripture to life, finding God in culture, living your Catholic faith, prayer, social justice, and so much more. These gatherings are led by a team of volunteers under the supervision of the Director of Youth Ministry.
Here at Bellarmine, we know everyone needs some fun in their lives. Once a month during the school year, we host a fun night for each of our youth groups. These fun nights include a shared meal and a fun activity and are typically held on the Xavier University campus. Over the summer, we host weekly summer hangouts after the 7:00 p.m. Mass for all of our seventh through twelfth graders. These hangouts are very informal. We have bonfires with s’mores, sports outside, and board/card games inside if the weather does not cooperate.
At Bellarmine Chapel, social mission is our identity. Our junior high and high school youth groups have the opportunity once each month to go out in service of the community. We work with local cities and organizations such as Lydia’s House and St Vincent de Paul to clean low-income housing, weed flower beds, prepare kits for food pantries, and more.
Once each year, our junior high and high school students are invited to go on retreat. Our high schoolers go off campus for a 2-day retreat, while our junior high students spend their retreat day on campus. The high school retreat is offered in January or February. The junior high retreat is offered in April.
Our high school students have an opportunity once each year to immerse themselves more deeply in an area of social justice. From food insecurity to immigration, our teens see firsthand how powerful groups and organizational decisions can affect others’ lives. The themes for these experiences rotate every four years so that each student will experience a new theme each of their years in high school.
- For the summer of 2023, our teens are invited to the Br David Darst Center in Chicago, IL for an immersion experience that introduces topics such as homelessness, immigration, food insecurity, and more.
Every year, our high school students have the opportunity to attend leadership training programs. The first program, hosted by the Ignatian Solidarity Network, is called Arrupe Leaders Summit. This program can take up to six student leaders. The second program is called Notre Dame Vision. This one is hosted by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. All high school students may register for this program.
Sign Up Here!
If you want to participate in any or all of these activities that Bellarmine offers our teens, be sure to register using the link below.
Click here to Register for Youth Group!Youth Support Team
Our teens need a strong group of young adults and adults who can mentor them throughout the year at our summer programming, during our Confirmation program, and at special events.
- If you enjoy having fun, find out more about how to help with youth group fun nights.
- If you enjoy being of service, find out how you can assist with youth group service days.
- If you enjoy traveling, learn more about ways to help with our overnight events (leadership programs, immersion experiences, conferences, etc.)
- If you enjoy prayer, see how you can help out with our retreat programs.
- If you enjoy great conversation, find out what it might look like to help with our youth group gatherings.
- If you enjoy cooking and/or cleaning, see how you can help provide a meal or wash the dishes for our weekly dinners.
Those who feel called to serve our parish this way should contact the Director of Youth Ministry.