Director Jaime Reyna and Administrative Assistant Heath Garcia from the Office of Youth Ministry in the Diocese of Corpus Christi held two youth ministry meetings to determine the present needs of leaders involved in in their parish youth ministry.
The meetings held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church Hall on June 15 and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sinton on June 16 were the first in-person quarterly meetings held in over a year and a half.
“The quarterly Youth Ministry meetings are important to show support to leaders who work with middle and high school youth in their parishes,” Reyna said. “It’s also an opportunity to network and share resources.”
The meetings inform youth ministers of national, regional and diocesan resources that may be available. They are also a way for leaders to share their gifts and talents to support one another.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the needs of the youth may have shifted, maybe even affecting how ministers serve young people. "It’s imperative to continue to reach out to young people and bring them back into the fold, especially after the pandemic crippled some areas of their ministry," Reyna said. “We received feedback from both meetings, which included leaders from the Corpus Christi area and rural areas.”
Youth ministers from Corpus Christi who attended the quarterly meeting on June 15 were Sister Delphine Apinjoh, SSA from Most Precious Blood Parish; Deacon Fred Castillo from Our Lady of Perpetual Help; Sky Creed and Jessica Sagers from St. John the Baptist; Bob Cummings and Bea Romo-Sánchez from Holy Family; Ruben Galabeas from Our Lady of Perpetual Help; Emelda Gamboa from St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles; June Robinson from St. Paul the Apostle; from Holy Family; and DeNeise Thomson from St. Patrick. Youth minister Liza De Los Santos from St. Anthony of Padua in Robstown also attended the June 15 meeting.
Youth ministers from Sinton who attended the quarterly meeting on June 16 were Lupe Garcia and Diamond Ramirez from Our Lady of Guadalupe; Gloria Luna, Cynthia Narvaez, Adrian Rodriguez and Ledezma Rodriguez from Sacred Heart. Youth ministers Laly Arteaga from Our Lady of Victory in Beevile and Kyle Nohavitza from Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Portland also attended the June 16 meeting.