Steps to become ONE with the Church

My name is Tex Phelps and I am the new Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. In my position one of my favorite parts of the job is visiting different parish communities and the beautiful churches across the diocese. In my previous positions in Beaumont, Savannah, Maryland and Washington DC, I have been very blessed to visit many parishes and be a part of parish celebrations of the Liturgy and other special occasions. It is always an honor and a privilege to worship alongside different communities with the same faith. It brings us together as ONE.
Over the last couple of weeks my journey across the Archdiocese of Mobile began with meet and greets at parishes across our diocese along with parish visits and other meetings. In each of these encounters I have felt very welcomed and inspired by the people serving the Lord and spreading the Gospel. Each of our parishes have different cultures and characteristics but all strive to share the Catholic faith and evangelize their communities. By working together we can truly be ONE, holy, catholic and apostolic Church as we profess in the Nicene Creed.
Over the first year of my new role I plan to visit every parish in the Archdiocese and support youth and young adult ministry in each individual parish, while making sure that there is a network of support regionally and diocesan-wide. My hope is that as people return to the pews from their experiences with the pandemic, that youth, parents and young adults are met with the same welcome that I have felt in my first month on the job. We can use this opportunity to minister to the young Church by using the lessons learned during the pandemic and assist families to be ONE with their faith and their parish.
In the U2 song ONE, it closes with “ONE life but we’re not the same. We get to carry each other. ONE.” Our young people can feel like they are different as they grow into their Catholic faith and it takes a community of believers to carry each one of them when their faith is shaken and allow them to carry us when our faith waivers. I have been blessed to see young leaders in the Church inspire myself and other adults by their courage, passion and joy for their faith. On the diocesan level I am always looking for opportunities to empower young people to share their witness to the faith at youth conferences, retreats and any gatherings of youth. As events transitioned from in-person to virtual this past year the youth and young adults were a great resource for ideas to engage young people in different ways. I witnessed young people grow in their faith during a time when it was easy to become complacent. The young people in our Church can be an enormous influence on our parishes and dioceses if we give them the opportunity. 
As we move forward let us strive to create opportunities for young people and encourage them to grow in their faith. We can include their voices on the parish and diocesan level. We can ask them to share their witness at events and retreats and work with them to develop their witness talk. We can find ways to allow them to share their gifts in the parish. We will have opportunities at diocesan events such as our ACYC, ACYC Jr. and Search Retreats and we have the beautiful Holy Spirit Hall to host youth events. By allowing them to be a part of the larger faith community, they will take ownership of their own faith and be ONE with the Church.
— Tex Phelps is the Director of the Office of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. He may be emailed at [email protected]
Visit our website, www.ArchMobYouth.org Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ArchMobYouth and follow us on Twitter and Instagram - @ArchMobYouth