About two dozen people from the Diocese of Helena attended the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry this month in New Orleans.

Some 2,800 people were at the Dec. 9- 12 conference, which featured an array of speakers and more than 85 workshops, with high school campus ministry and catechesis for adolescents among the topics. The Eucharist was celebrated daily.

“There was a lot of emphasis on modern technology and ministry, but equally important was the self-preservation message: Take care of your own heart and your own spiritual journey,” said conference participant Doug Tooke, youth and youngadult ministry coordinator for the Diocese of Helena. A youth minister who neglects his or her own spiritual journey cannot expect to effectively help young people develop strong prayer lives, Tooke said.

Members of the diocesan group made use of social media themselves, by live tweeting about the conference with the @dohyouth Twitter profile. Twitter is a social media platform used to provide short, timely updates.

Money for the trip came from parishes, endowment-supported grants through the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry and the conference participants’ personal funds.

The National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry and the Archdiocese of New Orleans coordinated the conference, which takes place every other year. The 2012 conference will be in Orlando, Fla.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 12, December 17, 2010.