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By Renée St.Martin Wizeman
Sean Courtney made his way east from
his hometown of Salem, Ore., and along
the way, found his passion for youth ministry.
It is not work he had anticipated, “but
by the end of college I felt it in my heart,”
said Courtney, now in his second year as
the fulltime youth minister at St. Ann
Parish in Butte.
The cradle Catholic said his high school
youth group was pivotal in his faith formation.
As a sophomore at a retreat to prepare
for confirmation, Courtney said, he saw his
faith with new eyes. “When I saw how
happy people were and how comfortable
they were to be who they were and to be
loved and to love others—it felt so right,
that I knew I was in a good place,” he said.
Courtney spent the year after high
school as a Reach Youth Ministry team
member because youth ministry “was so
important in my life, I thought maybe I
could help others, to give the gift I was
given.” Reach’s traveling ministry teams
facilitate retreats for youth in the
Northwest, Southwest and Midwest areas
of the country. It was while traveling with
Reach that Courtney, who attended
Catholic elementary and high schools, discovered
Carroll College. He enrolled, served
as a Kirchen campus minister for three years
and volunteered in the Diocese of Helena’s
Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry as
a Carroll junior and senior.
Courtney lived in the college dorms,
shared his faith with other young adults
while being one of them and learned how
to own his faith. He said much of his personal
formation came through mentors.
“I was incredibly blessed to encounter
the priests at Carroll, some professors and
adults in the Helena community,” he said.
“I’ve just had a full line of people really
showing me the Lord, and his way.”
Courtney said he went into youth ministry
thinking success came via formula.
“In my ignorance and my innocence, I
would see people do ministry a certain
way, and think, ‘If I just do that, I’ll get x
result,’ not realizing that it’s the person’s
heart and faith,” that make it work, he said.
The flaw in his thinking became clear
when his approach was “handed back to
me” by the youth at St. Ann Parish early in
his ministry, Courtney said. “There’s no set
way, and sometimes they know better than
me how to be ministered to, and what they
need,” he said.
An ah-ha moment came during Advent
last year, when ten minutes into the
evening’s gathering, he realized his model
had “gone out the window.” Instead, an
unscripted Q&A session unfolded that was
“one of the best nights of youth ministry,” by
his assessment and that of the young people,
he said.
Courtney is the first fulltime, paid
youth minister at St. Ann.
“It makes a huge difference, in terms of
the number of people involved, and he’s
really exploded the program,” said Father
Thomas Haffey, the pastor. “It’s wonderful
to see how this works with someone devoting
that much attention.” Father Haffey
said he sees more young people in the pews
on Sundays, and finds the entire parish
community feels the energy the young people
bring.
The parish and a Catholic Extension
grant fund Courtney’s position. Last year,
the parish portion of the expense was covered
largely by the “rebate” St. Ann received
through the diocesan capital campaign, from
Age to Age, Father Haffey said.
Courtney is encouraged by the growing
interest young people show through their
participation in ministry activities geared
to them. After taking a group to the
Catholic Youth Coalition Convention in
April, he saw interest soar. Among young
people from St. Ann and Butte’s St. John
the Evangelist Parish, attendance at
Legendary Lodge camps rose this summer
and several are active in CYC board work.
Youth from St. John the Evangelist are
invited to join St. Ann’s youth ministry.
Students from both the public and
Catholic high schools in Butte are at
Courtney’s gatherings. In any given week,
they typically draw 10 to 17 youth of high
school age and 15 to 25 in the middle
school grades. The youth ask questions
about how faith fits into their lives and the
world today. Discussion about suffering,
doubt and dealing with tragedy surface
repeatedly, Courtney said.
Looking ahead to the second year of his
work, he anticipates a deanery-wide Search
retreat and said the youth have expressed
interest in every diocesan youth event,
including the Justice Outreach Project,
Creation Northwest, CYC Board activities
and the junior high rally.
“I’m excited to take what I’ve learned and
apply it,” Courtney said. “And to keep walking
with the youth that I already know, and
new ones. We’re going to travel together.”
Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 9, September 17, 2010.
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