Connections

On a recent visit to Fort Stewart, Georgia, Mark Moitoza was invited by Fr. Joseph Hannon (a Catholic Chaplain in the U.S. Army) to conduct team training and to facilitate a youth group gathering on Sunday evening. Recently over 10,000 troops from Fort Stewart have deployed. The previous year was spent preparing for this departure. The difficult reality of saying goodbye has occurred and now youth and families are coping with life at home with a parent far away.

Partners in Ministry

Military youth at Fort Stewart are not alone. The unique thing about Catholic youth ministry at Fort Stewart lies in their partnership with the local diocesan parish of Saint Stephen’s in Hinesville, Georgia. Through a mutual agreement the Catholic military chapel members join volunteers from the local parish to form a team of youth and adult leadership. This youth ministry team gathers to plan for the spiritual and pastoral needs of a combined youth group of military youth and civilian youth. The group meets on Sunday evenings at St. Stephen’s. They have been using a new online resource from the Center for Ministry Development called Youth Ministry Access (see www.cmd.net for more information). This online service has assisted the team utilizing the components of youth ministry as defined by the 1997 U.S. bishop’s document Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry.

Team Advantages

This team approach offers some great advantages. First, while many team members are transient due to moves, trainings or deployments, the other civilian team members provide a sense of continuity while also welcoming new members. Second, the combined team realized that the deployments at Fort Stewart were affecting the civilian community too. This was noticed especially in the youth community since military youth attend the local high school. Civilians with friends that had parents deploy felt a deeper sense of connection and tension due to the high tempo of operations. Third, this team approach has helped the military chapel group to connect with the local Diocese of Savannah and the many opportunities for training, service, and fellowship that they offer on the diocesan level.

When asked, “How many military youth had a parent deployed?” over 80 percent of the room raised their hands. The pastoral need of listening is a skill that the Fort Stewart and St. Stephen’s youth ministry team offers on a continuous basis. The Catholic Chapel at West Point also partners with the local civilian parish to offer comprehensive youth ministry to the Catholic faith community. Pray for these teams that are exploring new ways to form teams and serve youth. The volunteers for Catholic youth ministry throughout the military are making a difference in the lives of thousands of young people growing up in the Armed Forces.