A close look at statistics on Catholic teenagers’ involvement with the Church can become quite discouraging: 60% of Catholic teenagers do not attend weekly Mass, 25% of teenagers say their life has no meaning or purpose, and 13 is the median age at which young people decide to leave the Church. Despite having encounters on retreat, at summer camp, or a parish Youth Group gathering, young people often find that after these events, they do not feel a deep relationship with God.

Enter Live Jesus Ministries, a ministry of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, based in Ohio.

Created through a collaboration between the Oblates and John Trabbic, Live Jesus Ministries was established in November of 2023 to provide a new option for youth evangelization that better meets the spiritual and developmental needs of adolescent youth.

Multiple studies are showing that if a young person has four or more adults actively engaging them in faith through their adolescent developmental years, they are far more likely to develop an active, committed, intimate relationship with God and regularly practice their fatih into adulthood. Another Barna Study showed that 73% of young people desire to connect with adults, but 71% fear that if they do, they will be misunderstood. The data collected during that year of evaluation was as alarming as it was clear: teenagers seek relationship and mentorship!

They long for spiritual friendship, adult mentorship, intentional connections, and a safe forum to explore questions on faith and other topics. It became crystal clear that the large youth ministry events were not producing these.

So what will help young people develop a lifelong relationship with God?

John Trabbic, Executive Director of Live Jesus Ministries, explains, “Going back to the basics of the Church seemed most appropriate. Consider how Jesus launched the Church when he first shared the faith - he did so in a small group of 12.” Leveraging this tradition and the results of the year-long evaluation, Live Jesus Ministries established a spiritual mentorship approach to youth ministry where trained and faithful adults create a safe space for young people to develop authentic and meaningful relationships with God, the Church, and each other.

These adult mentors are the secret ingredient to this important ministry. They serve as spiritual mentors and faith witnesses. They are actively committed to following Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church. Representing all ages and backgrounds, they commit to 10 hours of initial training and weekly meetings throughout the year with their groups. Training modules include topics such as discipleship, adolescent culture, mentorship, and small group structure. An important goal of this ministry is to equip Catholic schools and parishes with the training, networking, and resources to support this work.

Trabbic uses the parable of the sower in examining what is needed to be a disciple of Christ: “The Church’s job is to make sure there is fertile ground.” The discussion, the supportive mentor, and the intimacy of a small group all work to build fertile ground in today’s Church. These work to produce relationships that support teens during challenging high school years but are also sustainable and life-giving into adulthood.

The response to this apostolic approach to ministering to youth has been incredible!

In its second year, Live Jesus Ministries now works alongside 12 locations within the Diocese of Toledo, has helped launch 8 mentor communities, with over 10 additional locations in the Diocese exploring this ministry. Over Fifty-five (55) small groups are meeting regularly, led by some of the 250 adult mentors who have been trained. In just two years, Live Jesus Ministries is now seeing hundreds of young people experience the impact of small-group discipleship and deepen their relationship with God, the Church, and each other!

The intentional discipleship taking place with adults and young people throughout the Live Jesus Ministries Network continuously inspires the founders, board, as well as the Oblates themselves. The Salesian name of this ministry represents a commitment to the charism of St. Francis de Sales in its curriculum and structure. “Youth want the simple and clear answer to follow Jesus Christ and to be optimistic and joyful. This is what the generation is looking for: beauty, authentic, faith-based, rooted joy. And, this is exactly what Spirituality offers,” says Trabbic.

For Fr. Joe Newman, OSFS, Provincial of the Toledo-Detroit Province and board chair of Live Jesus Ministries, the ministry’s growth and success are exciting and reflect his vocation: “We give Salesian Spirituality to them (teens) in small doses and they absolutely love it!”

To learn more, start a group or become a mentor, visit Live Jesus Ministries.

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