Welcome to Youth Discipleship Ministry!
Our Mission is “To inspire youth to an ongoing encounter with Christ in His Church and to empower each one to live their whole life in His love.” We live out this mission by providing thought provoking formation, habit forming prayer experiences, and providing opportunities for authentic friendship.
Please see the opportunities below for ways for our youth to grow in virtue together. All opportunities have fundraising and scholarship opportunities available.
Faith Formation Prayer Corps: Join Now!
We are assembling a team of dedicated prayer warriors to intercede for our youth, families, and volunteers this year.
As a member our Prayer Corps, you will be given 5-10 names to pray for throughout the year. (For the sake of privacy, we will only give out first names. God will know how to direct the prayers!)
You'll be asked to pray for these names, in whatever manner you see fit, every day. You'll also be asked to say 2 more short prayers (for vocation
s and for catechists).
In addition to these daily prayers, feel free to make any other offerings (such as rosaries, fasts/penances, etc.) for these names.
Know that we at Faith Formation will be praying for you!
THANK YOU for your prayers!
Middle School Faith Formation
Extreme Faith Camp
What is Extreme Faith Camp?
EFC is a high-adventure summer camp for middle schoolers. It is packed with incredible activities, including high ropes, zip lines, tubing, laser tag, climbing walls, archery, water activities, and more!
EFC is organized and led by youth ministers from around the Archdiocese. Our aim is to give middle schoolers an awesome week of camp, grounded in the Catholic faith and Sacraments, where they can see that faith and fun can coexist, personally encounter the God who loves them so much, and form life-long habits of faith and prayer. This week of camp has changed lives.
What Makes Extreme Faith Camp Special?
There are a lot of great summer camps out there, even a number of great Christian camps. But there are some things that make EFC truly unique:
Check out this video for a look at last year’s camp!
Catholic Identity — EFC is firmly rooted in the Catholic tradition. Every day is enriched with the Sacraments, including Adoration, daily Mass, and Reconciliation
Link to the Parish Community — EFC is designed to not only provide a great week of camp, but also establish community and relationships that can carry on at the parish for years. Middle schoolers will be placed in groups with other kids from their parish, and will be led & mentored by teens and adults from St. Therese. This is key to giving them a community that will continue to nurture their faith after camp.
Life-Long Faith — One of the most beautiful aspects of camp are the personal, life-changing encounters with Jesus that our campers will have. But we know that faith is about a life-long relationship with Christ, and we empower our campers to integrate their experiences at camp into their everyday lives.
Where is Extreme Faith Camp?
EFC will be held at Trinity Woods Catholic Retreat Center in Trego, WI. Transportation will be provided.
When is Extreme Faith Camp?
EFC will take place from July 7th–July 11th, 2025
Who Can Come to Extreme Faith Camp?
EFC welcomes campers who are currently in grades 5–8. We also need teen (grades 9–12) and adult leaders. Adults interested in volunteering should reach out to Joe (jschiltz@st-therese.org or 952-261-0591). Applications for teen leaders will be released soon.
How can I sign up for Extreme Faith Camp?
Registration for EFC will open on Wednesday, December 4th, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.—just follow this link!
Register by our early deadline on February 15th, 2025, for an early bird price of $480. After that, the regular price will be $550. Final registration will close on April 15th, 2025, unless spots fill up sooner.
Need-based scholarships are available. Please reach out to Joe (jschiltz@st-therese.org or 952-261-0591) for information.
Middle School Catechesis
Ascend
Grade 8 Faith Formation
ASCEND has been created especially for St. Therese 8th graders to help them understand what they believe and why, give them the tools to defend those beliefs, and fall in love with Christ while doing it. This program will feature basic Christian apologetics, teachings on how to live a Christian life, and opportunities for them to encounter Christ.
Blaze
Grade 6-7 Faith Formation
St. Therese’s BLAZE is a Catholic middle-school youth discipleship program. It provides a safe, fun place for youth to find solid Catholic Community, get answers to their questions about faith, and most importantly, to experience Jesus in a profound and personal way. BLAZE resources speak to the spiritual, relational, cognitive, psychological, and physical maturation of middle school youth. The BLAZE program is a two-year cycle that covers the essential and key teachings of the Catholic faith—centered on The Creed, The Sacraments, The Moral Life, and A Life of Prayer, as well as Salvation History as described in the Old and New Testaments. Youth will encounter an environment of prayer fellowship and openness where they will feel safe to express their thought and ideas about their faith.
High School Faith Formation
Small Group Faith Formation
Small groups are the primary means of high school Faith Formation at St. Therese. Small groups are a chance to build community, pray with friends, and learn more about the faith. Moreover, they provide mentoring in Christian life. Here is another benefit of small groups: they are extremely flexible. It is very easy to tailor a small group to the needs of its participants. Once started, the participants, in consultation with their mentors, get to pick what they study.
Small groups usually meet for an hour once a week at the church. But they can meet for more or less time, if needed. Similarly, they can meet once every two weeks, if that is helpful for the participants.
To join one or get one started, contact James Gilbert at jgilbert@st-therese.org or (952) 261-0564.
Youth Group
Youth group fills a different set of needs than small group. At youth group we host larger events, participate in service opportunities, and gather for talks on the faith. And of course, we play plenty of games!
Click this link to look at the schedule for the year.