YOUTH WORK
at Patriarchal parishes in the USA“Our work with young people must not be built on the principle of events. Rallies, congresses, festivals — all this is important. But it is necessary that in every — I emphasize, every! — parish there be people who work with young people daily and selflessly. If the balance between large one-off events and daily, inconspicuous but important work with specific people is upset, we will lose our youth, as the sower lost the seeds that fell on stony ground.”
— His Holiness Patriarch Kirill
ABOUT OUR YOUTH DEPARTMENT
In October 2010, with the blessing of Archbishop Justinian, a youth department was founded at the Patriarchal parishes in the USA. The main objectives of this department are:
— Attracting young people to the Church.
— Creating conditions for extra-church communication for church youth.
— Raising the level of Christian education among young people in the USA.
— Assistance to the cathedral and participation in parish life.
— Helping each other with various pressing problems.
To achieve the above goals, we hold many interesting events that help Orthodox youth maintain communication both in and outside the church.
Every Tuesday at 7:00 PM our traditional gatherings are held in the parish hall of St. Nicholas Cathedral,
where young people can get to know one another, socialize and learn many new and interesting things about Orthodoxy. Each Tuesday gathering begins with a moleben. Lectures are given on Holy Scripture, the history of Christianity and topics of interest to young people. We organize meetings with clergy, screenings of Christian films and discussions on theological topics. We also invite clergy of other Orthodox Churches, as well as interesting people — historians, writers and public figures — to our gatherings.
We try to help one another find work and housing. Young men and women who come to the USA sometimes have a very hard time and have no one to turn to for help or advice, but we are always glad to support one another.
We periodically organize trips to the countryside, walks in the parks, picnics and visits to various Orthodox parishes in the USA. Our department organizes celebrations at St. Nicholas Cathedral to which all parishioners and guests of our parish are invited: at Maslenitsa we hold Russian folk games and bake blini, and at Pascha and Christmas we organize dances, contests and games.
Members of the youth group take part in the liturgical life of the cathedral as altar servers and subdeacons, while young women help in the refectory and with cleaning the cathedral and sing in the kliros.
We warmly invite everyone to join our active youth life! Come to St. Nicholas Cathedral on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM. Don’t be late, and bring something for tea.
We, Orthodox youth, like many of our peers, lead interesting and active lives. At the same time, we try to follow the example of the saints, cultivating in ourselves meekness, love for our neighbors, long-suffering and humility. With brotherly love we welcome everyone who shares and is interested in our outlook on life.