Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Department of Youth Ministry
PO Box 389 Westwood, MA 02090-0389 Phone Number: 781-255-1757 Fax Number: 781-634-0213 E-Mail: Very Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Purpura, Chairman
The Department of Youth and Parish Ministries supports and integrates the whole spectrum of archdiocesan programs for youth, including the Camping Program, Teen SOYO, and Campus Ministry. This department also works closely with the Fellowship of St. John the Divine, whose mission-while not directed solely at youth-resonates closely with the objectives of this department. Although all of these programs together encompass a broad range of activity and age groups, all share the same goal: to encourage full participation in the life of the Church through worship, witness, service, and fellowship. This department trains youth leaders, organizes events, provides consultation for youth leaders and pastors across the archdiocese, maintains youth-related data and a cache of ministry resources, and oversees programs such as the Bible Bowl and the Oratorical Festival.
The Department of Youth and Parish Ministries webpage has information and links that are intended to be broadly informative for young people, youth leaders, pastors, and parents. Visitors looking for more specific information on the Camping Program, Teen SOYO, Campus Ministry, or the Fellowship of St. John the Divine are encouraged to visit their respective web pages for a complete picture of what each has to offer.
Are you looking for a full-time job in youth Ministry?
If so, send your resume to frjoseph@orthodoxyouth.com parish youth ministry positions are now available in several locations across North America.
Win a Scholarship worth $60,000.00
Participate in the 2009 Oratorical Festival and win a full tuition scholarship to Hellenic College!
The Senior Division Oratorical Teen Winner in each Diocese will win a Scholarship to Hellenic College - An Accredited Orthodox College for men and women in Brookline Massachusetts. This Scholarship includes
1.Full Tuition Scholarship (Aprox. $18,000) for the first year
2.80% Scholarship for the remaining three years – making tuition approximately $3,400 each of the three years
3.The student will still be responsible for Room and Board, books, fees, etc.
Students must meet eligibility requirements for entrance into Hellenic College
Students must maintain a 3.0 average each semester while at Hellenic College, to remain eligible for the Scholarship.
Diocesan Winners that will not graduate High School May-June 2009 and are currently sophomores and juniors in High School will still be eligible for this scholarship when they graduate High School.
Fr. Joseph Purpura, Archdiocese Youth Director, has released via YouTube this special Teen SOYO 40th Anniversary video commemorating the forty years of raising up generations of disciples and leaders for the Holy Orthodox Church in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Click here to go to the YouTube page for this video, and click here for Fr. Joseph's article from The Word commemorating this important occasion.
Fr. Joseph Purpura, Youth Director of the Antiochian Archdiocese, has provided the following PDF presentation for the edification of youth and youth workers of the Archdiocese. It covers:
The Why, What, and How of Orthodox Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry Programs (as found in the Antiochian Archdiocese as an example)
Katrina Bitar, a past SOYO member, SOYO officer, Parish Youth Director, and recent graduate of St. Vladimir's Seminary, was appointed, with the blessing of Metropolitan PHILIP, by the Department of Youth Ministry, effective May 17, 2009, as the new Executive Director of OYO - Orthodox Youth Outreach. OYO is a ministry of NAC Teen SOYO. Katrina comes to this ministry with much youth and OYO experience. Katrina writes:
"I believe in the power of this ministry because I, myself, am a product of this program. I participated in the very first OYO trip. I plan to continue to serve Orthodox Christian young people through not only leading short-term mission trips, but also helping parishes to establish consistent commitments to serving the poor and needy in their local communities.
For three years the teens of the Antiochian Archdiocese have formally given their prayers, time, talent and voices to stand up for Orthodox Church teaching on the sacred gift of life. Previously, many of our Orthodox Christian teens witnessed as individuals to these truths in their living of the Gospel. They have been and are still committed to conveying to others the understanding that life begins at conception and continues into eternity. The members of Teen SOYO have dedicated themselves specifically to witness before the world to the value of life by observing the Sacred Gift of Life Sunday in January, the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the disastrous Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion. But for our faithful young men and women this isn’t enough.
Last summer, at the meetings of the North American Council of Teen SOYO, our teens decided to go a step further. They recognize that the issue we face with unwanted pregnancy is symptomatic of a greater problem – the lack of purity, chastity and holiness in our society. In fact, a recent study by researchers at the Rand Corporation concluded that teenagers who watch television shows that contain sexual content are twice as likely to be involved in teenage pregnancies. Did we really need a study to confirm what most of us already knew? Even our teens had this concept well within their grasp, before any study results, when they took the initiative this summer to focus on educating others about the godliness of living a virginal life until marriage.
