Mental health challenges facing children and youth are increasingly placing demands on youth ministers, said John MacMullen, associate director of youth ministries for the Archdiocese of Toronto.

Although ministries for youth are growing, leaders need greater patience, sensitivity and awareness in how they approach young people, he told Canadian Catholic News. Youth ministry leaders are being asked to provide a level of care that is more intentional and individualized than perhaps ever before, he added.

“It has almost become a special-needs ministry,” MacMullen said. “We don’t have the training or volunteers to help with this. We’re not always equipped to deal with these issues.”

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Building consistent relationships with young people and maintaining regular contact can create a sense of belonging and security, both of which are essential components of effective youth ministry. 

“The connection is very important,” he said. “When we engage with them on a regular basis, it gives them that feeling of being involved.”

MacMullen said the archdiocesan Office of Catholic Youth has heard from more parents seeking support and guidance in the past two years than at any point in the previous seven to 10 years.

“Parents are looking for a parish environment that is morally safe, grounded in faith and equipped to support their children,” he said. “Parents are concerned that they need a place for their children through the Catholic faith ministry. They want to know which parish is taking youth seriously.” 

Parishes are investing in mental health first-aid training through the Canadian Mental Health Association, while partnerships with school boards are helping youth ministers learn how to recognize mental health concerns and respond appropriately, MacMullen said. The goal is not for youth ministers to become mental health professionals, but to ensure they understand their duty of care, know how to recognize when a young person may be struggling, and know when and how to involve caregivers and appropriate professionals. 

“We’re always looking for strong youth ministers to help lead our Church,” MacMullen said. “For young people navigating some of the most difficult transitions of their lives, that leadership can make a significant difference.”

“Youth ministry plays an important role in supporting them during the most crucial time of their development,” he added.

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Eric Luscombe, a youth minister at St. Timothy Catholic Parish in Orangeville, Ontario, located about 82 km northwest of Toronto, said young people have three spaces: home, school and where they congregate socially. He organizes parish-based frisbee teams to give teens a place to go. To keep connections he has made through youth ministry programs, each summer he plays in a youth ministry alumni adult frisbee team.

Lucas De Sousa of Holy Family Parish in Bolton, Ontario, about 53 km northwest of Toronto, runs a youth ministry program throughout the year and offers “Holy Days” summer church camp for grades one to six. Most weeks the camp has a wait list of 20-40 children.

“The majority of the parents want their kids there,” he said, adding that he and his leaders are trying to “provide a comfortable place for them to be who they are.”

De Sousa is present to the youth as a leader, coach, counselor and role model. He said he believes his ministry has made a positive difference in some young people’s lives.

“There’s definitely been an increase in mental health challenges in our youth. There’s a lot more anxiety, there’s a lot more depression,” he said, adding  that “the severity of the issues has increased so much [with] social media,” which “has become an all-consuming part” of young people’s lives.

De Sousa said he has seen the bullying that can occur at school also happens on social media. “A lot of them are really struggling with that. There’s just so much brokenness.”

These experiences make it harder to get young people to interact socially.

“It’s like they’ve forgotten how they make friends. It’s a lot more work to break down those walls,” De Sousa said.

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In response to these growing challenges, the Office of Catholic Youth has created opportunities for parishes to support and accompany young people in their communities. The Totus Tuus summer program gathers young adults who feel called to serve as leaders, mentors and teachers to work with children and give them a foundation in the Catholic faith.

“The Totus Tuus program is a life-changing summer experience, as not only can its fruits be seen in the campers who are drawn closer to Jesus through Mary, but also in the missionaries, who give of themselves fully to the campers in their care, and in so doing, can discern God’s calling for their lives,” said Sarah Gangl, a missionary at Totus Tuus and intern at the Toronto vocations office.