Young Disciples
The Young Disciples are an apostolate of Catholic young adults that travel from town to town to evangelize and catechize in rural communities and reservations.
Mission
Through their witness marked by the joy and hope of faith, the Young Disciples Teams seek to challenge youth to love Jesus Christ and to embrace the life of His Church—their mission is evangelization and catechesis.
Summer Camps
For 10 weeks in the summer, the Young Disciples Teams conduct week-long day camps for grades K–6 and evening teen missions for rural parishes and reservations. Parishes may also ask teams to conduct family activities and participate in other community affairs. Daily Mass and Reconciliation are a part of every camp. The teams also proclaim the Gospel through small groups, prayer, music, drama, games, and crafts. Participants are given the opportunity to say "yes" to Jesus in their daily lives.
Similar to other Catholic internships, we need men and women who love Jesus and His Church, are at least 18 years old, and are available for 10 weeks, May 16–July 30, 2013.
St. Michael Team (Both summer and year-long positions)
The St. Michael Team consists of both summer missionaries (men and women) and year-long missionaries (men) who minister on the Spirit Lake Nation Reservation in North Dakota. During the summer months these missionaries run vacation Bible camps, youth nights, and family ministry. The summer term at St. Michael is May 16, 2013 until July 30, 2013.
At the conclusion of summer, the year-long missionaries' ministry will transition into running/organizing the religious education program, youth ministry, adult ministry, and assisting the priest with other parish needs. Room, board, and a small monthly stipend will be provided for the year-long missionaries. Applicants for this position must be at least 21 years old. The year-long term begins May 16, 2013 and extends until Mid-May 2014.
Team Members and Team Stipend
Established in summer 2001, young adults have come from 31 different states and the countries of Portugal, Ireland, and Slovakia. They have conducted over 270 day camps and a similar number of teen missions and adults nights, reaching thousands of people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Team members often continue their apostolic work by being catechists, teachers in Catholic schools, campus ministers, youth ministers, DRE's, and parents. Some also pursue religious vocations or the priesthood. Each team member will receive $1000 as a stipend upon completion of the apostolate. On top of that, team members can raise sponsorship funds. Potentially, a team member could earn more with this apostolate than a typical summer job.
How to Be a Team Member
Applicants should desire to witness to elementary age students (although there will be some family, adult, and teen ministry). Team members will be on break from 9 p.m. June 28 to 3 p.m. July 5. You may send us an email to request a packet of information about the Young Disciples Apostolate, and also for an application. Be sure to include your name, address, and telephone number in your email so that we can get back to you right away! The same application is used for the traveling summer teams, the St. Michael Team summer positions, and the St Michael Team year-long positions.
For additional information about the Young Disciples program, please email Mary at mary.hanbury(at)fargodiocese(dot)org or call her at (701) 356-7909. Applications are now being accepted. Positions are open until filled.
Request Young Disciples
To invite Young Disciples to your parish, send an email to youngdisciples(at)fargodiocese(dot)org, or call (701) 356-7900 and ask for Mary Hanbury. Be sure to include your name, the name of your parish, and your telephone number.
Further Reading