SHELBY—Since starting a youth ministry program in 2002 for two parishes in the Shelby area, Mark Seitz has seen a tremendous difference in the students that take part in the programs.

“I didn’t start coming because of my faith,” says Kaylee Smith, now a freshman at OSU-Mansfield. “Yet, now I’ve found my faith growing each day because of my experiences in this group. I’ve made friends here that I’m sure will be there for the rest of my life.”    

Mr. Seitz started as youth director for Shelby Most Pure Heart of Mary and Bethlehem Sacred Heart with no organized group of young people to lead. Now he works with 50-60 students regularly as part of several programs for youth in the parishes.

“This group has just astounded me with their faith,” Mr. Seitz says, “by how much they’ve grown and how mature they are.”

Mr. Seitz, who grew up in Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish, was working in retail management when he heard the parishes were looking for a youth director.

“I had absolutely no training as a youth minister,” he says. “But I really felt a strong call from God so I left my old career, which I was very happy in, because this is where God wanted me.

“Honestly, it was kind of overwhelming,” Mr. Seitz says, of the task ahead when he started. He credits Father Nicholas Cunningham with strong support for the program and says he took the pastor’s advice to create a youth council to take part in planning.

“Literally one of the first things I did was to create an application for a youth council,” Mr. Seitz says. “I never wanted to just use my ideas. I always wanted them to have the ownership and give feedback and have input.”

Youth Council meets each month to pray and plan activities. As an introduction to youth group, a social hour every Wednesday after PSR (Parish School of Religion) is planned with laid-back, informal activities for middle school students.

“We start to get to know the kids well,” Mr. Seitz says.

SLAM — Students Living a Mission — meets every other Sunday. Mr. Seitz is proud that the teenagers came up with their own name and their own logo. They enjoy icebreaker games, Bible study, group discussions, snacks and prayer. “It’s really to spark an interest in Youth Group and get them actively thinking about their faith lives,” Mr. Seitz says.

He hopes that through SLAM, students will start attending DEEPER. That group meets every Monday night for a combination of Bible study, catechesis, interaction and group discussion. “Students are allowed to discuss things they don’t understand,” Mr. Seitz says. “It would be easy to just say, ‘This is what the church teaches, so believe it.’ ”

As a young Catholic who, when he was in college, found the need for more answers himself, Mr. Seitz says he understands young people’s need for a more in-depth understanding of their faith. “I was asked questions about my own faith when I was in college,” he says. “I couldn’t always defend what the church taught so I started studying to learn my faith better.” Now he tries to pass that search for knowledge on to the teenagers through DEEPER. “This allows them to ask questions and discuss the answers,” Mr. Seitz says.

Six teenagers came to the first DEEPER discussion two years ago. Now those students have been joined by about 20 other teens each week during the school year.

“Kids are going to ask the tough questions,” Mr. Seitz says, “and when they start to see who this Jesus is and what our faith is all about, it makes a lot of sense. But they won’t accept easy answers and they need honest answers.”

Students have responded to Mr. Seitz’s efforts. “Our youth group is amazing,” says Mary Dannemiller, a junior at Shelby High. “It makes it possible to learn about your faith, have fun and make friends all in one. It’s one of the few places I can go to and not be afraid to state my opinions.”

Mr. Seitz says he hopes students will learn to appreciate their faith through this analysis. “A lot of people leave the Catholic Church not because they are against it,” he says, “but because they don’t understand it well enough to defend it when questioned.”

Other high points for the students are the annual diocesan youth conferences, other high school gatherings and the summer camp retreats offered by the combined parishes. High school students gather at a camp in Tiffin and middle school students attend a summer camp in Bellefontaine. “It’s a blend of faith and fun,” Mr. Seitz says.  

One youth group member summed up the programs nicely. “Our youth group is like a big Christmas tree,” says Joe Carriere, a junior at Shelby High. “Alone, each student is just a light or an ornament. But when you put us all together in one place, we all shine and everyone can feel the warmth.”