Foundations Youth Ministry is committed to fostering fellowship, spirituality, and service with the teens of Old St. Pat’s in building the Kingdom of God in our world. The program is comprised of high school students from a variety of high schools in and around Chicagoland. Foundations meets most Sunday mornings throughout the school year. Additional days are dedicated toward teens’ participation in service projects, retreats, summer service trips, and many other fun events. Registration is always open! Young adults are needed to volunteer for this important ministry!
Foundations Youth Ministry:
Meetings:
Foundations meetings take place primarily on the first and third Sunday of the month, October-May, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on the second floor of the Fr. Jack Wall Mission Center, 711 W. Monroe, Chicago, IL 60661. The topics of Foundations meetings are extremely diverse. We host powerful guest speakers and engage in heartfelt and emotional discussions. We aim to tie together concepts of faith with issues of social justice, Christian leadership, inner reflection and growth. Whatever the theme for the meeting may be, we strive to provide a fun and welcoming community where teens can connect their faith with other teens.
Foundations meetings take place primarily on the first and third Sunday of the month, October-May, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on the second floor of the Fr. Jack Wall Mission Center, 711 W. Monroe, Chicago, IL 60661. The topics of Foundations meetings are extremely diverse. We host powerful guest speakers and engage in heartfelt and emotional discussions. We aim to tie together concepts of faith with issues of social justice, Christian leadership, inner reflection and growth. Whatever the theme for the meeting may be, we strive to provide a fun and welcoming community where teens can connect their faith with other teens.
Fun:
Foundations facilitates many fun events outside of its regular meetings! We have been to play whirlyball, lasertag, and even went to a trampoline park. During the summer, we host Park Games every Tuesday night in the park across from the church from 7 – 9 p.m. We play sports and just hang out. Other fun events include retreats and Worktours (see below)!
Retreats:
Foundations provides opportunities to go on 5 different retreats throughout high school that explore themes of faith, social justice, and inner reflection. Retreats are a great opportunity to get away from your daily life and focus on reconnecting with yourself and with God. They are also a ton of fun and are a great way to bond with other Foundations teens.
Mass:
Foundations hosts the 9:30 a.m. Mass on the first Sunday of the month. Foundations teens are encouraged to participate as Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Hospitality Ministers, Choir members on the first Sunday of the month, and at any other Mass throughout the month.
Service:
Foundations works with many different organizations in the Chicagoland area to provide service to those in need. In the past, Foundations has worked with Habitat for Humanity, Misericordia, Midwest Workers Association, Share Your Soles, The Night Ministry, St. Agatha’s, Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly and many other organizations around the city. We also fundraise for our summer Worktours through Workday, a day where homeowners hire the Foundations teens and parents to complete projects around their homes. Participating in service is a great way to get involved with Foundations while giving back to the community!
Fundraisers:
Our main fundraisers are the Pancake Breakfast in January and Workday on Memorial Day Weekend. Our fundraisers help support the Worktours around the nation that Foundations participates in each summer. For more information on our fundraising efforts, please contact Courtney Malawy at courtneym@oldstpats.org.
Worktour:
For the past eight summers, Foundations teens have been cleaning, repairing, and rejuvenating communities across the nation on Worktour! Worktour is a weeklong service trip that teens can participate in each summer to help out an area of the country in need whilst also learning about issues of social justice. For example, we have provided disaster relief in Oklahoma and New Orleans; discussed Civil Rights in Birmingham, Alabama; explored immigration near the border in Texas, and examined the education system in Washington, D.C. We have worked with Habitat for Humanity numerous times to understand the need for affordable housing.
Foundations facilitates many fun events outside of its regular meetings! We have been to play whirlyball, lasertag, and even went to a trampoline park. During the summer, we host Park Games every Tuesday night in the park across from the church from 7 – 9 p.m. We play sports and just hang out. Other fun events include retreats and Worktours (see below)!
Retreats:
Foundations provides opportunities to go on 5 different retreats throughout high school that explore themes of faith, social justice, and inner reflection. Retreats are a great opportunity to get away from your daily life and focus on reconnecting with yourself and with God. They are also a ton of fun and are a great way to bond with other Foundations teens.
Mass:
Foundations hosts the 9:30 a.m. Mass on the first Sunday of the month. Foundations teens are encouraged to participate as Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Hospitality Ministers, Choir members on the first Sunday of the month, and at any other Mass throughout the month.
Service:
Foundations works with many different organizations in the Chicagoland area to provide service to those in need. In the past, Foundations has worked with Habitat for Humanity, Misericordia, Midwest Workers Association, Share Your Soles, The Night Ministry, St. Agatha’s, Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly and many other organizations around the city. We also fundraise for our summer Worktours through Workday, a day where homeowners hire the Foundations teens and parents to complete projects around their homes. Participating in service is a great way to get involved with Foundations while giving back to the community!
Fundraisers:
Our main fundraisers are the Pancake Breakfast in January and Workday on Memorial Day Weekend. Our fundraisers help support the Worktours around the nation that Foundations participates in each summer. For more information on our fundraising efforts, please contact Courtney Malawy at courtneym@oldstpats.org.
Worktour:
For the past eight summers, Foundations teens have been cleaning, repairing, and rejuvenating communities across the nation on Worktour! Worktour is a weeklong service trip that teens can participate in each summer to help out an area of the country in need whilst also learning about issues of social justice. For example, we have provided disaster relief in Oklahoma and New Orleans; discussed Civil Rights in Birmingham, Alabama; explored immigration near the border in Texas, and examined the education system in Washington, D.C. We have worked with Habitat for Humanity numerous times to understand the need for affordable housing.