Today we meet a former member of Fr. Steve Williams’ youth group at St. Pius—Jami Graham. Jami servers as youth minister for several years at Christ the King in Daphne and, this past year, began to serve the youth at St. Dominic in Mobile. Jami shares how the Lord led her into this ministry—not something that she set out to do! Over all the years, she shares her philosophy of “youth ministry” and what important aspects are necessary to help nurture teens in the faith at this formative time in...

Today Fr. Victor shares about a Catholic Service Mission Trip he participated in for five summers straight growing up. He reflects upon the great impact it had on him and the elements of that experience that reveal what effective youth ministry looks like. He points at three components in particular that helped to make his faith come alive and be put into practice. Dig In Further:1. How can your teens better encounter Christ within your parish community? How can they experience a sense o...

Last week we met Todd Sylvester—former youth minister at St. Ignatius in Mobile and St. Lawrence in Fairhope. Today we meet one of Todd’s former youth group members from St. Ignatius—Fr. Connor Plessala. Fr. Connor shares how youth ministry impacted not only him but his entire family. He also relates how it led to him discovering his call to be a priest. He now shares what is likely to be on the other end of youth ministry—being a youth minister now himself at St. Bede’s. Share in his passion...

Today meet another “Godfather” of youth ministry here in the Archdiocese of Mobile—Todd Sylvester. He shares his story of conversion and how the Lord Providentially brought him down to Mobile to do youth ministry. Listen in to how the Lord gave him the grace to serve in that capacity for over 20 years and the lessons he learned along the way. Dig In Further:1. How can you help the teens in your life be “known”? How about your family members, peers and friends?2. How can you show the teen...

You heard about him vicariously last week…time to meet the man face to face! Meet one of the “Godfathers” of youth ministry in the Archdiocese of Mobile. Youth ministry was a big part of his teenage experience, his discernment of the priesthood and has been a consistent thread in his priestly ministry for more than 25 years! A great well to draw from as we dig into this topic! Dig In Further:1. Who made the biggest impact on your faith during your teenage years?2. How did the Lord exactl...

Today Fr. Victor reflects upon the great impact that two people, in particular, had on his faith throughout his teenage years. His youth minister was a Mom who simply responded to the need of the parish to provide a place for their youth to engage their faith. The priest only served in his parish for one summer but opened his horizons about the role of a priest in the lives of young people and connected him to the larger Catholic world in the Archdiocese outside of Montgomery. Both influences...

Meet Silvia Stroud. Wife. Mother. Disciple. Middle School Religion Teacher. Marvel at how the Lord brought her to Alabama and once here drew here deeper into her Catholic faith. Share in her enthusiasm as she shares her passion for transmitting the faith to her middle school students at Christ the King in Daphne. She shares a number of good practical tips for catechesis as well. www.nativesoil.org

Meet Tex Phelps - our one year old Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. Learn about his conversion to Catholicism, how the Lord reeled him into youth ministry, how his "yes" has taken him around the Southeast and finally brought him to our Native Soil. He offers a story of "trust" that challenges us to "walk by faith and not by sight." www.nativesoil.org

Today Fr. Victor shares about seeing Pope St. Paul II in St. Louis as an eighth grader. The excitement, energy, enthusiasm and diversity of the experience was not something he was expecting. It blew the lid off what he understood to be “Catholic.” Hopefully, his story…along with the help of St. JPII…can do the same for you!www.nativesoil.org

To kick off Season 5, join us in welcoming back our first-ever repeat guest - Archbishop Rode! Listen as he shares about his experience in youth ministry as a young priest and reflects upon how he has seen the nature of youth ministry evolve in his own lifetime. He also shares why "youth ministry" has been such a priority for him in his ministry as our Archbishop. www.nativesoil.org