[ WHAT IS OUTCRY? ]
To read the Diocese of Austin statement on youth ministry, click here.
Teens and Core at SHINE Catholic Workcamp in Galveston, summer 2008
ABOUT US:
OUTCRY Emmaus Youth Ministry is the high school ministry of Emmaus Catholic Parish, located 20 miles west of Austin in beautiful Lakeway, Texas, just south of Lake Travis. Emmaus is in the Austin South deanery of the Catholic Diocese of Austin, one of the largest dioceses geographically in Texas, and among the fastest growing in the U.S.
Outcry is the primary religious education of students in grades 9 to 12, which includes the program for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Our mission is to encourage teens to form an integrated Eucharist-centered faith based on a relationship with Jesus Christ and community within his Church. This involves integration of Scripture, prayer, Church history, Catechesis, morality, and social justice - the fullness of Catholic teaching. Our hope is to provide an inviting and fun place to build and strengthen one's faith through spirituality, fellowship, and service,
as well as offer the teens peer support and the example of Christian mentors.
WHAT DOES OUTCRY MEAN?
Outcry:
1) Calling out to God in prayer: adoration, thanksgiving, penitence, and petition.
2) A public proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives.
3) A protest against injustice and evil in the world.
THE PEOPLE:
Kristen Baucher is our Director of Youth Ministry and is now in her second year at Emmaus. She is joined by our Music Director, Michael Raia, and the Core Team, a group of energetic, talented, and committed adults. That is to say, adults who are committed to the program... not adults who have been 'committed.' Yet. We're always looking for adults who are young at heart and are willing to give their time in service to our youth as Core Team members. All adults who serve with us have received Ethics and Integrity Training through the Austin Diocese and have passed a mandatory background check - also through the Austin Diocese. To read more about the Core Team, visit the "Meet the Core" page.
WHAT WE DO:
We gather every week for the 5:00 pm Sunday Youth Mass, the center of what we believe and what we do as Catholics. Immediately after, we share a meal prepared by parents and volunteers, and begin our weekly Sunday Night Live where we share fellowship, play, pray, and learn together. We also offer retreats at least once a semester, monthly service projects and a Spring Break mission trip, social outings, the Diocesan Catholic Youth Conference, XLT worship with other parishes, in-depth faith studies, leadership training, and summer camps. There is also an opportunity for teens who want to do more to get involved through our Young Apostles Leadership Team.
If you're a teen, you should know this: we want YOU to come and be a part of our community. Yes, you. The one sitting at home in your jammies surfing the net, procrastinating to avoid doing your homework. And you - the one who is afraid to try something new or thinks you're too cool for school. You. What have you got to lose? We do a lot of fun stuff and what you put into your faith in the 4 years of high school will make a HUGE difference in the rest of your life; just ask some of the older guys and gals who went through the youth program at Emmaus. So finish your homework Sunday morning when nothing else is going on, and be ready to come early to Mass to snag a seat up front and hang out with us afterwards. We guarantee a great time and a chance to meet other teens who share your faith.