Diocese of Gary OYYA

Mission Statement

The Diocese of Gary OYYA serves those who serve the young Catholic Church.

Vision Statement

Through collaboration with parish leaders and youth-serving organizations, the Diocese of Gary OYYA seeks to nurture the total personal and spiritual enrichment of our youth and young adults, and to call them to full participation in the life, mission, and work of the faith community as portrayed by Jesus in the Gospels.

OYYA programs are funded in part by generous donations to the diocesan Catholic Services Appeal
THANK YOU for your gifts!

Register NOW for TAPT! H.S. teens are invited to attend TAPT, a Diocesan Catholic weekend retreat, held March 19-21 at Camp Lawrence, north of Valparaiso. Retreat activities include: talks, discussions, prayer, recreation, Reconciliation, and Eucharist. TAPT is designed to bring teens into a more intimate encounter with the Incarnate Jesus Christ. click here for more

Lent 2010
Feel free to utilize some of these links to assist you in preparing to bring Lenten themes to your gathered sessions with youth:
> USCCB: Lent 2010
> Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI from Lent 2010
> FULL PAGE OF MORE YOUTH-LENT LINKS (NFCYM)
> Multimedia: prayers, reflections, videos and podcasts (MyCatholicVoice)
> Disciples Now: a whole buncha stuff here!
> Lent: Call to Conversion (American Catholic/St. Anthony Messenger Press)
> Educational resources from Catholic Relief Services
> Ashes to Reconciliation: A Reconciliation Prayer for Lent (St. Mary's Press)
> Lenten Nails: A Reflection Exercise for Lent (St. Mary's Press)

CYX 2010 Theme- I am: Teens are constantly searching for identity. They are defined by the friends they share, the clothes they wear, their activities, their music, their culture, their FAITH. A single teen can complete that sentence a hundred different ways. CYX 2010 will help teens proclaim one more: I am a Catholic teen. click here for more

For those of you who were a part of the Feb. 13 “Generation Christ” Symposium for Catholic Young Adults, thanks for being part of something special! One of the themes that surfaced often throughout the day was a genuine desire to network with other Catholic young adults in Northwest Indiana.

As Facebook has become arguably THE means of social networking, we have decided to expand the “Generation Christ” Facebook group site. “Generation Christ” is no longer just an event, it is the name we’ve given to a renewed outreach to Catholic young adults, college-aged, singles and marrieds, 18-30’s, in Northwest Indiana. Join today!

Top Ten Challenges Facing H.S.-Aged Teens
Diocese of Gary Diocesan Youth Council • June, 2009

Using a careful discernment and consensus process, the Diocesan Youth Council arrived at this list. The DYC invites parish leaders to use this list as a discussion starter with youth. Some may agree with items on this list, some may disagree, but it could be the start of good discussions. (click here)

Year for Priests: June 19, 2009 - June 19, 2010 has been designated as a "Year for Priests." It is not only an opportunity for priests to re-discover their vocation, but for us, the laity, to appreciate the wealth of gifts our clergy bring to our faith. Like most loved ones in our lives, it is easy to take our priests for granted, but let's all commit ourselves to affirming our priests! At CYX 2009, one youth ministry program, St. Mary (Kouts), shared a special video thank you for their Pastor, Father Thomas Tibbs (see video at right, our click here to see it at YouTube).

> Year for Priests resources from USCCB