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Join 4,000 other Catholic teens and chaperones in a high-energy weekend at Missouri State University in Springfield to renew and rejuvenate your faith! For more information, contact your parish youth leader or visit steubystl.com

NCYC (National Catholic Youth Conference) is a powerfully unique three-day experience of prayer, community, evangelization, catechesis, service, and empowerment for Catholic teenagers (of high school age) and their adult chaperones.

NCYC is the premier Catholic youth event on a national scale that gathers people from all across America for a life-changing encounter with Christ. The National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) sponsors NCYC.

In a distinctly Catholic setting, the National Catholic Youth Conference invites participants to encounter Christ, experience the vibrance of His Church, and be empowered for discipleship during this important season of their lives. Teens at NCYC enjoy national Catholic speakers, live praise & worship music, dozens of breakout sessions on relevant topics, and Mass in a stadium with thousands of their Catholic peers. 

NCYC 2025 will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indianapolis Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana on November 19-23, 2025. Preparations for NCYC 2025 have begun! To learn more about how to prepare for NCYC, check out the list of important dates below. For a deep dive into NCYC, watch our Diocesan Webinar for NCYC or read our NCYC Informational Packet.

NCYC 2025 Diocesan Webinar

NCYC 2025 Information Packet

For over 50 years, Catholic children and young people have attended Camp Re-NEW-All, learning about God, themselves, and what it means to be Catholic. Our belief is that campers deepen their relationship with God while interacting with other campers and staff members, surrounded by the beauty and nature of southern Missouri. Campers can grow in their Catholic faith, aided by the Sacraments and age-appropriate religious formation. Other fun activities include sports, swimming, crafts and music. Camp is for children going into the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade following the camp season. There are 3 sessions held at Camp St. Vincent in Fredericktown and 3 sessions at Osage Branch Retreat Center in Conway. Adult staff (age 18 and above as of the first day of the camp session), and high school staff (entering grades 10-12 in fall) serve along with priests and seminarians as counselors, activities directors and support staff.

Camp Registration will open  December 11, 2024

REGISTER ONLINE:

https://dioscg.formstack.com/forms/camp_re_new_all

All camp registrations are made through an Online registration platform. If you need assistance with the Online registration process, please call Linda Glendenning at (417) 866-0841.

2025 Camp Re-NEW-All brochure

2025 Camp Re-NEW-All poster

CAMPER RESOURCES

Each summer, a team of college-aged missionaries travel to parishes across the diocese to present a week-long fun-filled and educational Catholic program for all youth in 1st – 12th grade.

What is Totus Tuus (Totally Yours)?

Totus Tuus is a summer Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic Faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness and Eucharistic worship. Our week-long Parish Summer Catechetical Program assists parents and parishes in the evangelizing and catechizing of their youth by supplementing the work they are currently doing.

The methodology, structure, content, and enthusiasm of Totus Tuus is concerned not only with teaching the Faith, but also igniting the hearts of the team members and the young people they encounter. The result has been the formation of young adults who continue to dedicate themselves to the Church’s mission of evangelization along with many vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

How does the program work?

Totus Tuus calls upon college-age young adults and seminarians from across the United States to carry this mission to every young person they encounter. These young men and women are hired for their energy, enthusiasm, love of the Faith, commitment to spiritual growth, ability to work with a team and a desire to work with youth.

Teams of four young adults (two men and two women) travel to a different parish each week, hosting a five-day catechetical program for grades 1-12, similar to ‘vacation Bible school.” The week is filled with faith, fun, and friendship. There are messy games and crazy skits as well as catechetical learning joined with prayer and sacrament. Our college-age missionaries provide an authentic witness to the students.

Interested in becoming a Missionary?

Would you like to be a young adult Missionary this summer and travel throughout the diocese presenting the Totus Tuus program?

Watch this video to find out more or check out our missionary brochure.

Apply Here

417diocesan committee, comprised of leaders from various Adventure programs such as American Heritage Girls and Scouts, coordinates collaborative Catholic events for members of the various groups.

YAP Religious Emblem Awards

Several religious recognition medals are available to young men and women wishing to complete the necessary information and study. Catholic Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, American Heritage Girls, and Trail Life USA Trailmen are awarded their religious emblem awards at diocesan celebrations held in Springfield and Cape Girardeau in early May. Completed paperwork should be turned in to Mrs. Maryanne Hennecke (for the Cape Girardeau celebration) or Nick Meinhardt (for the Springfield celebration) by the middle of March.

Mrs. Mary Ann Hennecke
Catholic Campus Ministry
512 N Pacific
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
(573)335-3899

Nick Meinhardt
4525 S. Glenn Ave.
Springfield, MO 65810
(417)224-2421

American Heritage Girls Awards: https://americanheritagegirls.org/alliances/national-catholic-committee/
Catholic Scouting Awards for Boys: www.nccs-bsa.org
Catholic Trail Life USA Awards: www.catholictrail.com
Catholic Scouting Awards for Girls: www.nccgscf.org/programs

YAP Spring Service Project

The Diocesan Youth Adventure Program Committee hosts a Spring Service Project each year. We have worked at the Kitchen garden, Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri Offices, the grounds at the Mary Queen of Peace Solitude, and Bishop Rice’s garden.

Check back here for details on future service projects.

American Heritage Girls

American Heritage Girls is the premier national character development organization for girls ages 5-18 that embraces Christian values and encourages family involvement.

A regional Catholic American Heritage Girls troop is active in Springfield. All activities with this troop are in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church. New members are welcome to join now!

For more information, contact Joan Hampton-Porter, the Troop Coordinator at (417) 522-9325 or [email protected].

There is also a Catholic AHG Troop which meets at St. Vincent de Paul school in Cape Girardeau. Contact the Office of Youth Ministry at 417-866-0841 for more information.

Every year, all ministry leaders and catechists who work with teens in 7th-12th grade are treated to a weekend away to learn, pray, and collaborate with other ministers in this diocese. You don’t want to miss this event!

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Need help funding your parish or school events? Want to attend an event, but need financial help? Interested in taking some classes or attending a conference to improve your knowledge of Catholic teachings or skills in ministry?

The Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau has special funds available:
Diocesan Youth Endowment Fund Grant
* For parishes and schools, to support ministries or for individuals to attend camps or conferences
Diocesan Lay Endowment Fund Grant
* For adults to use for lay ministry training

Diocesan Youth Endowment Fund

The main objective of the Diocesan Youth Endowment Fund is to support those activities which: create opportunities for youth and families to encounter Christ, provide more effective ways of accompanying youth and families in their faith formation and prepare them as intentional missionary disciples. The Diocesan Youth Endowment Committee will continue to pray, seek input from parish leaders, and discern carefully the priorities for ministering to youth and their families. May our good and gracious God continue to bless all the generous donors and guide the endeavors of parishes, schools, and the diocese in ministering to youth and their families.

Lay Endowment Grant Fund for Adults

The Endowment Fund for Lay Leadership is a fund to promote continuing Catholic education and formation among the laity of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau. Read more.

Helpful links to important Youth Ministry forms, resources, and safe environment information:

As you plan meetings and activities for Youth Ministry, the following resources may be helpful.

• Guidelines and Resources for Catechetical Leaders and Youth Ministers
• Renewing the Vision: The USCCB’s blueprint for the continued development of effective ministry with young and older adolescents
• Resources for Youth Ministry, including post-Confirmation classes
• Retreat Facilities
• Volunteer Driver Form
• Parental/Guardian Consent and Media Release Form  English Spanish
• Policy and Guidelines for the Use of Technology, Email,
  and Social Media English Spanish
• Event Registration and Waiver Adult  English  Spanish
• Event Registration and Waiver Youth  English Spanish

Child and Youth Protection Forms:
All adults, age 18 and older, must be compliant with Diocesan Safe Environment Policies and should have completed the following three items before participating in any activities with you:
1. Submit a background check before beginning ministry with minors
2. Read and sign the Diocesan Code of Conduct annually
3. Complete a Virtus training workshop either online or in person.

Please read ALL diocesan policies and complete all training and procedures through the Diocesan Child and Youth Protection Office.

Adults involved in youth ministry within our diocese are invited to join our Youth Ministry Facebook page. It is a private permission based page.  If you would like to join, email Lynn Melendez at [email protected].

Listen, Teach, Send

In June 2024, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved Listen, Teach, Send, a new framework for youth and young adult ministry in the U.S. Listen, Teach, Send serves as a response to Pope Francis’ initiative in Christus Vivit (2019) and renews efforts for youth and young adult ministry in the United States.

The document begins with a foreword from the Chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, Bishop Robert. E. Barron, followed by an address to the youth and young people nationwide thanking them for their presence in the Church, and inviting them into ever-deepening commitment to their faith. The language used by the writers of Listen, Teach, Send affirms Pope Francis’ efforts to remind the youth that they are “the Church of today.”

The rest of Listen, Teach, Send is spent giving those who minister to the youth and young adults of the nation a new practical framework for ministry based on Jesus’ example of individual accompaniment featured on The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). The three pillars of this new framework are featured in the document’s title: listening, teaching, and sending.

Since the document’s approval and release in June 2024, additional resources have been continuously added to supplement the document’s promulgation, including a one-page summary of the text, webinars with members of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, and even a reflection guide for parish families and youth leaders. The USCCB has also provided extensive resources to help connect this new framework for youth ministry to the wisdom and instruction found in past documents, such as Sons and Daughters of the Light (1996) and Renewing the Vision (1997). Listen, Teach, Send connects and builds upon these past publications to formulate a more comprehensive and composite model for youth ministry.

These and many more helpful resources can be found at https://www.usccb.org/listen-teach-send. Listen, Teach, Send can be accessed in PDF form here.