More paid local youth ministers for Auckland project

By CathNews New Zealand

March 3rd, 2026

Bridgette Carne - second from left (Auckland Catholic Youth Ministry/Facebook)

The success of a pilot programme has led to support for five paid Local Youth Ministers in parishes and secondary schools in Auckland Diocese.

In 2025, the Catholic Diocese of Auckland launched a pilot initiative with subsidy funding for such ministers. The goal was to support the communities in offering young people meaningful opportunities to encounter Christ and grow in ongoing discipleship.

The pilot Local Youth Minister (LYM), Bridgette Carne, ministered in the community of St Ignatius College, Drury and St Patrick’s Parish, Pukekohe.

There, she pioneered a model of youth ministry focused on discipleship small groups: gatherings of five to eight young people meeting weekly with one or two trained Catholic adult mentors.

This small-group approach, combined with larger monthly youth gatherings and inviting youth participation in Catholic Diocese of Auckland school and parish liturgies, proved particularly effective at ministering to the spiritual needs of young people.

It also strengthened collaboration between school and parish, helping to build a shared culture of evangelisation and discipleship.

A distinctive feature of the LYM model is the structured support each minister receives. LYMs participate in intensive start-of-year training, followed by weekly mentoring, formation and practical ministry support from the diocesan youth ministry team.

Following the success of the pilot, the Diocese has extended the project from one to five Local Youth Ministers in 2026.

These LYMs will serve in the following communities: St Ignatius College, Drury and St Patrick’s Parish, Pukekohe; Pompallier College and St Francis Parish, Whangarei; Sancta Maria College and St Luke’s Parish, Flat Bush; Good Shepherd Parish, Balmoral and St John Vianney Parish, Hillsborough; Holy Cross Parish, Henderson.

The five LYMs completed an intensive four-day initial training programme in January, covering youth discipleship, mentoring, prayer, safeguarding and strategies for building youth leadership teams. They were then welcomed into their communities at the start of term 1, being introduced at school assemblies and Sunday Masses.

FULL STORY

NZ Catholic Issue 11 (Catholic Diocese of Auckland)