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The
Youth Ministry Office
is located in
The Ministry Center
Office Hours
Monday - Wednesday
8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Director of Youth MinistryLaura Haftek
973-839-2323 press 4
l.haftek@olcchurch.com
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Our Lady of Consolation’s total Youth Ministry Program encompasses all teenagers and children 18 years old and younger. It is designed to overlap with Religious Education and transition our youth into the Confirmation Program as they become active parishioners.
We offer community service opportunities that involve our youth in all areas of parish life, in a fun and rewarding way that builds character and builds faith. Our youth help the less fortunate in many ways such as: SOUPerbowl Sunday collections for the Wayne Interfaith Network, serving lunch to the needy at EVA’s Kitchen, building homes as part of Habitat for Humanity, sorting Christmas gifts for underprivileged children, adopting a poor child from Bolivia, raising funds for a little girl’s burn treatments, making food for the Fr. English Center, raking leaves for those in need, Trick or Treating for Hunger, CROP walks, bake sales to benefit a cancer cure, helping flood victims, raising funds for a family who lost both parents, participating in clothing drives and donating hats & mittens to the homeless.
Our youth also give back to our own parish by: becoming Peer Ministry leaders to help run Youth activities, decorating our church for Christmas and Easter, weeding, planting flowers and trees, helping in the video booth, altar servers, helping with Religious Education as well as the Confirmation Program, giving witnesses at mass, being on retreat teams, participating in Sports benefits, Car Washes for a good cause, helping at our Parish Picnic and our Veteran’s Day Breakfast, giving out “Free Hugs” to parishioners, presenting a Good Friday Passion Play, Christmas Caroling to parishioner’s homes, helping at the Cornerstone Retreat, running an Easter Egg Hunt for little kids, dressing as the Easter Bunny and handing out Easter Treats, and they are runners for OLC Tricky Tray.
Many of our youth grow up in our Youth Ministry Program and eagerly take part in our Junior High Youth Group and onto our high school Youth Group. 6th-12th Graders come together every Tuesday throughout the summer to go on local “DAYcations” to Tom’s Lake, the movie theatre, bowling, ice skating, the zoo, and to play mini-golf. They also use our own field for picnics and BBQs, volleyball, soccer, wiffleball, kickball, bocce ball, horseshoes, touch football, outdoor movies, and camping. Inside our new Ministry Center they play pool, air hockey, ping pong, board games, video games, volleyball, and basketball. They enjoy dances, game show nights, video game nights, slideshows, movies, baking, sleep-overs, pizza parties, and ice cream socials.
Our youth are also blessed to go on trips like: “The Forest of Fear,” Six Flags Great Adventure, bus trips to the mall, Christmas in New York City, and Diocesan Youth Rallies. Our teens have represented our parish, our Diocese, and the State of New Jersey at numerous National Catholic Youth Conferences held in Ohio, Kansas City, and Indianapolis. A handful of teens ventured to Philadelphia in September of 2015 for a Papal Mass with Pope Francis! Selected youth have represented our parish, our Diocese, and the United States of America at World Youth Gatherings with the Pope in Australia and Spain.
Our parish is blessed to have both a full-time Religious Education Coordinator and a full-time Director of Youth Ministry to focus on making OLC our youth’s “Second Home!” All of this is only possible by the continued generosity of parishioners who support our growing Youth Ministry Program by volunteering and providing financial support. May God bless you for blessing us!In Christ,
Laura Haftek
Director of Youth Ministry
973-839-2323, Press 4
l.haftek@olcchurch.com