Meet Kevin Driscoll, Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church Youth & Young Adult Ministry Consultant

Dear Holy Name of Jesus Faith Community:

In recent months, the Holy Name Pastoral Council has had extensive conversations about ways to expand ministry to, with, by, and for Catholic youth and young adults in the community. Through the work of the Spirit, I am happy to be spending the next four months working on the staff as an Immersive Youth and Young Adult Ministry Consultant to help the parish prepare for the future.

Many of you know me from youth sports, or from my volunteerism with Hanover athletics: I am the P.A. announcer for varsity football and basketball. My wife Lisa and I live in Cedar Lake, and our two sons attend Hanover schools. We landed at St. Edward in Lowell shortly after we moved here in 2003, and remain parishioners there. I recently stepped down after serving over 15 years as the director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Gary. This fall I will begin a new career in education. The timing of this new role at Holy Name could not have been better!

I have already had many conversations with Fr. Mike, Mercedes Austgen, and Mary Joan Dickson, and met with the Pastoral Council on April 8th. I have begun to survey the landscape and look forward to more conversations with key shareholders.

My role will not be “the youth minister,” per se, but rather to help cultivate the soil, so that when the time is right for the parish to hire a full time coordinator he or she will inherit a community better equipped for whole-parish, integrated ministry with youth and young adults.

My four months will be filled with meetings! Some will be with parish ministries, others will be one-on-one conversations. I want your voice to be heard as we craft a vision for the future. I will be coordinating some exciting gathered events for youth, young adults, and parents. I will be working with Fr. Mike to form a core team of passionate adult youth ministry leaders, and I will provide training and resources to better equip the parish.

I won’t lie: Catholic youth and young adult ministry in 2019 is challenging. Young people are busy. And stressed. And overscheduled. So are parents. But it CAN work. It takes strategic planning and lots of people working together, witnessing their faith and supporting the young people they serve. It also requires faith, prayer, and intercession.

St. John Bosco, and St. John Paul II, patrons of youth, pray for us!

Kevin Driscoll