BUILDING DISCIPLES: Divine Mercy discipleship model for middle, high school formation

By RENEE WEBB
 Content and Design Coordinator

            It’s been two years since Divine Mercy Parish in Algona initiated a new format of faith formation classes for students in seventh to 12th grades – a model built on small discipleship groups.
            Delores Huemiller, director of discipleship for the parish, said this new format has been effective as the students are engaged and interacting.
            “There are many reasons why. The first being relationships, students are developing relationships with adults who are living out their faith,” she said. “Overall, it has allowed for a lot of growth, a lot of potential and a lot of development.”
            As youth are building relationships, the director of discipleships said, “There is also catechesis done in the context of small groups and that is truly the strength of the program. They should know and learn the tenants of the faith appropriate to their ages and grade levels, but there is so much more than that. We want them to develop a relationship with Christ and that is more likely to happen in a small group context.”
            Huemiller mainly provides logistical support for the groups. She credited parishioner Jessica Manske for not only pushing to get the small discipleship groups up and running but for being the main organizer.
Participants in the high school group led by Jessica Manske read over a lesson and share insights.            Discussing the faith
            “The whole idea behind it is giving middle schoolers and high schoolers the chance to learn about their faith and talk about their faith with each other, especially regarding topics that they are actually interested in,” explained Manske, mother of four boys. “It’s about them taking ownership of their own faith, letting them explore what they want to learn – what they want to dive more deeply into and letting them discuss it with peers under the mentorship of adults in each group.”
            Manske stressed the ultimate goal of this type of format is helping youth become a disciple of Christ and a closeness to his church.
            “I was really drawn to this because it is not a traditional classroom. I saw in my own boys the desire for something different than what we were offering at the time,” she said, noting that it’s a great way to meet the needs of students, especially high school students. “They are not all on the same path or seeking the same thing.”
            Divine Mercy utilizes various resources for weekly lessons in their discipleship groups including many materials from YDisciple, which offers video series for teens, Bible studies, leader guides/training and parent resources. With all of the resources available, Huemiller said it has been easy to incorporate.
            Manske pointed out that every small group starts with an introductory series called The Invitation. It defines what it means to be a disciple, helps the youth explore why they may want to do so and how to become one.
            Topics discussed and studied in the groups are selected by the students for the most part and can vary from social justice teachings to the dignity of human life, plus many more. The boy mom mentioned she leads a group of high school girls and they recently studied the dignity of womanhood, which led to another study on chastity.
            “It’s definitely very rich in church teaching, but it’s geared to them discussing things rather than being spoken to,” she explained. “They learn from each other and bounce ideas off of one another.”
            Materials differ for middle school and high school groups. There are also specific materials/lessons for students preparing for confirmation. Through the groups and ideally incorporated into all aspects of their lives, Manske said, they focus on five Ss which helps to build discipleship: prayer with Scripture, live a sacramental life, overcome sin, share Jesus with others and do acts of service.
            The groups – which consist typically of four to eight students – are divided not only by grade but also by gender. Each group has two adult leaders/mentors of the same gender.
            Adult leaders
            While sharing in small groups does not always come easy for the youth, Manske said adult small group leaders help coach them through the process and assist them in exploring how the topics may relate and apply to their own lives.
Football and other activities were part of the kickoff last year.        The women said adult volunteers have been key to the success of this format.           
       “When the students start this in seventh grade, they have adult mentors who travel with them through each grade so they are not getting new mentors each year,” said Manske, who noted the students not only build relationships with their peers but with the trusted adults. “It’s been a beautiful way to engage more adults from our parish.”            
       Huemiller said materials/speakers from YDisciple stress the importance of having adults invested in their lives to keep youth in the faith. Ideally, the adults would work with the same group for years but she added they understand if that is not always possible.
            “Our leaders for the most part, they have stuck around. They enjoy it as much or even more so than the kids do,” said the director of discipleship. “It is important to have good leaders and it is very fortunate that we do.”
            Sharing insights
            It was the strong volunteerism for the discipleship groups and the overall success of this program that prompted the diocesan director of faith formation, Karmen Bower, to feature the Divine Mercy program in one of the webinars for catechetical leaders throughout the diocese. Throughout the school year the Office of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Sioux City offered a webinar series monthly, titled The Conversation on a variety of topics.
            “After a parish visit up to Algona, we were told about the discipleship program and we were very impressed with how it functioned,” said Bower. “We wanted other parish leaders to hear about what they were doing so they could take some ideas and implement them into their own parish. Even if they couldn’t do it exactly the same way, they would have someone in the diocese to reach out to who has experience with the model.”
            It can be difficult to find programming, she noted, that effectively engages middle and high school students.
            “Whenever you see a parish doing it really well, you want to take advantage of that,” said Bower, who commended the parish on engaging so much of the parish in this effort. “I was really curious about their strategy and how they found volunteers that were relevant to the life of the kids. They have volunteers from the school system and volunteers that are connected to the youth in other ways – because of that they have a basis for a relationship.”
            Building relationships – with one another and God – is one of the values of small groups and the discipleship model, she said, adding that it can get to their hearts in a way that sitting in a classroom and memorizing church teaching may not.
            When Divine Mercy started this program two years ago, they jumped in with all the grades, seventh to 12th. Manske noted if parishes want to try it out, they could do so with just a couple of grades or a few small groups.
            It did take work to get it up and running, but she has seen the fruit. Manske explained not only has the small group format increased adult participation, but she believes there is a better retention of students continuing with faith formation beyond confirmation.
            “Most of the students, especially the girls, have chosen to continue,” she said. “Several of our groups have increased in numbers, added members, but students have asked other kids to attend. They are inviting their friends to join. They see value in it.”
            Huemiller said the program appears to be working well, but she is excited to see how it looks in four or five years after the current seventh and eighth graders are in the program for years. 
            “It’s a great program,” she said. “It provides a great gift to the kids - a safe place for them to learn about their faith and grow in their relationship with God.”