KCC Ministries
The KCC is active with the following ministries and activities.
Ministry of Advocacy
Relationship is foundational to the KCC. Youth, as much as adults, are the Church today. They are, no less than adults, journeying members of the Church, different only in their age and experience. Adult Youth Ministers (AYMs) are challenged to relate to youth first and foremost, whether they are catechists or chaperones. Youth are encouraged to be a part of the parish’s ministries with adults, as adults are encouraged to stand alongside youth in many of their activities.
The KCC reaches out to neighborhood youth (regardless of their religious affiliation or lack of) by sponsoring an Open Youth Center weekly. Under development or consideration is school visitation, ministry to juvenile offenders, and mall ministry.
Ministry of Catechesis
The KCC ministry of catechesis includes classes for instruction in the Catholic faith and, for 8th grade students and some high school students, preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. Middle school classes usually meet on Wednesday evenings, with high school class sessions on Sunday evenings. To learn more about the curriculum and details of this ministry, please visit the catechesis page of this site.
Ministry of Community Life
The KCC is a faith community within the larger faith-community of Little Flower Parish. Peer ministry is an important component of the youth program. Youth are encouraged also to enter into relationship with the adults of the parish through service, liturgical ministries, and fundraising events – for example, monthly pancake breakfastes and the annual Valentine’s adult dinner/dance which the youth host. The youth also host one of the Lenten soup suppers and usually one or two other Little Flower Friday social nights.
Ministry of Evangelization
Youth are invited to grow in their relationship to Jesus Christ and to follow Jesus in a life of discipleship in an ongoing way through the Wednesday evening middle school program and Sunday evening high school program. They are encouraged to invite friends and regularly do so. Evangelization is not a program unto itself, but an extension of the entire youth program. Whether doing ministry or having fun, evangelization happens.
Ministry of Justice & Service
The KCC actively participates in the parish's long standing call to outreach to the community. Much education in these areas is done through the catechetical programs. The KCC Service Corps does a monthly service Saturday in which they do such work as house cleaning, leaf raking, visiting the elderly or sick, and collecting food for the Little Flower food pantry. The annual 24-hour food fast educates youth on justice issues revolving around hunger and poverty and provides them an opportunity to provide and serve a meal to a local service agency, frequently Hope Rescue Mission. Many KCC youth participate in the summer service trip, a week to two-week mission opportunity in the United States or in another country.
Ministry of Leadership Development
Leadership is developed through participation in the Steering Wheel, which assists the director and adult leaders in formulating programs and deciding on content of catechetical programs, particularly the high school program. Leadership development is also encouraged through giving the youth much responsibility in the service, social, and fundraising programs. An annual weekend at Camp Eberhart is an important part of team building and leadership development.
Ministry of Pastoral Care
Relationship building, conflict resolution, and spiritual development are emphasized in the youth program. Through the many programs – catechetical, social, service, fundraising – youth learn to reach out to each other in their challenges and needs. The KCC is a vital component of parish life, and provides an opportunity for youth to raise their personal or family needs.
Ministry of Prayer & Worship
Prayer is a regular component of all facets of the youth program. Youth are involved in parish liturgical ministries as readers and Eucharistic ministers, and participate in special worship opportunities, for example, during the week leading up to Easter (Triduum). Youth are involved in the music ministry of the parish, along with the children's religious education programs as helpers. Retreats are a regular part of the spiritual life of KCC youth.
We Have Fun, Too!
We have fun in much of what we do as ministry, and we sometimes have fun for its own sake, as a ministry. The KCC does on an annual ski trip to upper Michigan, open youth center, lock-ins, summer trips to the beach and other locations and a variety of other events.
