By Friar Chris Dudek, OFM Conv.
Youth ministry has always been central to the Church’s mission, and especially important for Our Lady of the Angels Province. From the beginning, Sts. Francis and Clare recognized that young people are especially open to encounter, transformation, and courageous change. Both heard Christ’s call to a deeper Gospel life at a young age. Today, our Province carries on this legacy by creating spaces where young people can experience fraternity, prayer, and the adventure of following Christ. We are grateful to have friars serving in high schools, college campus ministries, and parishes with active youth groups and parish schools that continue to thrive.
This same spirit fuels my ministry as Campus Minister at Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore, MD, where the friars have faithfully served for several decades. Each day at Curley is life-giving—journeying with young men as they discern who God is calling them to be, celebrating the Sacraments together, forming them in the Franciscan ideals, and watching them grow in faith, character, discipline, and service. It is an honor to work so closely with my fellow lay teachers and administrators who have also embraced the Franciscan mission. Our school is a vibrant example of what happens when friars and the laity walk with youth consistently and joyfully.
Much of my passion for youth ministry comes from my personal experience. My own calling to our fraternity began in high school, when I met the friars and was drawn to their joy. I was particularly inspired by my active youth group at The Basilica of St. Stanislaus in Chicopee, MA. During that time, I traveled to Assisi for the first time. Walking those old streets, praying in the Portiuncula and at the tomb of St. Francis, and standing where Francis encountered the leper changed my life. That experience planted the seeds of my vocation and showed me that God speaks powerfully through encounters, places, and community. Now, it is a privilege to help create similar opportunities for young people in our province.
In the past three years, one way this vision has come to life has been through the Assisi by the Chesapeake retreat, a three-day gathering for youth on the Chesapeake Bay. Each summer, young people come together to pray, share stories, serve meals, and enjoy being young disciples of Christ. My fellow friars play a big role each year, with at least a dozen joining us to celebrate Mass, lead small groups, offer Confession, play games, and, most importantly, walk with young people on their faith journeys with the warmth and joy of Sts Francis and Clare. My favorite part of the retreat is seeing the Franciscan joy present among both the friars and the young people, the same joy in Christ that inspired me when I was a teenager.
Last year, for the first time, we launched a youth Assisi Pilgrimage, inviting young people to walk physically and spiritually in the footsteps of Sts Francis and Clare. We have already filled up our second pilgrimage for this upcoming July. This pilgrimage is a transformative experience that immerses young people in the heart of our charism. From the holy walls of the Vatican to the quiet caves of the Carceri, from the bustling piazzas of Assisi to the tomb of our Seraphic Father, students and young adults discover the power of place—how stepping into the story of a saint can awaken their own call to holiness. Once again, our friars journey with them, helping each participant reflect on the deeper movements of God within their hearts.
These initiatives remind us that encounter is everything. When young people step out of their routines, place themselves before Christ, and journey with others who love the Gospel, their lives truly change. Some find renewed faith, some experience healing, and some discern a deeper call to serve. And some, inspired by Sts Francis and Clare, may begin to imagine the possibility of religious life.
As a Province, we are deeply grateful to the friars who give their time, the ministries that send their young people, the benefactors who support us, and everyone who prays for these efforts. We ask that you continue supporting these efforts. Encourage the young people you know to take part, come back to Church, deepen their faith, and, if God wills, consider the vocation of a friar or sister. Let’s keep walking with our young Church, trusting that Christ, who called our founders in their youth, still calls today.