Building the Domestic Church. That may sound like a familiar phrase to you and it might not. If it doesn't sound familiar check out our website and you'll see it posted a lot. This is the phrase that's been chosen to describe our calling at St. Nicholas Youth & Family Ministry. Together, we're building the Domestic Church. It's a very simple idea that gives us room to dream with the security of a solid foundation to ground ourselves.
St. Nicholas Youth & Family Ministry isn't JUST running weekly youth groups in Edmonton's Ottewell area. We're not JUST running a Sunday School program or a Family Fellowship Group either. We're doing ALL those things while training leaders and growing relationships to not only support our church community in the present but the Catholic community in the future. We're guided by what our church teaches us, where the Holy Spirit pulls us, and who our relationships shape us to be. By partnering with youth, families, and volunteers we're making the work of building the Domestic Church manageable and exciting to do!
What is the Domestic Church?
While scrolling through our site you may get a sense of what it is we're trying to do but are still asking, What is the Domestic Church? That's easy. It's you! You are the Domestic Church! In the same way that the faithful make up the Body of the Church, we also make up the Domestic Church. Just think of it as the stuff you do when you're at home with. your family. This is the smallest community responsible for growing the Catholic Church community and it is vital that we build on top of a strong foundation.
Foundation of the Domestic Church
The best way to have a strong foundation for building the Domestic Church is through our catechism. In 2016 the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada published the Catechism of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Christ Our Pascha. Within its pages are all the answers to questions you may have about what it means to be Ukrainian Catholic (at least the theological part anyway). The other best way to build the foundation of the Domestic Church is through relationships. Since the Domestic Church is built at home, the relationships between parents and their children need to be rock solid. St. Nicholas Youth & Family Ministry aims to help you grow those relationships by providing events, games, and activities for youth and families. Check our schedule for upcoming events.
Where Do I Start?
The only way the Domestic Church gets built is through the hard work of Every Day Catholics (not to be confused with Everyday Catholics). You can start to build the Domestic Church by looking through our Resources page to find activities, games, and other links to help you grow in your Catholic faith. You can also join us at one of our weekly events (DC Night on Wednesdays @St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Parish). These activities are free for you to join and invite your friends! We host games of Gaga Ball, ping pong, video game tournaments, movie nights, board game nights and more! Dip your toes into the Ukrainian Catholic community through fun and family with St. Nicholas Youth & Family Ministry!
Our event schedule is posted on our Events page. As we grow our community, we will also grow our roster of activities. If you have suggestions for activities or have an idea for something that could benefit your family or others, send us an email at stnicksyouthyeg@gmail.com.