EXCHANGE brings together experts in the field who are specialists in their unique perspectives of ministry with young people. Let’s face it! All of our contexts are different with diverse peoples, communities, cultures, circumstances, and economics. This is why we need YOU, an expert in your particular ministerial context to be at EXCHANGE. Are you ready to share your expertise at EXCHANGE?
Handouts and presentations, upon approval from the speakers, will be linked below in accordance with the breakout session title.
The fringes of our communities are filled with young people longing to be seen, known, and loved—yet often overlooked by parish ministry. This presentation will reawaken a missionary heart for those who struggle with family instability, addiction, and/or the criminal justice system. Come practically Learn how intentional presence, small initiatives, and courageous accompaniment can open doors for grace in the lives of the most vulnerable teens and how doing this will enliven your parish with a renewed since of mission, not just for young people, but for sharing the Gospel to all!
Presented by: Chris Bartlett and Brian Baudoin
Presented by: Cooper Ray
Many ministry models focus on programs or events, yet the heart of true accompaniment lies in the evangelization process that the Church has consistently shared. Beginning with authentic witness and relationship, moving through meaningful dialogue, and leading young people toward encounter, conversion, catechesis, community, and mission, this pathway has been lifted up by the Church from the time of the apostles. We will offer references of how this vision has been supported by church documents, popes, and councils, and how it becomes the hidden strength behind effective youth ministry. Participants will gain practical ways to integrate these moments in parish and school settings, creating spaces where young people feel known, loved, and invited into a transformative relationship with Christ that forms missionary disciples.
Presented by: The Accompainment Project
Accompanying young people in parish settings is easy to talk about and much harder to actually accomplish. The youth minister and their team already have a lot on their plate, and while they can grow close to some teens, we have learned that teens thrive when there are multiple faith filled adults present in their lives. In this breakout session we will discuss who in the parish could serve as mentors, how to invite them into the ministry, train them and support them. The benefits of accompanying young people following this model is two-fold – 1) The youth find safe spaces with trusted adults to have conversations about their faith journey as they grow in their relationship with Jesus, and 2) a larger number of parishioners will be engaged in the lives of young people, causing them to grow in their relationship with Jesus and with your parish!
Presented by: Joe Perdreauville and Mare Ernesto
How do we help young people encounter Christ through service, not just “do” service? This session equips youth ministers to guide teens on mission and service experiences that form discipleship and solidarity. Drawing on the Diocese of Helena’s Justice Outreach Project with the Blackfeet Nation, participants will explore how service becomes a sacred encounter rooted in Catholic Social Teaching. Together, we’ll unpack best practices for preparation, on-site accompaniment, and post-trip integration that foster humility, friendship, and mutual respect. Youth ministers will gain practical tools for helping young people move from charity to justice, from projects to relationships, and from serving others to walking with them in faith.
Presented by: Kevin Molm, Doug Tooke, and David Casey
In today’s culture, young people are bombarded with messages about worth and identity from social media, entertainment, advertising, and peer pressure. These secular influences often equate value with appearance, popularity, achievements, or material possessions. As a result, many teens struggle with insecurity, comparison, and a distorted sense of self-worth. God created each one of them in his image and likeness so their worth is in Him. Youth leaders will learn now to reshape the narrative around what makes us “worthy” and how we can lead young people to a better understanding of their own true self-worth.
Presented by: Laura Werner
Have you ever been in the dark, darkness so deep and black that you cannot see your hand before your eyes? Many young adults who experience times of doubt and confusion in their faith, wander around as if in a spiritual darkness. This session will offer 4 reasons young people doubt and strategies for guiding them in the light.
Presented by: Patrick Sprankle
Don Bosco was a man ahead of his time, and his approach to working with young people remains highly relevant in youth ministry today. An understanding of Don Bosco’s Oratory Model (Blueprint) will help anyone engaged in mission with young people, offering practical guidance for effective accompaniment.
Presented by: Sr. Guerline Joseph
In our world where we are quick to be offended Mother Church is not left unscathed. We are going to look at the biblical foundations of forgiveness and apply them to forgiving ‘the Church’. Those in the Church are also humans living post fall and so learning to forgive them and leading others to forgiveness is critical in our work. It is most critical in times when those with authority failed to use that authority or misuse it, that is when we follow Jesus’s teaching of forgiving seventy times seven.
Presented by: Andrew Furphy
So many of our lay youth ministry leaders are parents too which creates a need for a delicate dance between home life and ministry. Married life, parenting and leading youth ministry are all worthy vocations. But we need to create balance between the work of ministry while holding marriage and family up as a vocation that is real and holy. Cathy Becker, a 30 year veteran of youth ministry leadership, mom to three girls and wife to Josh has experienced periods of success and challenge in the dance of vocation, ministry role expectations, and parenting. We will explore the need to be grounded in our true identities as children of God so that our roles don’t define or limit us. We will share the experience of ministering to and with our own teens while they are involved in the ministries we lead, but also how we blend home life when then the kids are young. We will also share tips, experiences and ways work with other staff and clergy to balance the ministerial life of a parish or organization and the life at home, including the places where the two can seamlessly meet.
Presented by: Catherine Becker
In 2020, the NCEA published: Play Like a Champion: Following the Vatican’s Lead to Elevate the Culture of American Sport which describes a “Pastoral Action Plan” to align with the Vatican’s vision of sport as a tool for evangelization, encounter and formation outlined in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family & Life “Giving the Best of Yourself.” The session will acknowledge challenges in the current sport environment and reveal numerous intentional ways to realize sport as ministry. Catholic schools and parishes sponsor sports, but too often the goal of athletics can seem adrift from the mission of our church. What would happen if our school and diocesan sports programs adopted a virtue-driven approach to development? Following in the footsteps of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John Paul II and Pope Francis, this session will demonstrate how the cardinal virtues offer the ideal framework for elevating the culture of sports, offering specific ideas and tools to assure that athletic programs align with the mission of Catholic church.
Presented by: Charlotte McCorquodale
Transition in parishes are inevitable, yet the way they are handled can profoundly shape the spiritual, emotional, and organizational health of the community. This session explores best practices for navigating transitions with clarity, consistency, and compassion. Drawing on insights from organizational leadership as well as parish life, we will examine how priests, parish staff, and diocesan offices can collaborate effectively to ensure continuity, reduce anxiety, and support healthy change.
Presented by: Christine McCarty
As a diocesan youth leader, you’re blessed to be THE champion for those who are forming young disciples in your (Arch)diocese. This workshop will help you get up from behind your endless administrative ‘to-dos’ and step into real connection—walking with your youth ministers, supporting their ministry, and helping them grow as missionary disciples themselves. You’ll leave with a renewed sense of your role, practical tools and fresh strategies to implement, and a renewed confidence in your ability to expand your influence in the (Arch)diocese.
Presented by: Pete Burds
The Diocese of Bridgeport’s Institute for Catholic Formation has been blessed with funding from Lilly Endowment and we want to share the fruits of our work with you. From AI generated quizzes, smart speaker skills, family movie nights to daily prayers and animated Sunday readings, let us give you some great resources and opportunities that will impress even the hardest of hearts. Come and learn what you can take home, modify, and use in your own ministry. Good ministers replicate good ideas. Great ministry leaders just steal outright.
Presented by: Dr. Patrick Donovan and Priscilla Wanderley
We’re living in the most connected, yet disconnected, generation in history. Students crave belonging, but the Church struggles to meet them where they are. This session will explore how AI Discipleship and the Catholic Lifecycle model can help ministry leaders accompany students from high school through college and beyond, using real tools that strengthen relationship, community, and faith formation.
We’ll share how Newman Connection connects high school students to campus ministry, how Faith Forward builds the bridge between parish, school, and home, and how Called / Discipleship AI empowers ministers to personalize accompaniment at scale. Together, these tools form a complete ecosystem that ensures every young person is needed and known. Not just reached, but discipled.
Participants will leave inspired, equipped, and ready to lead with confidence in this new digital mission field.
Presented by: Matt Zerrusen
All are welcome to attend an enlightening session on mental health ministry and youth. This session will include information on mental health ministry efforts with young people, including best practices around suicide, programing options, and special considerations such as mandated reporting. Attendees will leave with several mental health tools and supports they can use to effectively minister to and with young people, including information on the USCCB mental health campaign.
Presented by: Chris Miller
Sponsored by “The Church Is Our Home” project team, we invite you to join us for a transformative session dedicated to exploring self-identity and awareness within the context of relationships with God, others, and ourselves. In this session, we will delve into understanding how our identities shape our interactions and experiences in faith communities. Our focus will be on fostering a more inclusive environment that respects and amplifies diverse identities, while also examining the subtle ways in which these identities might be overlooked or diminished. You will leave with practical insights and strategies to enhance your understanding of yourself, others, and the youth we accompany. At the end of the session, we will offer a more in depth resource for creating spaces of belonging in our Church and community.
Presented by: Ogechi Akalegbere, and Marcia Lane-McGee
The Sacramental Life of the Catholic Church is its heartbeat. It is what sustains us, streghtens us, and supports us in our discipleship. Way to often parishes focus on making sure the Sacraments of Initiation are made by parishioners. What if they were celebrated? What if evangelization was at the core of sacramental prep? What if we intentionally made our relationship with Jesus Christ the foundation? What if parishioners were both evangelized and celebrated Sacraments?
Presented by: Marlene Stammerman and Fr. Tom Clegg
Retreats help participants learn about and grow in their relationships with family, friends and God. The sense of community formed among retreatants is a key component in helping them deepen their faith, but without ongoing connections, a retreat may just be 2-3 great days, fun and meaningful but doesn’t become integrated into their daily lives or faith journey. Seeds may be planted, but they need attention and nurturing. One of the many challenges in ministry is how to accompany young people in the busyness and realities of their lives, not just in “ministry” moments or programming. This workshop will offer ways to foster relationships, build on connections made during retreats, and continue supporting young people far beyond the retreat experience.
Presented by: Mary Emrich and Jake Savage
Parents are the number one influencers on the faith lives of their youth. But what are the most important things a parent can be doing to help support and grow faith in the home? This session will equip ministry leaders to guide the parents they support and work with into practical, daily efforts of faith in the home.
Presented by: Charlie Hardesty, Danny May, and Susana Solorza
As we walk with youth, the biggest hindrance to their growth is often the lukewarmness or toxic faith environments in their families. The session, through witness, testimony, encouragement, and relatable steps. This session will help a student’s journey with Jesus impact, honor, and transform their families.
Presented by: Lauren Gothard
To learn more about the 2024 Exchange presenters, Click Here >
Sr Nancy Usselmann, FSP is Director of Pauline Media Studies, a ministry of the Daughters of St Paul that encourages Media Mindfulness Catechesis for a lived discipleship. She is a writer, theologian, film/TV reviewer and author of Media Fasting: Six Weeks to Recharge in Christ and A Sacred Look: Becoming Cultural Mystics. Sr Nancy has a Doctorate in Ministry from the Catholic University of America and a Master of Arts in Theology. With more than 30 years of experience as a media evangelizer, she guides Catholics to integrate their faith with their media use. When not sharing life with her Sisters in community, Sr Nancy is often seen around Hollywood on film panels, interviewing at red carpet premieres, attending international film festivals, and sharing the Sisters’ media spirituality with industry professionals.
Sister M. Karolyn Nunes entered the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in 2005. A native of Rhode Island, she is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville having received a BA in Theology with a concentration in Religious Education and a Masters in Catechetics and Evangelization. For over 20 years, she has worked in the field of catechetics and youth ministry in Tennessee, Illinois, New Jersey, and Kansas. She currently serves the community as vocation director which involves traveling to share her community’s charism of merciful love in parishes, schools, retreats, and conferences throughout the country. Nothing brings her more joy than to help the people that she encounters experience the joy and fullness of life that the Father desires for all of us in relationship with his son, Jesus.
Rhyan Ramirez, also known as Bro Rhy, is a dynamic speaker and mentor with over 20 years of ministry experience, from local parishes to national events. With over a decade of experience in adult mental health and as a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) educator, he brings a unique perspective to his work. His commitment to his personal and professional growth is re ected in his recent associate degree in Theology from Franciscan University and his current pursuit of a Bachelor’s in Professional Studies with a focus on Industrial Organizational Psychology. Bro Rhy is especially excited and grateful to be a coach for the NFCYM Accompaniment project, where he is guiding 10 parishes nationwide over a 3 year span, and as one of the instructors for the EQ Saints certificate program. Rooted in faith and compassion, his work aims to inspire others to live authentically and pursue their purpose in Christ.
Denise Utter is a coach, speaker, and writer who is currently serving as a consultant for non-profit organizations like the National Community of Catechetical Leaders and Vibrant Faith, and for individual dioceses and parishes. With over 30 years of experience in the fields of education and ministry, she loves exploring new possibilities in faith formation and parish engagement. She is the author of Engage Every Family: A Parish Guide to Integrated Faith Formation and Faith Talks, Prayers and Easy Activities for Raising Catholic Kids (Twenty Third Publications). She also has a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.Denise and her husband, Rob (both Augustinian Affiliates through the Midwest Order of Augustinians) have been married for over 35 years, and have three adult children, and two precious grandsons.
Charlie is the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Owensboro. He was a youth minister for 13 years before serving in the diocese and has a Masters in Theology from Saint Meinrad. He is married with 2 children and his deepest desire is for young people to know their worth in Christ Jesus.
Cooper is a dynamic speaker, worship leader, and retreat facilitator who shares faith with honesty, humor, and passion. He draws on music, storytelling, and audience participation to help people recognize God’s presence in their lives. Over the past 20 years, Cooper has inspired youth and adults at conferences like NCYC, NCCYM, Catholic Heart Work Camp, and Steubenville – to name a few. He served four years in parish youth ministry and ten years in diocesan ministry, guiding young people and those who accompany them to live the Gospel.
His call to ministry began as a camp counselor, sparking his love for music and faith formation. Now Director of Strategic Partnerships for Newman Ministry, Cooper holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s in Pastoral Studies. He lives in Flower Mound, TX, with his wife Laura and their three sons, Eli, Keller, and Maximus.
In this spirit of hope, we invite you to join us in commemorating the significant milestone of 43 years of our organization’s history and service. Whether it’s $4, $43, or even $300, every gift makes a difference!
Join the celebration and help continue inspiring the next generation of Catholic leaders.
Pastoral Juvenil Hispana Coordinator,
Diocese of Austin
Diocesan Member
"NFCYM has accompanied me in reaching out to like minded professionals to better provide service (ministry) to adolescents. NFCYM has allowed me to network and grow professionally.
'Youth as Protagonists' has been essential to Pastoral Juvenil Hispana in the Diocese of Austin."
Youth Minister, St. Christopher Church
Associate Member
"The various resources have helped me keep our program exciting and vibrant. NFCYM has provided me with shared information via webinars, workshops, conferences, outreach, and opportunities that are very informative to help make my ministry successful.
NFCYM is an open forum for me to seek material, guidance and support in keeping the youth ministry program successful."
