High School Youth Ministry

The Youth Ministry welcomes ALL high school youth in Grades 9-12, regardless of where they are in their faith journey. They may be in the Confirmation program, already confirmed, or even non-Catholic friends of Catholic teens in the parish.

Youth Nites: All high school teens are welcome to participate in these semi-monthly community gatherings on the second and fourth Wednesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. in Gara Hall. Every youth nite is different, and they range from being very social to very spiritual. The topics covered rotate around the eight components of comprehensive youth ministries: advocacy, catechesis, community building, evangelization, leadership development, pastoral care, prayer & worship, justice and service.

Youth Conferences: Each year, the youth ministry provides three youth conferences for teens to experience a dynamic, large young church beyond our parish community:

• Life Teen Inspiration Event at Magic Mountain
• Youth Day at the Religious Education Congress
• City of Saints Youth Conference at UCLA

Corporal Works of Mercy: On the second Saturday of every month, the youth ministry is committed to sending a team of 10+ volunteers to serve at St. Francis Center Pantry Services.

Confirmation Preparation Process (Grades 9-10)
As part of the Los Angeles Archdiocese under the leadership of Archbishop Jose Gomez, high school youth preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation are required to complete a two-year preparation process at their home parish. At St. Rita, our model for Confirmation preparation is a multi-faceted approach promoting apprenticeship in discipleship. Our goal is to form young disciples who, after receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, choose to serve as a peer leader in the youth ministry or serve in another ministry at the parish. To register for Confirmation Preparation, click here for the Faith Formation Registration page. 

Peer Leadership (Grades 11-12)
Confirmed teens who respond to the call to discipleship enthusiastically, serve as peer leaders in the youth ministry. It is a great opportunity for senior adolescents to develop leadership skills by participating as Confirmation small group facilitators, youth night activity leaders, and/or retreat team members. They may also serve as lectors and/or extraordinary ministers of the Holy Eucharist at Mass.