Official diocesan youth ministry charter hopes to inspire youth ministry on a smaller scale, according to diocesan minister Angie Poat

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Youth ministry in the Diocese of Covington is launching into its “next phase,” according to Angie Poat, the diocesan youth minister who has been building up the structure of youth ministry since joining the Curia in 2023.

Building up from the With One Heart pastoral plan, and skill sets obtained from the “Tending the Talents” programs via Catholic Leadership Institute, the Youth Ministry office has chartered four official “teams” led by existing youth ministry leaders, which will tackle different youth ministry needs in the diocese.

The first team, called the Youth Commission Evangelization Team (YCET), is the most familiar team in the diocese already and was active in ministry previously. Under the official charter, YCET will be led by Hannah Ubelhor, a parishioner of St. Timothy Parish, Union. An active youth minister — Ms. Ubelhor has previous experience as a retreat director and worship leader. YCET will also be led in conjunction with Mark Johnson, from St. Thomas, Ft. Thomas, where he is the current youth minister and catechetical leader.

Bradley Barnes, campus minister of Newport Central Catholic, will be spearheading two of the other youth ministry teams — middle school ministry, and the intern team which assists youth ministry faculties in the youth ministry summer internship.

As for the fourth team, Service and Mission, Carrie O’Connor — a member of the Regnum Christi movement — will be leading.

Each team leader, along with their teams, average 20 hours a month in service to the diocese — leading meetings and events throughout.

The primary goal of devising these teams for youth ministry lies in the importance of sustainability, Mrs. Poat said, to earn the ability to maintain youth ministry function long term — but also to “empower volunteers and lay people in the diocese to use their leadership skills.”

This year, the youth ministry leaders are being “put into action,” but Mrs. Poat hopes that their example will be “models for youth ministry teams,” which she hopes will form throughout diocesan parishes and communities.

“Whether you have a full-time youth minister or a part-time youth minister or no youth minister,” Mrs. Poat said, “you can have a successful youth ministry in every parish.” This is accomplished through teamwork and collaborative ministry, she explained, saying that “not one isolated person can run a ministry on their own.”

Mrs. Poat encourages all lay people to involve themselves in youth ministry, starting with “getting the word out to the young people in their parish” and getting them to attend diocesan events. “They can sponsor their way to attend these events, or they could simply show up and be present,” she said. Additionally, Mrs. Poat says they can “let diocesan events and teams be a springboard to chartering their own youth ministry involvement in their own parish, whether it’s big or small.”