Narrow Way
Youth Ministry
At Eternal Flame Family of Parishes in Orchard Park and Hamburg
Serve the youth and families of the Eternal Flame Catholic Community
Create a vibrant faith community of youth in the WNY area
Introduce those we serve to a relationship with the living God
Build up those we serve to prepare them to walk in their faith
Send them out to be of service to their families and communites
What we Believe
Catholic
As a Catholic apostolate, we confess the faith of the Christian community as summarized in the Nicene Creed of 381. We identify the Church with the universal body of believers and churches in communion with the bishop of Rome. We take seriously our duty to serve in conformity to the teachings and obligations of that community.
The Power of God
Seeing the lives of ourselves and others transform so radically, we believe that a relationship to the living God through his Son has the capacity to transform the lives of all men and women young or old. This transforming relationship is the answer to so many of the ills that plague our youth and greater culture. We love nothing more than to help those we serve to experience that power of Christ for themselves.
Holiness and the Spirtual Life
Following Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium, we believe that all men and women, young and old, are called to the state of holiness. We find it tragic that holiness is too often restricted to pious grandmas and priests. We believe that it’s only in that pursuit and attainment of holiness that the full benefits of the Christian Faith can be recognized. We are devoted to helping all our youth grow in those disciplines and practice what God left us to grow in that holiness that they may begin to experience the great peace, happiness, and purpose of the Christian life for themselves.
Community
We believe that Christianity only makes sense in a communal setting. That the failure to successfully pass on the faith between generations is often rooted in the isolation that our youth feel when attempting to practice their faith. From this belief flows our commitment to building a like-minded community of Christian youth who are rooted in their Christian faith.
Communal Effort
The transmission of faith requires more than just a strong community among children but rather the rallying together of the greater church body. Because of this belief, we always need help from those who are older in our community to assist in our events and projects. If you feel called, we encourage you to look below for different ways you can help join us in our mission.
Safety
We believe in the duty and obligation we feel to protect every child that comes into our care, however briefly. All employees and volunteers seek to abide by the rigourous safe conduct measures established by the Diocese. We believe our mission can only be accomplished if these duties to safety come first, and we hope for the opportunity to earn the trust of the greater church community.
Invitations
Today we see a serious longing in many youth for a deeper and more meaningful life. In their search for this depth, they naturally turn to the religious institutions they grew up in and their parents raised them in. However, when they arrive, they often struggle to find the depth they set out for. Rather, they are introduced to the faith in a disorganized and confused manner, handed spiritual practices that are favored by those who lack their contexts, and not given any true support along their journeys.
Our goal is to help Christians who are new in their faith and give them the structure they need to thrive. We invite all new Christians eager for a place to learn and develop to come to us. We will work hard every day to create a receptive and constructive environment to meet your individual needs.
While we are a Catholic apostolate, we invite every youth, regardless of faith beliefs or lack thereof, to participate in our programming and events. We welcome all seekers and those who are looking to learn more about Christianity or grow in their religious journey more generally. We wish to be a service to anyone who is on a path towards God and religion.
We invite you not only to our programming but also to reach out with any challenging questions or objections to our faith you might have. We also invite you to come and share your own reflections and spiritual journeys with us! We view it as part of our mission to create an environment of safety where all feel free to have spiritual discussions openly and honestly without fear of judgment and ridicule.
In a special way, we invite those of different Christian denominations to participate in our programming. Following the precepts of Vatican II’s Unitatis Redintegratio, there is an urgent need for all Christians of good will to join in a common mission for shared goals. We believe a community of young followers of Christ is just such a mission, and we encourage young Christians from any denomination to join us.
To create this environment and in line with recent magisterial teaching, we do not allow any proselytization from our staff or participants. We feel this is necessary not only for the comfort of our non-Catholic participants but also for their families and churches. We thus want to invite families and non-Catholic community members to read more information below about our commitments and reach out with any questions or concerns
Get in touch
Below is a form where you can request that we contact you or reach out via email address. It is a priority of us to respond as promptly as possible.