When Jenny and Ramon Rosado were invited to help launch a new youth ministry at St. Laurence Parish in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, their first response was:

“Who, us?”

New to the area, they told their priest, Father Anthony, the honest truth: they had no training for youth ministry.

“We told Father Anthony we weren’t youth ministers, we were just parents. But he said, ‘If your heart is open, you’re welcome. We’ll learn along the way.’”

Father Anthony invited the Rosados to join the TENx10 Whole Church Cohort — and they said yes.

One idea immediately reshaped how they thought about ministry: young people thrive in faith when the whole congregation takes responsibility for relational discipleship that is radically focused on Jesus. Faith is rarely passed on through programs alone. Young people need adults who know them, care for them, and walk with them toward Jesus.

But St. Laurence was still rebuilding its connection with teens. How could they help the whole parish embrace that calling?‍

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The Insight That Changed Their Approach

As Jenny and Ramon learned more about ministry with young people, they became increasingly aware of the challenge before them.

Like many Catholic churches, St. Laurence celebrates the Sacrament of Confirmation during middle school. And like many parishes, most students weren’t returning afterward.

“When we saw how many young people leave the Church after receiving their sacraments, we were shocked,” Jenny says. “It made us realize how important this work is.”

The Rosados realized this wasn’t simply a youth ministry issue. It was a whole-church invitation.

Young people don’t inherit faith automatically. They need adults who love Jesus and are willing to accompany them with authenticity and care.

So a vision began to emerge: create spaces where adults and young people could build relationships and practice faith together.‍

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An Experiment Emerges 

Jenny, Ramon, and a small team of volunteers began brainstorming ways to bring teens and adults together.

“Ramon really wanted to do a talent show,” Jenny says with a laugh, “but we finally settled on a painting night — something a little quieter.”

The goal was simple: create a space where faith and relationships could grow naturally across generations.

From the beginning, Jenny made one important decision: the youth wouldn’t just attend — they would help lead.

Each adult volunteer was paired with a young person as a true co-leader. Together, they planned the evening and shared responsibility side by side.

It changed everything.

The youth felt genuinely heard. Their ideas shaped the event itself. And when young people can see their fingerprints on something, they show up wholeheartedly.

As the weeks of planning unfolded, something deeper began to happen.

Maria*, a student who had mostly stayed on the edges of the faith community, threw herself into shopping for supplies and found herself talking about faith with Jenny along the way. Jose* found the courage to lead parts of the evening in public, building a friendship with Maximilian that lasted long after the event ended.

“In the process of working together, our faith grew,” Jenny recalls.

When planning became stressful, they prayed together. When questions surfaced, they opened Scripture together.

Long before the event began, adults were already accompanying young people toward Jesus.‍

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More Than a Painting Night

When the evening finally arrived, the room filled quickly.

At one table, a longtime parishioner and a teenager laughed over conversation cards, sharing stories about where they had seen God at work in their lives. Parents watched their teens welcome elders, pour coffee, facilitate discussions, and lead with new confidence.

The painting was almost beside the point.

What mattered most was what happened across the tables: a faith community drawing near to the next generation and embracing the shared calling of passing on faith together.

“It exceeded every expectation I had,” Jenny says. “It was beautiful.”‍

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A Thriving Faith Takes Root

The impact of that evening continues to grow.

One family who attended the art night is now deeply involved in the parish youth group. The mother, Marlena*, now volunteers alongside her daughters.

Young people who once slipped quietly out after Mass now seek out conversations with older parishioners. Some have stepped into leadership roles. Others have told Jenny they finally feel like they belong — not as “future members” of the Church, but as part of it right now.

And Jenny and Ramon will tell you the relationships changed them, too.

“It wasn’t really about the painting,” Jenny says. “It was about adults and young people finding each other — and finding Jesus together.”

Jenny and Ramon weren’t professional youth ministers, theologians, or program directors. They were ordinary volunteers who said “yes” to relational discipleship radically focused on Jesus.

And because they did, young people are discovering that faith is not something lived alone, but together — across generations, in the life of a faith community.

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*Names changed for privacy.