The mission of Teen CROSS is to help young leaders deepen their personal relationship with Jesus Christ, grow in their faith journey, and develop their leadership skills. We strive to accomplish this through ongoing spiritual & practical formation, as well as providing opportunities for our members to serve the local Church through Archdiocesan-wide programs and events. Some of our goals for members of Teen CROSS include:

 

 

The purpose of Teen CROSS is to empower members to use what they learn as part of Teen CROSS to serve the Body of Christ in our Archdiocese through various ministry opportunities.  Some of these include:

 

 

While Teen CROSS is first and foremost a ministry that promotes service to the Church, it is our hope that members will also receive a benefit from being involved.  We believe these benefits include opportunities to:

 

 

Teen CROSS is made up of two young people from each parish and Catholic high school across the Archdiocese, who serve as representatives for their parish/school communities. Parish youth ministers/pastors and high school campus ministers recommend young people to represent their parish/high school each year, and the Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office then asks members to serve based on these recommendations. In addition to official parish/high school representatives, some members who have previously served on Teen CROSS are asked (based on certain criteria, including meeting attendance and overall participation) by the Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office to return as a Teen CROSS Ambassador. Teen CROSS Ambassadors do not officially represent their parish/school, but rather, represent the young Church in our Archdiocese as an independent member, sharing their experience and gifts in leadership to serve among their peers on Teen CROSS.

In choosing young people to serve on Teen CROSS, we look for young people according to the following criteria:

 

 

Teen CROSS members are asked to serve a one-year term from August through the following May.  This term officially begins with our Teen CROSS Retreat, typically held at the end of the summer before the new school year begins. Representatives are appointed on a yearly basis. Teens can serve multiple years, but must be re-recommended each year by their parish/high school, unless they are asked back as Teen CROSS Ambassadors by the Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office. These appointments are based on certain criteria, and not all current members are guaranteed to be asked back as Ambassadors. 

 

 There are general Teen CROSS meetings each month (schedule included) and all members are expected to attend all meetings, except in the case of a legitimate conflict. General meetings take place at locations on both the south and north shores.  In addition, members will be expected to attend and serve at some mandatory Archdiocesan-wide events, including our NOLA Catholic Youth Conference, Archdiocesan high school ministry nights, and the Archdiocesan Junior High Retreat. Members may also be asked to serve for optional additional ministry events during the year.  

 

As representatives of the young Church to both the wider Archdiocese, as well as to the Archbishop, we trust members of Teen CROSS to be accountable to a certain standard of expectations/responsibilities, including:

 

 

 The Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office works together with a team of adult volunteers to provide support and supervision to members of Teen CROSS both in and out of official Teen CROSS meetings/events. Adult volunteers include parish youth ministers, high school campus ministers & faculty members, former Teen CROSS members, and other adults involved in various youth ministry programs from around the Archdiocese. Final accountability for the Teen CROSS program lies with the Director of the Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office.