The St. James Youth Ministry is led by Andrew Donovan. He and his wife, Lisa, and their two children Caitlin, age 3, and Sarah, age 2, have been parishioners at St. James the Greater since 2005. Andrew comes to us from Holy Infant parish in Ballwin where he was (and still is) very involved in the Youth Ministry - starting as a participant, and growing into an integral part of the leadership and music ministry. Coming to St. James, he immediately saw the need to get a Youth Ministry started for our parish. His Youth Ministry experiences had enriched his life so much and he felt it essential for a parish to have an active Youth Group.

Andrew volunteers his time and talents completely. He organizes the weekly Youth Group choir practices as well as monthly and special events. A very good friend of his, "BJ" Cupps, is also whole-heartedly dedicated to the cause of the Youth Ministry. He volunteers his time and musical talents for the weekly choir practices and he plays at the monthly Youth Mass (on the 1st Saturday of each month). BJ is still a member of Holy Infant parish (Ballwin) and drives back and forth on a regular basis to be with us and support our Youth Group! Another Holy Infant parishioner, Katy, also volunteers her time for choir practices and the monthly Youth Mass.

Andrew leads a monthly PB&JB (Peanut Butter & Jelly Bible) get together where we "sing, play games, read and discuss scripture - and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!." There is also a monthly Praise and Worship event where we "gather to pray and worship in song to God. We have an awesome song collection used by youth groups everywhere!"

The Youth Ministry also schedules family events. Watch the video to see some of our recent family events - a group trip to Eckerts for pumpkin picking, a family Thanksgiving potluck dinner, a Halloween party, a Trivia night and Christmas caroling!

One of the highlights of the year is a weekend retreat. Andrew and BJ organize the theme and all the activities. A very important and integral part of the retreat is the participation of the older, experienced youth members who give themed talks, including personal reflections on certain aspects of their faith in their own lives. These are always very moving and inspiring. As one participant said, "I enjoyed the talks because they were from the teens and I wasn't just listening to a speech." (Gabby Trebus, 8th grade) We look forward to new members such as Mikayla Pitts (8th grade) who says "I just joined but so far it has been a blast!"

Email Andrew Donovan at StJamesTheGreaterYouthMinistry@yahoo.com