'Hallelujah!' Coeur d’ Alene Catholic teens flock to youth group in record numbers

By Lisa Ormond

ICR North Idaho Correspondent

In the Coeur d’ Alene area, middle and high school students are attending weekly youth group meetings in record numbers.

They want to encounter Jesus, actively learn more about their faith, find community and spend two hours weekly with their peers and leaders.

“The youth are on fire for Jesus Christ and it’s real,” Louie Zember, 72, told the Idaho Catholic Register (ICR). He volunteers as an adult leader in the 24-member

Faith Formation Director Carla Loucks at St. Thomas the

Apostle Church in Coeur d’ Alene. She is an active partner in

the youth ministry program and weekly efforts. This particular

meeting, she discussed the Sacrament of Baptism.

(Photo/Lisa Ormond)

St. Pius X ministry team, which serves and supports young Catholics on their faith formation journey. Zember has been involved in youth ministry for over 15 years.

“I see a major revival going on,” he said. “We pray the youth will bring Jesus from their head into their heart, so they will know Him personally and go deeper in a relationship that lasts their whole life.”

Shedding light on the rise

Wes Miller, 33, of St. Pius X Parish coordinates and leads the youth group ministry program for the region.

“This is the highest youth group attendance we’ve seen in my seven years I’ve been here,” he said. “It’s also the strongest our adult leadership team has ever been.”

Miller said that adding a significant increase in young adult leaders (ages 18-25) has had a noticeable impact on their mission.

“Their energy, relatability and ability to connect with teens brings a unique and powerful dimension to the ministry,” he said, adding that teens in this generation are “hungry” for two things in terms of faith formation.

“One is authentic community, which means real relationships with both peers and trusted adult mentors, and the second is true intimacy with Christ. They don’t just want to learn about God; they want to encounter Him.”

Quantifying the growth

The St. Pius numbers are staggering, bordering on miraculous, considering youth these days have a long list of options vying for their after-school time.

Miller agreed the growth was “remarkable” and showed “Jesus is leading the success.”

He provided data to illustrate what he’s witnessed over the years.

“It’s a reason to praise God and be hopeful in terms of Catholic faith development,” he said.

• Average Weekly Attendance

- Past years: 35 teens

- 2025: 85 teens

→ 143% increase

• Peak Night Attendance

- Past years: 45 teens

- 2025: 100 teens

→ 122% increase

• Total Teens Served (not all come every week)

- Past years: 80 teens per year

- 2025: 140 teens

→ 75% increase in total reach

Youth group adult leaders pray prior to starting the evening’s activities with the students. There is a pool of about 25 adult leaders from multiple parishes, supporting youth ministry in the Coeur d’ Alene area. (Photo/Lisa Ormond)

Parish partnerships

The youth group program is based out of St. Pius X parish, and this is where the youth, 11-18, meet on Tuesday evenings. On average, about 100 students gather. Miller said students generally come from four area parishes, including St. Pius X and St. Thomas the Apostle in Coeur d’Alene, and St. George and St. Joan of Arc in nearby Post Falls.

“Having one youth group open to all parishes helps us rise above parish boundaries and create unity, especially for our young people,” Miller said. In addition to the youth group, the Confirmation preparation program is also intertwined into the meeting time, and crossover occurs especially for the high school teens.

“That connection reinforces the importance of working together to support the spiritual growth of our teens from multiple angles,” Miller said.

St. Thomas Director of Faith Formation Carla Loucks regularly partners with Miller in preparing teens for the Sacrament of Confirmation and for service to the youth group. Their partnership has resulted in “important fruit” for which he’s grateful.

“Carla and I have a great working relationship. She is a trusted collaborator, and her support is so important,” he said. “I value the partnership we’ve developed, which upholds the value of one united youth group for our broader Catholic community.”

Loucks gladly brings over 30 years of experience to the table.

“I have a degree in theology, and I want to pass along a real love of our faith to youth,” she said. “We need to be sure that we’re delivering meaningful content, so I ask the question, ‘What is the meat and potatoes of the evening going to be?’”

She emphasized that quality communication and instruction are critical with these age groups.

“Faith is a beautiful diamond with many facets,” said Loucks. “When you make the message tangible using words that resonate and ask probing questions, then it appeals to all students of catechesis levels.”

Behind the scenes

A youth group night includes prayer, icebreakers, dodgeball, karaoke (for middle school students only), sacrament instruction, a home-cooked meal, small-group faith talks, and time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration.

Students fluidly move from room to room during the two-hour time, and middle and high school students have different “tracks,” and the same adult leaders are assigned to these two groups to allow for relationship building and the establishment of trust between students and mentors.

Seven of the middle school leaders are in their early twenties, which is a plus when mentoring and interacting with the 6th to 8th graders.

“We have a large number of young adult leaders who can match the kids’ energy, be role models closer to the kids’ ages, and provide insight to the struggles of today’s youth,” said 20-year-old St. Thomas parish member Ben Lowman.

High school students gather in small groups each week to go deeper spiritually together and talk about the evening’s topic. (Photo/Lisa Ormond)

Volunteers are the lifeblood

Miller admitted there are “a lot of moving parts” each week, but the model of ministry he’s established with his ministry team seems to be working as more students keep coming.

“One reason for the growth is that we are meeting the real needs of today’s youth,” said Miller. “It’s come through prayer, discernment and a deep desire to let Christ lead the way. We’ve taken time to ask, ‘What do our youth truly need right now?’ and we’ve shaped every aspect of our program to respond.”

He humbly deflects any accolades for what’s happening under his watch, instead giving thanks to his committed volunteers and the youth themselves for their zeal and courage in pursuing their faith.

“Our adult leadership team is amazing and one of the main reasons for our positive outcomes,” Miller said. “Without them, none of this would be possible.”

St. Pius X Parish member Annie Jones, a homeschool mom of six children, is one of Miller’s key adult high school leaders. She has three children participating. Jones said she was “called” into youth ministry at her church. Suddenly, one day, she just decided to reach out to Miller, asking how she could help.

“I love young people, especially if they resist,” she said. “I’m willing to connect with youth, and youth are willing to connect with me. I’m willing to serve and grow in mission.”

Lowman shared that constant adaptations help draw students to the program and keep them excited and involved.

“We are always trying to make small improvements to help the kids have fun and grow in their faith,” said Lowman, who has served as a middle school young adult leader for the past two years. “We work with different games, schedules, topics and Adoration lengths—using feedback from the youth and leader observations to constantly tune the way our youth group night is structured.”

A focus on the young adult leaders

Young adult leader Sawyer Fude, 21, of St. Thomas Parish, said his friend Lowman invited him to join the ministry program two years ago. They volunteer together. He’s been coming ever since serving the team and the teens.

He said it offers him a consistent Catholic community to be a part of.

“I really like being here and helping,” said Fude. “It’s nice also to be around my professional Catholic friends in this ministry and share my faith beliefs. We hang out and are friends outside of what we do here.”

Gavin Rhodes, 18, is a member of both St. Pius and St. Joan of Arc parishes. He has seven younger siblings. He started in youth group himself as a 9th grader at St. Pius and said he’s now “rolled into this helping role” joyfully.

“I really get so much out of being part of this ministry,” said Rhodes. “I’ve been trained in setting up Eucharistic Adoration, so I have the honor of bringing this spiritually intimate focal point of the evening to our youth, which means so much to me.”

St. Pius X parish member Joanie Young serves dinner to high school students. She personally home cooks the food weekly for around 115 adult leaders and youth. (Photo/Lisa Ormond)

Good food shared

Joanie Young, who has been a parishioner at St. Pius for over 30 years, is also a valued member of the ministry program.

At 62, she still works full-time as an international controller, but in her spare time she shops, plans, cooks (at her house), and serves about 115 home-cooked dinners to students and the ministry team each week.

“There are not many leftovers,” Young joked. “I say a prayer over the meal every week, ‘Lord, please make sure there’s enough for everybody.’”

She admitted that she is “constantly shopping” and “keeps in her head” a plan of what she’s going to make at least a month in advance. She takes much pride in what she does, and with a loving spirit.

“If the kids see someone who cares, who wants them to have good food, and is joyful about serving it, that goes a long way for their youth group experience here,” Young explained.

Making it possible

What happens next with the St. Pius youth group is a step of faith and a waiting game, but more hands can only further spread God’s mission.

“I’m not the youth ministry guru,” said Miller. “I’m trying to offer space for others to use their gifts. It’s astonishing what happens to people when they do this. They come alive.”

According to Miller, the rising number of youth choosing to prioritize their faith shows that Jesus is intimately touching their hearts and transforming their lives.

“That’s what matters most,” he emphasized.

“There are always sacrifices to do this type of ministry,” said Miller. “But ultimately, you need to trust that God provides.”

High school students gather in small groups each week to go deeper spiritually together and talk about the evening’s topic. (Photo/Lisa Ormond)

A Personal Plea

Miller graciously asked Catholics across the state to please pray for youth ministers in their parishes and to offer support to keep youth formation at the forefront.

“Please reach out to your local youth coordinator. It really takes an entire church body to answer the Lord’s call to sustain spiritual growth and meet youths’ needs,” he said. “Help could come in numerous ways, such as monetary donations, volunteering as a mentor, overseeing Eucharistic Adoration, doing tasks on the back end—basically sharing whatever God given talents you have to offer.”