Introducing Young Church Ministries

News
1 February 2013

In a fresh approach, the archdiocese has appointed three new people to Young Church Ministry.

Dan Siave, who has managed the transition from the former Youth and Young Adults Ministry, is to lead the new lineup. Dan also spent 2012 shaping the parish intern programme to start this year.

Emily Makower and Isabella McCafferty are part-time coordinators of the Young Adult and Tertiary Ministry and Youth and School Ministry respectively.

All have extensive experience and a desire to draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of their Catholic faith communities.

Dan has been involved in Youth and Young Adult ministry throughout the country and with National Evangelisation Teams ministries in Australia. He is passionate about young people and takes great joy in helping them better know Christ and understand themselves.

Dan grew up in Christchurch – home of the world’s greatest rugby team. He’s an avid sports fan and has been enjoying his ‘last’ season of playing rugby for the past five years. He also loves playing guitar and reading.

‘I am married to Rebekah who supports and challenges me. We have two beautiful children, Miriam and Nathaniel, who both bring such joy to our lives.’

Born in Scotland and raised in England, Emily Makower came to New Zealand at 16. She has been studying since ‘except for brief travel including facing down a bear in Canada, learning to dance in Cuba and being a pilgrim in Europe’.

‘Grounded’ again in Wellington, Emily is part of an intentional community, Urban Vision in Newtown, that focuses on building life-giving relationships with those on the margins. She looks forward to supporting, advocating and uplifting parishes and tertiary youth ministers in Wellington.

With studies over in 2011, Isabella McCafferty headed to Georgia in the United States to serve as a Summer Missionary at a Life Teen Summer Camp in 2012.

During ‘six sleep-deprived weeks in sweltering heat’ Isabella ‘really enjoyed playing crazy games, getting destroyed in the mud pit, going to Mass everyday and hanging out with some incredible young people’. Isabella continues in Kilbirnie-based Life Teen Wellington.

She plays ukelele and guitar, enjoys sport, ‘throwing myself down the mountain on a snowboard and the thrill of catching that perfect wave’.

As needs and questions arise, the youth ministry team can provide workshops, resources, ideas and events to celebrate the young church in the archdiocese.

Contact: Emily on (04) 496-1701; Isabella on (04) 496-1731; or Dan on (04) 496-5181.