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Catholic Youth Organization
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250 Youth participate in the first CYO Day of Service
CYO hosted its first Day of Service on Saturday, February 9, 2008 More than 250 young people in basketball and cheerleading programs gathered to help those in need at three different sites in Manchester. CYO coordinated this event to bring players, parents, and coaches together to put their faith in action and give back to the community.
At St. Anthony School, members of the 3rd and 4th grade leagues made care packages and cards for troops overseas. At St. Raphael parish, players in grades 5 through 8 assembled personal care products into packages for the poor in Haiti. High school students cleaned and painted the gymnasium at St. Anne/St. Augustine parish. At each location, the day began with a prayer service and a discussion of the importance of service in the lives of all baptized Christians.
CYO hopes to build on the tremendous success of this first effort and will seek even greater involvement next year as we strive to strengthen the relationship between our participants and the Church through sport. Those with ideas to improve our program for next year are encouraged to contact Mary Jane Silvia at 669-3100 EXT. 133 or mjsilvia@rcbm.org.
History
The Catholic Youth Organization, CYO, was implemented as a diocesan program in 1947, by then-Bishop Brady. His purpose in establishing the CYO was to coordinate the various phases of youth activity incorporating spiritual, cultural, social, and athletic pursuits. In so doing, the program was set to promote the Church’s influence upon the leisure time of Catholic young people in the diocese. In July of 1967, then-Bishop Primeau restructured the youth organizations into the Diocesan Youth Department incorporating CYO, Catholic Scouting, and other youth activities. The CYO now functions as the primary athletic component of parish activities and operates under the aegis of the Secretariat for Education and Formation.
CYO exists to complement the training and direction given to our youth by the Church. As such, the primary emphasis of the CYO has always been to support and strengthen parish-based programs in their formational mission. By engaging young people in an area of interest, athletics, parishes have a unique opportunity to extend a welcoming hand into the life of the Church, to tell our youth that the community is strengthened by their presence and participation.
CYO Athletics is governed by the Diocesan Athletic Board, a regulatory and policy- making body that functions to oversee player eligibility, tournaments, coaches’ accreditation, rules clinics and all other components of the diocesan athletic program. The Board is comprised of volunteers of various backgrounds, dedicated to young people and the adults who coach them.
Mission Statement
The CYO Athletic Board of the Diocese of Manchester exists to serve and promote the Church’s formational mission among the youth of our diocese. By providing athletic leagues and tournaments for young people, the Board supports parish youth ministry programs in the learning areas of sportsmanship, competitiveness, physical exercise and teamwork. By mandating accreditation of coaches, the Board monitors the quality of adult role models by providing training in adolescent psychology and Christian ethics as well as in the practical areas of health-related issues and first-aid. In service to both the parent community and the parish community, the volunteer members of the CYO Athletic Board are dedicated to the evangelization of our youth, open to ecumenical collaboration and promoters of Gospel values in the particular area of their unique apostolate.
Visit the New Hampshire Catholic Youth Organization's Website