On Oct. 5, the diocese welcomed Sister Catherine Marie-Elizabeth Rotterman, a Felician Sister (CSSF), as new Youth Integration Specialist within the Department of Ministry Formation Institute (MFI). Youth Integration Specialist is a newly created position in the diocese that works with and walks with youth ministers and other ministry leaders to equip them for the shared responsibility of accompanying our young people towards lifelong discipleship.
“Our youth ministers should not be the only ones responsible for the formation of our young people - that work belongs to the whole parish,” Sr. Catherine said. “My role is to help parish systems become more capable of welcoming and mentoring young people in their communities.”
The new position is shaped by the 2024 United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s (USCCB) “Listen, Teach, Send” national pastoral framework for ministries with youth and young adults. The framework recognizes that the Spirit is alive in our young people and invites us as leaders to respond to what has been shared, and form people to be sent out on mission where Christ is calling them.
“My faith life and my vocation have been deeply influenced by my home parish in Buffalo, New York,” Sr. Catherine said. “The way the leaders welcomed me and my peers into different liturgical ministries and parish events showed me what it meant to belong to the Body of Christ. I hope that as a result of what we do, more young people will have a concrete, lived experience of what it means to belong to the Body of Christ.”
One of the ways Sr. Catherine says she hopes to achieve this goal is by meeting ministry leaders, getting to know them and the communities they serve.
“I have a lot to learn about the diocese, so my first goal is to meet the pastors and ministry leaders from our many parishes. We have to work together to discern what integrated youth ministry will look like in each parish.,” Sr. Catherine said.
Another hope Sr. Catherine has for her new position is to work with parishes (not just youth ministers) to better involve young people in every aspect of our parish communities and form them for lives of service in the world and in the Church.
“I have known so many people who have left the Church in their teens or young adult years - or met parents who have asked me about how to bring their children back to the faith. I believe cultivating this sense of belonging for our young people will help them stay in our Church, and it will also bring new life and joy to the whole parish community.”
Sr. Catherine is currently in her fourth year of Temporary Vows, with a few years to go before her Perpetual Profession (Final Vows). She most recently lived in Rio Rancho, a suburb of Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has a bachelor’s in theology and women’s studies from The University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. She has worked in different Catholic parishes and non-profits since graduating. Most recently she served as the assistant director of religious education at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, arts and crafts, and staying in touch with her friends and family.