Southside Parish Renewal Launches Youth Ministry Initiative 'Journey'

CHICAGO–Southside Parish Renewal (SPR) is launching a new youth ministry initiative called Journey with a virtual kick-off event featuring New York Times-bestselling author Dr. Lisa Miller, Thursday May 7, from 7 to 8 p.m. CDT.

Journey is designed to accompany young people during one of the most critical stages of personal and spiritual development. It was created in response to growing concern about the mental health challenges facing young people today. Research increasingly shows that developing a strong spiritual foundation supports healthy brain development and serves as a protective factor against depression, anxiety, and other “diseases of despair.”

The program will begin with its first public event, featuring a presentation by leading psychologist Dr. Lisa Miller titled “The Science of Spirituality in Mental Health and Flourishing in Youth.”

The inaugural event will focus on helping parents understand the connection between spirituality and youth mental health. Drawing on decades of scientific research, Dr. Miller will explore how spiritual awareness can serve as a powerful protective factor for young people navigating today’s social and emotional challenges.

Dr. Miller is a professor in the clinical psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she founded the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program and research institute dedicated to spirituality and psychology. She has also held joint appointments in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical School. Dr. Miller wrote the New York Times bestseller, “The Spiritual Child; The New Science for Parenting and Lifelong Thriving.”

Those interested in streaming and viewing the event must register at JourneyLisaMiller.

Southside Parish Renewal is a community of vibrant parishes striving to grow stronger in faith together through inclusion, celebration, spiritual enrichment, and shared ministry. SPR is driven by lay parishioners from Christ the King, St. Barnabas, St. Cajetan and St. John Fisher parishes, with the support and guidance of clergy. Their goal is to strengthen the faith lives of Catholics in our community by addressing the reasons for the increased disengagement from parish and faith life.