Jr. G.O.Y.A.

Our junior high ministry (6th-8th grade) encourages our youth at a pivotal age to continue developing their relationship with Jesus Christ and His Holy Church through a unique and positive youth ministry experience.  As our youth make their way through middle school, Jr. GOYA begins to delve into deeper discussions about the faith and explores larger topics about Orthodoxy.  Meetings consist of relevant discussions and learning opportunities, crafts, fellowship, games, and service projects. Several fun outings help carve out a calendar filled with faith, friendship and fellowship!   

Jr. GOYA meets weekly at the church on Monday evenings from 6 - 7:20 p.m. from September through May. The theme for this year is “Meeting Christ in the Scriptures.”  See our 2024/25 schedule below! JOIN US!

2024-25 Calendar

Contact Pastoral Assistant John Anton for more information at janton@ascensiongoc.com.

ASCENSION and METROPOLIS
UPCOMING & PAST YOUTH EVENTS

POINSETTIA YOUTH FUNDRAISER: Decorate your home and office for the holiday season with beautiful poinsettias while supporting our Ascension Youth Ministries! Orders will be taken following Liturgy on November 17, 24 and December 1st in the Anagnos Fellowship Hall, and plants will be ready for pickup on Sunday, December 8 after Liturgy. This is a pre-order sale only! You can also call the office during the week at 847.482.1200.  Thank you for supporting our youth!

  • REGISTRATION FOR FANARI WINTER CAMP OPENED NOVEMBER 18.  This year’s camp will take place at the St. Iakovos Retreat Center for 5th – 12th graders January 17-20 (MLK weekend).  Activities include Worship, Orthodox Life, Winter Olympics, tubing & skiing, Sunday night dance, and much more! Visit www.fanari.camp/wintercamp

  • COLLEGE CARE PACKAGES
    GOYANs and Jr. GOYANs look forward to this tradition of assembling college care packages for college freshmen in the fall each year from our parish. This long-standing tradition at Ascension lets our freshmen know we're thinking of them when they're away from home!  For more information, please reach out to Pastoral Assistant and Youth Director, John Anton @ janton@ascensiongoc.com | 847.482.1200, x4.

  • ORATORICAL FESTIVAL
    CLICK HERE for information on Ascension's Parish Oratorical Festival program.  Express Your Faith! Represent your Parish! Do you like to write? Draw? Chant? Present your point in front of an audience? Don’t miss the opportunity to show your God-given talents as a writer, speaker, artist and vocalist by participating in the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival. If you are in 4th – 12th grade, you are encouraged to participate in this program, which gives you the opportunity to reflect upon and express what your faith means to you.  Ascension's Parish level Oratorical Festival will take place in 2025 on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 in the Anagnos Fellowship Hall following 9th Hour & Pre-Sanctified Liturgy. Stay tuned for more information on the 2025 themes and the submission deadline.  Submissions that advance from the Junior and Senior Divisions (grades 7-12) will present at the Metropolis Oratorical Festival on Bright Saturday.  More details can be found on the Oratorical webpage HERE, or by contacting Mrs. Despina Petros, Ascension's Oratorical Chairperson at ddpetros@comcast.net.
  • JR. OLYMPICS takes place each year at Saints Constantine & Helen Church, Palos Hills, with a full offering of more than 15 competitive events for youth between 7-18 years old.  Team Ascension participated in the 43rd Annual Metropolis of Chicago Jr. Olympics over Memorial Day weekend, May 25-26. See photos HERE!  Visit our Jr. Olympics webpage.

  • GRADUATE SUNDAY TAKES PLACE IN JUNE EACH YEAR
    Ascension’s annual graduate tribute will take place in 2025 following Liturgy on Sunday, June 15th and will honor graduates of Middle School, High School, College, Graduate and Post-Graduate programs. Please email the following information no later than Friday, May 24th to suzannesaric@ascensiongoc.com: Name(s) of your graduate(s); parent’s names; school from which they are graduating; full name/location/major of school they plan to attend; university or post-graduate degree earned (and if applicable, post-baccalaureate program if they're going on); and, most importantly, a photo (.jpg portrait/headshot). We look forward to recognizing and honoring our graduates at the conclusion of the June 15th Divine Liturgy!
  • FANARI FALL, WINTER, LENTEN camps are offered by the Metropolis of Chicago.  These camps take place at the St. Iakovos Retreat Center in Kansasville, WI  for 5th - 12th graders and activities include: Worship, Orthodox Life, Fun activities like Olympics, tubing, and much more! Stay tuned to THIS WEBSITE  for more information and registration dates. Read more at the Fanari Website and see graphic below.

  • FANARI SUMMER CAMP Fanari Summer Camp is the Metropolis of Chicago summer camping ministry, available for rising 6th grade through rising 12th grade campers. The Summer camp program has four individual sessions each year, running from mid-June through mid-July. Each year, 150-160 campers join each week of Fanari Summer Camp for growth in their faith & friendships, while having a ton of fun along the way. Some of our most enjoyable activities include: Worship, Orthodox Life & Bible Study, Boating & Swimming, Summer Olympics, dances, field trips, and much more!

    2025 SESSIONS
    Registration for Summer Camp typically opens in March 

    Session 1: Sunday, June 15 – Saturday, June 21, 2025
    Session 2: Sunday, June 22 – Saturday, June 28, 2025
    Session 3: Sunday, June 29 – Saturday, July 5, 2025
    Session 4: Sunday, July 6 – Saturday, July 12, 2025
    Session 5: Sunday, July 13 – Saturday, July 19, 2025

    CLICK HERE for more information!

  • Fanari Camp FACEBOOK Page and Instagram 

  • Y2AM Ministry At Home Resources   Check this wonderful resource out!

  • GOA Center for Family Care Comfort Food for Families

    SEE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND OTHERS ON THE GOYA PAGE:

  • IONIAN VILLAGE announced the dates for the Summer 2024 programs: Session One: June 25 – July 14, 2024; and Session Two: July 23 – August 11, 2024. Registration opened in February 2024. Ionian Village is the international camping ministry of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America located in Peloponnesus, Greece. Each 20-day session is open to young people who will have completed grades 9 through 12. For more information, visit www.ionianvillage.org/

  • CROSSROAD
    CrossRoad is a ten-day academic summer institute that prepares high school juniors and seniors to make big life decisions and invites them to connect with the Orthodox Christian theological and spiritual tradition. Historically, CrossRoad has been hosted solely on the campus of Hellenic College Holy Cross; however in recent years, it has also been offered in Chicago on the campus of North Park University.  Application Deadline is typically in February.  For more information, visit www.crossroadinstitute.org; or, or call 617-850-1310.    

  • SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

  • SUMMER PROGRAMS

    PAST EVENTS

  • YOUTH SUNDAY A much-loved tradition in our Parish, Youth Sunday is held every year to honor and celebrate our youth and the vibrancy they bring to our community through our many ministries.  Youth serve in many capacity in church during Youth Sunday, and there's an extended celebratory fellowship hour in their honor.  Witness the exuberance our youth brings to Ascension's Parish life by watching a video presented during our 2024 fellowship celebration HERE.   Photos from Youth Sunday 2024 can be seen HERE.


    Youth Sunday Slide Show
  • YOUTH SUNDAY 2022, 2023:  Witness the exuberance our youth brings to Ascension's Parish life by watching a video presented at our 2023 celebration which highlights our 2022 youth programs and events HERE.  See photos of the 2023 Youth Sunday HERE.  The 2022 Youth Slide show is available for viewing HERE. 
  • DIVE FOR THE CROSS In 2024, our annual Dive for the Cross Event took place on January 21 at the Wheeling Park District indoor pool.  See photos HERE.  In 2023, we held the event on Sunday, January 15th from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at the Highland Park Rec Center Pool for K-12th Graders.  See photos HERE.

  • Sunday, January 15, 2023: DIVE FOR THE CROSS OUR ANNUAL DIVE FOR THE CROSS EVENT took place on Sunday, January 15th from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at the Highland Park Rec Center Pool for K-12th Graders.  See photos HERE.

  • Sunday, February 5, 2023: YOUTH SUNDAY A much-loved tradition in our Parish is our annual Youth Sunday celebration, a day to honor our youth. On Sunday, February 5, 2023 we celebrated and honored the important role our children play int his parish.  Witness the exuberance our youth brings to Ascension's Parish life by watching a video presented this year during our fellowship celebration HERE.
    See photos of this year's Youth SundayHERE.