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

 

The FANARI Lenten Retreat
REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THE FANARI LENTEN RETREAT, which will be held for 5th – 12th graders on Saturday, March 22nd. This retreat is regional, and will have multiple satellite locations throughout the Metropolis. For more information & to register, visit www.fanari.camp/retreat.

    • YOUTH SUNDAY was held on February 2, 2025 and was a fun and memorable day in the life of our Ascension Parish as we celebrated and honored our parish youth. What a joy it was to see our young people serve as chanters, acolytes, readers, greeters, ushers, and servers! We express our heartfelt gratitude to each of them and pray for our Lord to continue to guide them as they journey to His Kingdom. A special thank you also to Dina Boufis Papas and Gus’ Grille in Lake Bluff for the delicious food they served during Coffee Fellowship. Enjoy our youth ministries 2024 photo slideshow featured at the link above. 

    • The FANARI Lenten Retreat, which is held in various locations to be announced, will take place on April 22, 2025. For more information, visit www.fanari.camp, or stay in touch with Ascension’s Youth and Young Adult webpages, updated regularly with events and highlights of Ascension’s vibrant youth ministry life.

    • 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.  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 our Oratorical chairpersons, Zoe Maglaras & Nectaria Zouras @ oratorical@ascensiongoc.com.

  • 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!  The 2025 Summer Camp Registration opens March 10. Five sessions will be offered this summer: June 15 – 21; June 22–June 28; June 29 –July 5; July 6 –July 12; and July 13– July 19, 2025.

    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 SUMMER INSTITUTE PROGRAM
    Are you an 11th or 12th grader looking ahead to the summer?  Learn more today about the CrossRoad Institute Summer Program, a 10-day academic institute made just for you! Travel to Boston, New York, or Southern California to connect with other Orthodox Christians as you prepare to make big life decisions and start new adventures. Applications for its ten-day summer institute are due on February 18, 2025.  Learn more at www.CrossRoadInstitute.org, or call 617-850-1310 . 

  • SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

  • SUMMER PROGRAMS

  • 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.

  • 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, 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.