“We are the Church of today and tomorrow; we make up the Body of Christ. I think it is important for the youth in the Diocese to have a voice with Bishop Edward Malesic.” These powerful words from Saint Ignatius senior Joe Karroum highlight the vital role of youth in the Church. Alongside fellow seniors Washington Chung and Noel Maddox, Karroum serves on the Diocesan Youth Advisory Council (DYAC) for the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.
The DYAC is made up of a diverse group of teens from across the diocese, chosen to be the voice of the young church to the Bishop and to make the needs of youth known to him and youth ministers, forming leaders as missionary disciples to their peers, families, and parishes. They consult with the Bishop on issues affecting Catholic youth.
There are many issues that the DYAC members feel are important to bring to the Bishop’s attention including catechesis, Catholic tradition, the Sacraments, God's existence, and the struggle with completely leaning into one’s faith as youth and teenagers with busy schedules. The teens also seek ways to create opportunities for young Catholics to grow and learn in their relationships with God. It provides DYAC members an opportunity to participate in discussions and decisions that the youth have never been able to participate in before. “The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, being guided by the Holy Spirit, has taken a great initiative in providing the youth with this essential voice to the Bishop,” says Joe.
Joe, Noel, and Washington each have active roles in their parish youth groups and were chosen to represent their parish on the DYAC. These three young men are all passionate about their faith.
Washington, a member of Saint Mary of the Falls Parish in Olmsted Falls, was introduced to the DYAC last year after attending the CLE 21:6, an annual Diocese Youth Conference. “I saw this as an opportunity to strengthen and grow in my faith.” He is a member of the Saint Joseph of Arimathea Pallbearer Ministry at Saint Ignatius and President of Brother to Brother, an organization that collects slightly used blue blazers and pants and resells them to Wildcats at a low cost.
Joe is a parishioner at Saint Raphael Parish in Bay Village, where he attended grade school. As a Wildcat he is involved with Saint Joseph of Arimathea Pallbearer Ministry, Friends with L’Arche, Freshman Retreat, and altar serving. He was recommended for the DYAC by his parish Youth Minister Zak Jester ’09.
Noel, also a parishioner at Saint Raphael, expresses his appreciation for the diversity among the council members, noting that they are at various stages in their faith journeys. Because of this, they have different things to contribute, especially how they interpret, understand, and learn the faith. At Saint Ignatius, Noel is a member of the Saint Joseph of Arimathea Pallbearer Ministry, serves on Labre, and is a retreat leader.
Noel was selected to be a part of the National Advisory Council (NYC). He and his peers from around the United States meet monthly via Zoom to address issues important to today’s Catholic youth. Noel was recommended for the national council by DYAC moderator and Director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Cleveland, Francine Constantini.
"I am so thankful that the Diocese of Cleveland has created the Youth Advisory Council. The voice of the youth is extremely important in the life of the Church. The youth are the future of the Church and their perspective and experience are valuable. Washington, Noel and Joe are all excellent leaders. All three of them are selfless in the ways in which they live their faith, both at Saint Ignatius and their respective parishes. We are truly blessed to have them as leaders on campus," shares Ed DeVenney, Director of Campus Ministry.
Editor’s note: Michael Camardo ’27, Joseph Revnew ’26, and Erik Riechers ’26 have been chose to serve on the DYAC for the upcoming school year.
This story was originally published in the Winter issue of the Saint Ignatius magazine; to read the full issue click
here.