The Full Story
Encounter is a youth group in St. Louis, Missouri. We are Catholic and associated with four Catholic parishes in South County, but high-schoolers of all faiths and churches are welcome!
​
Mission & Vision
We are currently developing our formal mission and vision statements!
History
We began as a vision! Fr. Chris Holtmann, then pastor of St. John Paul II parish, saw a need for youth ministry in both his parish and neighboring parishes. In 2021, he began gathering a core team who shared that vision, and in the summer of 2022, Encounter nights began. We shared many evenings of Gospel reflection, games, and fun with our initial crew, and we are grateful to Fr. Chris for his dedication.
​​
From those humble beginnings, we now serve as the high school youth group for the parishes of Annunciation, Our Lady of Providence, St. Michael the Archangel, and Seven Holy Founders. Under the pastoral guidance of Fr. Paul Niemann, we meet every other Monday for Encounter nights, using the Lifeteen programming. We also love to collaborate with fellow youth groups, including St. Catherine Labouré and Archangel Youth Ministry.
​
Every summer, we travel to Springfield, MO, for the Steubenville Youth Conference, an energetic and transformative weekend of fellowship and faith-buidling. Our teens also work with other parish groups to serve the community, including hosting the 2025 8th grade Confirmation retreat for Holy Cross Academy and the parishes’ PSRs.
