NET Canada is the Canadian branch of

NET Ministries NET Ministries, also simply known as NET USA or NET (National Evangelization Teams) is a Catholic youth missionary organization. History NET Ministries was founded in the United States and is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota in the Archdiocese of ...

also simply known as NET, an acronym for National Evangelization Teams. NET itself is a Roman Catholic

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

organization dedicated to spreading the Gospel to youth. NET Canada defines itself as committed to following Christ who is its inspiration and Guide. To this end, members of NET are committed to discernment and a

moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...

life in accord with the clear teaching of Scripture and Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. NET's mission is to evangelize young Catholics, reaching them through retreats and parish ministry. The goal is to challenge these young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church.

How NET Spreads the Gospel

NET identifies four ways to achieve its goal: # By proclaiming of the Gospel through members' witness of faith and a missionary lifestyle. # By inviting young people to personally encounter Christ and live for Him. # By forming young people in Christian character through the study and practice of the faith. # By equipping youth workers and young adults with

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

skills for youth evangelization.

Beginnings

was founded in the United States and is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota in the diocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. NET's roots go back to the St. Paul Catholic Youth Center (CYC) which offered a variety of programs from 1939 to 1989. In 1980 NET's founder, Mark Berchem, through CYC organized eighteen high school youth retreats around southern Minnesota. Young adults traveled in a van giving these retreats over a three-week period in January. The following January three teams of youth were sent to Winona, Minnesota,

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 1981 these

missions Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion * Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

extended to a full year commitment. In 1982 the acronym NET (standing for National Evangelization Team) became name of this movement, inspired by Mark 1:17 and

Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

5:4. CYC closed in 1989 and NET was incorporated as a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

corporation under the

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of St. Paul and Minneapolis. In 1988 NET teams first travelled and gave retreats in Canada. In 1994, the sister organization, NET Ministries of Canada, was established by James Mikulasik and came under the ecclesiastical vigilance of the archbishop of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. In August 2001, along with traveling retreat teams, NET Canada started a parish-based program in which a team of young adults minister in a parish instead of travelling. NET Canada helped establish NET Ireland as an autonomous organization. NET Ministries of Canada is governed by a

Board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

currently made up of ten members.

Work

NET Canada's evangelical efforts span across Canada, and Ireland, as well as working closely with NET USA and NET Australia. In a year NET Canada leads over 300 retreats in 32 dioceses across Canada from British Columbia to

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. NET team members will pray with hundreds of host families and will minister to 25,000 youth in Canada. Since 1994 NET Canada has proclaimed the Gospel to over 160,000 youth. NET Canada follows the school year. From December to August young adults (ages 18–30) apply to be on a NET team by filling out an application, obtaining two references and arranging an interview. The young adults who are accepted will commit to being trained and serving NET from mid-August to June. Retreats are scheduled from October to May. A travelling team will lead from 120 to 150 retreats each year. These young adults travel in (depending on the team) one or two

van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

s, living with host families with only one suitcase and one backpack of personal effects. NET retreats are offered for youth from

grades Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also r ...

6 to 12. Volunteer contacts within each diocese or parish liaise with the NET office to book teams for retreats and select retreat themes and formats. Discipleship ministry are the ''parish-based teams'' who minister in a parish or region. These are generally teams of eight. In eight months they establish a youth ministry program and train youth leaders from the community to continue the program after they leave.

Finances

NET Canada's financial support comes from three sources: # One third of the cost of mission is covered through the applicants' personal fund raising effort. These applicants are aided in their fund raising by the NET office. # One third of the cost is covered by retreat fees and parish fees. # One third of the cost is from general fund raising conducted by NET staff.

How NET Spreads the Gospel

Beginnings

Work

Finances

See also