About NHCYO
HISTORY
The Catholic Youth Organization, CYO,
was implemented as a diocesan program in 1947, by
then-Bishop Brady. His purpose in establishing the
CYO was to coordinate the various phases of youth
activity incorporating spiritual, cultural, social,
and athletic pursuits. In so doing, the program was
set to promote the Church’s influence upon the
leisure time of Catholic young people in the
diocese. In July of 1967, then-Bishop Primeau
restructured the youth organizations into the
Diocesan Youth Department incorporating CYO,
Catholic Scouting, and other youth activities. The
CYO now functions as the primary athletic component
of parish activities and operates under the aegis of
the Secretariat for Education and Formation.
CYO exists to
complement the training and direction given to our
youth by the Church. As such, the primary emphasis
of the CYO has always been to support and strengthen
parish-based programs in their formational mission.
By engaging young people in an area of interest,
athletics, parishes have a unique opportunity to
extend a welcoming hand into the life of the Church,
to tell our youth that the community is strengthened
by their presence and participation.
CYO Athletics is governed by the Diocesan Athletic
Board, a regulatory and policy- making body that
functions to oversee player eligibility,
tournaments, coaches’ accreditation, rules clinics
and all other components of the diocesan athletic
program. The Board is comprised of volunteers of
various backgrounds, dedicated to young people and
the adults who coach them.
MISSION
STATEMENT
The CYO Athletic Board of the Diocese
of Manchester exists to serve and promote the
Church’s formational mission among the youth of our
diocese. By providing athletic leagues and
tournaments for young people, the Board supports
parish youth ministry programs in the learning areas
of sportsmanship, competitiveness, physical exercise
and teamwork. By mandating accreditation of coaches,
the Board monitors the quality of adult role models
by providing training in adolescent psychology and
Christian ethics as well as in the practical areas
of health-related issues and first-aid. In service
to both the parent community and the parish
community, the volunteer members of the CYO Athletic
Board are dedicated to the evangelization of our
youth, open to ecumenical collaboration and
promoters of Gospel values in the particular area of
their unique apostolate.