Our Mission

Cultivation Ministries exists “To Cultivate Team-based, Comprehensive, and Disciple-making Catholic Youth Ministries by Training, Resourcing, and Supporting Adult and Student Leaders.

Cultivation Ministries was born out of a very successful, 10 year parish youth ministry experience, which was designed and coordinated by Executive Director, Frank Mercadante. The parish was St. John Neumann in St. Charles, Illinois. Frank grew the program from 10 youth and 2 adult leaders to over 75 adult leaders and 500 young people.

A large part of the ministry was focused on training student leaders. As a part of this ministry 50 high school students on 4 different teams would go out to Chicago land parishes and put on outreach events. It was during the late 1980’s that Frank witnessed the fact that these outreach events produced many exciting results for those that attended, but often there would be no follow-up from the parish. There was a great feast at St. John Neumann and in many other parishes there seemed to be great famine. It was at this time, the idea of Cultivation Ministries emerged.

Frank felt a call to develop a ministry that would equip Catholic youth workers to powerfully impact the teens of their parishes. In 1990, Frank co-founded Cultivation Ministries. Since that time Cultivation has worked with many parishes taking them through a two-year training and consultation strategy, presented seminars in numerous diocese, ministered to thousands of youth through the Outbreak fests, and worked to further the development of Catholic youth ministry across the country.