In 1976, Reach Youth Ministry began as a parish youth group, led by Tim and Maralee Briffett. Holy Family Parish in Yakima, Washington sponsored the group and the young people in the group began presenting occasional retreats for other parishes under the Briffetts’ guidance.
Bishop William Skylstad established Reach Youth Ministry as a full time ministry of the Diocese of Yakima in 1979. In addition to the parish youth group, the ministry began to increase outreach to other parishes including the first Northwest Catholic Youth Conference. By 1986, the number of requests for Reach’s “youth ministering to youth” retreats grew beyond the capacity of the Reach youth group members. The Briffett’s began recruiting and training Catholic young adult volunteers who would commit a year to serve full-time on a traveling retreat team. This full time traveling “Reach Team” conducted many youth retreats and volunteered in youth ministry work throughout the Yakima Diocese. Reach functioned as an official ministry of the Yakima Diocese, and operated on private donations.
In 1991 Bishop Francis George (Now Cardinal George in the Archdiocese of Chicago) appointed Mark and Tammy Evevard as directors. By 1993, Reach Youth Ministry was fielding two full time, traveling retreat teams. These teams traveled and ministered at parishes and Catholic Schools in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, South Dakota, North Dakota, as well as British Columbia and and Alberta, Canada. During this time, Reach Youth Ministry continued in local ministry; conducting a weekly youth group, a weekly young adult meeting, an annual Christian basketball and volleyball tournament, as well as an annual conference and discipleship week for teens.
Under the direction of Gina Morrissey, in 1999, increased demand for youth retreats led to the addition of a third traveling retreat team. Three distinct team routes emerged; a Northwest Team, a Southwest Team and a Midwest Team. This increasing focus on youth retreat outreach still included an annual discipleship camp and a weekend conference, both in the early summer. Reach teams continued to serve Yakima Diocesan youth events including the diocesan youth convention.
In 2006 Bishop Carlos A. Sevilla, S.J., appointed Dan Bartleson as director of the ministry. In 2010 Reach Youth Ministry relocated to the Diocese of Helena, MT in order to provide deanery-based young adult teams while continuing to field both parish and diocesan teams in other areas. As a separately incorporated non-profit, Reach operates with a board of directors and under the ecclesial authority of the Ordinary of the Diocese of Helena, MT, Bishop George Leo Thomas.
Currently, Reach Youth Ministry fields a traveling retreat team, a dedicated deanery team as well as a dedicated diocesan team.
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