Heather Serena takes full-time role at Duluth Newman

Heather Serena, assistant director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth, has announced she will begin working full-time at Duluth Newman as its director of campus ministry. She begins her full-time role at bulldogCatholic on Feb. 1, 2025, and will continue her work at the Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Duluth until that time. 

Serena has served the Duluth Diocese for 17 years and has made a difference in the lives of countless students, assisting parish youth ministry, organizing camps and mission trips, and more, with all the joys and challenges entailed in bringing off events with dozens or hundreds of young people away from home. The diocese’s youth and young adult ministry has born great fruit for the church in northeastern Minnesota, not the least of which are diocesan priests who cite their experiences in those ministries as part of their own vocational calls. 

“In her current role, Heather has served the diocese generously and joyfully, often doing that difficult behind-the-scenes work that can go unnoticed because things go so smoothly and so well,” said Duluth Bishop Daniel Felton. “I’m grateful to Heather for all of that hard work. Though we will miss her at the Pastoral Center, in her new role she will continue to serve the faithful of the church in northeastern Minnesota in a new way. I have no doubt her work will be equally fruitful in this new role.” 

The diocese will be coordinating a transition plan with Father Mike Schmitz, director of youth and young adult ministry, to assure continuation of its youth ministry events.