Julie Krug

By Betty Taylor
Photos by Sarah Griffin

In 1998, when Julie Krug was asked to take on the position of Coordinator of Youth Ministry at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, she had a concern. It wasn’t that she hadn’t worked with youth. In fact, she had taught for four years at Canyon Middle School. She taught religious education classes at the church. She came from a large family and had always been very involved in church. Still, one concern nagged her.
“I told Monsignor Eugene O’Callaghan, ‘I’m not holy enough for that job,’” she said, laughing.
She remembered that the Monsignor laughed when she told him her fear.
“He just said, ‘Julie, you are probably holier than I am,’” she said.
Krug believes the fear of not being worthy to serve in ministry is a concern that many people have. But now, nine years later, she loves her job and realizes she has learned much from the youth at her church.
Growing up in Iowa in a large Catholic family, Julie always took an active part in her church.
“I played the organ and sang in the choir. I didn’t just sit in the pews,” she said.
When she and her family moved to New Braunfels in 1985, they immediately felt at home here. Julie and her husband Roger, a homebuilder, have four children. When their youngest was 18 months old, Julie decided to go back to school. She received her teaching degree from Texas State University and began teaching English at Canyon Middle School.
Meanwhile, Monsignor O’Callaghan asked Julie if she would become Coordinator of Youth Ministry at Sts. Peter and Paul.
“He knew I loved kids,” Julie said.
But she wondered if she could do the job.
“Then, a few months later, I attended World Youth Day, and it was a beautiful Mass,” she said. “Something told me, ‘You can do this.’ There was a feeling that came over me.”
Julie accepted the position. The youth program started with about 175 kids and grew exponentially, she said.
Julie completed an intense youth minister certification course at the Diocese in San Antonio. Her oldest child was in junior high school at the time.
Things were going well, but after four years, Julie hit a brick wall.
“I was dealing with kids who had enormous issues,” she said. “And I’m not a psychologist.”
It was hard not to take on all the issues personally. And the priorities she had set in place when she accepted the job had shifted.
“My family was coming last,” she said. “When you have family, and you say family is priority, you have to live that.”
In 2002, Julie resigned. But she refers to it as her sabbatical. She says she learned a lot in those two years. She returned to the position in 2004 with a different outlook.
“It’s a balancing act,” she said. “Every woman faces that issue. Every woman thinks they can do it all, but in the end, you have to share the load.”
She now takes time off when it’s needed. Some of the time she spends with her children or with her grandson, who was born with a chromosome deficiency.
“He’s really made a difference in my life,” she said.
Julie also is working on a graduate degree in religious studies.
“That has made a huge impact in how I do my job,” she said.
She has learned how to deal with the heavy issues facing some of the youth and how to get them help.
“Part of being coordinator is knowing you don’t do this alone,” she said.
The youth ministry now includes 300 youth at Sts. Peter and Paul. On any given Wednesday night, the church feeds about 125 kids.
Julie is proud of her kids and especially enjoys taking them on retreats, many of which teach them leadership skills.
“One of our youth went on to become one of the first Catholic chaplains at Texas A&M,” she said.
Julie said part of the reason for the growth in the youth program is the spirit of New Braunfels itself.
“This is a very faithful community,” she said. “Kids still go to church on Wednesday nights. Organizations like FCA and Young Life are popular. The spirit of that is here in the community.”