Been a while since you changed the environment of a Life Night? Have the walls of your office become just a jog down memory lane or is it a reflection of the current group of teens? Have music playing, hang new banners, update photos and add some new paint to add new life to the spaces you hang out with teens at your parish. We serve in one of the most transformational ministries in our parishes – does the vibe of our space reflect that?
Once they start school in the fall and get involved in all kind of school activities, it will be much harder to reach those rising 9th grade students. Here are 5 things you can do to reach out to the rising 9th grade students at your parish: 1. Visit them in Edge or their current [...]
A Youth Leader Must…. 1. Make it about Christ and not themself 2. Strive to have ministry flow from their spirituality and not have spirituality flow from their ministry 3. Form a strong team of leaders who help them reach out to teens 4. Be living the Paschal Mystery (die to self and rising with [...]
Tomorrow in Rome, Pope Benedict will again lead reflections on the way of the Cross at the Colosseum. The Vatican announced March 15 that the pope had asked Danilo and Annamaria Zanzucchi to write the meditations, which are read over loudspeakers as a cross is carried through and around the Colosseum on Good Friday. Along with Chiara [...]
10 years ago today, we signed the papers to purchase Life Teen Camp Covecrest in Tiger, GA. I can still remember the excited feeling of our owning a camp, and the sinking feeling of hoping that our obedience to God to purchase the camp wouldn’t lead to a huge dose of humility if it didn’t [...]
A couple of weeks ago Pope Benedict XVI gave a talk to a group of students on the meaning of Christmas. Here’s part of that speech and what I think is a great reflection heading into Christmas for anyone who works with teens: Benedict XVI, Address to students December 15, 2011 What does Christmas [...]
You can’t go anywhere these days without catching some Christmas music. Radio stations, stores and even airplanes are playing Christmas music. So keeping in the spirit of Christmas, I have compiled the ultimate top 10 list of music that Catholic youth leaders are reflecting on this year. 1.) Little Drummer Boy – For that teen [...]
Other than illegal hits to the head and questionable calls by referees, the most controversial part of the NFL season is a phenomenon called “Tebowing”. Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow openly proclaims his faith in interviews, post game press conferences, in coffee shops or wherever he is. After touchdowns and during particularly tense moments of [...]
1. A teen shows up at your youth meeting one night and no one talks to them. Big Deal? or No Big Deal? 2. The internet goes down and you can’t show the youtube video you planned to show at the Life Night. Big Deal? or No Big Deal? 3. After Mass a teen introduces you [...]
Virtually every superhero has some weakness that makes them weak or unable to perform. For Superman it is Kryptonite: a rock-like green substance from his homeland that causes him to lose all super powers. A couple of weeks ago, on a flight traveling home from NCYC, I sat next to what the world would say [...]