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Tag Archives: Advent

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No Purple!: Sharing the Joy of Advent with Teens

By | December 21, 2011
2011-12_NoPurple

So how are we sharing that joy with our teens in the midst of the Advent season? Are we able to make the waiting and the longing relevant to their lives? Teen’s very lives are an Advent of sorts, a time they spend reflecting on and preparing for what they hope will be the joy of their lives to come – higher education, jobs, marriage, travel, and adventure.

Teens are waiting, waiting to discover what God has planned for them and just as small children can become impatient, overtired and cranky as they wait for Christmas to arrive, teens can suffer the same fate as they wait to arrive at their “real lives.” The purple of this season of their lives can overshadow the joy in Christ that is theirs right now as well as in the future.

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Pilgrimage to Judah: Taking time in Advent and Christmas to learn from Mary

By | December 25, 2010

A few years ago, during the season of Advent, my sister and I traveled to Lourdes, France for a pilgrimage. It was a gift that continues to transform my heart year after year, cup after cup of Lourdes water, rosary decade after decade lifted up in prayer. A pilgrimage is a very special gift that should not be overlooked during this season of Advent for that is exactly the gift that the Holy family gave us in their journey to Bethlehem with the birth of our Savior. To travel a long journey to a sacred place is a gift unto itself: the sights, smells, tastes, and rituals undiscovered yet instantly seized into memory. But, to realize something of unexplainable significance is as majestic as the Magi themselves.

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WAIT! We Have a Full 4th Week of Advent!

By | December 17, 2010

As I mentioned in my last blog, I love the season of Advent. I was talking with a teen recently who was not even sure what Advent was, and I’m sure he is not alone.  Even those who know about Advent don’t necessarily do anything with that knowledge.  The good news of 2010 is that [...]

Liturgy Planning Guide

Full Liturgy Planning Guide: 11/29/2009 through 03/21/2010

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It is Christ in the Eucharist that our young people hunger for. It is He that will transform hearts and lives. It is in the Holy Mass that our young people come face to face with the fulfillment of all their desires. What a gift to us who are entrusted to helping the young people [...]

Edge Night

The Season of Advent: Ready or Not… Here He Comes

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Objective: 
The middle school youth will come to a greater understanding of the Season of Advent and what Catholics do in preparation for Christmas and the Second Coming of Christ. Overview: Luke 3:3-6 states: “And he (John) went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [...]

Liturgy Planning Guide

Full Liturgy Planning Guide: 11-30-2008 through 03-29-2009

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Thank you for the sacrifice and effort you put into the youth-focused Liturgies at your parish. Quality youth- focused liturgies are the center of a dynamic and effective Life Teen program. We at Life Teen want to do everything we can to ensure that your young people are active conscious participants in the celebration of [...]

Liturgy Planning Guide

Liturgy Planning Guide: 12-02-2007 through 03-23-2008

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This is our Liturgy Planning Guide; the purpose of this book is to facilitate the planning of vibrant youth-focused liturgies. While the look of our resources has changed over the years, the aim and goal as remained the same – to provide valuable, usable resources that help make quality youth ministry possible in every parish. [...]