With our role comes the joy of sharing in family moments such as awards, honors and graduation. But just as we get to share in the “high points” of family life, we also share in some of the most difficult moments. Whether it is divorce or death or illness, we need to understand our role as support to the whole family, not just the teens.
Randy Raus wrote an excellent blog recently entitled “The ‘Come To Us’ Model and Why it is Not Cutting it in Catholic Youth Ministry!” In it, he reminds us of the need to be relational ministers first, because teens simply aren’t coming to youth ministry activities because they are listed in the parish bulletin. Honestly, if you go back to the blog and replace the word “teens” with “Catholics” I think the premise still holds up. Ask any priest and he’ll tell you it’s not
Goal for the Life Night: This Life Night will address questions and issues on divorce, annulment and remarriage. This Life Night will also give teens the opportunity to ask God for prayer and healing for those who have been affected by divorce. Life Night at a Glance: Divorce, especially in the United States, is a growing problem. The majority of teens today come from homes broken by divorced or separated parents. It is important to remember the sensitivity of this issue and the hurt in many teens’
As we enter into a multi-parish ministry setting, we have to recognize the history of the parishes we are working with. Most of our parishes have worked autonomously over the life of that community. Meaning, we knew of our neighboring Catholic parishes across town, but we never interacted with them much. Now, as we begin to move into these multi-parish boundaries, we are discovering that each of them has their own history and identity. Recognizing and understanding parish history and identity is
Goal for the Life Night: This Life Night will explain Anointing of the Sick and who can receive this sacrament. This night will also help the teens understand that the healing power of Christ is both physical and spiritual. Life Night at a Glance: The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is often misunderstood. This night serves to explain the role of healing in Christ’s ministry and how this sacrament gives us access to His healing. This night begins with a game where the teens will respond to a
Goal for the Life Night: The goal is to bring teens to a moment of encounter with the incredible love of God the Father and to provide possible healing, hope, and direction with their earthly fathers or father figures. Life Night at a Glance: During the course of the night, teens will have an opportunity to explore their relationships with their fathers and how those relationships have affected their relationships with and impressions of God the Father. The night starts with the introduction of new