On May 1, John Paul II was beatified; there are so many things this great pope brought to us, but one that stands out to me is the Luminous Mysteries. I remember being an excited youth minister when these new mysteries were unveiled to help us meditate on the life of Christ, as we asked for Our Lady’s intercession. As John Paul is recognized for his holiness, we begin a month that pays special attention to Mary.
We recently celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation, the Christian celebration of the announcement by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ. Despite being a virgin, Mary would miraculously conceive a child who would be called the Son of God. Tom East of the Center Ministry [...]
Just before Christmas I found myself eating lunch in an almost empty parish office. When my lunch break doesn’t consist of a fast food run or an hour catching up on Facebook, it finds me in the parish office reading the comics and sports section of our local paper. On this particular day, I was greatly disappointed that my hunt yielded only the business section of the paper. When the secretary stopped by I asked her if she knew where the real paper was, and she tossed a paper in front of me: the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin Newspaper – The Compass.
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.
Many of you have requested that we share some of the best keynotes from Life Teen training conference here on CatholicYouthMinistry.com. I am pleased to share with you all keynote from Fr. Bob Schreiner unpacking our 2010 theme “Behold the Mystery” amidst ordinary–and often funny–experiences of the sacraments. Fr. Bob spoke to a group of [...]
The homily had just finished with a reflection of how peaceful Mary was in the face of some pretty disturbing things in her life. Just then the man sitting next to me at Mass leans over and says – ” If you have faith – the peace will be there”. I sat for a minute after Mass thinking about how right he was. The people I know who are most peaceful are the people I know who have the most faith in God.
The goal of this Edge Night is to allow the youth to encounter Mary as a model of faith by looking at her fiat at the Annunciation. The youth will be challenged to follow Mary’s example and to learn how to say “Yes” to God in their daily lives.