I remember the day I really became a youth minister. It was a cool, fall morning in Wisconsin, and as I rolled out of bed at 11:45 AM and like a zombie walked toward my closet, my heavy eyes searched for some daily attire. I pulled out a t-shirt. “Come Alive – Retreat 2011.” And [...]
The truth is that while my wife sits beside me and cheers for Rocky along with me, as a man I take something different from his story. It’s in Rocky’s internal strength, his refusal to stay down, his unyielding will and resilience to keep moving forward – against all odds and against far superior opponents – that I relate most to him not only as a man, but as a Christian, as a husband and father.
Even in middle school, our youth are overwhelmed by the many expectations and responsibilities that are placed on them by the various people in their lives (parents, teachers, coaches, priests, youth ministers, friends, etc). The goal of this retreat is to reflect on what it means to live with childlike faith; this will incorporate not only having faith like a child, but also what it means to forgive and to love with the simplicity of a child. The Father is calling all of His children to be with Him. This retreat will remind the middle school youth that they are children of God.
My model for youth ministry has four legs and a wet nose. Back when I was a baby Core Member, I attended my first Life Teen Conference in Mesa, AZ in June of 1999. Of all the messages of that week one has stuck with me and has been my constant model for youth ministry for 13 years and will continue to be so.
Have you ever seen a 48-hour mystery special on TV? Usually they are trying to discover the missing truth and/or find a missing person. Authorities tell us that if someone goes missing, they need to be found within a 48 hour time period or the chances of finding them goes down significantly. This leaves police, detectives and eyewitnesses in a pressure-filled time frame. And just like in these mystery cases where time is a critical factor, follow up in youth ministry is also crucial.
Goal of this Edge Retreat The goal of this retreat is to help the middle school youth experience the Paschal Mystery in their lives. The Paschal Mystery is about Christ’s death and Resurrection. Every time we experience suffering or darkness in our life, whether through our own sins, the sins of others, or simply because [...]
Goal The goal of this retreat is to help Juniors and Seniors take a greater ownership in their faith as they head toward high school graduation. Using Colossians 2:7 and Pope Benedict’s World Youth Day message as the basis, this retreat will challenge the participants to look at the roots of their faith, what it [...]
In my area, what I like to call “retreat season” is nearly upon us. The parishes are starting to advertise parish high school retreats, confirmation coordinators are trying to find out what’s going on at other parishes, and our diocesan retreats are beginning to be promoted. As we all know, a new liturgical season is [...]
Middle school can be a confusing and hectic time in the lives of your Edge youth. during this time, the youth can feel very lost and forgotten because of all the changes occurring. This experience can lead them to search for life’s answers in the wrong places. The goal of this retreat is to help the middle school youth understand that God’s love is always present, especially in the times they feel lost.
Recently, I was struck by our 8th graders who were able to enter into Eucharistic Adoration so prayerfully during our annual 8th grade “Welcome to Life” Retreat (where our incoming seniors host a weekend retreat for our incoming freshman). It occurred to me that their prayer resembled that of an upperclassmen’s. Why did that shock me so much? Most of these kids have been at weekly Edge Nights and on Edge retreats for the last three years. It shouldn’t shock me at all that they are deeper in prayer than other middle schoolers their age. How did this happen? How do we take our Edge kids deeper?