The past few months I have attended numerous youth leader gatherings and inevitably fall to the temptation to compare myself to those around me. I look at some of my peers and think “they look like a youth leader, they have the look that teens will think is cool.” I know I’m not supposed to compare, but being a Catholic youth leader can be one of the most inadequacy inducing roles you can ever take on in life. It brings out the brightest talents and the darkest most insecure parts in the best
I paused for a second as the youth minister I was talking to blurted out – “I’m officially burned out.” She seemed almost embarrassed to be admitting it. I could tell by the dull stare on her face that she was struggling to find any joy in her ministry. I had seen the look before and over the past 24 years in youth ministry I have realized that there are two key things that anyone involved in youth ministry must do to avoid burnout and by the way they have nothing to do with a more balanced life or hiring an assistant.
Some parishes place too little value on relational ministry with teens. (Teens are relational in nature, if the Church doesn’t foster relationships with teens, they will find relationships elsewhere.)
A rhythm of prayer is absolutely necessary to get closer to God but it’s not going to be some specific formula and it’s not going to look the same for everyone. If you can find a way to incorporate all those prayers into your life then that’s amazing, but that’s not expected of everyone. Going from being a missionary to an office setting I had to change my rhythm to make sense according to my new role. But, there’s no better tool for ministry than a heart inspired by God.
I fly on jets, but still don’t know how they are able to fly with being so large and carrying so many people. I drove by an aircraft carrier the other day while on vacation and can’t believe that something that big could float. I walk down the streets of some of the world’s biggest cities amazed at how a skyscraper could reach so high. Standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon and I am in awe that water could have carved that wide and deep of a crevasse in the earth. Our world is filled with signs
This book covers the Sacraments. In the first Curriculum Guide on this topic we broke open each of the seven sacraments individually. In this second Curriculum Guide on the sacraments, you will find Life Nights that focus on the sacraments in relation to one another. The semester will also take a deeper look at challenges to the sacraments as well as the importance of living sacramental grace on a daily basis. When planning your semester, we recommend that you look through both Sacrament Curriculum
Goal of this Life Night: The goal for this Life Night is to have teens understand the Sacraments of matrimony and Holy Orders as Sacraments at the Service of Communion and to encourage teens to begin living the self-giving love encouraged by these sacraments. About this Life Night: Two weeks before the Life Night, invite all the married parents of teens as well as any priests or deacons at your parish to come for the end of the Life Night. Send out wedding-style invitations requesting the honor
Goal of this Life Night: The goal of this night is to explain that the seven sacraments are not only spiritual but also very physical. These physical elements are called matter and form. The teens will have the opportunity to explore the matter and form of each sacrament and what the significance is for each sacrament. About this Life Night: This Life Night will start out by gathering the teens and showing them how certain forms of prayer are appropriate or not appropriate depending on the situation.
Goal of this Life Night: The goal of this night is to understand the power of the Sacraments of Healing both spiritually and physically. God is not only our loving father but He is also the divine Physician that desires to heal our brokenness and make us whole. About this Life Night: This night will be broken into two segments each with the same parts; part one will focus on the Sacrament of Reconciliation and part two will cover the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The whole night will be