Our urgent task to reclaim
love of Jesus and His Church as the passion of our lives”
summons us not into ourselves but to Our Lord.
Jesus prefers
prophets, not programs;
saints, not solutions; conversion of hearts, not calls to action;
prayer, not protests:
Verbum Dei rather than our verbage.

~ Archbishop Timothy Dolan
November Bishop’s Meeting

As a is diocesan youth ministry coordinator with the diocese of Northampton, in England. Avril Baigent was the author of the much acclaimed Y Church Report.

We can not stop looking towards research and discovery about the young people we serve. It is a sign of the professionalism of  our field when we are able to move beyond a “gut  instinct” sensibility as to why we do what we do and base it on research on what is needed and what works.

Gove a listen to Avril.

The protests started in Egypt exactly one year ago, on January 25. They led to the overthrow of the Mubarak administration when he resigned February 11.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time thinking on The Protestor as well as the Occupy movement.

Our challenge with the next generation is to make space for them to “protest” towards change for justice….  But we must also engage them in the ability to “profess” what it is they believe and why they believe change is neccessary.

In the words of a Billy Joel oldie, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” but we do have the spiritual tinder by which to fuel it.

I’ve always had an eye towards how church can learn/ remember about its mission looking at business models.  It has often been suggested how we as Church could learn from the “third place” (not work or home but similarly familiar) models of Starbucks. – Javalleluia!

Now, Mark McNees has offered a blog series on how the culture of facebook out churches the church in several areas and how we might learn from it.

1: It is all about the life of the participants.

2: FB culture is very open to ‘friending’ new people.

3: The FB community does not have business hours.

4: On FB, we are is eager to share life with one another.

5: On FB, we encourage the expression of one’s passion.

We need to be able to turn the practices of our virtual reality into the habits of a virtuous life.

The Video to Use with young people comes from the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), representing the science center and museum field worldwide.

I know, weird, right?

There are all sorts on “impossible” things occurring around us…  Why do we find the impossible so challenging to believe as possible?

In Matthew 19, we read
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Every Sunday, it seems, kids’ll sleep in and catch the last Mass of the morning offered or even the one scheduled for around dinner time.  The older adults will catch the earlier Masses. Not today.

Before the sun even rises, young Marchers for Life will be waking on gym floors this morning and from their encampment at Washington’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception where they will utilize every available inch of its extensive floor-space and pew space. They will arise and hit mass first, at the Shrine with Cardinal-designate Dolan from New York, at large rallies at the Verizon Center and the DC Armory,and in area catholic schools and colleges including Mount Saint Mary College and Georgetown Academy. 

Adult marchers will find their way to the streets of DC well after the sun rises. It’s an upside down church today.

Please pray for the Marchers for Life of all generations.  May the make their stand for life with conviction and may they awaken a culture by their witness. And then, may everyone sleep well and safely on their way home.

UPDATE:  I spoke on Relevant Radio this morning from across the street from the Rally for Life.

0123relevantmarch by CatholicYMblog

I drove home later last night listening to sports radio.  They were reporting on Joe Paterno declining health and I thought that I probably needed to develop an thoughtful obit for him. This morning, I found myself typing on the fly, recognizing that I’ll probably be a little late for my next appointment.

Joe Paterno lived a life dedicated to a sport and to the young men who played it. Nearly half a century as Penn State’s Nittany Lions’ head coach advanced many student athletes into professional careers as business men, lawyers, doctors, and yes, pro football players.

Yet, today he passes on from this world with a reputation tarnished and damaged because of the shadows of failure to protect young people… and that matters to all those who minister, serve, work with and care for young people. ReThinking Youth Ministry blogger Brian Kirk called the Penn State scandal the Most Important Youth Ministry Story of 2011.  We must remain diligent in establishing proper boundaries people and consistent in implementing them. UPDATED: Ed Stetzer also considers Coach Paterno’s legacy. 

Meanwhile, our prayers go out to everyone impacted by the news of the day… and

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Our prayer for this day, the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

These are the days, O Lord. It seems as if time is running out, that this is the very time of fulfillment. We have a message to announce to all the peoples… The Reign of God is at hand.

Teach us, O Lord, Your ways and make your paths known to us. We know that we are to change our ways. If we believe i the Gospel, we shall repent. If we do, the world in its present form will surely pass away and we will be able to come after you, to become Your fishers women and men.

Send us on mission and send your Spirit to make it fruitful. Only you can send us on a three day journey of such power that transformation occurs within one. Remember Your compassion, Your love, Your kindness, and Your goodness, O Lord. <image source>

from xkcd.com