(taped over phone 05/01/07)

BIO: Sr. Jude Ruggeri serves as Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, a position she has held since 1992. Sister Jude belongs to the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She has previously serve as chair of the board of directors for the NFCYM and presently serves as vice-char of the National Center for Catholic Youth Sports.

QUOTE TO NOTE: Programs are not necessarily ministry.  (They) are important, it’s an aspect of ministry, but (programs) are not ministry. Right now, I find that many of our youth ministers, because of lack of time and lack of personal resources are very much into programs.  And not necessarily ministry.  It doesn’t make a difference what the program is; it’s easy, it’s all set up for them.  They run to it, they can follow it like a cookbook recipe, bit the more important thing is (the) forming of relationships with young people.

OBSCURE FACTOID: Sr. Jude once hosted the NFCYM’s summer board meeting in West Palm Beach.  Every morning I swam in very warm ocean water. Like almost any other visitor to West Palm, I marveled at the gold coast and missed the rest of the diocese. Seemingly, I missed much.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Sr, Jude and I had a long, leisurely conversation which does not translate to my time frame so much.  This was the most-edited podcast to date with entire WYD reflections dropping to the editing room floor.

BLOG REFLECTION: can be read here for May 31st.