> > Wednesday, April 30, 2008
DON BOUCHER IS INSIDE THE YOUTH MINISTERS’ STUDIO
     (Enter the studio here.) Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ? Happy New Year!   I know, I know. . . what’s up with the popping champaign bottles and midnight kisses?  Well, it all started January 1, 2007 where I made a deeper commitment to this web-site and to podcasting.  Now, sixteen months later, I’m posting up my 52nd podcast, a year’s worth if they were done weekly. (which proved to be a little more complicated that one originally imagined.)
     Of course, none of this has anything to do with Don Boucher who I’ve known for just under thirty years. . . which makes Don a good bookend interview to first interviewees Irene Friend and Bob McCarty. Don is one of the good guys in youth ministry, toiling in the fields of Iowa before returning to the land of his alma mater. In the podcast itself, Don describes how so many of us feel about our vocation of Catholic youth ministry: "I cannot not do this just like I cannot not breathe." Give it a listen as Don talks discipleship and change.
   For a little auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

> > Tuesday, April 29, 2008

GRACE
Because Grace makes beauty out of ugly things. Grace finds beauty in everything. Grace finds goodness in everything. (U2 – Grace)
ATONING FOR LAMBS
I’ve watched two recent video releases – - Atonement and Lions for Lambs. Atonement was am Academy Award nominee; one of those movies you get after the fact more than during the movie. Lions is a "step it up" movie, but aimed towards the entire culture- politics, media, and the next generation.  The title comes from a very damning line in the movie which quotes a WW2 German general: Nowhere else have I seen such lions led by such lambs.
PARISH LIFE HAS CHANGED
        "For those of you who like to flip to the last page of a book, and read the end of a story right away, I’ll tell you what the research concluded," said Marti Jewell, project director of the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project, said last week at a national summit in Orlando to review and build upon the findings.  "Parish life as we have known it has changed."  Read the whole story here.

> > Monday, April 28, 2008
YOUNG, DEVOUT
The pope was welcomed to chants of "Viva Papa!" at the Saturday rally, but American youth don’t always embrace their faith so easily. Which direction the younger generation goes will have a major effect on the future of American Catholicism. Only 14 percent of Catholics between 20 and 40 attend Mass at least weekly, according to a study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. Other polls find Americans are switching religions more than ever or leaving faith altogether, with the Catholic church feeling those trends acutely. Yet evidence also suggests a blooming of youth Catholic orthodoxy. . . These young, devout Catholics share an appreciation for orthodox theology, self-sacrifice and fidelity to church teaching.  Read more here
OLDER, FLYING
I’m not a man who constantly thinks up jokes. But I think it’s very important to be able to see the funny side of life and its joyful dimension and not to take everything too tragically. I’d also say it’s necessary for my ministry. A writer once said that angels can fly because they don’t take themselves too seriously. Maybe we could also fly a bit if we didn’t think we were so important.  Who was quoted???? On Aug. 5, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI
STATES OF YOUTH MINISTRY
Looking ahead at the calendar, if this site is going to repeat last year’s national tour of catholic diocesan web sites again, we better start now.  Will sites have advanced, grown, etc.?  It will be interesting to find out.  In addition, I hope to daily feature a parish youth ministry’s web page as well . . ., but I could stand some help.  Do you have a parish page that you’d like to recommend?  Please let me know.  Alabama is the first alphabetic stop on the tour – -  starts next Sunday!

> > Friday, April 25. 2008

THE LAND OF MAKE-BELIEVE
Douglas Gresham is the step-son of CS Lewis, keeper of the land of Narnia, and co-producer of the movies. He recently recorded a video for the NFCYM aimed at youth leaders seeking to promote the film. No movie spoilers, but he does say some very interesting things about the The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian movie.
KNOW YOUR POPE
Think you know your papal trivia? Try this quiz from Beliefnet. Hey, kids, pardon the sin of pride, but I went 12 for 12.
SHOES OF A MAN GONE FISHIN’
It has been a busy month of posting so . . . posting Friday early; taking a brief blog break for the weekend; and slipping on some comfortable shoes that I borrowed from a recent guest and putting my feet up. See you Monday.

> > Thursday, April 24, 2008
AMERICA: LAND OF HOPE
This Modern Life by Tom Tomorrow

> > Wednesday, April 23. 2008
JOHN CAMPBELL IS INSIDE THE YOUTH MINISTERS’ STUDIO
(Enter the studio here.) Ahhhhh, the stuff that gets edited from podcasts sometimes . . . . Scant seconds before I begin my standard "Welcome to Inside the Youth Ministers’ Studio", John made a self-depreciating crack by saying "Welcome to Inside the former Youth Ministers’ Studio." which I repeated as part of the opening. John is still deeply connected with ministry to young people and has some timely notes regarding the transition of seniors to college campuses.  Worth a listen.

OFF RAMP FROM THE PAPAL VISIT:
Stephen Colbert unwittingly helps to define the "New Evangelization" efforts of the past weekend as "to renew my faith in my faith."

> > Tuesday, April 22, 2008
JONA – A BIBLICAL AT-RISK KID
About ten days back, Kristin Witte and I co-presented a workshop for folks who doing ministry in prisons.  Our starting point was to tell the tale of Jonah. The story was offered from the perspective that (s)he was an "at-risk" young person – not accepting responsibility, attitudinal, alcohol (and other drug) usage, running away, suicidal, angry. . . and that was just for starters. (recording lasts under 10 minutes)
FACE OF THE YOUNG CHURCH
(Click to enlarge.) Angela Fortunato of St. Paul’s Cathedral Parish in Pittsburgh raises her arm and yells as a live image of Pope Benedict XVI is projected on a giant electronic screen during a rally for seminarians and young people at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY, April 19 (CNS photo / Gregory A. Shemitz)
LIFE OF A BELIEVER
"The true life of a believer is one of a hazardous uphill pilgrimage where you uncover slowly the illumination for your next step."  – Bono

YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT
   In every age, the church carries the responsibility of reading the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel, if it is to carry out its task. (Gaudium et Spes, 4)  Here are some signs indicating that Youth Ministry is changing:
   > > Ghosts of Christians Future: a cautionary tale from Britain.
   > > Play Ball: an old movie suggests a new game
   > > Youth Ministry 3.0: a view from the cusp of change
   > > The Direction is Set: John Paul II points the way
   > > Affinity: Our next prioritized task
   > > Tipping Point: The evidence in Catholic Youth Ministry builds
   > > Participation: post-modern discipleship
   > > Catholic: identity, belonging, commitment
   > > Obama: a generation audacious enough to hope
   > > Killer Instinct: ready to make change
   > > Communion and Mission: YM 3.0 defined.
   > > Ready for the Future It could get a little Jesus-y
We need to be discussing this stuff, folks! Our hope is found in vision. Without prophecy the people become demoralized. (Proverbs 29: 18)
YOUTH MINISTRY AND
THE PAPAL VISIT
   As Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States, almost everywhere he spoke, he had young people in his slight lines for his vision for a "new Pentecost."
   > > One last word from Yankee Stadium
   > > America responds.
   > > From the must view Youth Rally, young disciples: please pray, seek silence, celebrate liturgy!
   > > Saint Patrick, an invitation to enter into the mystery of the Church.
   > > At UN, every generation must order human affairs.
   > > With educators, a call to "liberate the young."
   > > At Nationals Park, more remains to be done in forming the hearts and minds of the young
   > > Pope to US Bishops: "engaging, imaginative, . . . new ways of thinking"
   > > The US Bishops address the demands of discipleship
   > > At he White House, a clarification of his mission.
   > > On the plane ride out, a note of pastoral concern which is repeated throughout the trip
   > > Before he arrives, a video message.

> > Monday, April 21. 2008
SYNOPSIS CITY
The month of April has involved some active blogging – - first with a view to Youth Ministry Next and, soon after that, a review of Pope Benedict’s visit to the United States from the perspective of a youth minister. See the hyperlinks at the right. All this while maintaining a daily blog, including podcasts with Matt Maher, three bishops, and Katrina Zeno,
DOWNLOAD THIS
If you right click on this link, congratulations – you can now save a copy of Saturday’s youth rally.  Watch it.  Share it. The commentators are Carol Lehan; Rev. Rick Hilgartner: USCCB Office of Worship and ArchBalt priest, and Bob McCarty, NFCYM.   Meanwhile, it might be worth checking out Amy Welborn’s and Colleen Carroll Campbell’s take on the event.
READY FOR THE FUTURE?
Marko wraps up his series book/ preview here. He defines communion as small, slow, simple, fluid, present, and Jesus-y.

> > Sunday, April 20, 2008

AND THE WORLD GOES ‘ROUND
It’s been quite a ride for Christopher Strackbein, the former youth and young adult minister at St. Mary, Annapolis, who never dreamed he’d make it into the filmmaking winner’s circle. The 29-year-old Navy veteran and Villa Julie College video and film student is the grand prize winner of a Microsoft student film competition, themed Heroes Happen Here, that earned him $30,000 and $5,000 for the parish which played the key role in his four-minute video, titled “And the world goes ‘round.” Read more here
LOVING MY CAREER
No other ministry like it! In forty hours, a papal mass alongside 500 youth, adult faith formation with an  anglo senior citizen crowd in Frostburg of Mountain Maryland, and a theology on tap with a african-american young adult crowd in urban Baltimore. And, a very active period of blogging the events of the Church for you. Awesome. What a life!!!!!
YANKEE STADIUM
(4:00 pm) Pope Benedict XVI: Yesterday, not far from here, I was moved by the joy, the hope and the generous love of Christ which I saw on the faces of the many young people assembled in Dunwoodie. They are the Church’s future, and they deserve all the prayer and support that you can give them. And so I wish to close by adding a special word of encouragement to them. My dear young friends, like the seven men (in today’s Gospel), "filled with the Spirit and wisdom" whom the Apostles charged with care for the young Church, may you step forward and take up the responsibility which your faith in Christ sets before you! May you find the courage to proclaim Christ, "the same, yesterday, and today and for ever" and the unchanging truths which have their foundation in him
     These are the truths that set us free! They are the truths which alone can guarantee respect for the inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman and child in our world – including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother’s womb. In a world where, as Pope John Paul II, speaking in this very place, reminded us, Lazarus continues to stand at our door , let your faith and love bear rich fruit in outreach to the poor, the needy and those without a voice. Young men and women of America, I urge you: open your hearts to the Lord’s call to follow him in the priesthood and the religious life. Can there be any greater mark of love than this: to follow in the footsteps of Christ, who was willing to lay down his life for his friends?  Read it all here.
EMBRACING THE HOLY FATHER
(9:00 am) The New York Post headline reflects the excitement of this visit. Peggy Noonan, in the same newspaper, voices the basic read of the trip: What a hit, what a trip, what a triumph. And it was something else, too. In the past week, in a wholly new way, Pope Benedict XVI became the leader of the Catholics of America. He broke through as his own man, put forward his own meaning, put his stamp on this moment in time. Americans know him now, and seem to have judged him to be what a worldly journalist said in the cathedral as he gazed at the crowd. His eyes went to Benedict on the altar, and he gestured toward him. "He’s a good guy," he said, softly. Read it all here as she describes Benedict’s charisma of sincerity.

> > Saturday, April 19, 2008
THIS IS THE DAY
   We have been awaiting and fore-telling of this day for quite a while. Pope Benedict XVI will meet with Seminarians and Young People today at Saint Joseph’s Seminary.  A live webcast will be available around 4:30 pm (eastern) then archived for viewing later on in the day and for several weeks after the Pope’s visit. Bob McCarty, executive director of NFCYM will be providing the color commentary.  What will the message be???
YOUTH AND SEMINARIAN RALLY
(7:30 pm) Pope Benedict XVI: This evening I wish to share with you some thoughts about being disciples of Jesus Christ – walking in the Lord’s footsteps, our own lives become a journey of hope. . .  Let us thank God that today many people of your generation are able to enjoy the liberties which have arisen through the extension of democracy and respect for human rights. . . The power to destroy does, however, remain. To pretend otherwise would be to fool ourselves. Yet, it never triumphs; it is defeated. This is the essence of the hope that defines us as Christians; and the Church recalls this most dramatically during the Easter Triduum and celebrates it with great joy in the season of Easter!  . . .
    Dear friends, truth is not an imposition. Nor is it simply a set of rules. It is a discovery of the One who never fails us; the One whom we can always trust. In seeking truth we come to live by belief because ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ. That is why authentic freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in; nothing less than letting go of self and allowing oneself to be drawn into Christ’s very being for others . . 
    Let your imaginations soar freely along the limitless expanse of the horizons of Christian discipleship. Sometimes we are looked upon as people who speak only of prohibitions. Nothing could be further from the truth! Authentic Christian discipleship is marked by a sense of wonder. We stand before the God we know and love as a friend, the vastness of his creation, and the beauty of our Christian faith . . . What matters most is that you develop your personal relationship with God. That relationship is expressed in prayer. God by his very nature speaks, hears, and replies. . . There is another aspect of prayer which we need to remember: silent contemplation. Saint John, for example, tells us that to embrace God’s revelation we must first listen, then respond by proclaiming what we have heard and seen. Have we perhaps lost something of the art of listening? Do you leave space to hear God’s whisper, calling you forth into goodness? Your personal prayer, your times of silent contemplation, and your participation in the Church’s liturgy, bring you closer to God and also prepare you to serve others. . .
      Contemplating Jesus on the Cross we see love in its most radical form. We can begin to imagine the path of love along which we must move. The opportunities to make this journey are abundant. Look about you with Christ’s eyes, listen with his ears, feel and think with his heart and mind. . . Religious Sisters, Brothers and Priests contribute greatly to the mission of the Church. Their prophetic witness is marked by a profound conviction of the primacy with which the Gospel shapes Christian life and transforms society. . . 
     Friends, again I ask you, what about today? What are you seeking? What is God whispering to you? The hope which never disappoints is Jesus Christ. . .  Nourished by personal prayer, prompted in silence, shaped by the Church’s liturgy you will discover the particular vocation God has for you. Embrace it with joy. You are Christ’s disciples today. Shine his light upon this great city and beyond. Show the world the reason for the hope that resonates within you. Tell others about the truth that sets you free.
    Read it all here
SAINT PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL
(10:45 am) Pope Benedict at a Mass with priests, deacons and members of religious orders: Perhaps we have lost sight of this: in a society where the Church seems legalistic and “institutional” to many people, our most urgent challenge is to communicate the joy born of faith and the experience of God’s love. . . This is no easy task in a world which can tend to look at the Church, like those stained glass windows, “from the outside”: a world which deeply senses a need for spirituality, yet finds it difficult to “enter into” the mystery of the Church. Even for those of us within, the light of faith can be dimmed by routine, and the splendor of the Church obscured by the sins and weaknesses of her members. . .  Does this not bring to mind our need to see all things with the eyes of faith, and thus to grasp them in their truest perspective, in the unity of God’s eternal plan? This requires, as we know, constant conversion, and a commitment to acquiring “a fresh, spiritual way of thinking.” Read more here

> > Friday, April 18, 2008
GREETINGS FROM FROSTBURG
   Yesterday was truly a beautiful day.  The Church gathered.  We cheered, we sang, we heard a message of affirmation and hope. Our office staff was fortunate enough to share the day with 500 youth and young adults from the Archdiocese of Baltimore. I finished up the day with a long ride out to Frostburg, MD for an adult faith formation "Food and Faith" session where it seems the Pope and I were on the same page about the communal aspects of transmitting faith.  Click here for pictures of ArchBalt young participants of the Mass.
AT THE UNITED NATIONS
(12:00 noon) Pope Benedict XVI: In my recent Encyclical, Spe Salvi, I indicated that "every generation has the task of engaging anew in the arduous search for the right way to order human affairs." For Christians, this task is motivated by the hope drawn from the saving work of Jesus Christ. That is why the Church is happy to be associated with the activity of this distinguished Organization, charged with the responsibility of promoting peace and good will throughout the earth.

> > Thursday, April 17, 2008
THE WORLD NEEDS HEROES
In coming weeks, the New York archdiocese will send its schools posters that announce, “The World Needs Heroes,” including one of black-suited priests crossing an intersection — looking like “Going My Way” meets “Reservoir Dogs.” See the slide show of the posters here
WITH EDUCATORS
(7 pm) Pope Benedict XVI: God’s desire to make himself known, and the innate desire of all human beings to know the truth, provide the context for human inquiry into the meaning of life. This unique encounter is sustained within our Christian community: the one who seeks the truth becomes the one who lives by faith (cf. Fides et Ratio, 31). It can be described as a move from "I" to "we", leading the individual to be numbered among God’s people. . .
    Subsequently we observe, with distress, the notion of freedom being distorted. Freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in . . . Hence authentic freedom can never be attained by turning away from God. Such a choice would ultimately disregard the very truth we need in order to understand ourselves. A particular responsibility therefore for each of you, and your colleagues, is to evoke among the young the desire for the act of faith, encouraging them to commit themselves to the ecclesial life that follows from this belief. It is here that freedom reaches the certainty of truth. In choosing to live by that truth, we embrace the fullness of the life of faith which is given to us in the Church. . .
      Far from being just a communication of factual data – "informative" – the loving truth of the Gospel is creative and life-changing – "performative."  With confidence, Christian educators can liberate the young from the limits of positivism and awaken receptivity to the truth, to God and his goodness. In this way you will also help to form their conscience which, enriched by faith, opens a sure path to inner peace and to respect for others. Read more. Read more here.
MASS AT NATIONALS PARK
(12:00 noon) Pope Benedict XVI: "The fidelity and courage with which the Church in this country will respond to the challenges raised by an increasingly secular and materialistic culture will depend in large part upon your own fidelity in handing on the treasure of our Catholic faith. Young people need to be helped to discern the path that leads to true freedom: the path of a sincere and generous imitation of Christ, the path of commitment to justice and peace. Much progress has been made in developing solid programs of catechesis, yet so much more remains to be done in forming the hearts and minds of the young in knowledge and love of the Lord. The challenges confronting us require a comprehensive and sound instruction in the truths of the faith. But they also call for cultivating a mindset, an intellectual "culture", which is genuinely Catholic, confident in the profound harmony of faith and reason, and prepared to bring the richness of faith’s vision to bear on the urgent issues which affect the future of American society."  Read more here

> > Wednesday, April 16, 2008
THREE BISHOPS ARE INSIDE A CROWDED PHONE BOOTH
TALKING ABOUT CONFIRMATION
(Enter the studio here.) We unveiled this concept last month – -  expanding the usual one-on-one studio podcast to a conversation with others.   Today, we invited three folks who share in the stake that youth ministers have regarding the sacrament of Confirmation. Baltimore’s three auxiliary bishops sit down for a brief chat regarding their love for young people, the Sacrament, and their hope for the Church. All of this serves as a follow-up to last year’s Bishops’ Summit on the Sacrament of Confirmation. This is a podcast you might want to share with your confirmandi!
TO THE BISHOPS
(8:00 pm) Pope Benedict XVI: "I believe that the Church in America, at this point in her history, is faced with the challenge of recapturing the Catholic vision of reality and presenting it, in an engaging and imaginative way, to a society which markets any number of recipes for human fulfillment. I think in particular of our need to speak to the hearts of young people, who, despite their constant exposure to messages contrary to the Gospel, continue to thirst for authenticity, goodness and truth. Much remains to be done, particularly on the level of preaching and catechesis in parishes and schools, if the new evangelization is to bear fruit for the renewal of ecclesial life in America." . . .
    The fields are still ripe for harvesting; God continues to give the growth. We can and must believe, with the late Pope John Paul II, that God is preparing a new springtime for Christianity. What is needed above all, at this time in the history of the Church in America, is a renewal of that apostolic zeal which inspires her shepherds actively to seek out the lost, to bind up those who have been wounded, and to bring strength to those who are languishing. And this, as I have said, calls for new ways of thinking based on a sound diagnosis of today’s challenges and a commitment to unity in the service of the Church’s mission to the present generation.
     Read more here.
WITH THE BISHOPS
(6:30 pm) Cardinal George to the Pope: The church here rejoices in her cultural diversity but is troubled by ideological differences that weaken not only our witness but the faith itself. How to include and love all the faithful while being clear about the demands of discipleship . . . is a constant pastoral challenge to the bishops and other pastors. Read more here
THE WHITE HOUSE
(10:00 am) "My visit coincides with an important moment in the life of the Catholic community in America: the celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the elevation of the country’s first Diocese – Baltimore – to a metropolitan Archdiocese . . .Yet I am happy to be here as a guest of all Americans. I come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel and one with great respect for this vast pluralistic society. America’s Catholics have made, and continue to make, an excellent contribution to the life of their country. . . I am confident that concern for the greater human family will continue to find expression in support for the patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and promote progress. In this way, coming generations will be able to live in a world where truth, freedom and justice can flourish – a world where the God-given dignity and rights of every man, woman and child are cherished, protected and effectively advanced." Read more here

> > Tuesday, April 15, 2008

THE PAPAL VISIT:
(5:00 pm) And, we’re off. . . Two appearances tomorrow – -  White House and meeting with US bishops at the National Shrine. Video is of the arrival.  Bush has never gone to the airport to greet a head of state, until today.
ASHAMED
(12 noon) First reports are coming from the on the plane press conference: Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday he was "deeply ashamed" of the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church.  "It is a great suffering for the Church in the United States and for the church in general and for me personally that this could happen," Benedict said. "I am deeply ashamed and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future," the pope said. "We will do everything possible to heal this wound." Read more here
ON RAMP TO PAPAL VISIT:
All right folks, buckle in. . . .   Here we go!    The Pope arrives today.  This site will attempt to keep up with all the speeches and visits, especially when there is content specifically regarding young people.  Keep coming back and checking in!!!!
THE NEW LOOK OF THE ARCHBALT STAFF
Margaret Brogden joined our staff yesterday as the Coordinator for Training and Certification.  After this entire school year of being short staff, she is  welcomed addition to the team.  Last Saturday, we all gathered at the black-tie benefit for the Msgr. O’Dwyer youth retreat house; so, no, we did not make Margaret’s first day a formal occasion. (Click on picture to enlarge.) From left to right: Kristin, me, Margaret, Mark, and Georgina.
CHARACTER REFERENCE
At the same party, there was a caricature artist.  I’ve been framed!

> > Monday, April 14, 2008
CARDINAL KEELER BUST-ED
The Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Premier See, led off the bicentennial celebrations yesterday . . . (besides the UN visit, the rationale for the Pope’s visit)  Cardinal Keeler, archbishop emeritus, was celebrated with the placement of a bust commemorating his service.
ON RAMP TO PAPAL VISIT:
Cardinal Keeler reminisces back to John Paul’s 1995 visit to Baltimore. His moment: When the that stadium became a outdoor cathedral at the sign of the cross.  His encouragement for this week: Hang loose and be ready for the surprises.   Watch the report here.

> > Sunday, April 13, 2008
LOST GENERATION
    Son Clark recommended this video on the left.  It was a part of an AARP video contest U @ 50 which asked young folk to creat a video imaging life at 50.  It is tough to figure if he is supporting the blog or reminding me of my age. . .
ON RAMP TO PAPAL VISIT
    Young people are ready to listen to the Pope. In general, there is among young people — 30 or younger — a growing desire for a reassertion of Catholic distinctiveness. This is the "John Paul II generation" that supports the late pope’s mix of doctrinal conservativism and Church authority with more radical concerns of Christian witness — social justice, right to life. More here
FIST BUMP
    Check out this pic from a Vatican visit by W.  Are these two dudes giving each other a fist bump??  Just asking!

> > Saturday, April 12, 2008
THAT SORT OF DAY
Today’s to do list: 1) some early morning writing; 2) Mass with a Bishop; 3) a training for those doing prison ministry with teens; 4) errands including taxes and insurance; 5) black tie dinner at the Youth Retreat house (yes, you can anticipate pictures
ON RAMP
TO PAPAL VISIT:
Yesterday, you saw the DC Metro’s effort regarding the Papal visit.  Here is what is appearing on the side of DC buses:
GOOD MORNING BALTIMORE
At the Papal Mass next Thursday, part of the pre-game will include videos from dioceses around the country.  Here’s Baltimore’s

> > Friday, April 11, 2008
YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT:
COMMUNION AND MISSION
Thought that we had finished the series yesterday, until Marko, still yet again, offers direction:  Whereas Youth Ministry 1.0 was proclamation-driven, and Youth Ministry 2.0 was program-driven, Youth Ministry 3.0 needs to be… not-driven. It’s time to do away with being driven, or driving. That metaphoric language might work for herds of cattle, but doesn’t work for a fluid, missional community. Instead, let’s say: present. Present to the work of God in our lives and in the world. Present to the moment, and not only living for a day when we leave a horrible world. Present to one another – those experiencing communion with us, and those not yet; even present to those who will never be in our community. Present to life in the way of Jesus.  Read the whole thing here and wait until you see who Marko quotes as a "leading Catholic youth ministry expert!" geesh!
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS CLOSING
   A report released today by a Washington education think tank finds that more than 1,300 Catholic schools, most of them in big cities, have closed since 1990. The report estimates that 300,000 students — twice as many as were displaced by Hurricane Katrina — have had to find other public, private or parochial schools. The closings have cost taxpayers more than $20 billion as public schools absorbed many students.  Reed more here.

ON RAMP
METRO TO PAPAL VISIT
The Metro is the way to get to National Stadium in DC to see the Pope.   So, the Metro prepared the following to lightly tell that story and then pulled it.  Why?  See here for the story as well as Rocco’s encouragement for the local church to get a sense of humor.

> > Thursday, April 10, 2008
SEMINAR CLASS
Hey, last night’s seminar class, all the goodies can be found here
ON RAMP TO PAPAL VISIT: JESSICA’S HOPE
US News and World Report has a cover story regarding the Pope’s upcoming visit.  It starts here.  Inside you can "Listen to Jessica La Fleur Malm, who directs youth and young adult programs for the diocese in Sioux City, Iowa, and you hear someone who hopes that Benedict will make himself better known as a friend of young Catholics, many of whom, she believes, have no idea how to incorporate faith into their daily lives."

YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT:

THE KILLER INSTINCT
For over 10 days, we have been focusing on the future of our ministry from all sorts of different corner.  Here’s the last of the series or "random" postings that all do fit in on how we might be, as a ministry, in the future:
Ira Glass is from NPR’s This American Life.  He talks about the necessary work of being a killer in this interview (below). He says that to succeed as a storyteller, or in any creative endeavor, you’ve got to enjoy killing.  The work of the future means (sometimes) letting go of the past when it is no longer working.

> > Wednesday, April 9, 2008
KATRINA ZENO IS INSIDE THE YOUTH MINISTERS’ STUDIO
(Enter the studio here.) Katrina has been out and about doing presentations on Theology of the Body for a while now. She has got some very good stuff and, if you have never heard her before, the podcast only serves as a hint of what you have been missing.  Give it a listen!
ON RAMP TO PAPAL VISIT:
IN HIS WORDS

"Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. Yes, Christ is the face of God present among us. Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father. . . Tthe world has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace, for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfillment in the commandment to love one another. " Full transcript is found here.

o Tuesday, April 8, 2008
YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT: THE OBAMA EFFECT
The so-called millennial generation is riding the wave generated by a genuinely inspiring leader, sensing the incipience of a movement. . . Call it enthusiasm, if you will, call it wildly optimistic, exuberantly hopeful. But it is not irrational any more than religion itself is irrational. And his followers are not just carried away by lofty rhetoric. They are actually, increasingly well-informed on the issues. They know what kind of world my boomer generation is bequeathing them. They have every reason not to hope, yet they’re audacious enough to try. Read more here.

o Monday, April 7, 2008
YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT: CATHOLIC
     In anticipation of Pope Benedict’s visit to the US, the papal nuncio (Vatican ambassador) Archbishop Pietro Sambi was asked: How would you analyze the situation facing the Catholic church in the United States?
   The response: When you are a minority, as Catholics are in this culture, you need three strong principles. The first is a clear identity, a clear sense of what you are and what you want to be. As a minority, if you lack a clear identity, you’re like a drop of wine in a glass of water … you’ll disappear. The second thing is a strong sense of belonging. I would express it in this way: you need a community, and the community needs you. Whoever walks alone sooner or later will be lost in the desert. Third, when you are a minority, you need a deep commitment to excellence. You must excel in human qualities, in family qualities, in professional qualities, in the qualities of Christian life, in order to be a light for others. If you don’t have a sense of excellence, you will be submerged by the majority.
     When you have these three qualities — a clear identity, a sense of belonging, and a sense of excellence — then you’re ready to collaborate with everybody, ready to engage yourself for a better humanity and a better future.  for more, see here
WHERE WAS I YESTERDAY?
   Well, first, I have given myself permission that I do not absolutely, positively need to post something absolutely, positively every day.  I know, I know. . . no one consulted you about this . . . sorry.  Sunday morning I woke up in a small hotel somewhere near Cumberland after a good night sleep.  Grabbed some free breakfast, and was off to lead a confirmation retreat for two parishes – -  good kids, skilled peer ministers, and loving adults – - not a bad day.  Then off to Frederick for a chastity rally with Katrina Zeno (yes, podcast to be posted Wednesday!) Again, another opportunity to check in with our youth ministry folks in Central Maryland.  Western Maryland, Central Maryland, Baltimore and the ‘burbs – we’ve got great youth contact all around! Arrived home late!

o Saturday, April 5, 2008
YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT: PARTICIPATION
    Leonard Sweet has a look towards the future: When I started out in ministry as pastor of a church, I did a funeral and did the whole thing – it was a one-man show. I couldn’t get anybody to help me out. Now think about the funeral that followed the most famous traffic accident in history-Princess Diana’s. You had a good percentage of the population on planet earth watching that funeral service at Westminster Abbey. Now, who do you remember speaking at the funeral?  . . . her brother speaking and Elton John singing and Tony Blair reading "Love is Patient."
     You didn’t even mention the archbishop. This is what I mean. When you do funerals now, you can’t shut people up. It’s a shift from representation to participation. What we’ve tried to do is represent truth and God to our kids. But, unless they can participate, it can’t be their own. So they’re creating participatory rituals for their grief-including signing the caskets with notes! In terms of discipleship, you can’t tell them they have to learn what is right and wrong before they can walk with Jesus. Read more here.

o Friday, April 4, 2008
YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT: TIPPING POINT
    I believe youth ministry is reaching its next “tipping point” moment,
    Within the Catholic Church in America, we can look to two such recent moments:  The publication of The Vision of Youth Ministry in 1976 and Pope John Paul’s visit to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993.
    There is considerable movement towards a refocus of youth ministry upon faith formation. The National Study on Youth and Religion and the Pew Forum’s recent U.S. Religious Landscape Survey have left us questioning our effectiveness on transmitting life-long faith identity. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has recently published their Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework For the Development of Catechetical Materials For Young People of High School Age.
Three national organizations (NFCYM. NCCL, and NCEA) have banded together to form a Partnership for Adolescent Catechesis, collecting nine articles into this book, establishing www.adolescentcatechesis.org and sending out invitations for a National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis.
     Maybe, just maybe, British Columbia, the Center for Ministry Development, Chicago, Cheyenne, Cincinnati, Rochester, and Tyler (just to name a few) might possibly be onto something here.
FIRE FIGHTING
   Seth Godin recently asked if we far too often get sucked into the urgency of the moment instead of the big(ger) picture. "Add up enough urgencies and you don’t get a fire, you get a career. A career putting out fires never leads to the goal you had in mind all along." Read it all here.
A PRAYER
   God of our life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies grey and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage.  Flood the path with light, run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to Your honor and glory. – - St. Augustine

o Thursday, April 3, 2008
YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT: AFFINITY
Marko continues a slow unveil on his book.  The proposal that we all are will be addressing next is found here: While key adolescent tasks have continued to be the defining mud-wrestling pit of the adolescent experience, the prioritization of the three has shifted through the various epochs of modern youth culture.  We have moved from identity to autonomy and are moving towards affinity,
OPPOSITION
     "The greatest opposition to what God is doing today comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday." R.T Kendall. (thanks to the evotional.com)

o Wednesday, April 2, 2008
MATT MAHER IS
INSIDE THE YOUTH MINISTERS’ STUDIO
(Enter the studio here.) For Matt, ministry on the road is about, despite whatever difficulties one faces, "is showing up and saying, ‘God, I available. What do you want to do’ Matt is just about ready to release a new CD, Empty and Beautiful, that, after seeing Matt at a recent concert, is on my must-buy list.  Listen now to Matt about how being a song leader is a little bit of King David and a little of St. Joseph.
YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT:
THE DIRECTION IS SET

Three years ago today, John Paul II concluded his earthly service to the world and the Church.
   The direction he set for young people and the church should not have struck us as revolutionary – - It was, after all, a Gospel-based direction towards discipleship . . . uhhhh, oppps, maybe that is revolutionary after all.
   JP2- we love you. We beseech your intercessions upon our efforts in youth ministry.

o Tuesday, April 1, 2008
YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT:
YOUTH MINISTRY 3.0; NO FOOLING
Marko has been working on a book expected to release this fall. It’s an attempt to name where and how we’re missing the mark in youth ministry, and what needs to change in order to more truly live into our calling as youth workers. He states:
     Part of my contention is that so many of us are feeling, and have been feeling for some time, that we’re on the cusp of change in youth ministry; that, while there are wonderful things happening in the world of youth ministry today, there are also flaws in our assumptions. Some of these flaws exist because we wrongly adopted cultural priorities into our youth ministry thinking. More often, our flaws exist because our thinking was correct, for its time; but the world of teenagers has changed, and we’ve been slow in our response.
      Here’s the introduction and here’s part of chapter one and these three pieces here and here and here from chapter two.
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT; NO FOOLING
This is probably considered bad form in the bloggosphere, but monthly page-views here passed 5k.  This, of course, is nothing compared to the following of other sites, but is indicative of the considerable growth of this site in the past year. Thanks for your continued support.  I do value and continue to want to earn your readership.

- – - – - -

> >  Monday, March 31, 2008
YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT:
PLAY BALL
It’s opening day for the Baltimore Orioles. Twenty years ago, the baseball movie of the summer was Bull Durham.  Consider this:
     Annie Savoy (who was played by Susan Sarandon in the movie) is the case study of the recent Pew Study information. coolly stated, “"I believe in the Church of Baseball. I’ve tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I’ve worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things."  
      Flash forward to your confirmation program . . . Had Annie and catcher Crash Davis had children after the 1988 movie, they would potentially be parents of a teenager.  Quite possibly, they are concerned about the spiritual direction of that child. And they are at your door. . ., batter up!
YOUTH MINISTRY PRESENT
Indulge me – -  One final picture from the Pilgrimage earlier this month.  Your beloved blogger and his youngest daughter chilling in front of city hall after herding Knights of Columbus and putting over 1000 candles into protective cones. (As usual, click on picture to enlarge) One of the gifts of youth ministry moments is to be able to share them with your own kids. I have been blessed to have that experience with each of my three kids! Thanks to the Nordic for  the pic!
MARCH-ING WITH A SPRING IN OUR STEP
  In March we looked at the Secure and Professional Youth Minister (3/06-07) and enjoyed the Youth and Young Adult Pilgrimage (3/16)
>  SlideShare included a FirstUp look at the Framework for Adolescent Catechesis (3/01) and a NASA perspective on Millennials (3/08)
>  Inside the Youth Ministers Studio featured Georgina Vaca (3/05), Tom Booth (3/12) as well as share a potential new sub-format for this weekly podcast (3/05)
> YouTube included a conclusion to the NCCYM promotional podcasts (3/1), a West Wing take on this year’s election (3/03), an heroic climb up the steps (3/06) got psyched regarding Indiana Jones (3/10) and the pilgrimage (3/11),  fretted over one kid’s bar mitzvah (3/14), fought against the scourge of cooties (3/24) and have an Enchanted perspective on that’s how you know about love. (3/28)

> >  Sunday, March 30, 2008
YOUTH MINISTRY NEXT:
GHOSTS OF CHRISTIANS FUTURE?
To your right is an unfamiliar (to many) edition of TIME magazine – -  It is this week’s cover of TIME’s European edition. In it is a report that British youngsters drink far more than their European counterparts, are more frequently involved in violence, are more likely to try drugs and that English girls are the most sexually active in Europe.  Listen to the lessons found within and consider what they might tell us about our own culture:
. . . Cold-shouldered by grown-ups, young Britons have developed an especially potent culture of their own. "Young people live in a world with very little meaningful contact or engagement with adults," says Professor Richard Layard of the London School of Economics, who has made a study of the causes of happiness.
     . . . "Britain is a very individualistic culture, in which a huge emphasis is placed on personal success and less on good fellowship," says Layard. "We’ve made a virtue of competition, which means other people are a threat, not a support."
     . . . Yet if Britain really is to become a better place for its children, it will have to acknowledge the roots of its crisis. That means focusing on helping kids more than on punishing them. A start might be listening to children themselves.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

(taped 01/31/08 in Little Rock, AR)

BIO: Specializing John is director of campus ministry at Central Connecticut State University and at Trinity College for the Archdiocese of Hartford, CT.  He is the former diocesan director of youth ministry in Bridgeport.

QUOTE TO NOTE: (College students, like all of us,) need to stop – a little bit; pray – a little bit; and ask that in this that has happened to me, what does it mean, what is God trying to tell me. . . where is God leading me through this experience?

OBSCURE FACTOID: I have two strong memories of many in my long friendship with John: (1) My memories of 9/11 will always include my last pre-9/11 moment that occurred in a phone call that morning with John discussing the merits of our home football teams.  (2) Then there was the early morning at World Youth Day in Cologne where John and I tripped across each other among the 800,000 overnight campers in Marienfeld and walked for a cup of coffee.

BEHIND THE SCENES: At Little Rock, I was able to stockpile some interviews and this is one of them.  It was a little disconcerting to hear a birthday greeting three months later.

BLOG REFLECTION: can be read here for April 23rd.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

(taped 04/14/08 in Baltimore, MD)

IN THE CROWDED PHONE BOOTH: The topic of the day is the Sacrament of Confirmation. Talking about it (from left to right) are: Bishop Denis Madden (bio here); Bishop Mitchell Rozanski (bio here); and Bishop Francis Malooly (bio here);

QUOTE TO NOTE:
ROZANSKI: Help to encourage me as a bishop to say that out faith is alive, our faith is young, and that our faith is being spread in a wonderful and being lived in the lives of our young people.
MADDEN: (Young peoples’) level of commitment to the church, to the parish, and to the community in their service projects is really astounding.
MALOOLY: If you get nothing else out of the program and out of the reception of the sacrament other than to develop a lifetime habit of service, I’ll go away happy.  To me, when you serve the needs of others, you best imitate what Jesus did day-in and day-out.

OTHER NOTE: All of this serves as a follow-up to last year’s Bishops’ Summit on the Sacrament of Confirmation.

BLOG REFLECTION: can be read here for April 16.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

 (taped 04/06/08 in Frederick, MD)

BIO: Specializing in the “theology of the body,” the single life, the genius of woman and passing on the faith, Katrina Zeno brings a dynamic and personal dimension to her speaking. Katrina earned her BA in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. As a single mother, she has acquired a wealth of experience and knowledge across life’s journey from marriage to single life to raising children to romance. Katrina is a well-published freelance writer and her articles can be found in Our Sunday Visitor, CRISIS magazine, and Catholic Faith and Family. She is co-foundress of Women of the Third Millennium. Learn more here

QUOTE TO NOTE: If I am made for the gift of self, then discipleship is helping one recover this ability for gift of self because what sin has done has ruptured our ability of give ourselves away in love, rupture our ability to sacrifice.  Discipleship helps us integrate body and spirit, leading us to true freedom.  Freedom is the ability to choose the good.

OBSCURE FACTOID: Katrina is our second weary interview at the end of a long day.  Her day started at Martha’s Vineyard before finishing her presentation in Frederick.  We were among the last to walk out.

BEHIND THE SCENES: So there was this guy whistling in the background at the very beginning and I would have never starting recording had I heard that in the background. . . I am continually learning about podcasting on the fly!

BLOG REFLECTION: can be read here for April 9.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

(taped 03/08/08 in Emmetsburg, MD)
BIO: To immediately attach Matt to Your Grace in Enough is probably both appropriate and unfair.  As composer, you understand the talent within Matt as can also find in his soon to be released CD, Empty and Beautiful. But, his experiences with LifeTeen and as a worship leader and concert performer throughout the world lead one to discover that God has more than enough graced the person of Matt. Much more about Matt here
QUOTE TO NOTE: Ministry is more and more and more about being a disciple. And it is not so much about the gifts and talents that you have as much as it is about pursuing God whole-heartedly. Real ministry comes out of that relationship. . . Ultimately, what inspires you in moments as a ministry is really this union, this relationship with God.
OBSCURE FACTOID: I’m the sort of person who watches how the other actors react during a long monologue/  My attention is often distracted to watch the band when they are off- this is what I had blogged the morning after the concert. . . The picture is posted to the left, not in praise to Matt, but his band. There is an awesome, gentle, competent brand of servant going on there amongst these guys.
BEHIND THE SCENES: Matt was totally gracious to agree to this interview.  We sat together after a long day in the middle of a long week.
BLOG REFLECTION: can be read here for April 2.