We desire to be in a different place, seeking to possess a land that is within Your presence. A land without fear as You serve as our Light and Salvation; A place where the Lord Jesus Christ is awaited again as our Savior. We are ready to pitch our tents on these grounds and declare our citizenship. We have determine that it would be good to be (t)here.

Lord, we wait for You with courage. (Be our helper, send courage!) We desire to be stouthearted, and to stand firm in Faith. The Father has claimed you as the Chosen. Strengthen us to that we might listen.

They have begun to forge the personality of their own generation – - confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change.  They are more ethnically and racially diverse than those who have gone before them. They re less religious, less likely to have served in the military, and are on track to become the most educated generation in American history. Their entry into careers and first jobs has been badly set back by the Great Recession, but they are more upbeat than their elders about their own economic futures as well as about the overall state of the nation.

They are the millennial generation.

The Pew Research  Center has been looking into what makes who are the millennials?  You should,too!

Good News.  I’m going to live blog the general sessions at the Conference.  We’ll see how it all plays out.  As always, forgive the typos…

So, I have been looking forward to this for quite a while.  Today, I am doing a workshop entitled Reaching Youth Through Technology  at the Parish Technology Summit sponsored by Villanova University’s Center for the Study of Church Management.

That’s Villanova, as in ranked #8 in college men’s b-ball, but, more importantly (to me) as in Philadelphia or (to me) where I started in Catholic Youth Ministry . . . some thirty-four years ago and where I have not professionally worked since 1980.

Despite predictions of Phlly version of another Snowpocolypse, I’ve taken the flip cameras so we might be posting video clips in the next few days. But, today, both for you, the blog reader, but also for the workshop participants, I’m posting up the handout, the power-point and my sources. 

Sorry for the delay on this. As has been noted earlier, this has been a few weeks in the works.

In January, the Pope released the Message for World Communications Day.

“But this development (of the new technologies) likewise represents a great opportunity for believers. No door can or should be closed to those who, in the name of the risen Christ, are committed to drawing near to others. The new media offers us ever new and far-reaching pastoral possibilities, encouraging us to embody the universality of the Church’s mission, to build a vast and real fellowship, and to testify in today’s world to the new life which comes from hearing the Gospel of Jesus, the eternal Son who came among us for our salvation.”

The presentation runs slightly over four minutes. See other Soapbox messages.

This most recent set of reflections all started with a reminder of the Angrisano/ Tomaszek anthem Go make a diff’rence in the world. 

We have opted to make a difference in the world by investing ourselves on behalf of the church.

Building adolescent catechesis is not easy and will make demands on your parish, your resources, and the youth and families entrusted to your care. Yet it is absolutely worth the investment as we convey in our efforts, our prayers, the use of our resources, and our parish life the message first spoken by Saint John Bosco, the saint of the young. “That you are young is reason enough to love you.”

Today is usually news day… and I’m late posting and don’t got much.

Life has been hectic and it is throwing off the usual schedule…  We’ll be back up  to snuff soon.

And off you go. Adolescent faith formation and evangelization, like all church work, are more similar to a marathon than a sprint. We are committing to building relationships, not programs, and this will take time and effort. We need to:

Monitor your Health and Progress: As part of your calendar of events, schedule the times when your team will re-assess the situation and plan for the upcoming year. Planning is an ongoing and intentional process and includes opportunities for team building and social times. You might use spring as the time for new needs assessments and program calendaring, and June as time for the annual evaluation. Your planning will begin to incorporate some traditional events (a Christmas dance or Lenten Stations of the Cross), spontaneous events (a trip during a sudden school holiday or a food drive in response to a natural disaster) and a cafeteria approach (variety of activities which allows youth some choice for participation). The team should also begin planning for leadership training for both youth and adult team members.

Local youth minister Scott Link was recently published on the Life Teen blog with a wonderful posting of a checklist for a great retreat. 

First thing on his packing list… duct tape! Scott says: ‘Think MacGyver. Everything that needs to be hung, fixed, attached or built can be done with duct tape.  Just to be safe – bring two rolls.”

Read up on his whole checklist.