I tripped across this website called Letter of Note that shares correspondence that deserves a wider audience.

Somebody once sent the creator of the Simpsons, Matt Groening, a note about one of those bible tracts that took on the cartoon antics of the citizens of Springfield. In a great note, Groening confirmed what we should have suspected all along, Krusty the Clown is God. It’s a quick and funny link, check it out!

Now that this has been settled, we can all move along. Shalom!

And, so, in the end, our message regarding Change still reflected our renewed focus on evangelization.

These are simpler times – giveaways from these meeting used to included logoed umbrellas or leather bound notebooks.

The logo image for this youth contact involved a domino tipping into a succession of other dominoes, implying change. 

Then we found the video below and new knew have a give-away within our budgetary constraints.

May this week’s series of videos be an encouragement to consider change in your own efforts in ministry. 

As “the future of the Church,” consider encouraging change in venues “outside the box” of your own ministry but engaging the parish and community on behalf of young people.

And consider the Power of Words: Once spoken, our words begin blazing a trail through the hearts and lives of those around us – - one kind word can demolish guilt, it can inspire hope.

Change can begin with…

one word.

See part 4, part 3, part 2, and part 1

In youth ministry, our effort as leaders must be to “Shape the Path.”

When we work with fellow volunteers or staff, we should always be consistently, clear, constructively communicating – - drawing a map for how things can be done – and making it easier for them at the same time.  The Switch suggestions for this are to

· TWEAK THE ENVIRONMENT. When the situation changes, the behavior changes. So change the situation.
· BUILD HABITS. When behavior is habitual, it’s “free” –it doesn’t tax the Rider. Look for ways to encourage habits.
· RALLY THE HERD. Behavior is contagious. Help it spread.

Yesterday, in my new role as director, I led one-on-one supervision meetings with staff.  Not only were they “reporting in,” but I was asking “How can I make your path easier?

Wikipedia defines Master of Ceremonies as the host of an official public or private staged event or other performance. “MC” is an abbreviation for “Master of Ceremonies”. The MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving. An MC may also tell jokes or anecdotes.

Yea, and if you think that even begins to hint at Mike Patin and Ansel Augustine as MC’s for NCCYM in NO, well, then, YDK (you don’t know!)

Oh, and BTW, at the end of the podcast, Ansel mentions that he has been taste-testing much in preparation for our visit. It’s not a funky new diet, he was referring to the Taste of New Orleans event hosted by Archdiocese of New Orleans to benefit the Catholic Youth Foundation USA.

Previous NCCYM podcasts include Roy Petitfils, Mari Ann Callis and the New Orleans Youth Office.

Memories. Who knew that our Margaret Brogden was so sentimental? Songs like the themes from The Way We Were and Cooley High’s It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday get to her.

But, she points to her own awareness of the emotions of change. And this is necessary to motivate the elephant of emotions regarding making a Switch of change. Therefore, we are encouraged to:

· FIND THE FEELING. Knowing something isn’t enough to cause change. Make people feel something.
· SHRINK THE CHANGE. Break down the change until it no longer spooks the Elephant.
· GROW YOUR PEOPLE. Cultivate a sense of identity and instill the growth mindset.

If you can connect to the way we were, you just might be able to prod others into the way we are gonna be!

The only thing constant in life is change.

Here, Georgina Vaca addresses how to inform or Direct the Rider of change.

That poor rider is so small against the elephant of emotions regarding change and yet can still make a difference by:

· FOLLOWING THE BRIGHT SPOTS. Investigate what’s working and clone it.

· SCRIPTING THE CRITICAL MOVES. Don’t think big picture, think in terms of specific behaviors.

· POINTING TO THE DESTINATION. Change is sassier when you know where you’re going and why it’s worth it.

In the Emmaus Walk, Jesus does some of the same.

In considering the future, what specific change would you like to implement within your parish regarding their ministry with young people?

Seriously, change is happening all around us.  This video, which appeared early in Georgina’s presentation just emphasizes it.

What does not get covered in such as brief time is the changes in youth ministry that are occurring.  Not only are we addressing the National Study on Youth and Religion but the on-going perception of being throwers of pizza parties.

And, then there is the economy.  We have not recovered from this recession, despite reports that it was over since June 2009. How’s recover working for you?

And, on top of it all, if you watch this video, well,,, you just got Rickrolled.

All of this is not mean to cause concern or consternation, but if you are doing youth ministry the same way you were going 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years ago… well, then… WHY?

All right, this is random, but GLEE starts up tonight. And my DVR is set and ready.

This summer, Ian Brennan, co-creator of Glee, accepted an award at the 17th Annual Catholics in Media Awards. In part, he admitted:

I have always struggled with belief, as I think most honest people do, and there was day, when I was a teenager, maybe seventeen, and I actually think we may have been raking leaves, but I sort of came to my dad (an ex-Paulist priest) with the fact that I couldn’t really fathom how there could be a god. It just didn’t seem like it was at all true, and then, with just a flick of his wrist, my dad just sort of turned and offered an explanation, which years later kind of became sort of the last scene in the screenplay “Glee”, which is how our TV show sort of began its life and spent its infancy.

Wonder about the role of family on one’s perception of being Catholic? Read the whole speech and the flick of the wrist theological explanation here.

For the least two weekends, we’ve been holding meetings with our Youth Contacts.  And, as we did last year at this time,we are running the videos of the content sessions throughout this week.

We opened with prayer reflecting on the readings of 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 and Matthew 19: 16-24. 

Presenting is our new executive director of the new Department of Evangelization, Father John Hurley, CSP.

Following prayer, your humble blogger gave his new director role a test drive and introduced the topic of the meeting: CHANGE.

Keep watching throughout this week and we edit and drop more of our discussions (It was a three hour meeting-  You’ll see less than one hour of presentation… so, yes,there was lots of conversations.) on the blog.

Throughout all this week, we will be running video clips from our Youth Contact meeting addressing the theme of Change.

We looked at the topic through the twin lenses of the Emmaus story as well as Chip and Dan Heath’s book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. 

Imagining that you are well familiar with the Gospel Story, here’s an overview of the book:

Tonight, there was a prayer vigil that included Eucharistic Adoration that was held in Hyde Park and attended by 80,000  The  evening started with an entrance procession by diocese led by a contingent of their diocesan youth and then comprised of a banner-carrying representative from each parish and members of some Catholic organizations from the diocese. Towards the end of his comments, Pope Benedict offered a special word to the many young people present.

Dear young friends: only Jesus knows what “definite service” he has in mind for you. Be open to his voice resounding in the depths of your heart: even now his heart is speaking to your heart. Christ has need of families to remind the world of the dignity of human love and the beauty of family life. He needs men and women who devote their lives to the noble task of education, tending the young and forming them in the ways of the Gospel. He needs those who will consecrate their lives to the pursuit of perfect charity, following him in chastity, poverty and obedience, and serving him in the least of our brothers and sisters. He needs the powerful love of contemplative religious, who sustain the Church’s witness and activity through their constant prayer. And he needs priests, good and holy priests, men who are willing to lay down their lives for their sheep. Ask our Lord what he has in mind for you! Ask him for the generosity to say “yes!” Do not be afraid to give yourself totally to Jesus.