Pat Villa is the coordinator of youth ministry at St. James in Solana Beach, CA who regularly blogs out his thoughts musings reflections …

He has been participating in the facebook discussion board for Mark Ostricher’s Youth Ministry 3.0  which suggests directing young [eople toeards that which is communional and missional. Pat suggests that all the vehicals (retreats, conference, mission trips, sacraments) all in place but wonders if we are willing to trust the next steps – - – which are not our own.

“But, after the encounter, are we good enough at boldly and lovingly offering the choice of conversion? Not a coercive conversion (i.e., you will go to hell if you sin). But an authentic, from-the-inside-out new-born desire to recognize hope in love, hope in faith, hope in redemption, hope in fulfilling the deepest desires of our heart. Because, to me, communional and missional is not possible without conversion. Without offering the choice of conversion, do our ministries fall short of what Christ and the Church is calling us to?”  Read his whole post here.

It’s a good question as we are within the fullness of the Confirmation season.  How much room do we really leave for the Spirit?

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! The adventure begins today.

Today, we are starting a season of parent led in-home religious education in eight parishes and schools for almost 100 families.  If you remember back, you read about it here and here.

Anyway, I’m requesting your prayers for those involved in this effort.  May Project Be become a source of empowerment for parents as well as an invitation to faith for their young people.

In Mid-March, we started following the work of Sean Reynolds with a post here.

It was quickly followed here with more from Sean.

And, I am going to continually embarrassingly post Sean Reynolds stuff up because . . . HE”S RIGHT!

Sean is calling for “Nothing short of our rethinking how we ‘deliver’ faith to young people – acknowledging the centrality of parents and families, acknowledging the partnership of parents and parishes, the partnership between parishes and schools.”  He states that “We have been at cross purposes with each other for too long.  We need to invent a new way of being church with one another.”

During our Pilgrimage (which occurs today, please keep us in your prayers), we walk with a very large cross through the streets of Baltimore.  But, each participant also carries a cross as well.

There is a moment when the Archbishop blesses each of the individual crosses. Each participant raises their crosses for the blessing and, each year, this simple act is “my moment,” my highlight of the year in ministry.

Young people raising the cross – - it is a witness, a sign of the “youngchurch” taking up the cross and possibly claiming the mantle of discipleship.

It is why we are in ministry.

What is your moment in ministry?

As reported earlier, Boston held their own first annual  Symposium for Adolescent Catechesis. The daylong-conference was led by Sean Reynolds, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Read here for the full report on Sean’s presentation in Beantown.

Sean had his challenge set before him, however, when, in his opening address, Cardinal O’Malley set the tone for the symposium, urging the attendees that now, more than ever, “We must continue to walk with our young people, to accompany them on their journey of faith, in the midst of an increasingly hostile culture.”

“The privatization of religion in today’s climate of new-age individualism is poisonous to the Bible message of community and connectedness in the body of Christ,” said the cardinal.

“We need to promote the distinctiveness of our Catholic identity, our emphasis on community and social teaching — those things that are uniquely Catholic and through which young people can form a bond to their Church,” he said.  Cardinal Sean blogged on his own reflection on the symposium here and included video of his twelve minute intervention as well.

Over the previous weekend, I led a Virtual Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis out in Cumberland in Mountain Maryland.  We watched and commented on a few of the short clips, along with the longer sessions led by Horan, Groome,and Reynolds; while sneaking in a personally selected notable or two from YouTube.

We discussed Horan’s need for a third option along with Groome’s declarative that we are a both/and faith.  We worried that we were dying from Reynolds’ “too much of a good thing” focus and needed to expand our vision.

Meanwhile, up in Boston, fellow catholic youth ministry blogger Margmor, also attended a overflow crowded gathering at the chancery. Both of our recent gatherings as well as November’s actual gathering came to the same conclusion:  “The thing of it is, the whole day ended very much to be about ADULT faith formation. If we find that kids basically do what their parents do, then WHY are we (as a church) using the bulk of our resources on children?”

This is the project that I have been working on throughout January.  We released this video on Thursday afternoon and it had 50 hits within two hours.

We have had some initial positive response (not to mention the two office co-workers who caught my verbal mis-speak regarding Mother Mary Lange,and not Elizabeth Ann Seton.)

I’m jazzed about the possibilities here, not only for the program, but for the way to communicate eye-to-eye with our field via video.

Please keep Project Be in your prayers.

Blessed are you!!!

In year-ending fashion, we are reviewing the top eight posts of the year.

In reviewing the year, I re-discovered this inspiring message:

Thursday, 01 May, 2008
FEATHER ON THE BREATH OF GOD
   Remembering, of course, that we who serve in youth ministry must absolutely also serve as catechists . . . listen to the closing comments from Gerald Baumbach as he received an award from NCCL:
    The last scene in the movie Forrest Gump captures the movement of a feather carried skyward by the wind. I like to think of this image as a reminder of the 12th century mystic Hildegard of Bingen’s own self-reflection as what is commonly described as “a feather on the breath of God.”
    May we have the wisdom and the courage to be moved by the breath of God, not floating aimlessly beyond or above reality, but intentionally embracing the movement of life, one community with many gifts, rich in common witness to the living and dynamic faith we profess. We do this motivated by the ongoing transformation of catechetical opportunities for all of life within a culturally rich Church more diverse than yesterday and less diverse than tomorrow, and remembering that, in the words of the NDC, “the incarnation of the only Son of God is the original inculturation of God’s word” (21).
   And so I propose an end to the immobilizing sentences, “I am only a catechetical leader” or “I am just a catechist.” No, never say just, never say only! A catechetical leader carries gospel and life, faith and sustenance. A catechist is never “just anything,” but like Hildegard, is “a feather on the breath of God.”
   Carry forward the word, be responsive to the call and breath of the Holy Spirit, and remain confident and secure for the journey. After all, you just might end up in Emmaus. Our eyes are opened now, our burning hearts afire in the Son, made known to us “in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35). We aptly recall from today’s Gospel one of Jesus’ “I am” statements: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35).

We are concluding the series of videos from the the National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis.

This video played during the Closing Blessing and Commissioning session of the National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis, November 5 – 8, 2008 in Baltimore, MD.

Learn more about the National Symposium at www.adolescentcatechesis.org

Throughout this week we will be running the videos from the the National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis.

Here is the video video for Session 18 in which teens respond to the following specific questions: What gifts do young people bring to the Church?

Learn more about the National Symposium at www.adolescentcatechesis.org