Fr. Leo is a popular conference speaker and a member of the faculty at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary where he directs the Pastoral Field Education Program for future priests. He is host of Grace Before Meals.

At Rebuild, he discussed how we need to wisely re:Claim Our Words as catechists with young people. 

When we as youth ministers teach, do we teach as Jesus did with familiar conversation? How? What words beyond “the pill” and “the F word” have we failed to consider reclaim? What church-y words have gotten lost in the mainstream? What other words could stand to have new mean-ing? What’s your best example of Bite size theology? We all have favorite metaphors… What’s your best example of using imagery in association with your teaching?

Please plan to attend a brand new broadcast of Rebuild My Church on November 6.

+ Denver sponsors Prayer & Action, a Catholic youth ministry program which gives teenagers an experience of mission work within the bounds of the Archdiocese.   
+ Upcoming events in Colorado Springs include the Center for Ministry Development’s Certificate in Youth Ministry Studies courses in June or July.
+ Without prejudice to a particular parish’s organizational chart, the Diocese of Pueblo regards its Youth Ministers as CREs, Coordinators of Religious Education, with a particular charge:  the whole complex concerns surrounding ministry to contemporary youth as articulated in Renewing the Vision.

If you are from Colorado, drop a comment and say Howdy!

So, when Thom Schultz, author and founder of Group Publishing, posts something entitled The Trouble with Youth Ministry, it’s something worthy of your consideration. Thom, himself, echoes what is being said elsewhere, but points out the solution is in what we should already have been about…

Some of these things may contribute to the exodus of the church’s youth. But they’re not the primary culprits.

The real problem is much simpler. And it’s not a uniquely teenage problem. While adolescents have been drifting away, the same trend infects the American population at large. Adults too are drifting away…

They lack relationship.

And relationships—of any kind—rarely grow and bond primarily due to the accumulation of data. Relationships—with people and with God—develop through demonstrations of unconditional love, building of trust, forgiveness, reliance, and tons of two-way communication.

Relationships built on these things endure. And grow. And actually develop a craving to learn more.

Where do we begin? Any relationship begins with the simple discovery that someone really exists, is real, is present, is truly alive. It’s hard to fall in love with someone you don’t believe exists. So, we can afford to spend more time showing the present-day Jesus, rather than only teaching about the historical Jesus. We can devote more time to hearing and encouraging peers who tell how God acts and intervenes in their lives—today, each week.

We can provide more opportunities for the real present-day Jesus to shine through genuine relationships with mature believers who ooze the unconditional love of Christ.

We can plan more deep experiences, such as community service opportunities, where kids can witness God’s love in action.

We can provide meaningful times of personal introspection, conviction, and immersion in the miracle of God’s forgiveness.

We can devote more quiet time for kids to engage in personal two-way communication with God.

In short, building a true and enduring relationship with Jesus looks a lot like building a relationship with another person.

If we desire to see this generation of young people embrace their faith and remain loyal to the Body of Christ, we must help them become friends of God.

Read Thom’s whole post as he sets up The Trouble with Youth Ministry and offers this response.

Here is some video to use with young people and it comes to us from the Flame National Youth Congress held in March at Wembley Arena in London, England.

Flame Congress was inspired the Pope’s London visit in 2010 & by the upcoming London Olympics. Flame saw the largest ever gathering of young Catholics from the UK.

Here, athletes discuss their own quest for excellence.

+ Fresno has a feed from their facebook page on their site.
+ Still unsure if we can report anything fresh on the Monterey site.
+ Since last we looked, Los Angeles has a newer, fresher site.  They discuss Camp Big Deal: A five day leadership camp for young adolescents, designed to help Junior Highers develop their leadership skills using a variety of games, sessions and worship experiences. 
+ Orange has an upcoming youth ministers’ retreat themed Let Your Life Speak
+ There is a countdown clock telling us how many more days to World Youth Day ‘13 on the San Bernardino site.
+ San Diego has web-based resources for pastoral juvenil

If you are from Southern California, like totally you should drop a comment and say Hi, Dude!

Before doing some blog postings and Facebook surfing, I cranked up some easy listening jazz and read (all in one sitting) Mark Oestreicher’s new book A Beautiful Mess: What’s Right with Youth Ministry.

A blogger that I regularly read, Marko has often outlined how we might up our game regarding youth ministry, BUT, he suggests that “often embedded in much of the conversation about how to “fix” youth ministry (I’m calling myself out here) is the unspoken idea that I am capable and that you are capable of transforming the lives of teenagers. The thinking is: If teenagers don’t embrace a robust faith, and it was because I wasn’t doing youth ministry right, then if I change things up, I can cause them to be more Christian. AND yet, there is another BUT…  What’s right is that our efforts is making a difference!

It’s a quickee read, even if you’re a little toasty. And I needed the good news and the good perspective. Check it out!

News from All Around:

CINCINNATI, OH -  La Salle High School recently honored four of its graduates with the Pillar Awards which honor alumni and members selected because they exhibit Lasallian values of Leadership, Scholarship, Faith, Community and Service in the focus and direction of their lives.

Among the four recipients was Sean Reynolds, Ph.D. ’72, director of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, where he has served for more than 20 years. Dr. Reynolds is a national leader in exploring how research into the faith of young people is challenging communities to respond, develop and grow.

Sean is a national leader in exploring how research into the faith of young people is challenging our communities to respond, develop and grow.
Sean’s degrees in theology, organizational development and ministry serve him as an adjunct professor. He is author of Multiply the Ministry – A Practical Guide for Grassroots Ministry Empowerment. He also is a 2004 recipient of the NFCYM National Youth Ministry award, a national recognition for outstanding diocesan youth ministry leaders.
He has served on the boards of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Commission on Certification and Accreditation, the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, and the Jesuit Renewal Center in Milford.

News from ‘Round Here:

Monday was just a good desk day, but Tuesday was one-on-one staff supervision.  All went well, worked uo drafts of newsletters, and then headed out to Msgr. O’Dwyer Youth Retreat House for a mass and board dinner/ meeting.

Wednesday, I went into the office briefly to finalize the parent newsletter and ship it out.  I had two meetings on the road with two newbie parish youth ministers, did some homework /reading in between, and attended a recognition meal at the far-western end of the diocese… such a good and full day of ministry, this week’s Amazing Weekly Experience (A.W.E.) event. Thursday, we wrapped up and shipped out the office e-newsletter with some peppy looking flyers attached.  Margaret and I took out a first draft for September’s Youth Contact meetings< I sat with IT to get briefed on the dynamics of  GoToMeeting, and started the process of booking a musician for our local World Youth Day ‘13 that, if we get, will certainly add a Wow to it.  I was home by 5 and crashed.

Friday, as you might imagine, was a scheduled shorter day.  One meeting. some deskwork, and I was outta there.  I helped my daughter with some house/yard-work and then had a delightful afternoon and evening with a friend.

Saturday, I popped-in (if you can do that after a 90 minute commute) to the AYAC Hershey Park trip, stopped in the office for some file shredding, and then went off to a Hispanic young adult celebration. Sunday was a complete lounging around sort of day and that was good… It was needed.

Open our hearts, Lord, and help us to know love.

Your love is freely given, Lord, might we Love as generously as You in our love for one another. May we treat one another as friends and not subjects for we ourselves are not deserving of any more homage or partiality than the respect of just being we ourselves also human beings. We shall not withhold our expressions of God’s grace from one another.

Lord, all the ends of the earth have seen Your saving power. How is it that we selfishly imagine that we might contain it as a prized secret. We are compelled to sing joyfully, breaking into song… no, new songs which offer praise for all Your wondrous deeds

Love is as simple as loving one’s neighbor and as complicated as giving our lives away. Let us love one another, because love is of God. Open our hearts, Lord, and help us to know love. If we are without love, we do not know You. God is love! <image source>

believing God matters is the issue.

Information is not in short supply.
Discernment is.

The signature quality of adolescence
is no longer
lawlessness

but awe-lessness.

Kenda Creasy Dean 
The Godbearing Life