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

Here is the video for Session 14 which was designed to lead us into our next steps for the future.

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

We are packing up for this weekend’s Baltimore Youth Catholic Conference (BYCC) which is this weekend with Ansel Augustine down in Ocean City, MD.

And, yes, we will be posting up some videos after the weekend… (I know, this web site has become very video-centric lately… What the heck ~ you’re getting less spelling and grammatical errors!)

Anyway, we will be promoting NCYC at our conference and our mass collection will be going to the Catholic Youth Foundation USA in support of NCYC scholarships.

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

Here is the video for Session 12 - The Formators of Our Faith.  Teens answer the following questions:

> Who taught you the most about your faith?
> What qualities or techniques make this person stand out as a great teacher?
This video is used as a precursor to facilitating dialogue around the specific question:

What are the skills, knowledge and abilities that are needed in those forming the faith of young people in order to help develop the desired characteristics in young people?

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The universal urging of the heart is to find home and home is much more than the surface architecture of a house. It really is important to recognize that structures are needed but those structures are there in order to be safe and to provide shelter. So that home-building could happen once the house-building is done.

So says today’s podcast guest, Dr. Michael Horan, professor of religious education and pastoral theology at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), Los Angeles. Michael was a presenter and a collaborator at the National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis.  He lead a session (this is the article referred to in the podcast) as well as a earlier work. 

Michael reminds us: Whatever it is that we are to do; a big vision will also quickly admit that there are many, many ways to reach that vision and the ways would be dependent upon the very people whom we seek to serve and with whom and for whom we minister.

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

Here is the video for Session 7 in which teens reflect and answer the specific questions: On a scale of 1 - 10, how well do you know what it means to be Catholic and what is making a difference for you in that rating.  What would you like to learn more about regarding the faith?

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

Hey, folks, videos from the full adolescent catechesis symposium are beginning to pop-up at virtual symposium site and at MyCatholicVoice.    No, it is not my synopsis or the "Three Guys" stuff seen earlier,but the full deal! Here’s the links:

> Introduction into Session 1 - Overview of the Symposium Process led by Dr. Robert McCarty. here

> The opening address at the National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis delivered by Dr. Michael Horan. here

> Session 4 discussion in which panelists address critical contemporary questions and issues that relate to culture and adolescent territory. here

> Session 5 fishbowl dialogue facilitated by Lee Nagel utilizing questions submitted by the participant groups. here

> Bishop Richard Malone delivers a presentation on the Well Formed Adolescent. here

> Session 12 fishbowl dialogue on the key question: "What are the skills, knowledge and abilities that we need in those forming the faith of young people in order to help develop the desired characteristics in young people?" here

> Dr Thomas Groome delivers the Session 10 presentation titled "The Church Speaks: Outcomes for Effective Catechesis" here

>  Sean Reynolds delivers the Session 15 presentation titled "Getting There from Here: What is Stopping Us?" here

MINEAPOLIS, MN — Ian is a Christian who says he is highly spiritual but not at all religious. Unfortunately for churches, there are a lot of Ians out there. A new benchmark survey finds that 55 percent of young people ages 12 to 25 say they are more spiritual now than two years ago. But nearly one-third of the young people said they don’t trust organized religion. The good news for faith communities is that 93 percent of the young people surveyed believe there is a spiritual aspect to life. (more here and the full report, I think, here.)

LONACONING, MD –The last regularly scheduled Saturday evening Mass at St. Mary’s, Lonaconing, will be Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. The parish will become the Mountain Maryland Catholic Youth Center for the Seven Catholic Churches of Western Maryland. (more here.)

OECUSSE, TIMOR LESTRE — Young Catholics in Dili are helping to strengthen the faith of people living in Oecusse, a coastal enclave within Indonesian West Timor that is part of their diocese. Dili diocese’s youth ministry organized this outreach program to the most remote territory in the diocese.  The visitors stayed with the families, they mostly talked about the life and death of Jesus in the Gospels, and encouraged people to pray daily, attend Sunday Mass. They also highlighted the importance of confession. Father Angelo Salsinha, head of Dili diocese’s youth ministry, led the group indicating that the young evangelizers were trained in leadership and pastoral skills, such as relating Bible passages to life events. (more here.)

CAMDEN, NJ — The Diocese of Camden is working in conjunction with the Center for Ministry Development to provide leadership formation for coordinators of youth and young adult ministries. Course topics include: Principles of Youth Ministry, Practices of Youth Ministry, Foundations for Ministry Leadership, Skills for Christian Leadership, Fostering the Faith Growth of Youth through Evangelization and Catechesis, Justice and Service, Prayer and Worship, and Pastoral Care. Currently, more than 1,000 adults are involved in sites sponsored by 50 dioceses and universities across the United States and Canada. (more here.)

SIOUX CITY, IA — It was through a trickle effect that Natalie Scott heard about NET Ministries. Someone told her aunt, who told her mom, who told her. I did some research into it and went on their interview weekend. [I] prayed a lot about it and at t he last moment decided to go for many reasons.” NET stands for National Evangelization Teams and is an international youth ministry organization based out of the Twin Cities. Its mission is to challenge young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. The young adults team up and most of them travel across the country putting on retreats six days a week for Catholic youth. A few of the teams, like the one Scott is on, are stationed at parishes for the entire school year.  (more here.)

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

Here is the video used to facilitate discussion for Session 3 - Summary of Key Insights and Considerations on Adolescent Faith Formation.

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

The National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis wrapped up a weekend ago.  Here a compilation video of shot that I shot while there. We’ll be running video throughout this week on this (see below.)  Here’s how our Catholic Review reported it:

Megan Nappi didn’t mince words as she sat in a circle with young adults from Baltimore and Washington, surrounded by some of the nation’s leading adolescent catechesis experts. Asked what advice she would give on teen formation, The University of Maryland student and parishioner of Millersville’s Our Lady of the Fields told the 100 attendees of the four-day National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis, “Don’t water it down.”

The response drew audible gasps, and even applause, from the gathering of academics, educators, youth ministers, bishops, practitioners and other leaders. The symposium was a project of three national Catholic youth formation groups brought together in one organization called the Partnership for Adolescent Catechesis. Read more here.

If you have not familiarized yourself with www.adolescentcatechesis.org, ladies and gentlemen, now is the time.  The Virtual Symposium should soon be up!   Check it out.

Just a reminder that during the conference itself, “Three Guys” Bob Rice, Mike Carotta, and Matthew Schwartz and I teamed together to offer reports and commentary regarding what was happening at the four-day Symposium.

The Three Guys series can be found at these links, folks:  > Day One            > Day Two   
                 > Day Three         > Day Four

Throughout this week we will be running the videos from the the National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis. These were produced by our friends at Outside ‘da Box.

Here is the opening session video in which teens offer their perspective on what they have to offer to, and what they are looking for from the Church.  The kick-off video was designed to launch the symposium and set the stage for dialogue.

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