August 20, 2019
Hello Dear Friends!
Here are the youth ministry notes!
New Updates:
  • “Meet and Greets” With Vicky, August 20 (Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Hammond), 21 (St. Matthias, Crown Point), 27 (St. Paul, Valparaiso), 29 (Sacred Heart, LaPorte), 6:30 PM. I hope to see many of you this and next week at the “Meet and Greets!” Tonight’s gathering will be at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Hammond. Look for the door on the south end of the school building, right between the Pastoral Center and the school. There’s a picture at the bottom of this email. Tomorrow’s gathering at St. Matthias will be in the parish life center.
  • Gráste Dé! On Hold. Because of a combination of circumstances (me starting late in the summer, low attendance, mixed reports from parish leaders) Gráste Dé! will be put on hold for 2019. I apologize for any inconvenience this may bring. I do want to do a retreat day for our middle school friends; I only want to do it well. Instead of hastily pulling something together, I would like to take our time, hear feedback from people who have taken participants in the past and from those who have not, and create an amazing faith experience for our young middle. If you would like to be part of the Gráste Dé! focus group, please let me know. You can email me at [email protected].
  • Holy Fire 2019, October 18 or 19, Credit Union 1 Arena, Chicago. If you are looking for a faith experience for your middle school students, the Archdiocese of Chicago is hosting “Holy Fire 2019,” in October. Open to 6-9th graders, young people will hear high energy musicians and inspirational speakers from around the country and join with thousands of youth to get inspired for their faith. More info can be found at www.holyfirechicago.org.
  • NET Retreat: Dates Available! If you are looking for a retreat in December, look no further! NET Ministries will be in NWI early December. Their schedule is still open to hold a retreat December 2 and 12. If you, your parish, or school would be interested in hosting a retreat, please let me know at [email protected]. You can also go to netusa.org for more information.
  • Share Your Story: The Diocesan Communications Department would love to share your story! If your ministry or parish is doing an event or you know of a “local young person success story,” please share it with Colleen Rabine, the Director of Communications. Even if it is something that you always do or you don’t think it is “news worthy,” the communications department wants to hear about it. Colleen has stressed to me that she wants the Northwest Indiana Catholic to shine a light on how young Catholics are living out their faith! We can only do that if we know about it! Colleen can be reached at [email protected] of you can email me and I would be happy to pass along your good news.
  • Youth Minister Feedback Encouraged: I’m in the process of compiling a list of possible trainings the Office for Youth and Young Adults could offer. What kind of trainings or formations would help you? You can email me at [email protected].
Reminders:
  • Diocesan Youth Council. Don’t forget to let me know who will be your Diocesan Youth Council reps if you have not done so. Thank you to everyone who has! Check out https://www.garyoyya.org/dyc/ for more information.
  • Igniting the Fire, September 14-15, St. Matthias Catholic Church, Crown Point. All 6th-12th grade youth are invited to Igniting the Fire, September 14-15, at St. Matthias Catholic Church in Crown Point. ITF has a prayerful, retreat-style feel with elements of lock-in-style fun! For more information or to register, go to http://ignitingthefire.org/ If you have any questions, feel free to visit the Directions/Contact page and reach out to the ITF team. You can also print out and share this nifty flyer.
  • NWI Awakening 2, October 4-6, Holy Name Catholic Church, Cedar Lake. After a successful first retreat back in April, we are happy to announce NWI Awakening 2 will be happening October 4-6th at Holy Name Catholic Church in Cedar Lake. Young adults 18-25 are invited to a weekend of fun, faith, and and getting to know the Awakening community. Come encounter Christ with follow young adults on what will be an amazing weekend. $30 covers everything and scholarships are available to help with the cost. For more info, check out https://www.garyoyya.org/awakening-retreat/
  • Youth Ministers’ Retreat, January 24-25, 2020, Lindenwood Retreat Center. Save the Date! Youth Ministers are invited to the third annual Youth Minsters’ Retreat, hosted once again at Lindenwood. More info will come out in a few months. If you are interested in attending, please click this link to fill out an interest form. Please note: that link will not register you for the retreat. The information collected will be used to help plan the retreat.
Just a Thought: Raise your hand if you listen to podcasts! I know I do. When I drive, do the dishes, sit at my computer writing youth ministry notes, I am probably listening to a podcast. (If you ever come to my office and see me with headphones on, feel free to throw something at me to get my attention.) I have a few recommendations when it comes to youth and young adult ministry. Yes! There is a podcast for Catholic Youth Ministry! There really is a podcast for everything!
  • Pizza and Side Hugs: From our friends in the Diocese of Lafayette, Indiana, Pizza and Side Hugs, is hosted by youth ministers and youth ministry volunteers. Since they are youth ministers, they understand the realities of youth ministry. Podcast topics range from keeping teens involved after Confirmation, fundraising, checking in with college students, working with parents and more.
  • The Electric Waffle: Not strickly a youth ministry podcast, the Electric Waffle is hosted by Katie Prejean (emcee at this year’s NCYC) and her husband Tommy McGrady (youth minister). If you like the Catholic Church, talking deep about your faith, and the occasional Office reference, this podcast is for you.
  • CNA Newsroom: Yes, I am including the podcast from the Catholic News Agency. CNA has great articles about what’s going on in our world and in our faith culture. The podcast adds to that experience by bringing in conversations and interviews. And the host, Editor in Chief, JD Flynn, is pretty funny.
This wasn’t a sponsored post. These were just a few of my favorite podcasts that have added to my faith life and ministry. What are some of your favorite podcasts?
Peace and all goodness,
Vicky Hathaway
Ministry Consultant for Youth and Young Adult Ministry