- No update next week/Vicky out of town: I’m going to be out of town next week helping out with the National Young Adult Ministry summit in Chicago. While I’ll still be available at my email/phone, I may not be able to get back as quickly as I would like. Also, because I’m out of town, there won’t be a YM Update next week. If you are an NCYC folk and are planning on dropping off your forms on Monday, have no fear! Gayle will be helping with that.
- National Young Adult Ministry Summit Live-stream: Speaking of being out of town for a conference…on September 17-19, diocesan, parish, and organizational leaders in young adult ministry will convene for the 2019 National Young Adult Ministry Summit at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago to discuss Pope Francis’ Christus Vivit and how it impacts the Church’s work with young adults. The Summit is hosted by the USCCB National Advisory Team for Young Adult Ministry. The Summit will feature a live-stream, generously hosted by the Catholic Apostolate Center. It will be a great opportunity to stay connected to the conversations taking place there. To register for the live-stream, click here.
- Please pray for those serving on and attending the Igniting the Fire Lock-In this weekend! I know many youth ministers have been working hard to plan this amazing event for our young friends over the past few months. Keep them in your prayers! http://ignitingthefire.org/
- Save the Date: Presentation on Pope Francis’ Christus Vivit, November 25. Still working on the little details, but we are excited to announce that we will be hosting an evening presentation on Pope Francis’ Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Christus Vivit given by Paul Jarzembowski. Paul works at the USCCB with Youth and Young Adult Ministries under the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth. He’s also a native NWI resident and Andrean grad. Paul was part of the USA delegation that attended the Vatican Synod in Rome last October on Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment. We are so excited to bring his wisdom and observations from the Synod and from Pope Francis’ Christus Vivit.
Reminders:
- Don’t Forget to 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.
- NET Retreat: Dates Available!If you are looking for a retreat for your students 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.
- World Youth Day 2022: Lisbon, Portugal, August 2022. I know. 2022 is a long way away, but that will give us a lot of time to do some planning. If your parish is interested in sending a group to World Youth Day, please let me know. I’m hoping to have an informational meeting next month.
- Past Youth Ministry Notes: If you lost or accidentally deleted a past Youth Ministry Notes email, rest at ease. I’ve uploaded them to the blog section at the OYYA website. You can find them here.
- Follow Us on Social Media: I’ve been looking at different ways to use social media to reach out to the various audiences the OYYA serves. Right now, we have Facebook and Twitter accounts. Facebook has been very helpful getting info out to parents and youth ministers. Twitter has been awesome at giving quick updates from events or trainings. I have been exploring creating an Instagram account for Diocesan Youth Ministry events. I can see Instagram being used to help inspire teens with quotes from Scripture or saints and to share reminders of upcoming events. I’ve created one for Diocesan Young Adult Ministry already (please feel free to give it a follow and share). If you are interested in helping curate social media content for youth ministry, please let me know!
Youth Ministry Events and Formation
- 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/
- 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.
- 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:
More podcast recommendations!
A few people mentioned that they enjoyed learning about different Catholic podcasts out there, so I thought I would share a few more. If you have a favorite podcast, please let me know! I’m always looking for something new to listen to! (Again, this is not a sponsored post. I just like listening to them.)
- Scripture and the Spiritual Life, by Sister Anna Marie McGuan. Sister Anna Marie studied Theology and Sacred Scripture for 11 years at the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. As a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, Sister Anna Marie has been the director of Christian Formation for the Diocese of Knoxville since 2016. Sister Anna Marie has a passion for teaching Scripture. Her podcast is focused on diving deep into the sacred texts of Scripture and how it has meaning in our every day life. Also, she’s from Northwest Indiana and has a beautiful vocation story.
- Jesuitical, from America Magazine. Jesuitical brings together Catholic life and pop culture and talks about it. Each episode they go through the days news, have an interview with a guest, and ends with the Jesuit practice of examining their consolations and desolations. They’ve interviewed guests like Sister Norma Pimentel, who helps refugees at the boarder, thinkers like Malcolm Gladwell, and actors like Mario Lopez. Not everyone they interview is Catholic, but the interviewers do approach their conversations with a Catholic lens.
- Catholic Creatives Podcast. Ever want to understand what is going through the minds of people who create Catholic art, music, or creative content today? I do. Which is why I was really excited to find the Catholics Creative Podcast. Each episode is a conversation with a different creative person who is using their faith to shape their art and vice versa. A few of my favorite guests include Erica Tighe, from the online store Be a Heart, Sarah Yaklic, from the Grotto Network, and Anna Carter from the Eden Invitation (“a movement celebrating personal integration and promoting solidarity beyond the LGBT+ paradigm,” working to help people recognize their initial calling as beloved sons and daughters of God).
Again, share with me your favorite podcasts! I can’t wait to listen to them!
Peace and all goodness,
Vicky Hathaway
Ministry Consultant for Youth and Young Adult Ministry
|
|
