Holy Week Thoughts

Holy Week.

The most sacred time in the church year.

As we begin the Triduum, I always like to reflect on what this all really means.  For me, this is when I truly see Jesus as human.

The Last Supper; This is when Jesus gives us the most important gift; the Eucharist. And he did this by breaking bread with his friends. What a great reminder to take the time to share a meal with those you love. Family dinners are a great way to reconnect in this busy world. Even if it can't happen everyday, I would encourage you to set a goal of family dinner once a week.

Jesus knew he was going to die. And he knew it was to save us. But for that brief moment in the garden, when he asks his Father to take the burden away, we see that Jesus is a lot like us.  To see him vulnerable is an incredible moment for me. I am guilty of feeling as though my struggles are more than others. I think we all can be that way. But knowing Jesus felt that way, yet still accepted his fate, which was death on a cross, reminds me to face challenges head on and with courage.
I have known several people who have suffered greatly from illness and disease. Health issues that would eventually take their lives. And these people knew this would happen.  And I believe it was because of their deep faith and relationship with Jesus that they were able to accept that death was coming, make peace with it, and die with dignity and grace. (I'm talking about you, JJ!)

As a mother, I also think about Mary. How difficult it must have been to watch your only son be persecuted, tortured and nailed to a cross. I had the privilege of attending the Agnus Dei presentation last weekend at St. Eds.  Paula Moore, who has a gorgeous voice, sang a song called "Silently". The song was about Mary as she silently stood in the crowd and watched her son travel to his death. It was a beautifully haunting reminder of the great faith of Mary. As the tears streamed down my face, I put myself in Mary's shoes. What grief she must have felt watching her son suffer, yet her constant faith allowed her to do what God asked her to do so many years ago; bear the Son of God and watch him suffer and die.

So as we enter into these last days of Lent, let's try to focus on the real meaning of it all; we live because HE died.

Wishing you a safe and blessed Easter!

Lent: How ya doin'?

Hi friends!

We are making our way through the Lenten season.
How's it going?
Are you keeping up with your Lenten goals?

I'll be honest. This Lent has not been the best for me. I really challenged myself to focus on prayer and I have not done much to make my relationship with God stronger.
I swore I would pray the rosary daily.
Then I backed off and said well maybe a few times a week.
Then I went even further and decided a rosary once a week would be ok.
You know how many rosaries I've said? ZERO.

I've spent more time talking about my lack of follow through of my goals than sticking to any goals.

So today I woke up and decided that it was time to change.

I know change doesn't happen overnight. It takes time. It takes hard work. It takes dedication (something I don't always have). So I spent some time browsing the incredible shelf of resources in the youth office and decided to start some spiritual reading. I will begin reading Henri Nouwen's "Can You Drink From The Cup". It is a short book that I have heard about from many friends in ministry. My hope is that by starting small, with this book, it will spark something inside me. It will help me refocus on the things that are important, like prayer and taking time to feed my spiritual soul.
It's not a rosary every day, but maybe this is a better goal for me.

I challenge you to take some time to evaluate where you are with your own Lenten goals.
And if you feel like they aren't working, try to determine why. Maybe you need a new goal.

Remember that NCYC feeling? Or the feeling you had after Kairos? I know how those fabulous experiences made me feel! They made me feel on FIRE for my faith. How we keep that fire alive is the challenge. Daily life is not NCYC or Kairos. But there is beauty and joy and faith wrapped into every part of every day. We just need to watch for it.

As always, please watch the high school youth ministry facebook page for all that is happening.
You can always go to www.waterloocatholics.org and click the youth ministry button on the homepage for information.

Until next time......
Annie

51 Days Later. Where are You?

Hi friends!

It's been 51 days since we returned from NCYC.
51 days since we were on the mountaintop.

Think back to that feeling you had the first night we marched into Lucas Oil Stadium.
Remember the energy.
The floor was shaking from the music and from the lively jumping of 24,000 teens.
It was pretty awesome.

Remember how Fr. Leo challenged us to get out there and be disciples.

Remember Paul J. Kim throwing down some pretty amazing beats.

Remember the next morning how Chris Padget told us how we must make praying to our holy mother, Mary a priority.

Remember that feeling of true grace and warmth when the blessed sacrament was processed in for adoration. Remember how 24,000 teens, the same teens who 24 hours earlier we dancing and jumping and going crazy, fell SILENT before the body of Christ.

Remember how Dr. Carolyn Woo told us to listen to God's plan for us, even if it's not what we think it should be. He knows better than us.

Remember watching HUNDREDS of priests and bishops process in for mass.

Remember the experience of mass, the source and summit, with 24,000 of your new friends.

Remember coming home on the bus and sharing what you were bringing home from NCYC.

Now - how are you doing?
Have you kept the promises you made to yourself when you came home from NCYC?
Are you praying?
Have you been going to mass on Sunday?
Have you stopped by the adoration chapel to say hi to Jesus?
Have you treated others as children of God?
Are you living a life that is pure and chaste?
Are you being the light of Christ to others?

I know it is hard to come back to reality. I struggle with this as an adult, so I know it must be very difficult for you as teens.

As we inch closer to the season of Lent, I challenge you to go back to that NCYC place in your heart.
Think of ways you can keep that feeling alive in you and ways to share it with others.

MAKE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD A PRIORITY!

Youth Ministry has lots of great stuff happening.
- Check out our Facebook page for the latest info: search Waterloo Catholic Youth Ministry
- Bible study will be happening every Wednesday night at 8:00pm in the youth room at Columbus. Take advantage of this opportunity to be with peers and dig into scripture.

Look for details on an NCYC reunion in early February. We shared something special as a group, so it's important to come back together and check in.

As always, I am here for you.
I love you all.

Peace,
Annie

Here I Am, Lord

NCYC 2015 is in the books.
What an INCREDIBLE, AWESOME, AMAZING, LIFE-CHANGING experience!

First let me say that this is one of the best groups of young people I have ever taken on a trip. They were completely engaged from the moment we boarded the buses. They were also polite to everyone along the way, kind to each and were totally respectful of our adult chaperones. I am SO proud of this group!

All the keynote speakers were amazing. We learned that being a priest can be VERY cool from Fr. Leo Padalinghug. We heard just how important it is to pray to our Mother Mary from Chris Padgett. We heard about the importance of prayer from Mark Hart and then spent time in front the blessed sacrament while experiencing some awesome music by Matt Maher. 24,000 people sitting in complete silence focusing on Jesus is powerful and an experience that most of the group would say was the highlight of the trip. We learned about Catholic Relief Services from Dr. Carolyn Woo. Then we celebrated mass with 24,000 of our closest friends and watched hundreds of priests come in as part of the procession.

We also traded hats, foam fingers, and clothespins.
We sang.
We danced.
We laughed so much.

I am working on putting together a video about our experience. Once it is done, I will make sure it is posted for all to see. It will also be posted on parish social media and websites.

Now we try and keep this NCYC mountaintop experience alive. How do we do this?
One way is to go to mass. Make sure you attend mass as a family each week. Even if the music isn't always perfect, or the readings don't really apply to you that day, go and be with God. He wants to talk to you! 

Make meal time important. Gather as a family around the table and make sure you begin with prayer.

Encourage your kids to attend youth ministry events. I am offering Bible Study on Wednesday nights at 6:00pm during December. And we will be meeting on Sundays from 6-8 to reflect on the readings and prayers for the season of Advent.

These are just a few ideas. My goal is to also have NCYC "reunions" once a month starting in January. These will be simple events, like movie nights, that will begin with some prayer and reflection. It will be a chance to remember that we all shared something special in Indianapolis and that we need to keep that NCYC flame alive in our hearts so we can share it with our family, school and parish.

Thank you for trusting me to lead the group on this journey. I am humbled by your faith.

Time to get to work!

HERE I AM, LORD.

Saturday = THE BEST DAY EVER!

Saturday.
Wow.
So much to say but it's late and we are all tired and filled with joy and many emotions.
I'll need to spend some time on our ride home formulating my thoughts to share with you.
I will tell you these few things;

This group if students is incredible! It has been wonderful getting to know them better. I love them all.

We laughed. A LOT.

We cried, too. Tears of joy. Tears from  hurt. Some were from emotions they had never felt before. But emotions are good! They matter.

We bonded in small groups.

Our chaperones are simply AMAZING!

Mass was beautiful.

Your kids will be different when they come home.

I promise to share more tomorrow.

Pray for our safe return home.

Monday is when the real work begins.

Peace,
Annie

Friday = AMAZING

Friday is in the books and it was an AMAZING day!

We started with our general session and keynote speaker Chris Padget. Chris is hilarious and made all of us laugh - A LOT. But he also talked about his own relationship with our Blessed Mother Mary and how she has been a source of comfort and strength for his family.

Then it was down the block to the Convention Center. Wow! So many people, so many workshop choices! It takes some time to get your bearings as the convention center is pretty big. But thanks to our awesome adult chaperones, the kids found where they were going. Today there were 3 rounds of workshops. Many of students attended a session titled "Love or Lust" by Jason and Crystallina Everet. This married couple talks about chastity and the importance of knowing your self worth, especially when it comes to relationships. All who attended said it really made them think about love and how important it is to give love to the RIGHT person.
Some kids went to listen to Jesse Manibusan. Others to listen to John Angotti. Many spent time in the interactive village doing activities and trading with other kids and checking out all the catholic vendors. There are so many workshops to choose from, and it's 1:01am and I honestly can't remember where all the kids went. Ha!

Tonight was one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had. XLT is praise and worship music, a witness talk and adoration. Catholic musician Matt Maher got us into a prayerful state thru music. Then speaker Mark Hart talked to us about the importance of fostering a relationship with Jesus and how God loved us SO much that he have up His son for us and now God is patiently waiting for us.
Then the blessed sacrament was brought in and exposed. The silence of 24,000 teens was powerful and emotional. Many of our kids were literally moved to tears during this silence in the presence of Jesus. Words cannot describe the feeling but I know it's something the kids will carry home with them.

I was so proud of our group today! Always smiling, even though I know they were tired. Always polite. Always making sure they are checking in with their chaperones. This is an exceptional group of young people!! I am so blessed to know them.

Tomorrow is our last day. We are looking forward to the closing mass which is always the highlight of this journey.
Until then, keep on praying for us!!!

Peace!
Annie

Thursday

Wow!
After 8 hours on buses. Several pit stops. And a somewhat chaotic hour of sorting hotel keys and name badges, we were ready for NCYC 2015.

Words could never accurately describe what it feels like walking into Lucas Oil Stadium and NCYC for the first time. The music was LOUD. The floor was SHAKING. The energy was ELECTRIC.
My friend DJ Bill Lage got the crowd pumped up and then one of my favorite Christian bands, For King and Country performed. 25,000 teens and their adult chaperones danced and sang and praised the lord. My favorite moment was when one of first time NCYC kids said to me, "I had no idea it would like this! This is awesome!"
GOD IS GOOD!
The emcees, Paul J. Kim and Jackie Francois Angel were funny and sweet. Paul Kim can sure drop a sick beat! He's a beatboxer - which is so cool. And Jackie, even though she's 6 months pregnant, is a fabulous dancer who does a mean moonwalk.
Our keynote speaker, Fr. Leo, showed us how to stand up to temptations and that every day we are fighting a battle for our faith. What a treat to see a young, cool priest with lots of energy who also break dances and breaks boards (he did some sweet martial arts moves).
The evening ended back at the hotel with pizza and small group time. Kids were in their rooms at midnight.

Friday we hit the ground running at 7:30am!! This is where the real work begins.

As always, pray for us!
Peace,
Annie