Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Saskatoon

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to let you kow of an opportunity to participate in the biggest gathering of Catholic Youth in North America - NCYC happening in Indianapolis this weekend!

NCYC happens every second year and is put on by the NFCYM, the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry in the United States. It brings the best speakers, musicians, movements, and ministries in North America to empower our young people. The theme this year is "Called to Glory".

Below is a link to watch the main sessions online and get a glimpse into the awesome experience. There's special sessions designed just for parents, so grab a coffee tonight and tomorrow and enjoy!

Peace

http://ncyc.nfcym.org/STARTS in 15 minutes! #NCYC

-Colm

Ok, I do love that Beatle's song... but that's not quite the revolution I'm talking about. We're talking about the Chalice Revolution kicking off this winter in the hopes of raising money to buy some goats and other practical stuff for families in need in developing countries.

For a refresher read this.

Some of you may just be getting on board, some of you may be hitting a slump or need some inspiration. So below is a list of a lot of the great ideas our young people came up with at Inception on Oct. 22nd. Be inspired; but then don't let it become expired - go do something! Make a difference in someone's life this Christmas. Get a little less, give a little more.

A wii game or a goat for a family in need? A family night at the movies, or a goat to provide income to a family sruggling to survive. We are so blessed and should be grateful for all that the Lord has given us. Show that gratefulness, by sharing the gifts and blessings you have received.

Let's be the revolution of love this world needs. Here's some ideas how to do it:

-Bakes sales at church and school

-Dance

-Bottle Drive

-School/Church Presentations - also to Knights of Columbus, CWL, Parish council, Finance etc.

-Jelly Bean Guess

-Games Night

-Help neighbours do little chores for money

-Car wash

-Penny race

-Annoucement after mass

-Garage sale

-Sell hot chocolate at skating rink

-Girls club connection

-Create personal goat to donate

-Talent Show

-Share idea door to door, offer to rake leaves (now shovel I guess!)

-Appeal to family and friends over phone, letters, email

-Ask principal to announce at school on intercom annoucements

-Chores at home for some money.

-Walk dogs

-Help with Pancake breakfast, profits go to Chalice Revolution?

-Advertizing campaign explaining what, and how to donate directly

-% of Babysitting money.

-Appeal to your friends to pitch in  - buy a goat as a crew!

-Ask family and friends to give money to it instead of one more christmas gift

-Youth speak after masses

-Youth group do service or social night for parish to raise money

-Get school justice groups involved

-Ask CE classroom to try to buy a couple goats as a class.

-Work with challenge/conquest groups.

-Speak to mother's groups, men's groups to see if their families want to participate.

-Give portion of work money or allowance to goat fund.

These and many more are just the beginning of small ways you can make a difference!

Last night the Youth Ministry Office of the Diocese of Saskatoon hosted an event called Inception. There we challenged young people to start living and working for Christ everyday - to take up the challenge of what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ. In the spirit of Blessed John Paul II, to be not afraid to be change agents in the world through simple acts of love! 

So the Chalice Revolution was born. 

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Hey Everyone,

Translation can be a messy and sometimes imperfect science. You might say it is a tricky treat! (lame, I know).

A good example is our recent pilgrimage to Spain for World Youth Day. As some people may know, there was a huge storm that broke the evening of the Saturday Vigil with the Pope out at Quatro Vientros airfield with close to 2 million young people. Due to the severe weather some of the planned activities changed, along with closing of some side chapels and eventually availability to receive communion for every person at the Sunday closing mass (luckily we did after the closing mass due to the heroic work of our Bishop and Fr. Matthew Ramsey). This all lead to some very interesting announcements as we awoke in our sleeping bags the Sunday morning.

The MC's would make announcements in Spanish and English, then followed translated into many different languages. We first we're told that the missing kids from the night before we're found, but then they lost 22 others! Then we were informed in english that "due to the hurricane last night, the chapels we're damaged and we cannot give out communion to everyone." This had us frustrated, confused but ultimately laughing. It was quite funny to think the thunderstorm and wind we endured in this desert like climate was the equivalent to an hurricane. Obviously the MC's have never been through a hurricane, or something was lost in translation... a theme that would continue. Finally, Fr. Matthew turns to me getting word that how this all eventually translated into the German announcement was summarized quiet simply and directly. It was something to the effect of, "There will be no communion; the church is broken".

Obviously, there was a little more to the story then that, and it wasn't quite a "hurricane" either. The point of this story being, it is easy to miss the point and loose something in translation. This Advent, there will be changes coming to a mass near you as we implement the new General Instruction for the Roman Missal (GIRM, an unfortunate acronym) and the revised translation we have for many parts and responses during mass. 

This has lead some people to be really up in knots over the changes, even predicting people will leave the church over it. Some say no big deal, some say the sky is falling. The sky isn't falling. This is a change, but it isn't the vastness of Vatican II. The church is just revising the language we use during mass, by translating in a different way then we used before. They are using formal equivalence over dynamic... a buch of mumbo jumbo that essential means we're using words closer to the latin text we're translating from. 

Mark Hart, aka the Bible Geek and Vice-President of Lifeteen (a great Catholic Youth Ministry) explains it easy enough in the linked video. Pass it around to those asking questions or worried the church will be broken come November 27th. Perhaps even sit down with your family for 4-5 minutes and watch it together.

Let us see this not as a burden or something to cope with - but an opportunity, a movement of the Holy Spirit. Let's do as Mark suggests, as has our Bishop and many church leaders in our own Diocese. Let us be patient, be loving, be obedient and see this as an opportunity to learn and renew our love and understanding of Sacred Scripture!

Peace

-Colm

New Roman Missal for High School Teens - Word for Word by Life Teen from Life Teen on Vimeo.

Hey Everyone,

Just a note to check out some of the new great outreach ministry happening by Pure Witness Ministries headed up by Carmen and James Marcoux. The 3rd Saturday of the month sees two great gatherings for young people and families. Consider checking them out!

http://purewitness.com/

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