So we're getting ready for our first ever Diocesan Youth Rally "Momentum" for grades 6-8 on April 30th at Holy Spirit Parish in Saskatoon! Bishop Donald Bolen will be with us to celebrate mass at 5 PM, and our keynote speaker is Michael Chiasson from Calgary (www.allaccessministries.com).
I strongly encourage you to pass this on to your local youth coordinator or volunteer and share this with youth in your church and local schools! The goal is to give youth a day of inspiration while experiencing the church on a larger Diocesan scale. Lets fill the church with hundreds of students! It is my hope that they can be encouraged on their faith journey and an increased desire to serve the world with the gifts God has given them.
This has come out of the need spoken after the reordering of sacraments, and a way to acknowledge and support those youth journeying to reaffirm their faith through the Steps in Faith process.
Many have asked if High School students can be involved and the answer is YES. We are looking to have a youth conference for high school aged youth next year, but would still like their participation as leaders at Momentum. Therefore we are forming an association of students gr 9-12 called "High School Apostles" going forward. The rally will be the first opportunity for them to serve, grow, and nourish their faith. If you are interested or know someone who wants to become a member please have them contact me!
So I encourage you to not miss this opportunity and organize a group of youth grades 6-8 with chaperones to come as a step in faith and build "Momentum"!
Check out our Momentum website here for more info and promotional material to use. you can view our first promo video on youtube. You can also register online here and then send in your check and permission form to me or your local youth ministry leader.
God Bless, I hope to hear from you soon!
-Colm
PS - Below is some sample newsletter/bulletin info:
Momentum: “Don’t Stop Believing!” is a Catholic youth rally for Grades 6 to 8 students, to be held Saturday, April 30 @ Holy Spirit Parish. Cost is $40, including T-shirt! This day-long rally will feature inspirational talks and music by Michael Chiasson of Calgary, a chance to connect with Bishop Don Bolen, great food, friends and fun! To register a Grade 6 to 8 student for this rally, contact your parish youth leader, or go online at www.saskatoonrcdiocese.com/youthministry or contact Diocesan Youth Ministry coordinator Colm Leyne at the Catholic Centre, 242-1500, Ext. 225, e-mail youthmin@saskatoonrcdiocese.com
It is my great pleasure to announce our Keynote Speaker for our Youth Rally April 30th!
Michael Chiasson is a good friend originally from Texas, now living and working out of Calgary, AB. His ministry, all access, reaches thousands of youth every year! Be prepared for a moving testimony, lots of laughs and games, inspiring worhsip, and a relevant message!
Keep an eye out for promo materials and registration forms as we approach Advent! Check mike out below and on his website allaccessministries.org
So with the coming of may, comes the time for evaluating, planning, and budgeting... and dreaming? On monday our staff got to have our own personal retreat which was wonderful. Often times in life, in many ways, we all give of ourselves but take little time to receive and just keep going on empty. We focused on the fundamentals of our christian faith of contemplation, call to communion with one another, and mission. It truly was a great day to recharge, fill up the spiritual gas tank and be renewed in energy and passion.
One of the key messages from the last keynote was on dreams. The idea being that often the inspirations of the Holy Spirit given to us in the inner desires of our heart, is not meant for us alone. Often we squash a dream because we can't see ourselves achieving it, but what if it was for another - or for someone to help you complete? To give respect to God I think we need to be fair and share our dreams, speak up, and take courage knowing that the Lord says, "my ways higher than your ways" (Isaiah 55:9).
So I thought to myself, what do you want to see from the YMO office next year? What are your dreams for the Diocese? It is not that I have found millions of dollars but before I begin leading our team into praying and discerning our priorities in the coming years, I'm curious what you think the Diocesan youth and young adults NEED, and what are your DREAMS for them.
Going forth the desire is to have a Youth Ministry Office that is relevant, effective, and cutting edge in equipping others to help respond to the needs of the Church in the 3rd millennium. As it is not ministry if it is not needs based... after all, Jesus didn't die for us because we were saints...yet...
What do you see as concerning needs among yourselves and the youth in your family, community, school/college, parish? How can the YMO better serve the Body of Christ? We cannot do everything, but we can do something well.
So DARE to DREAM, and better yet, DARE TO SHARE! Dream BIG and share with us by messaging me on facebook, commenting below or email youthmin@saskatoonrcdiocese.com. There is always going for coffee, I especially love coffee with a newborn taking all his sleep! This only works when your voice is heard. So speak up!
So I've broken my pledge since lent to post something more regularly, but this time I have good reason! The Circle of Life! And no, it is not because of an extended marathon of the Lion King, which reminds me of this. Awesome.
No, as much as I love Elton John, nothing matches the love that has flowed since the birth of my first child; beautiful Jacinta Mary-Luisa Leyne! Being a new parent has definitely been a world changing experience 8 days in, and undoubtedly is just the beginning. And THAT is precisely the best part to me.
I mean finding out we were expecting in Fatima, Portugal, home to the three little shephards (Francesco, JACINTA, and Lucia) in the homeland of my wife's family was awesome. Having 9 months to marvel at life growing inside the womb, with kicks, pokes, and spins and hiccups providing wonder and awe and laughter will be cherished forever. To a wonderful experience of her birth on DIVINE MERCY Sunday and the feast day of St. Gemma, namesake of her grandmother another great experience. But what I relish the most - is what is, and what is to come. This last week has reminded me truly of God's unending mercy and life giving love. Moreover, the need for us to be amazed by the life giving moments around us all the time. How many times do I grumble each morning when its cloudy, snowing (especially in April!) or have negative thoughts throughout my day? How often do I consciously give thanks. I try for 5 times a day. Every morning I say a short prayer of praise and offering, one at night with my wife, and hopefully during 3 meals throughout the day. Sure, we could try to go all day and be awesome saints, but I just want to be better than I was yesterday. I think that's how we become saints, not by being perfect for 1 entire day, but being better than the day before.
The amount of new experiences one shares in new life is astounding! The first strolls, diaper changes, smiles, hiccups, first family photo, first meeting with Grandparents and cousins, it goes on and on. But how many more are in store! It only made me think of how I live my christian life personally and as a family.
The LORD needs not to work in great sweeping moments of miracles and apparitions all the time to show us his mercy and goodness. To live a faith dependent on them is not a deepening faith. Thomas was a faithful and good follower of Christ. But remember Christ's words that "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” John 20:29 - It is good for us to believe in our every day experiences; connecting them to what we have seen and heard growing up in the faith. What we hear and proclaim on Sunday we must recognize and celebrate throughout the week.
I remember the first evening with Jacinta she was crying and so I took her and just held her, face to face for over two hours. Neither of us slept, but just stared into each other's eyes.In those silent moments, all I could do is praise God seeing the wonders of his work joined with our efforts. Bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh I kept thinking from scripture. I am so profoundly thankful for the grace to see the beauty that God wished to give to us and care for. It is my mission of thanks to care well, and bring her back to Heaven as beautiful as I found her so that one day I might hear; "well done good and faithful servant".
"But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name." John 20:31
So, let us believe through what we experience each and every day. Try to take some quiet time each day to reflect where you are in that circle of life; and nurture that attitude of gratitude. It may be as marvelous as a new child, or as simple as a sunny day - the point is we give thanks. There is much to be concerned about these days in the world, the church especially and it pains me to the core. But that is why now more than ever the need to love and give thanks grows even greater. Do not cherish it alone in your hearts, but let us fill the world with headlines of GOOD NEWS of what God has done.
After all Lent was 40 days, Easter is 50. Take that despair!
So most of us know the Pope's name, Benedict XVI (that's sixteen!) ... but do you know his name before that? Do you know where he was born? Did you know he is a genius?! It amazes me how sometimes we can say we know someone without really knowing them... kind of like friends on facebook.
I think Facebook says I have 500 or so friends... but honestly, I probably talk to about maybe, MAYBE 40 of them in one month. And if we narrow that down to face to face conversations over a meal or an outing, it gets even smaller. Now, I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing, but I think it is a real thing. I don't think then that the other 450 on Facebook aren't worth my time, or are there just to cushion my feelings of being popular and connected. I'm sure I can share a story about every single one of them.
But the reality is we can't be close to everyone, all the time. I like to say there are circles of friends, and we don't plot each other into them. It isn't like I meet Jim let's say, and say to myself "BFF for life". No... friendships develop over time, and they change. My best friend from grade 1 or grade 5 isn't my best friend today - but they're still dear friends of mine. My wife was a complete stranger to me four years ago! Four years ago I didn't even know she existed! So it should be obvious people come and go between these circles of friends. Family, Dear Friends, Peers, Associates, and the World... there are many different levels we could place our various relationships.
If we say we know someone as a true friend, shouldn't we be able to tell someone their name, where they are from, and something interesting about them... where we met, etc. My love for my wife only grew with getting to know her. It is in our becoming open to each other and sharing our stories that we come to a greater intimacy, a greater understanding and appreciation of one another.
This also can call us to examine our relationships. Do the people in our minds we value the most, our "inner circle", reflect the reality of our circle of friends. How well do you know your parents, grandparents, life long friend, teacher, pastor, hollywood star. Do we find it awkward we sometimes don't know our siblings birthday, or where our parents/grandparents were born or their middle names? Yet we probably know how many goals Alex Ovechkin scored this year or the date for international talk like a pirate day? (September 19 if you're wondering) Do we know more about the life of the people on the TV show Hills then the life of Jesus? It just makes sense that we
should know more about the people we say we care about. I don't think it is wrong to like tv shows, or follow hockey passionately (go HABS!). But we need to be careful we don't fool ourselves when the reality might be maybe I do value hockey over quality time with family and friends. Maybe I value my tv addiction a bit more than my faith. They are questions to think about.
So back to the pope to wrap this up...
So as Catholics we all know about the pope, we know he's our leader, whom Christ has blessed to guide us and nurture us as a faith community. He has many great thoughts and suggestions to help us on our journey of faith. I used to think of the pope as kind of a boss. But when I went to World Youth Day I saw a man, Pope John Paul II, who simply wanted to love me. It might seem odd to you, but it is true. I finally got the idea that he just wanted me to experience God's love and share it as much as possible just like he was doing. He wasn't a watch dog, or a judge.
I now look at Pope Benedict and really look to him as a wise old grandfather. Because he cares for me - I cannot help but care for him; I want to know him. This is the root of our faith; to love and be loved. So when you have some free time, google the pope, get to know an old friend a bit better.
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