Youth Ministry Activities and Events
What follows is an overview of some of the ways that the young people of our community experienced and learned about their faith this past year while also having fun and building community. There are also some up-coming activities and events.
GodWalk 2007
This summer youth and young adults from our parish participated in the God Walk VMY 2007. This is a charity and justice missionary pilgrimage and walk sponsored by the Vincentian Marian Youth Association, Province of the West. The pilgrims served at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and various other opportunities in Oakland and San Francisco during the week of August 8th through the 12th. Key to this event is prayer, liturgy, and Christian Discipleship formation!
Many parishioners, family members and friends sponsored the young people in the Walk.Thank you so much for your support of them in this ministry event.
Return to the top of the pageSolidarity Cafe and Justice Immersion - 2007
This weekend began with a coffeehouse setting, the Solidarity Cafe, in which the community was invited to experience justice teachings through creative arts: through visual arts and environment, drama skits, music, keynote address, prayer and ritual, and a global simulation justice game in which all could participate. This evening cafe featured opportunities for self expression in justice theology by youth and young adult leaders. We shared in a Global Potluck in which guests brought their favorite ethnic potluck dish to share, and fair trade coffees and teas were served. These coffeehouses provide young lay leaders, as well as justice leaders in the community, the opportunity to share their gifts and to learn justice teachings in a fun, entertaining and prayerful way, using many intelligences and gifts, involving more of the whole person. These events can also be adjusted to an intergenerational workshop event.
The second part of the event is the Immersion day in which youth and young adults, or in the case of intergenerational, families and parishioners, came and experienced many prayerful times, more role playing and simulation games, witness talks, reflection, partner interviews and much more. In our immersion, teachings are build on experiencing first, then drawing forth feelings and understanding in group reflections/discussions as well as in private reflections. This stimulates real and deep learning, as the participants discover the Catholic Social Teaching tenets themselves, through what they experience, and then share it with each other. The last part of the immersion experience was a sending forth movement where the participants were invited to take what they have learned and turn it into action in the community. This culminated with the Justice Community Mass. The mass reflects the learning that has taken place, and sends all forth into the community to share what they have and have discovered.
Passion Play
This year, Youth Ministry will once again offer its unique Passion devotion on Good Friday evening in their annual Passion Play. It is being held at 7:00 p.m. on Good Friday evening (March 21st) in the gym. This powerful play enacts the final hours of Jesus' life before his Crucifixion, from the Last Supper through the burial, and gives an immediate and intimate experience of the Pascal Mystery that is sure to be memorable for you and your family.
Please mark this on your calendars and don't miss this opportunity to deepen your Triduum experience, while also supporting the youth of our parish in their efforts to reach out to the community in faith and devotion. This is not to be missed.
(Our former Youth Minister, Caryn Brady, developed and guided our parish youth through all of the above programs for the past few years.)Tahoe 2008
Each year in June, young people in Youth Ministry programs from throughout the state come together for fun, prayer, recreation, and community at Lake Tahoe. For more information, please contact the Youth Ministry team at 289-9608 or email Liz Schoenwetter.
Youth and Young Adult Immersion Programs
The Diocese of San Jose has begun sponsoring special Immersion programs for young people in the diocese, in which participants in these programs will have the opportunity to journey to Mexico, a Native American reservation, or even urban San Jose, Ca. For more information, please visit the diocesan website at http://www.dsj.org/service/YYA-Immersion.asp
Confirmation 2008 - Youth
Fr. Chris Bransfield, Fr. Mark Arnzen and Liz Schoenwetter will be coordinating the Confirmation program for Winter/Spring 2008. For more information and a schedule of sessions, events and rites, please call the Catechetical Ministry Office at 289-9608 or email Liz Schoenwetter.