The way of great learning
consists in illustrating noble virtues,
in renewing and staying close to people,
and in reaching the supreme good.

Vatican Commission for the Catholic Church in China
quoting “an ancient Chinese sage”

Chinese symbol explained: The first character means to study. It is composed of two parts: a symbol that means “to accumulate knowledge” above a symbol for a child in a doorway. The second character means to practice constantly, and it shows a bird developing the ability to leave the nest. The upper symbol represents flying; the lower symbol, youth. For the oriental mind, learning is on-going. “Study” and “practice constantly” together, suggest that learning should mean: “mastery of the way of self-improvement”.

Please plan to attend a brand new broadcast of Rebuild My Church on November 6.

And today finds us visiting the Rocky Mountain State as we have done before in 2009 and 2010

+ Denver sponsors Prayer & Action, a Catholic youth ministry program which gives teenagers an experience of mission work within the bounds of the Archdiocese.   
+ Upcoming events in Colorado Springs include the Center for Ministry Development’s Certificate in Youth Ministry Studies courses in June or July.
+ Without prejudice to a particular parish’s organizational chart, the Diocese of Pueblo regards its Youth Ministers as CREs, Coordinators of Religious Education, with a particular charge:  the whole complex concerns surrounding ministry to contemporary youth as articulated in Renewing the Vision.

If you are from Colorado, drop a comment and say Howdy!

I am aware that this blog sometimes becomes an echo pit of other’s comments regarding what’s wrong with youth ministry.  Some reminders…  I’m almost always pointing to another person’s comments and one who is often pointing towards a solution.  And, usually when it seems that I keep coming back to the topic, that is because I have read probably a handful of others’ comments before I found a credible voice worth passing along for your consideration.

So, when Thom Schultz, author and founder of Group Publishing, posts something entitled The Trouble with Youth Ministry, it’s something worthy of your consideration. Thom, himself, echoes what is being said elsewhere, but points out the solution is in what we should already have been about…

Some of these things may contribute to the exodus of the church’s youth. But they’re not the primary culprits.

The real problem is much simpler. And it’s not a uniquely teenage problem. While adolescents have been drifting away, the same trend infects the American population at large. Adults too are drifting away…

They lack relationship.

(more…)

Here is some video to use with young people and it comes to us from the Flame National Youth Congress held in March at Wembley Arena in London, England.

Flame Congress was inspired the Pope’s London visit in 2010 & by the upcoming London Olympics. Flame saw the largest ever gathering of young Catholics from the UK.

Here, athletes discuss their own quest for excellence.

Last week, we covered the North half of California. Now, as we did in 2009 and 2010, we are heading down the coast:

+ Fresno has a feed from their facebook page on their site.
+ Still unsure if we can report anything fresh on the Monterey site.
+ Since last we looked, Los Angeles has a newer, fresher site.  They discuss Camp Big Deal: A five day leadership camp for young adolescents, designed to help Junior Highers develop their leadership skills using a variety of games, sessions and worship experiences. 
+ Orange has an upcoming youth ministers’ retreat themed Let Your Life Speak
+ There is a countdown clock telling us how many more days to World Youth Day ‘13 on the San Bernardino site.
+ San Diego has web-based resources for pastoral juvenil

If you are from Southern California, like totally you should drop a comment and say Hi, Dude!

I am writing this on Thursday evening and, yikesee, I am toasty.  Only half the week gone but it has been active and good… very good.

Before doing some blog postings and Facebook surfing, I cranked up some easy listening jazz and read (all in one sitting) Mark Oestreicher’s new book A Beautiful Mess: What’s Right with Youth Ministry.

A blogger that I regularly read, Marko has often outlined how we might up our game regarding youth ministry, BUT, he suggests that “often embedded in much of the conversation about how to “fix” youth ministry (I’m calling myself out here) is the unspoken idea that I am capable and that you are capable of transforming the lives of teenagers. The thinking is: If teenagers don’t embrace a robust faith, and it was because I wasn’t doing youth ministry right, then if I change things up, I can cause them to be more Christian. AND yet, there is another BUT…  What’s right is that our efforts is making a difference!

It’s a quickee read, even if you’re a little toasty. And I needed the good news and the good perspective. Check it out!

Our prayer this day, the Sixth Sunday of Easter

Open our hearts, Lord, and help us to know love.

Your love is freely given, Lord, might we Love as generously as You in our love for one another. May we treat one another as friends and not subjects for we ourselves are not deserving of any more homage or partiality than the respect of just being we ourselves also human beings. We shall not withhold our expressions of God’s grace from one another.

Lord, all the ends of the earth have seen Your saving power. How is it that we selfishly imagine that we might contain it as a prized secret. We are compelled to sing joyfully, breaking into song… no, new songs which offer praise for all Your wondrous deeds

Love is as simple as loving one’s neighbor and as complicated as giving our lives away. Let us love one another, because love is of God. Open our hearts, Lord, and help us to know love. If we are without love, we do not know You. God is love! <image source>

On the theory that joy and laughter are contagious, here is your funsie of the day… from JP II himself!