Youth Ministry | The Catholic Realist

Tough Questions

Posted on February 4, 2012 by RRMM

“Were Adam and Eve on Earth with the dinosaurs?” 
“How could that be if God created the earth in 7 days and dinosaurs were around a long, long time ago, before people?”
 “So, the bones archeologists found of the ‘first human’ were the bones of Adam or Eve?” 
“Are we all on the same family tree?” 
“Where, exactly, IS Eden?”
 “When we die, will we even want to ask God these questions? Will we know everything? Will we even care since we’ll be in God’s presence?”

What really happened to the dinosaurs.

These are real questions that came up with my teens this past Wednesday night in our 11th and 12th grade PSR class. The class is not, actually, a bible study this semester. We are supposed to be studying Theology of the Body for Teens; and, tonight’s chapter was entitled “Naked Without Shame.” And, that’s how we started with Adam and Eve, talking about original justice and original nakedness.

Needless to say, we didn’t exactly cover the chapter of TOB that I had intended. But, we DID discuss a lot of different topics including Church and science, heaven, final judgement, and, somehow, the Shroud of Turin.

As the topics and questions swirled around with sincere curiosity on the faces of the teens, I came to realize, again, what an incredible responsibility I have as a youth minister and teacher of the faith. The teens have found a place where they know it’s okay to ask the tough questions. They know they won’t be laughed at or ridiculed for wondering. And, that means I have to be prepared. I have to stay one step ahead of the teens, anticipating what they might ask on a given night and praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to give them correct and complete answers. And, I have to pray for the ability to listen with love, so that they will continue to ask these questions and thousands more.

This is pretty much how I explain Eden…

In all honesty, there’s no way I could’ve anticipated the conversation of this night. Dinosaurs, creationism, evolution, and science aren’t exactly my forte, but I did my best to give the Church’s teachings on these topics. These teens, they’re keeping me on my toes and I couldn’t be more grateful. Without them, I might not be growing in MY faith in quite the same way.

What if there was no tomorrow?

Posted on February 2, 2012 by joesuperdad

I have no idea why, but I’ve always liked Groundhog Day. Really, anyone with a critical bone in their body realizes that a rodent coming out of his hole can’t predeict anything, but it’s these little things that help the sanity stay right on that red-line, ya know?

I’ve also always loved the movie Groundhog Day, and I’m not sure if it was that movie or Ghostbusters, but I have a mammoth man-crush on Bill Murray. Whatever it is – that line – “What if there was no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today.” has always stuck with me a little bit.

A New Tool For Self-Reflection: Your Desk

Posted on February 1, 2012 by ymkbird

This morning I found myself highly unmotivated to get any work done. In an effort to find some motivation (ahem…waste more time) I hopped over to one of my favorite blogs: The Time Management Ninja. He regularly posts insightful comments on how to better make use of time and technology to be more productive. Of course, the irony here is the amount of time I spend (waste) reading his insights and never implementing one…

My desk - who knew it had so much to say?

I found a post from January of 2010 (told you I was wasting time) called Freeze! Nobody Move! What is on your desk? He spends the article talking about how to reduce the clutter of your workspace (valuable, I’m sure), but as soon as I followed the directions in the title I got distracted (no surprise there!).

I realized something – the top of my desk can tell you a lot about me…about my job, my values, and how I work, but also about some things I can do to be more effective and productive. Read More

Selfish Youth Minister

Posted on January 25, 2012 by RRMM

I’ve got to be honest here. A lot of times when I plan to go on trips with the youth group, I’m really planning them for my own selfish reasons. I think you know what I mean…

Sleeping on a charter bus with 50 other people for 2 out of 4 nights; essentially living on a bus for 28 hours; having an endless supply of Pop Tarts and granola bars at my disposal; spending 20+ hours in and out of the freezing cold to see presidents‘ houses, monuments, museums, shrines, etc.; being away from my 13 month old and my husband for 4 days…  Yup, this trip is for ME!

“Rebecca, am I sensing a bit of sarcasm in your tone here?”

Bringing it Home

Posted on January 23, 2012 by joesuperdad

“Joe, is that you?” I couldn’t believe it. “Russ? I haven’t seen you in what, 16 years? What are you doing in DC, here for the March for Life?” “No” Russ replied. “I live here – in fact, I forgot the March was tomorrow – until the swarms of people.” “Huh?” I was confused. “Aren’t there always lots of people here for protests and on vacation and stuff?” “Well,” he explained, “This is the busiest we ever see it. When it’s March for Life time, it blows tourist season out of the water. I mean, we get a special event like inauguration or that Colbert/Stewart thing, but this is by far the biggest annual event.”

(Teens arrive to sleep on the gym floor at CUA before Marching for Life on Monday.)

It’s easy to be pro-life here this weekend. It’s easy to go to mass with 20,000 others at the Verizon Center or the DC Armory, and be all excited for our cause. It’s easy to march with 200,000 people – or more – and be chanting and believing with all of our hearts.

But we aren’t called to be pro-life 2 days a year. We’re called to live it. And that’s where it’s hard. At the family gathering, when your aunt or cousin makes a comment about radical anti-abortionists. Or someone at school gives you a hard time. Or the guys or girls on your team think you’re off your rocker.

But living it out – knowing the facts – being willing to pray regularly for the 1,400 or so abortion deaths daily – lovingly correcting people who just plain don’t understand the truth – contacting our government reps – that’s where the rubber hits the road.

And that’s our mission field. To vote pro-life, to pray pro-life, to learn pro-life, to teach pro-life, to live pro-life.

This March today will be something to behold. Wouldn’t it be awesome if the pro-life movement was that fervent all over the country every day? I pray that becomes reality – and that that reality changes the heart of this country to save over a million lives a year.

Left, Left, Left-Right-Left

Posted on January 21, 2012 by joesuperdad

Tonight, I hop on a 56 seater bus, fully loaded with 56 people – Yay! No really, it’s a good thing. You see, we wanted this bus full. It’s full of teens (and the old-people charged with watching them) heading down to Washington, DC for the annual March for Life.

It’s the biggest event of the year that you never hear about. There’ll be over 200,000 people marching for life. There’ll be maybe 2 dozen people quietly holding signs about keeping abortion legal. The news will tell you both sides were represented at this national event. They may interview one person from each “side.” They won’t give you any sort of picture of the reality of this event, or why it still exists, 40 years later.

Let no one fool you – this is a young person’s protest. And of course it is. It’s the young people that are missing 25% of their generation, because of the horrifics of abortion. Sure, there are adults there – but the energy, enthusiasm, and hope of the young people drives his event, and gives it incredible life.

This trip is more exhausting than any other youth trip all year. Our first night’s sleep is 100% on the bus. Then, we’re on our feet all day Sunday. That night, we sleep on a gym floor with a few thousand high schoolers at Catholic University, but not until Reconciliation & Adoration end at midnight. We’re at breakfast by 6:15am, and then on the go again all day, until we hop back on the bus about 4:45… Stop for dinner with the rest of our Diocese, and get home about 3am. Exhausted.

And completely exhilarated to be able to journey with and witness the passion of the young people with us.

I want you to know, it’s one of the most important, awesome & meaningful events we have each year. Pray for us, for our energy, for our cause, for our safety. I’d personally appreciate it.

If you could also pray for the patient spouses & families of the chaperones, I’d really really appreciate it. My poor wife…

Ranting, Youth Ministry

The Anti-Swaying Movement

Image | Posted on January 20, 2012 by RRMM

I’ve been a youth minister for nearly 7 years and before that I attended a fairly well-known, extremely Catholic university. Consequently, I’ve attended quite a few retreats, rallies, conferences, Christian concerts, etc. So, it is not out of ignorance or pure opinion that I will make the following statement…I make it based on experience, observations, and, well, okay, some personal opinion.

Swaying is ridiculous.

What is it about people being together in shared faith, singing a song with a slower beat and meaningful words that makes them feel the need to throw their arms around another person’s shoulders and move ridiculously from side to side? I feel pretty confident when I say that the vast majority of people DO NOT ENJOY THIS.

From my observations, the starting point of a sway is somewhere in the middle of a group, when a person is either inspired to share a moment with a nearby friend or they feel some sort of unexplainable outside pressure to begin this ritual. And, others in the near vicinity feel it is their duty to participate. Seriously, have you ever tried to be a non-swayer in the middle of a sway-line? It’s nearly impossible.

I have also noticed that the person on the end of the sway is really in the most awkward position. What are they supposed to do with their outside arm? Just let it hang there? Raise it in the air? Put it in their pocket?

Swaying does nothing but distract people from the song that they are trying to sing wholeheartedly or words they are trying to pray along with. And, if we’re really honest about it, we all think it’s pretty dumb.

So, will you join us as we wrap our arms around one another, lean from left to right, and fight for a world free of that awkward moment when the sway starts?

(Disclaimer: This anti-swaying sentiment does not include the swaying that is necessary for parents to calm a child at Mass or one of the earlier mentioned events. Obviously, that is a necessity.)

And, don’t EVEN get me started on the dreaded Cross-Clap.