It should come as no surprise that my faith is important to me. I write about my faith. I teach it to children and teens on a regular basis. I talk about it with both friends and strangers (at their … Continue reading
In the nearly three years that I have been employed at my parish, my job description has undergone some major changes. When I was originally hired, it was as the part-time DRE. My roles included coordinating the children’s faith formation … Continue reading
Before I became a youth minister myself, I had been warned of some of the most prevailing challenges of the position. Preventing burn-out. Establishing and maintaining the proper order of things. Overworking yourself. Letting your pastor or a parish counsel … Continue reading
This past weekend I had the chance to spend two days in prayer and reflection with several of my catechists and some members of our adult faith formation programs. It’s rare that I am given such an opportunity. Despite my … Continue reading
Holy Days of Obligation. It’s a phrase that many modern Catholics find repugnant. I know plenty of devout Catholics who attend Mass every Sunday, but rarely observe those Holy Days of Obligation (with the exception of Christmas). Many consider the … Continue reading
Last month, I went to my first Office of Youth Ministry meeting at our archdiocesan center. I would have started attending meetings earlier, but I didn’t start getting the invitations until about six months ago. There’s been quite a bit of … Continue reading
“That moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us of our dependence on God for life; it strengthens our feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation; it acknowledges those who by their labours provide us with these goods; and it … Continue reading
When I was in high school, I stumbled across my chemistry teacher at the supermarket in town. It was completely unexpected, and I could barely process his presence before the moment was over and we returned to our respective shopping missions. I … Continue reading
Natural family planning. It’s a topic that I’ve written on several times before- most notably here and here. I have attempted to disprove several common myths surrounding NFP in an attempt to defend it against those who would have you … Continue reading
Just two weeks after returning from the Steubenville Youth Conference (you can read more about that experience here), I had my second major event of the summer for work: Vacation Bible School. Since there was no wedding and honeymoon to … Continue reading
