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
This past weekend, I had the honor of bringing ten incredible teens to one of this summer’s Steubenville Youth Conferences. We had been planning and preparing for months as we prayed and took part in countless fundraisers at the parish. … Continue reading
