Like in the Beatles’ song Eight Days a Week, youth ministers work so hard it is like working eight days a week. Here continues a weekly series (hey, we’ve had some transition lately, but we are back onto our Tuesday rhythm!) to serve you over your next eight days with eight notes for your information and formation. Pass these along in your e-newsletters (and offer Project YM a little love in the process, please.
- There a shift away from dogma as the center of church life to pastoral care notes America Magazine. While commenting that this has a lot to do with Pope Francis’ personal pastoral style, they outline how the shift precedes him as well
- Speaking of shifts, Andy Root questions how our image of a “normal” product of our youth ministry programming might conflict with the lack of normality of the Lord we preach.
This week’s poster celebrates the saint of the day, one whose pastoral care was anything but conventional. Consider taking a grown-up view of Saint Patrick. - Ave Maria Press recently released a webinar featuring Chis Wesley offering five steps that any youth minister can take to build (or rebuild) an effective and engaging youth ministry in the local parish, This, of course, all comes from his new book, Rebuilding Youth Ministry.
- Our friends in England recently held their second annual Flame youth conference and produced this wonderful video testimony of our faith. ‘
- Here’s a third video link for you and you can find the clip below. Want to see a master catechist work a room of teens. Look at the bottom of this post and watch Bishop Caggiano from Bridgeport call young people to beood news for others, to rise above mediocrity, and become missionary disciples in following Jesus and making love real.
- Pope Francis was recently quoted in an interview about virtue relationships. He indicates that young people gather such a huge amount of information that nothing is done with it and it has no impact on changing lives. He said this process turns young people into a sort of “youth museum.” and questions “A youth museum is very well-informed, but what does he or she do with all that knowledge?” The answer surely is found in loving engagement.
- Our prayer this day is: “May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.” We offer prayers each days for you because we ain’t got nothing but love, babe, eight days a week.
