Office of Youth Ministry

Christine and Warren led a retreat in Meadow Lake on Saturday May 12 with many young students.

The Office of Youth Ministry and the Diocesan Children’s Catechist Office are once again jointly sponsoring the Annual Diocesan Altar Server Appreciation Day.

This event will be held Saturday, May 26, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Registration will take place from 9:15 – 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary High School in Prince Albert. The day’s events will take place at St. Mary High School, Marion Aquatics, the field next to the Diocesan Centre and Sacred Heart Cathedral. We register and our day will start at St. Mary High School.

Pastors and/or Altar Server Coordinators are encouraged to bring their parish altar servers to this day of appreciation. Please provide one adult for every 6 servers; this will facilitate an appropriate supervision ratio.

The Altar Server Appreciation Day will include games, sports, and a main session for altar servers. Our theme for this year is “Only Love Counts.” The day’s activities will end with a blessing and commissioning of the altar servers, and an expression of gratitude by Bishop Albert Thévenot. Lunch will be provided, but supper will be on your own.

Bishop Thévenot will give a special blessing for the altar servers. As a form of special recognition, we will also provide a printed certificate for altar servers who have served five years or more. On the Group Form please insure that each qualifying altar server with 5 years or more of service has accurately listed his or her years of service.

Enclosed in the downloadable Registration packet are:

• Letter to the Leaders (adults bringing altar servers)
• Parish Group Summary Form (return to the diocese)
• Schedule
• Children/Youth Registration Form-9 (return to the diocese)
• Health Information Form-10 (kept with leader)

NOTE: Forms 9 + 10 are only needed if you do NOT already have these on file!
If you have sent in current Form-9, then only send in a Form 11b

• Extraordinary Activity Plan-11a (left with parents)
• Extraordinary Activity Plan-11b (return to the diocese)
• Poster

Please distribute the information to the servers, and their parents (if you have not already done so) and to the server coordinator. We ask that the parish altar server coordinator then get a list to Warren Dungen or Christine Taylor, the organizers of the Altar Server Appreciation Day, no later than May 18th. Warren can be reached at youth@padiocese.ca if you have any questions about the event. Christine can be reached at catechetics@padiocese.ca. You can call the diocesan office to speak with either one of them at 306-922-4747 ext 235 or 227 respectively .

“Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?” (Acts 8:36)

You will likely have a chance to witness to your faith today…

…Maybe the Spirit will bring to mind a rela­tive with whom you have not been on the best terms, and lead you to seek reconciliation. You may run into an old friend who needs a word of encouragement, or a neighbor who could use a helping hand. The Holy Spirit could nudge you to say something to the person next to you on the bus. Seize the opportunity to reach out. You may be surprised at how your words or actions can be used by God!

“Lord, thank you for going ahead of me today! Open my eyes to the opportunities you will give me to be your ambassador. I believe you will bless even my smallest effort!”

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Taken from today’s mediation/reflection from “The Word Among Us” – a daily commentary on the daily Lectionary:  http://wau.org/meditations/

Youth leaders from all over the province gathered to take part in a SaskCath Training Workshop on “Developing a Youth-Friendly Parish” put on by Diocesan Youth Directors of Saskatchewan on Saturday April 21 in Regina at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center.

The day shared the wisdom of asking the WHY and HOW long before we discuss the WHAT we are going to do with the youth of our parishes!  Each Diocesan Director lead a different part of the day and gave concrete practical ideas, plenty of handouts and all was available to share electronically via a USB flash drive.  Participants will also be given access to an online Dropbox with additional files.

Consider coming to a future SaskCath Training Workshop in your area – when it comes – or bring a van load to wherever it’s hosted.  It’s worth it!

Also check out AND JOIN/LIKE the FACEBOOK page and (non-current) webpage set up by Colm Leyne.

April 1, Annual Youth Seder Meal – Youth (14+) and young adults are invited to join Bishop Albert for an intimate evening dinner and celebration of the Jewish Seder (Passover) Meal at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Palm Sunday, April 1^st from 4-8pm.  Registration information will be available from your parish (or just below).  Plan to bring a carload from your parish!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit at the Last Supper with Jesus? What would the evening be like? What was said and done? What did they eat?

Come join us for this eye-opening night with many youth from all over the diocese! This is an intimate evening with full candlelight, tablecloths and fancy dishes.  A wonderful catered meal will be served in the midst of this night.  We will go through a dramatic re-enactment of the steps Jesus took leading up to his final days with his disciples.  After participating in this meal, you are truly geared up for a very successful Holy Week and Easter!

Registration form can be downloaded here:   MSWord format      PDF format

Saturday, April 21 from 10am-4pm – in Regina at the Archdiocesan Centre (445 Broad Street N, Regina SK). The theme will be “Developing a Youth Friendly Parish.”

“Youth friendly” means what exactly?

Over the course of this workshop day, your Diocesan Directors in Youth Ministry will address the topic of developing a youth friendly community by:

1) Learn – basics of ym & painting the picture
2) Reflect – is your community youth friendly?
3) Involve – who do you need to involve?
4) Respond – research, organize, and 5 strategies of effective response.

It’s a practical day dedicated to helping parishes, priests, parish councils, and leaders of parish organizations (CWL, Knights, ministries) discover real ways and form a plan to reach the youth in your parish – and those who are absent.

Please contact Warren if you are interested: youth@padiocese.ca or 306-922-4747 ext. 235. Carpooling available from PA and Friday night billeting is an option. Registration will be $25, including lunch.

Download the brochure and Registration Form here:  PDF

Check out our SaskCath Page on Facebook or the event

We continue to meet on a Diocesan level to work through the “On Goodsoil document with our Bishop Albert Thevenot!

We continue to reflect on:

How have I been evangelized?
How am I being called to evangelize others?

Check out the coverage on Salt + Light TV Perspectives (begins at 2:45 min mark):

The CCYMN membership had 3 hrs of time with Archbishop Smith (Edmonton) and Archbishop Prendergast (Ottawa) to discuss their relationship with the CCCB, current issues and any hot topics that came to mind on Thursday March 8, 2012.

It was noted (in comparing the CCCB to the USCCB) that the college of bishops in the USA operates significantly different that in Canada.  If CCYMN was seeking a relationship similar to the NFCYM, it was not likely going to happen. It was recommended that we go through our local bishops and regional representatives when seeking input from the CCCB.  Topics such as World Youth Day, challenges in youth ministry, the New Evangelization and the On Goodsoil document were discuss at length.

The 2 archbishops affirmed the CCYMN and encouraged them to proceed ahead and continue the good work collaboratively together on a national level, but even more so on a regional level.

The Diocesan Youth Ministry directors across Canada are meeting at the Canadian Catholic Youth Ministry Network (CCYMN) at their annual meeting hosted this year in Ottawa March 6-9, 2012.

Fr. Rosica shared his evaluation which he received and tabulated from Dioceses. He highlighted many positives and negatives in the Madrid experience. It was generally NOT a positive experience and many breakdowns encountered.

A large part of our discussion as a group revolved around the “official age” of pilgrims allowed to go. It was almost unanimous to set the official age at time of departure be raised to 18yrs of age with NO exceptions. Fr. Rosica will have further meetings with those from the CCCB to address a possible formal statement on this issue. There are many liabilities, risks and problems dealing with minors which are currently of grave concern in Brazil.

Fr. Rosica is going to Rome to meet the episcopal delegates for WYD this week. He promises to report back by Easter with news on how we should proceed.

This may change details on the package being offered by the Diocese of Prince Albert.