There will be a meeting for high school students and their parents on September 6 at 7pm in Manning Hall. The purpose of this meeting is to make sure all youth and their parents are aware of what is involved with preparing for Confirmation in 2024 or 2025 and to answer any questions.
The Kick-Off meeting for all Youth Ministry youth (grades 7-12) and parents will be September 13 from 7-8:30pm. YM meetings will be every Wednesday night after that. We plan to break the youth into small age-based groups. We will be using the same EQSaints and Chosen programs that we used last year.
Seventh graders will be following Year 1: Encounter. Encounter is an introduction to the Christian life, this section is evangelistic in nature, taking young people from skepticism and doubt to a personal profession of faith in Jesus Christ
Eighth graders will be following Year 2: Discipleship. In Year 2: Discipleship they will be developing the foundational habits of Christian life, from the establishment of personal prayer time to the teachings of the Church, to worship and community (Acts 2:42).
Ninth graders will be following Year 3: Ambassadors. In Year 3: Ambassadors they will be learning to become an ambassador for Christ. Taking up the ministry of the Church to reconcile all things in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) and to serve the marginalized (Matthew 25:31-46).
Those preparing for Confirmation in 2024 will be using the Chosen curriculum along with some special projects. Confirmation 2024 has been scheduled for April 28, 2024 at 2pm in West Point.
A retreat experience is part of the preparation for Confirmation. The Confirmation prep time frame is two years. Sometime in those two years the youth should participate in a retreat experience. For the Confirmation 2024 group, the youth, parents, and sponsors will have a mini-retreat on October 28, starting with the 5:30pm Mass, dinner, and then the retreat.
Prayer
Prayer is an important foundation for each person's faith life. It is how we build our personal relationship with God. A resource you may find helpful is the "Laudate" App that you can download to your phone or tablet. With the Laudate App you have access to prayers, an interactive rosary, the Order of the Mass, the Bible, today's readings, and so much more. Look for "Laudate" in your app store- it is free. Below are some YouTube videos about Reconciliation including an examination of conscience meditation from Fr. Louis Merosne.
Liturgy
FORMED
FORMED offers so many resources for all ages. The parish has a subscription so it is free for all parishioners, you just have to register with your email. To register, go to FORMED.org; click "sign up"; click "I belong to a parish"; search for our parish by zipcode "52641" and select our parish. Enter your name and email. You will then be sent an email to confirm your registration, click on the link in the email and you are ready to explore FORMED. Among the many video, audio, and ebooks- there are videos aimed at teens.