2011 Youth Renew Retreat: Strengthen our Hands January 13, 2011
Posted by Wayne in Activities, Meetings, Prayer.Tags: faith, Prayer, retreat
add a comment
Strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble. Hebrews 12:12
St. Dominic’s Annual Youth Renew Retreat is coming! January 28-30, 2011 marks the awesome annual retreat put on by St. Dominic’s Youth Group and they have extended a special invitation to our group to join them. This retreat, which is planned and run by teens, usually draws anywhere from 35-50 teens and so it is a great opportunity to meet and hang out with other teens just like you who care about their faith and their relationship with Jesus!
Here are the details that I know:
This is the only retreat of its kind within a 40 minute radius!!!
Start time: 6:30-6:45 pm check-in on January 28
End time: 3:00 pm on January 30th
Pre-registration through Tim Langlitz, St. Dominic’s Youth Minister
Cost of this two-night retreat is only $10 + a 2 liter of pop and a snack to share. That’s a huge deal!
More information: www.stdominicyouth.com
Permission slip: 2011 Youth Renew Retreat
Informational pamphlet: Youth Renew Retreat Pamphlet
Lessons Learned from the New Life Retreat March 30, 2009
Posted by Wayne in Activities, Prayer, Things to Think About.Tags: confession, Eucharist, lessons learned, new life, new life retreat, Prayer, retreat
add a comment
On March 21-22, members of the youth group participated in a Lenten New Life retreat during which the teens learned about how to attain and retain a New Life in Christ through the reception of the Sacraments. Along the way, I learned a number of little lessons, too:
- It might be important to call those who signed up for an event to make sure that it was them that signed up.
- Priests may not hang out with teenagers often, but they still know how to have fun.
- Walking through life on your own without the help of God is much more difficult than walking with God’s guidance. (Okay, well, at least it’s much easier to walk blindfolded when you have someone there to give you directions.)
- Slurping Jell-O through straw is not only possible, but it is extremely fun and makes for a great relay race.
- The Sacraments are like the GPS for the Catholic. They give you the directions and the grace you need to reach your ultimate destination, Heaven.
- Though it may take hours and hours and hours to put together, the right soundtrack for a reflective prayer component can make all the difference in the effect it has on those particpating.
- Yes, high school teenagers can listen to Gregorian Chant without cringing.
- Give high schoolers a blank t-shirt, some fabric markers and some puffy paint and they will challenge your faith.
- High schoolers are much more creative than I ever was and have a desire to share their faith with the world. (Hmmm…can we combine these two things? Come and take a look at our wall.)
- There is nothing like receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation right before you receive the Eucharist!
- Receiving the Sacraments can fill you with joy and energy, even at 1:30 in the morning!
- Six hours of sleep is apparently not enough sleep when you want to have a group discussion over breakfast.
- Bagels, cream cheese, fruit, milk and orange juice will render the most talkative group practically speechless (or was that just the questions I was asking?)
- Seeing pictures of yourself and being reminded of your experience of God is always a good way to end a retreat.
- Nurturing your life with Christ is like taking care of a newly planted seed. It takes time, energy, and dedication.
At the end of the retreat, we sent the participants home with this list of ways that we can all attempt to live the New Life at home everyday:
1. Find more opportunities to pray (even if it means praying in the shower).
2. Try to attend Mass as often as possible, at least once a week.
3. Carry a rosary or some reminder of God in your pocket.
4. Ask your parents or friends to pray with you (ex: at meals or before bed).
5. Read about the saints (especially your patron) and ask for their prayers.
6. Learn simple prayers and memorize them so that you can use them when you need them.
7. Find a “prayer partner” – a person who prays with you once a week or goes to Mass with you if you/ they have no one else to go with.
8. Think about and be aware of your movie and music choices (keep those cards from the “Time of Your Life” station).
9. Make silence part of your daily routine. Give God time to talk (perhaps before or after homework).
10. Wear Catholic/Christian clothing and represent what the clothing says. Also, just be aware about what message the clothes you wear are sending to others.
My Experience with Alive in You! August 20, 2008
Posted by Wayne in Activities, Prayer, Things to Think About.Tags: Alive in You, faith, Prayer
1 comment so far
This is my latest article for the OLV Newsletter that is mailed to all Victory parishioners:
Since our last update in the May newsletter, the Youth Group has once again been active in a variety of ways, however, the most exciting was a Service Trip and Youth Conference in Chattanooga, TN called Alive in You! I don’t know that I am the best one to write this article (I should probably be letting one of the youth tell you all about it), but I hope that they will have a chance to tell you in person just what an awesome experience it was!
The trip started for Michelle Boehm, Molly Rebennack, Amy Graman, Alexander Lewis, Pam Boehm and me, Wayne Topp, on June 17th at 5:30 am with morning Mass celebrated by Fr. Reutter (thanks again!) and a nearly 6 hour drive to Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga where we spent the next five days painting a school, playing sports, listening to live music, attending themed dinners, hanging out and making friends with nearly 250 other youth, seeing the sites of downtown Chattanooga, listening to great talks by national speakers and most importantly learning about and living out our Faith! Each of the first three days (starting Wednesday morning) was spent painting a Catholic elementary which is able to charge no tuition to its students, but which also had no money to be able to pay outside people to come and paint their hallways. We worked hard all three days (outside of the occasional dance break) and were able to paint three hallways and two locker rooms before we called it a day. The people there were very grateful and made us feel very special despite the small amount of work we actually did (relative to the amount of work that we heard other crews had to do).In the evenings, we had a chance to hang out with the other parishes and played a variety of sports. We also had an opportunity to celebrate Mass on a daily basis which was a great treat that we all experienced at least three out of the 6 days we were there. After Mass we got dressed up to join in the theme dinners which allowed us to get into costume and to eat very good food that fit the same theme. Following dinner were the evening sessions where there was high energy, live music, a little friendly competition, and great speakers who, throughout the week, taught us all about how the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit can help us to live our lives in a way that fills us with joy and that to allow the spirit to work in our lives is to allow God to lead us and to help us make right decisions as we walk down the path of life. There are many bits of wisdom I could share from the great talks, but, as I said above, I will let the youth fill you in later. After each session we were able to get back into our little parish group and just talk about the day and the lessons we learned throughout that day and the whole week. Those times were some of my favorite because those are when we grew closer as a group and we all really started to get to know each other best! Saturday morning was our chance to go off and explore the city of Chattanooga and explore it we did! It is a beautiful city with a great aquarium and some fantastic southern BBQ…oh and did I mention Ben and Jerry’s? We had a wonderful time and came back in time to play soccer and here two nationally known speakers give us tips on how to take the experiences we had throughout the week back to our home parishes. Then, it was time to take all that we had done, and all that we had learned and all the thoughts that we generated throughout the week and talk them over with Jesus as Saturday night we prayed in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. It was an awesome experience that we want more people here in our parish to have, so keep an eye on the bulletin for times to join us.Finally, after all was complete we celebrated a great Sunday Mass and said our goodbyes.
Before we got home, though we made a side trip to visit the Dominican Sisters in Nashville, TN who gave us a very warm welcome and showed us around their beautiful home! After our visit we all agree that if more people could see these sisters and the amount of joy they have in everyday life there would definitely be no shortage religious vocations in this nation! Finally, tired and ready to be home with our families, and yet so energized from the awesome trip, we came home and were greeted by our families who did a very nice job at acting like they missed us. This trip could not have been possible without the help and support of the parish and we can’t thank you enough.
As a special note, I want to thank Molly, Michelle, Alexander and Amy for being willing to make the trip to Chattanooga this year! It was a great experience for me to see all of you grow in your faith and to hear you talk about your experience has been a real treat for me. Thank you so much!
Next year’s Alive in You trip dates have been set: June 23-28, 2009 in Pahokee, FL! Sign up now! Also, check out the rest of the upcoming events page which has now been updated through October and includes other events that are further into the future! Sign up for any and all events that you can attend! Check back often to see if other events have been added such as fundraisers or service projects!
Prayer on the Move March 20, 2008
Posted by Wayne in Activities, Prayer.Tags: Palm Sunday, Prayer, St. Antoninus, St. Dominic, walk
add a comment
On Palm Sunday, the youth group had the opportunity to join again with the St. Antoninus Youth Group and for the first time with the St. Dominic Youth Group for a prayerful experience! 
Starting at the Delhi Police station nearly 30 youth and a half dozen adults joined together in prayer for the entire community of Delhi! Several times along the way, we stopped and offered specific intentions for businesses, drivers, police officers, children, families and parishes and the youth offered several intentions of their own! It was a great experience and an event that is sure to grow as the years go on. 
The walk ended at St. Antoninus parish with a lunch in the church undercroft and a short talk given by seminarian David Endres on the power and importance of prayers. The youth participated in a couple of fun activities and the event ended with several of the youth ready to come back next year. 
The youth leader at St. Antoninus, Julie Hiel, said that she will be organizing this every year on Palm Sunday, so if you missed it this year, please make plans to join us next year!!
Starting Over: A recap of the New Life Retreat March 20, 2008
Posted by Wayne in Activities, Prayer, Things to Think About.Tags: confession, Eucharist, grace, Mass, new life, Prayer
add a comment
Despite the near foot of snow covering our driveways and our lawns, the youth group was able to come together on March 8th and 9th to participate in the New Life 2008 retreat!
This retreat was meant to encourage the youth to think about their lives, reflect on their priorities and to rejuvinate their relationship with Christ and their identity as Catholics in the world! After arriving, everyone entered the gym for some high energy icebreakers that got everyone moving and interacting with each other and thinking about why they were present (do you all remember the mine field?). Shortly after, we all came together as I gave a talk on being Catholic and renewing our identity, each time we receive the sacraments, through the use of the story of the Prodigal Son. When we attempt to live on our own with out the help of God, when we deny that we are, first and foremost, children of God, then we start to take on the identity of slaves. However, even when we have become slaves, and have done everything that would be considered horrible and have denied God over and over again, He is always ready to greet us when we return and to forgive us (as he does in the sacrament of reconciliation). And not only does he greet us, but also he celebrates our return with the biggest feast he ever has given (the Eucharist – God loves us so much that he wants to be as close to us as nutrition is to our bones, and so he becomes real food for us to take and eat). What an amazing concept to hold with us as we moved into smaller groups and discussed our lives?! Following small group discussions we took time for snacks and went into an hour and a half of hands-on activities that made us all look more deeply at ourselves and the ways that we have denied our Catholic identity. During that time we were all given the opportunity for Confession and were able to celebrate that renewed sense of identity through more hands on activities. Following this we were blessed to have our own Mass said for us by Fr. Reutter at midnight!! We ended the night with free time and games.
Morning came very soon but so did breakfast of donuts and orange juice, and as we broke into small groups to discuss what we learned the previous night, everyone seemed to be having a good time! The weekend and the retreat ended at 10:30 with a slide show of the event and a great song that said perfectly what had happened:
There is no guilt here, there is not shame.
No pointing fingers, there is no blame.
What happened yesterday has disappeared.
The dirt has washed away and now is clear.
There’s only grace; There’s only love
There’s only mercy and believe me it’s enough!
Your sins are gone without a trace
There’s nothing left now.
There’s only Grace!
You’re starting over now under the sun
You’re stepping forward now
A New Life has begun
Your New Life has begun!!…
At the end of the retreat, despite being tired, everyone was equipped with the tools to start the New Life that they received overnight and had a great time!!!
P.S. Pictures will be posted soon!
