Goodbye...

Hi everyone!

This will be my last blog entry. As most of you have probably heard by now, I will be leaving my position at St. Anthony’s at the end of June. I will be going to the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer for the next 27 months starting July 1^st.

I just wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful times! It has been a pleasure getting to know all of you and to be able to share such great memories.

It has been especially great to see the growth in the teens that I’ve worked with these last four years. Many were shy or unsure of themselves when I first met them, but they have really blossomed into confident leaders and amazing people. I am so proud of all the young people at St. Anthony’s! Their enthusiasm and energy, their faith for God, their dreams, goals, and passions have really inspired me. I always tell them that they are not only the future leaders of the Church, they are the present leaders, here and now. They have certainly proven themselves to be effective leaders by serving in various parish ministries and events, community events, and at Youth Group or retreats. You should certainly be proud to be parents, friends and mentors of such awesome young people.

I would also like to thank all the youth ministry leaders who have helped with the program. Their care and dedication to the youth is very evident in the way that they give their time and talent in many different kinds of ways. From chaperoning retreats to organizing snacks, to leading a game or mentoring a small group, they have all blessed the program with their presence. Youth ministry is certainly not a one person job and I couldn’t have run this program without them!

It has been a privilege to be a part of all of your lives. I’ve been witness to many wonderful things happening at St. Anthony’s. God has been present in every moment – including retreats, Adoration, pancake breakfasts, foosball, Confirmation, Youth Nights, meals shared with families, beach trips, youth band, Steubenville NW, silly games, and everything else!

Even though I am excited for the new life adventure I will soon be embarking on, I will still miss all of you very much! Feel free to keep in touch! You can also follow my Peace Corps blog to keep updated on my life in the Philippines.

Sincerely,

Deborah

"Oh the Places You'll Go!"

We had our last Youth Night of the year this past Sunday! Where did the year go? We've had some fun times at Youth Group learning how to "Make a Difference" in our hearts, in our relationship with God, and in the world.

You can watch our end of the year video for a recap of some of our great memories this year.




Congrats to all our seniors!!! You have truly made a big difference in our Youth Program! Our younger teens really look up to you and you have all been great role models in your faith! Good luck in your new life adventures!!!

We are One Body Retreat

We just got back from an amazing retreat in Newport, OR. The theme for the retreat this year was, "We are One Body," and focused on the blessings of being in community with one another. We are all called to contribute our gifts God has given us to help build up the Body of Christ. Through each session we learned how the communities in our lives (family, friends, church etc) help us grow in our faith and become closer to God.

We had some great teen leaders at the retreat helping with games talks, and prayer. We also had all teens participate in leading a morning or evening prayer session and it was wonderful to see how each person contributed to the prayer with enthusiasm.

Check out the video for all the fun pics. During our free time we got to go to the beach and visit a local aquarium.

Lent Gameshow Night

Thanks for an awesome and very fun night! We played Lent Squares (similar to Hollywood Squares) and Lent Catch Phrase. Check out the video for some cool pics!

RISE UP Youth Rally

This past weekend we went to RISE UP Youth Rally. It was an awesome day full of faith and fun - national speakers, musicians, mens and women's sessions, and an amazing time of Adoration.

Check out some of the pics!

MAD Lab Retreat

MAD stands for Make A Difference.

Through a series of fun wacky science labs, teens learned how Jesus can make a difference in their own hearts and lives. The night also included awesome games, great food, making new friends, music and prayer!

Lab Sessions:
1. "God Helps the Blind to See" - Experiments with how the eye can see
2. "God Makes Us Clean" - Dirty penny to a clean penny
3. "Rooted in God" - How fast does celery soak up water?

Check out this slideshow of pics:

RISE UP Rally 2011!!!

High School teens!!! You don't want to miss out on this awesome Rally!!! Check out the promo video. There might be a few people you'll recognize:

Rise Up '11 Promo from Jason Kidd on Vimeo.

Here are a few pics from last year: