Grand Rapids MI

It seems in the Diocese of Grand Rapids most parishes have a combined DRE and Youth Minister, though the diocese has no budget at all for events, and therefore it falls upon a couple of parishes, plus Aquinas College to organize them. I was told the kids are hungry for anything they put on, and this proved to be true. Aquinas was the very first youth rally we ever did, back in '99. and this weekend we returned to the diocese for a very large retreat, where 9 different parishes brought their Confirmation kids together - almost 200 teens plus about 70 adult leaders, parents and sponsors. I was curious how they knew about us, and apparently they saw us at the National Youth Ministers Conference in Pittsburgh '04.

They had a good facility and excellent equipment, so it was clear from the start this was going to be a great event. The kids began arriving early, and the usual resistance from Confirmation candidates was not much in evidence, even though most of them were probably there under obligation. This was probably the largest single group we have had for a single retreat, but the icebreakers and games worked surprisingly well. In no time they were split into small groups and began sharing with their adult leaders. The combination of movie clips and pictures in our usual Confirmation program of THE CALL and THE END OR THE BEGINNING solicited great responses from the kids, with times of laughter and of questions and answers.

I usually don't do much music with Confirmation groups as they tend to not be so receptive, but in this case it was clear they wanted to rock, and so we ended with the full Evang-a-Ganza. By this time, it took on the feel of a youth rally, with kids at the front doing the actions, and the whole audience leaping in the air! By the end, the youth leaders told us all the kids seemed to get something different from the day, and they are asking for us to come back and do another retreat and youth rally. Hopefully this will be the start of a long relationship with the youth of Grand Rapids.

Upland CA

This was our second time in Upland CA. Last year we did an evening for the Confirmation group, but this week we did all of their Religious Ed classes - about 500 kids, plus about another 100 parents and teachers. The first night was a special presentation for Confirmation kids again, and a couple of the adults commented they liked the explanation of Confirmation confirming our place in Heaven, like we might confirm a flight or hotel reservation.

Over the following days we gave 4 concerts for all the classes from kindergarten to 8th grade. It was rather different to our usual teen ministry having such young kids present, but had its special appeal! At the start of one concert a small boy shouted out "what movie are we going to see" then when told it would be a concert, said "I like the colors of the picture!" Another time a girl cried heavily because she did not want Jesus to die.

Instead of the usual crowds of teens onstage, we had small children doing all the actions and leaping in the air. Those making their first Confession wanted to hear about Jesus taking away the garbage of our lives. Some families came back a second or third time. They are now discussing bringing us back for weekend retreats next year.

Redlands CA

This was our 5th time working with St. Mary's in Redlands CA, a mostly Mexican parish. This was however the first time they had a youth retreat in the English language, and they all seemed pleased with the result. 68 kids turned up together with about 11 adult leaders and a number of others in the kitchen. Running from Friday night til Sunday afternoon, they all had to sleep on the floor.

A couple of the kids were about 12-13, and a few were in the 18-19 age range, but most were about 15. The first night consisted mainly of icebreakers and group activities to put them at ease and start getting to know each other. Saturday was a long day from 10am til 9pm (apparently the Spanish retreats don't take a break except for lunch and dinner, and so they wanted to do the same here.)

We had a mix of team builders, talks and small group discussions in the earlier part of the day. By the afternoon they seemed tired and so early evening was mostly spent with a bunch of games and activities, after which they were wide awake once more. Fr. Miguel closed the evening with a quiet time of Adoration and Reconcilliation and some kids shared a prayer.

Sunday included an Examination of Conscience and afterwards a few of the teens came up and shared their testimony of the retreat. Most said they had not wanted to come, but really got a lot out of it. A couple said they were really changed. Finally we had the Teen Mass and the room dividers were opened to reveal their families waiting to greet them. It was quite moving when Fr. Miguel reunited them all at the end of his sermon.

Once again at the end, several of them gave testimonies, including some of the adult leaders. It was a great weekend for all of us, and we hope it will encourage many of them to join the youth group and become more active in the church.

Bakersfield, CA

Our first stop in CA was a parish in Bakersfield where I was due to give presentations on the ROCK THAT DOESN'T ROLL and the Gothic lifestyle. Beforehand the Associate Pastor prayed for me and said it is all about saving souls.... he later commented he must be a goth as he dresses in black!

The audience of mostly teens took part in some icebreakers first, and they were warm and friendly, and open to the message. During the interval a couple of boys came up to ask about Christian hard rock bands, as they like heavy metal. Another said he liked the bands I featured, and my old Classix Nouveaux video!

During the second presentation on Goth culture, the loudest applause came when I told them Marilyn Manson says he would like to be remembered as the person who put an end to Christianity, but I think he over rates himself if he thinks he can bring down what has endured and changed the world for 20 centuries!

We ended with everyone in prayer and they went home in a positive frame of mind. Tomorrow we drive three hours to Redlands for our next retreat.

NCSC College Conference 2005

NCSC 12-31-05 Chicago, IL. Approx. 280 college students
To date we have done about 50 Diocesan Youth Rallies and numerous other retreats and different teen events. But it has been fairly rare that we have ministered to college kids, so the National Catholic Student Conference was something new for us, though they have been meeting for 22 years. The conference was over 4 days, and the schedule was quite different to teen rallies, with much more emphasis on talks, workshops, and regional meetings.

Our music was spread out in 10-15 minute segments over the days, plus we had the Teen Mass, and 3 daily workshops on different themes such as the Body of Christ, Justice, and our Call. We opened the conference on the first afternoon with some well known worship songs and the students rose enthusiastically to participate, as they did on the other occasions too. The Teen Mass was well received the next day, and one nun told me many people commented that the sacrifice of Jesus came through so much more strongly through the video than in a normal Mass.

Most of the exhibitors were religious orders looking for vocations, and I have rarely been in a place with so many priests and nuns together! One nun who played guitar at the Masses used to be in a heavy metal band, and she was pretty good! Chaplain to the students was Bishop Peter from Hartford CT, who was a humble and encouraging presence throughout. Some of the students told me they or their siblings had seen me at the various Youth Rallies around the country. Tonight I will see in the New Year in Chicago in the fellowship of believers as I did seven years ago on my first New Year here!

Happy New Year!
Sal