Sal Solo Ministry

Wheaton, IL

2008-03-20T14:06:00.001-05:00

St. Thomas, Naperville IL

2008-03-11T00:29:00.000-05:00

St. Rosalie's 2008

2008-01-24T15:52:00.000-06:00

Downers Grove, IL

2008-01-15T12:19:00.000-06:00

Lemont IL

2008-01-08T19:04:00.000-06:00

NCYC 2007

2007-12-08T15:41:00.001-06:00

Elk Grove Village, IL

2007-10-26T14:49:00.001-05:00

St. Williams Fest, Chicago

2007-09-24T16:22:00.000-05:00

The St. Williams youth group sponsored their first ever outdoor parish festival. They had inflatable slides and games for the kids, different ethnic foods, and a stage for the DJ then later concert. The weather was perfect with a warm sunny day and the evening sounds of rap from Joseph and M.A.S. prior to the final Evang-a-Ganza. The youth group is hopeful this will stimulate enthusiasm for many more events.

St. Jude, Peoria

2007-09-18T19:12:00.000-05:00

Starting with parish Mass in the morning...

Evang-a-Ganza in the evening...

We are all still reeling from the Sal Solo experience this weekend!!! Everyone I have spoken to enjoyed themselves immensely! Everyone so enjoyed meeting you, hearing your message, and want to experience this feeling more often in their own lives. I can also tell you that the boys so enjoyed you, meeting you, and helping out along the way. I can't tell you what a positive role model you have become to them overnight.

We attended the Mass & concert given @ St. Jude's. They were both wonderful. What a great ministry you are doing. Our prayers are that the good you do will multiply. He will surely tell you "Well done my good & faithful servant".

Maywood, IL

2007-09-11T00:15:00.000-05:00

PANAMA

2007-08-17T19:23:00.001-05:00

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A few weeks ago we participated in Generacion Alabanza (Generation Praise) in Denver. It is advertised as 5 hours of unbroken worship, with prayer stations, videos and music, and three artists participating. Panama was the first place to have Generacion Alabanza two years ago, and also the first place to have my Mass in my absence, since I was unavailable. However this time the updated Mass could be sung by everyone and the new videos enjoyed.
We began in a city called Santiago, then the next day to Aguadulce; finally Panama City for the biggest crowd. I was able to bring many of the teenagers up to the stage and the assisted with reading prayer intentions which the public had written.
Panama seemed a little more developed than many other Latin countries. For many years the USA controlled the Panama Canal, and they still use dollars. Many Americans have property there and other Latinos come to shop in their malls. I was reminded that this time last year we were in India for Monsoon season, as it rained in Panama each afternoon but soon dried out in the heat.

Theology On Tap

2007-07-28T20:24:00.001-05:00

COMMITMENT DAY CHICAGO

2007-07-27T19:48:00.000-05:00

The day started with Bishop Manz celebrating Mass for teens and youth ministers in a local church. The teens then processed over to the Orozco Academy for some pizza, subs, funa and games as we opened with music and song followed by an exciting mix of rappers M.A.S. and Joseph then Mexican dancers dressed in colorful costumes of their culture. The day included lots of icebreakers, skits, Youth Director Chuy handing out awards, recognizing various leaders in the Vicariate and a birthday celebration for one of the youth ministers.

The activities shifted from the cafeteria to the gym for an American Idol skit, then the Evang-A-Ganza and closed with a DJ Dance. It turned out to be a great day from beginning to end with a wonderful mix of fun, cultural and spiritual activities. We commend Chuy and his team for their excellent service to the young Catholic Church.

Denver Alabanza

2007-06-18T14:04:00.001-05:00

It was a different kind of Hispanic festival than I have done before. Called "Generación Alabanza", it means something like Generation of Praise and is aimed at challenging young adults with new ways to pray and worship. A gym was set up with various different prayer points where people could write their intentions and pin them to a display. Each display had a title like "Wall of Jericho." On one wall cellphone or internet prayers were projected.

On the stage, various videos played until the time when two other artists and myself led them in worship. One was from Costa Rica and the other from Dominican Republic. The day ended with Teen Mass in Spanish and the other singers joined me. The audience included some older people and some children, along with young adults and teens, and the whole thing was streamed over the internet, video and sound. The event was sponsored by the Archdiocese of Denver Hispanic Youth Ministry.
A couple of days before, I gave the "MyPod Speak" presentation for Denver youth ministers. Chris, the Diocesan Youth Director, said he was blown away as he has never seen a multimedia presentation like this, and it was just like being in a music video! He recorded and video taped the talk to put up on their website and feels more people will get to appreciate it that way.

Sacramento '07

2007-06-11T13:23:00.000-05:00

Famine - Confirmation

2007-04-30T13:22:00.000-05:00

Two events this past weekend. Firstly our 3rd or 4th annual 30 Hour famine in Romeoville, then a Confirmation Retreat in Chicago. How did they go? See for yourselves:

And the retreat:

WHAT A WEEK!

2007-04-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

FOUR days of ministry and four days of travel in one eight day period and finally back home!

NEW JERSEY YOUTH RALLY
The week ended with a big Pro-Life rally organized by the Salesian Fathers and Brothers. 5 dioceses across NJ participated, together with a small group from NY. Although they were in school groups, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of many as they ran up onto the stage for the upbeat songs. The whole audience listened with close attention throughout, with no sense of impatience or tiredness even after almost two hours - my computer clock was still on central time, so I did not realize I had run over!
After nearly 8 years in the USA, this was the first time anyone had requested the Pro-Life message. It was very timely in a week when the Supreme Court upheld the ban on partial birth abortion. Fr. Steve the organizer said the audience was "captivated." He later wrote: "Sal did a masterful job. The way he used technology and clearly preached the life message to the young was amazing." However, the messages sent by some of the teens often speak louder:

" i attended the pro-life rally at seaton hall on april 19, 2007. it was amazing. the facts and the information you provided us was touching. I have been in youth group for 4 years now and we never really touched the subject about aborstion. what you said made me feel like i want to go out there to the world and to my peers and preach about pro-life. i am now looking into the topic and deciding that thats what i want to do when i have enough info. i want the world to know that abortion is wrong and that takeing someone elses life away is not the right thing to do. i want to preach just like you did today. i am so thankfull that you were our main speaker. thanks you so much for inspiring me to do whats right and to get the word out there."

"I was at the youth ralley today in new jersey, excellent presentation, I definetly enjoyed it. I'm a fan of classix nouveaux so it was definetly a nice suprise to see you there. Definetly a big influence on me. Thank you so much, and it was good hearing you speak at the rally today."

"You are totally awesome and an inspiration to all!!! =]"

The 'nun who used to be in a heavy metal band' that I often refer to in my talks was there. Her school group did an amusing skit about "Chastity Man" and she had her picture taken with me. All kudos to her and those who bring their school groups to this excellent event, and specially to the Salesians for their effort in putting it on, and raising the $20,000 it takes each year.

ST. BENEDICT's CHICAGO

Before taking the plan to NJ we had a Leadership Retreat for Juniors at this Chicago Catholic High School. They were led by an excellent group of seniors and responded positively to all elements of the retreat. In fact the scores on their evaluation forms were higher than typical Confirmation retreats, giving theree elements 9 out of 1o and 4 elements 8 out of 10, for a 8.42 average. Preparing them to be leaders in their senior year was best summed up by one boy who said "I am a leader when I know what to do and a follower when someone else knows better!"

Paul Bauer, my faithful technical assistant made this video:

Comments included:

Sal did a really good job! Especially making up the games. His message was really good and he should come back again.
I love the music
Good job, I really love your old music video
I really enjoyed it! Amazing job!
The games were tons of fun
I really liked it a lot!!!
You rock!

SAN ANTONIO YOUTH EXPLOSION

The previous weekend, a two day conference in TX provided a model for other charismatic youth conferences, including our own in Chicago. They have formed a strong team of youth leaders in High School, and a couple in college. They are able to lead and ,otivate their peers in a way adults often cannot. During the weekend of the year they do retreats in various parishes, and so they are a well oiled machine when it comes to putting on their conference! A flood of MySpace requests and comments proceeded from this conference, such as these:

Hey Sal You were SOOOO Great In San Antonio, You really inspired me in so many ways and you touch my heart... when you were giving ur talks it made me think alot and I really like the fact of it.... Well hope to see you at next years youth explosion and god bless to you and urs!!!

i was at the comference in San Antonio, and i sat behind u once!!!!! i think you preach about God really well!!! ^__^
~GoD rOx mY sOx~

I think that you where so awsome here in San Antonio exsplosion this weekend you where great. Hope to come agian

u were so awesome at the san antonio conference!!! i'd like to be at another conference with u there! it was so fun! ^__^

Hey just wanted to tell you that you were totally awesome this weekend in San Antonio!! This conference was really inspiring and I hope to go again next year!! Thanks for everything and keep it up!!

you were freakin awesome at the youth explosion this weekend.

u were amazing at the san antonio convention! i really enjoyed it

"You really were great at San Antonio! ^^ Your music was awesome and I really enjoyed it!"

I loved it when you came to the convention center in San Antonio for Youth Explosion!"

"Hey! i just saw u at uth xplosion in San Antonio u were awesome!

St. Monica's, Chicago

2007-04-06T12:35:00.000-05:00

Walking into St. Monica's, I heard one girl say "He's cool, he has earrings!" Just shows how important small details can be to teens! The retreat brought together 50 8th graders from the school and the parish who might not have known each other, making the mixer games important. Staff from the parish and the school were all very friendly and welcoming, and appreciated us being there, as did the Pastor.

Before starting the program, the students filled out a couple of forms in preparation. One invited them to write down their gifts and ambitions. One boy wants to play in a heavy metal band - another wants to play World Cup Soccer. The other form is about what is important to them, and themes such as WHAT COLLEGE SHOULD I ATTEND, HOW FAR SHOULD I GO ON A DATE, and MAKING FRIENDS, were among the most common priorities.

The adult leaders commented that the kids were sharing and interacting well, and they responded positively and respectfully to the various talks, games, and activities. After the first session, the Deacon expressed his appreciation that the message is presented very much in the language of the teens. This was our 9th retreat of the past 3 months. Once again a number of Friend Requests on MySpace indicated the approval of the teens. Comments included:

thank you. iim from st.monica school. we had your retreat on wednesday. i had a blast

"doode! you are amazing! your retreat was fantastic.

Bolingbrook IL

2007-04-03T11:26:00.000-05:00

Kankakee-Palatine-St.Williams

2007-03-25T16:07:00.000-05:00

Six days and three ministry events - from Chicago to Palatine to Kankakee. First our return to St. William's of Chicago. Since our previous event there was well received, the youth group wanted to hold a healing service of praise and worship. It was enjoyable for all of us on the ACTS team to sing a number of different songs, and many people came up to receive prayer at the end.

A couple of days later, a last minute call came in to provide music for an annual Healing Mass in Palatine celebrated by Fr. Paul Burak who is the Charismatic Liaison for the Archdiocese of Chicago. Despite a torrent of rain outside, the people inside were very appreciative.

Saturday was a Confirmation retreat for various parishes in the Kankakee area of central Illinois. The 8th graders were open and friendly and participated fully in all the activites. Afterwards some wrote: "It was kool!!!" "Funner than I thought" "I loved the retreat & the speaker. It was so much fun." "Super cool day! Had fun!" With a bunch of Friend Requests coming in on MySpace, we can assume it was a successful day.

Florida to Chicago

2007-02-27T20:43:00.000-06:00

After returning from Crookston last week, we had just two days to prepare for another 5 days of ministry and 2 days travel. In the last couple of years, we in ACTS, made a decision to concentrate on those who don't want to be there (Confirmation kids and now schools) rather than those who do (Youth Rallies). Lately we have been doing many Confirmation retreats but last week we had retreats for sophmores and juniors in a Florida Catholic School. Beforehand I wondered what might be the difference in a group who are always together, used to following specific schedules and discipines etc. For instance, would they be willing to enter into games? Would they mix, or stick in their usual cliques? Would they be willing to interact at all?

They gathered in the hall of an unfamiliar school and that might have helped them be prepared for something different. They were somewhat inhibited in the mornings, but ready to enter into games and excercises much more enthusiastically in the afternoons. The inclusion of a short rap show from Masheti Moses each day was well received by the students, even though some don't like rap.

On the evaluations, overall scores averaged 7 or 8 out of 10. One teacher called the presentation "phenomenal" and one parent who came to help echoed the sentiment. Comments from the teens included:

My outlook has changed quite a bit. Thanks!
I LOVED the videos & message. Also I enjoyed hearing from someone who had his own personal life changing experience.
Better than any other school retreat
Your talk affirmed me and my beliefs & brought to view many things I never thought of and really made me look, thank you so much.
This was the most meanignful retreat so far
Very cool media presentation - I liked the videos!

There were two or three hostile comments, which as a former Catholic school student myself, I would not find too surprising. However we we didn't know until afterwards that not all students are Catholics, but some are Protestants, Jews, Hindus and Muslims. It is quite possible that a Protestant may object to teachings about the Sacraments, while those of other religions may object to the idea that Jesus is the Only Way!

Immediately upon completing the second retreat, we had to pack up and fly back to Chicago for the CCRCC Conference. Two new presentations were needed: THE WOMAN AT THE WELL for High School on Saturday morning, and MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR YOU for Junior High on Saturday afternoon. The latter was particularly well received, though some MySpace messages from older teens also came in:

"i liked your song this weekend they were great i liked them"

"hey sal i wanted to thank you for being at the confrence you were really good if i were to say you were the best my second favorite band is mashetimoses i listen to there cd all the way home thanks for coming "

On the Saturday night they had a Masheti Moses performance and the kids responded with excitement, and bought all his CDs! Sunday morning we brought in another new guest - Rob K from Spirit Juice, a Catholic Radio program. He showed some vieos and seemed another hit with the kids. Special guest was Fr. Stan Fortuna from NY, and we followed with a slideshow from the weekend, which allowed the kids to see themselves and recall the various activities. Despite the heavy snowfall, it seems a good weekend was had by all.

Crookston MN

2007-02-19T20:21:00.001-06:00

This was the first Diocesan sponsored Junior High Rally for Crookston, and seems to have been a great success. Already the Youth Director, asked if we can return for a summer camp. With snow covering the landscape in a town called Ada, the locals said it was "warm", (at least compared to usual!) Anyway, the reception and the people certainly were warm.

Theme of the day was "Discovering the Way", accenting that Jesus is the Way. A great team of older teen leaders served as MCs, musicians, and opended with a skit illustrating all the peer pressure to follow the crowd.

Next came our Evang-a-Ganza with many new videos that have not been seen before at a youth rally. Of course most of them had never seen any of them before, and for those younger kids, it may have been the first time they ever had such a faith experience. As usual they were up on the stage for the popular songs, and when invited to receive prayer, they all stood up. The Youth Director commented that for most of them it would have been something new for them to raise their hands in praise. Later he told them this was one of the most powerful keynotes he ever witnessed.
The Bishop arrived for Mass and during his homily, he turned to me and said "I didn't hear you, but I heard good things about you!" Though he is close to retirement, he spoke about iPods and internet, confirming the message we keep hearing that the tech language of today's youth seems to have taken over their lives.

For dinner they had to split into two groups, and so I had half of them at a time for some games and activities, including a whole bunch of Minnesota American Idol wannabbes! The day ended with a dance and our favorite Catholic DJ Bill Lage. We last worked with him in the Diocese of Winona, and he leads the kids in actions to all the songs. He also told the kids that last time I had encouraged him to play more Christian music.

Though younger kids are often limited in their access to the net, first internet messages came in quickly: "Hey i was just at the rally in crookston good show" and "you should really come back to ada borup, you were great. and i really liked your guitar." Thanks for your prayerful support.

VIDEO BLOGS

2007-02-15T17:36:00.001-06:00

Blogs of latest events are now up on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=627680526C6967AA

Recent Retreats

2007-01-22T13:43:00.000-06:00

Lots of retreats these weekends with parishes round Chicago! Firstly a group of High School teens from Mount Vernon in the Northern Suburbs on their annual 3 day retreat in the country. This was a challenge not only for the length of time, but also the fact that retreats are usually for Confirmation kids, but these older teens needed something different. We were able to tackle deeper topics like sexuality, finding time for God, and even Rock n'Roll and Christianity! They seemed to particularly enjoy the small group discussions, and we ended with a Communion Service based on our Teen Mass.

"Refreshing to have this sort of retreat" "It was a fun filled weekend" "Yeah it was fun"

The next day to a parish in Harwood Heights near O'Hare, for the second year running. This was a typical Confirmation group of 8th graders, for whom our retreats are specifically tailored. They still were far more enthusiastic than usual, and seemed to enjoy everything. This was reflected in their Evaluation forms, where most elements averaged 8 or 9 out of 10.

"It was deep and I learned a lot about Jesus" "It was the greatest, greatest, yeah" "I think the retreat wasn't a waste of time and it was fun"

The following Saturday we had 120 7th graders in Plainfield. Coping with the larger than usual numbers was a little challenging. When the kids are not even teenagers, it is surprising how different the maturity levels are, but there were many positive moments. The Youth Minister told me he was surprised to see so many kids up singing in our American Idol skit. Some of them wrote on their evaluations that was the highlight of their day!
"I thought it would be boring but it was awesome!" "This was the best retreat ever. I want to come back again!" "I had a lot of fun & it really taught me something. I liked the video a lot"

The next day we had a 100% Mexican group in SW Chicago, and a Bilingual retreat. All the titles were up in Spanish as well as English, and some songs were sung in Spanish. A small group of kids who spoke Spanish only were given translations of everything and their own small group. This parish recently made a change in their Confirmation program which has resulted in a transition group mixing both 6th graders with 12th! The real young kids had a hard time making a serious contribution to the small group discussions and had to be told to behave during the talks, but they did not cause any major disruption.

"Come again" "Was better than the last retreat" "i was very impressed with your presentations!"

Generally the videos and music score high with the kids, confirming our approach of letting the multimedia tell the story, rather than relying solely upon the spoken word.

You can see video blogs on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=627680526C6967AA

Las Vegas

2006-12-05T00:24:00.000-06:00

The National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry takes place every two years, and this was the third time we participated since the founding of ACTS. It also seemed to be by far the best and most productive for us. Whether it was that the location brought more people and their spouses, for a total of 2,900 youth ministry people; whether it was the situation of our exhibit and the bright new videos flashing across our screen that drew them in, I cannot say for sure. However we encountered a great deal of interest and enthusiasm both from parish and diocesan youth ministry people.

In no time we could forget about the Las Vegas glitz, the gaming machines at every turn, and also the unusually low temperatures outside. It became an environment surrounded by diverse Catholic youth ministries all around. In the exhibition hall, there were ministries which make videos - one group came all the way from Australia. Ministries that use comedy or music, and some selling T-shirts or other items. We also met a priest from Korea, and a Youth Minister from Denmark.

Had our three days of exhibiting been all we did, it still would have been a good weekend. However we had a resource spotlight to give on the use of multimedia in speaking the language of Millennial Teens at 7:30am on the final morning. It was clear that many would not make the effort to get up so early after 3 days of conferencing and partying in Las Vegas, but some began to arrive early, and they certainly wanted to be there.

One young Youth Minister from Scranton PA told me the reason he is in ministry is that a few years ago, I came to the youth conference at his home Archdiocese of NY. He said I was the first person to put in his mind the idea of serving God and ministering to others, so that is of course the kind of testimony we love to hear. I got to hang out with some cool people, including Cheer Up Charlie (a Christian band). Much of the conference is about meeting others, to encourage and affirm them, and form and strengthen relationships.