Youth Ministry Announcements
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Downloadable Content
Get the Liturgical Ministry Schedule
See the C1 Meal Ministry Schedule
Download the YM Calendar (updated 10/24/17)
Choosing a Patron Saint (Due April 30, 2018 for C2)
Sponsor Information Form (Due April 30, 2018 for C2) -
20% Project Resources
This year, our C2 Teens are spending 20% of their sessions on a project that somehow connects their passion (what they love), their vocation (what they're good at), and a need they recognize in the world. This very open-ended project was designed to help foster creative use of the gifts God has given them in this life - and as long as the teens can explain how their passion, vocation, and a need come together in their project, they're good to go!
Here are some resources for you if you'd like to work on your 20% Project at home:
20Time.org
"Students will be future ready if you give them time." This website gives concrete examples of 20% projects around the country.
2017-2018 20% Project Syllabus
The Bad Idea Factory
Brainstorming Guide
Project Proposal and Planning Guide
20% Project Presentation Sign-Ups
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Cross Hike and Fortnite: LIVE
May 2We'll be taking a sunset Hike to the Cross at Saint Mary's College, weather permitting! We need chaperones - let me know if you can come!
May 9
It's Fortnite: LIVE at "Cheery Church" (aka Santa Maria)!! Please bring any Nerf guns you're willing to lend us, labeled with your name BEFORE Wednesday! I need time to stash the loot.
Please - no MEGA models. Write your name on masking tape and stick it to the side.
Adults and High Schoolers - we need referees for May 9! Will you help? (Counts as volunteer hours; NOT a make-up.) -
Sunday of Service: Glide Memorial
Some of our YM families have taken the initiative to schedule a service date for any interested families!
Siobhan Foy has signed Santa Maria up for 15 volunteer slots on Sunday, May 13 from 9am-11am at Glide Memorial in San Francisco. At the last count, 6 of those spots have already been claimed - so sign up fast with Siobhan to get one of the remaining openings! Parents and teens welcome.
Parents, please note: I am required to tell you that this is NOT an official Santa Maria event. It is simply an opportunity for your families to participate in service work if you so choose! Thus there will be no permission slips, chaperone requirements, etc. from me. -
Want to grow in your faith this summer?
For the second time only, renowned Youth Ministry movement Life Teen is hosting the Steubenville NorCal Catholic Youth Conference!
I went last year (photo attached, 'cuz pics or it didn't happen) and I think you guys would get a lot out of it.
The goal of the weekend: "to help ensure that all teens – no matter where they are on their faith journey – have an encounter with the God Who loves them and the Church He loved us enough to begin." We're all for that!!
It's July 27-29 in San Mateo - the cost is $200 plus whatever the hotel ends up being.
Interested? LMK now so we can talk about making it possible!! -
Important Information for C2 Candidates
SIGN UPS:
C2 Chats
Sometime during the month of May, plan on coming in for a C2 Chat with Megan (and possibly Father George) to reflect on the past couple years of preparation and what you plan to do after you're Confirmed. Sign up for a 15-20 minute chat here.20% Project Presentations
In the final three Confirmation sessions, we'll spend a few minutes at the end listening to what you've done in your 20% Projects. Whether you've completed it or have just gotten started on the work, be prepared to present for about 2 minutes on your project, why you're passionate about it, how it connects with what you're good at, and what need of the world it addresses. Sign up for a date to present here. (Groups - please designate one person to sign up for a slot; you'll all present together.)
IMPORTANT DATES:
April 30: Sponsor Information Forms Due
Your sponsor is your role model for Catholic life. Have your sponsor return this form to Megan by April 30.
Does your sponsor go to a church that isn't Santa Maria? Their own pastor will need to write Megan a letter (40 Santa Maria Way, Orinda CA 94563) verifying that they are a practicing Catholic in good standing canonically with the Catholic Church, and that there is nothing barring them from being a sacramental sponsor.April 30: Patron Saint Form Due
Have you chosen your Patron Saint? Download this form and submit it to Megan by April 30 with your chosen patron saint! (Not sure what a Patron Saint is or how to choose one? Click here to find out more!)June 10: Sacrament of Confirmation
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated Sunday, June 10 at the 5:00pm Mass!June 9: Candidate and Sponsor Twilight Retreat and Rehearsal Dinner
Candidates and their sponsors: gather in the Parish Hall from 5:00pm-7:30pm on Saturday, June 9! We'll have a Twilight Retreat reflecting on the symbols of Confirmation and the Scripture readings for the Confirmation Mass, eat dinner together, and finish up by rehearsing the Rite of Confirmation in the church. -
C1/C2: Topics for April 29
C1 and C2 are in full session! Read on for the topics and info for the upcoming sessions.
C1: The Bible, Part II
Read: N/A this week (Not ironic - wait and see!)
Watch: How should I Use the Bible? (Video 5.3)
Think: If you were to write a book of the Bible, what would you write?C2: The Sacrament of Confirmation, Part II
Read: John 20:22; 2 Timothy 1:6; Ephesians 1:13
Watch: How Will Confirmation Change You? (Video 10.3)
Think: What do you want to be different in your faith life after Confirmation?
See if you're scheduled for Liturgical Ministry at this day's Youth Mass! -
Extra Involvement Opportunities (Confirmation Make-Ups)
Everyone is invited to these extra involvement opportunities - and each also counts as a Confirmation make-up if you follow the instructions (if any) at the end of each listing! Parents, please be aware - on rare occasions, some events are age-specific, so read carefully and use your best judgment in attending.
NB: You're allowed up to 2 absences per year for Confirmation, and you can make up the time with any of these events or others you've spoken to Megan about. Remember - make-ups make up the time you've missed; they don't "cancel out" your absence!
MSYG Leadership
Any teen in Confirmation looking to get more involved in ministry is welcome to check out leadership in Middle School Youth Group! Get a taste for what it's like to be on the Faith In Action Team (FIAT) by organizing games, directing skits, leading discussions and Bible Studies, and hanging out with the Middle Schoolers.
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30pm
Santa Maria Youth Room
For a make-up: Create a discussion or Bible Study in collaboration with Megan, and facilitate it with the rest of FIAT at a MSYG session.
The Grace of Divine Union
Connect with the tradition of Christian mysticism - and the doctrine of grace that holds that the mystical is an all-absorbing gift of union with God - and reflect on why this is important in your Christian life today.
Monday, April 30, 7:00-9:00pm
Saint Mary's College Soda Center, Moraga Room (Get Directions)
For a make-up: Attend and email Megan about something you hadn't known before you attended this talk.