Ecce Agnus Dei!

All are invited to St. John Vianney Parish on February 27 at 7 PM for the kickoff to our monthly night of prayer, song and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It will be an awesome evening for young and old alike.

The Rules Video

Check out our rules! Written by Janet, produced by Fernando, blessed by Fr. Joe.

Turning Over a New Leaf

"Prepare the way of the Lord!" cries St. John the Baptizer from the banks of the River Jordan. St. John exhorted his people, Israel, to change their ways, to turn-around, to undergo an inner conversion so they would be ready for the Messiah when he finally came. Many heeded his call and were baptized in that river. They allowed the water to cover them, killing their old habits and making room for new ways, aligned with the peace, justice and mercy their God demanded. From there they were turned in a new direction, cleaned off by a river that is at once life-giving and treacherous.

Those who followed John actually witnessed the moment when the skies were "torn open" and a voice boomed "You are my son; with you I am well pleased" after Jesus' own baptism. At our last Middle School Youth Group, we took this event as our inspiration for the evening- the Baptism of the Lord. It's very fortunate that this celebration occurs as we transition from Christmastime back to the regularity of Ordinary Time. The fact that God Himself, in Christ, wished to join us in Baptism is a strong indicator of how important this practice is to our Creator. We gain a new nature in baptism, the perfect, clean nature that Jesus brought with him to Earth. By following God's example of baptism, we start the work necessary to join Christ in heaven with His Father. 

And so, we reminded our middle schoolers, it is important to remind ourselves often of this great gift of a unstained nature! The new year is a natural time to look closely at ourselves and evaluate the cleanliness of our lives and behavior. Does our lifestyle live up to the new nature we were given at baptism? Perhaps looking back at the last year with its ups and downs, its blessings and challenges, will show us how we can honor the gift of baptism better in the coming year.

We thought about our grades, our habits, our favorite activities and our least favorite things to do. We looked closely at how our relationships with our parents, brothers, sisters, teachers, friends and coaches changed and developed over the last year. Then we asked about the most important relationship of all- our relationship with God. All of our kids took some time to look back at how they've messed up or what bad habits they might have. Our response to mistakes and fights is not only to apologize but to change our ways. So, our evening of reflection and sharing culminated in "turning over a new leaf" for the new year. Just like we go through a big cleaning process at baptism to turn over a new nature, we can do through smaller process each year, resolving to change one bad habit in favor of a good one. Those who had trouble getting along with their parents resolved to show their affection more often. Some who received many detentions decided to talk less in class. 

I am very proud of the willingness and creativity our middle schoolers show in confronting behaviors they know they can improve upon. As we make changes for a new year in our youth ministry program for St. Jude's and St. John's, I think we should keep in mind the effort our students put into all they do outside of youth upgroup. I'm pleased just to be able to meet them and hear how they think and act. I will follow their examples by looking for creative solutions to my bad habits. One 6th grader took the initiative to even leave our small group to find her mother (on the other side of the room) and tell her how much she loves and appreciates her. If only the rest of us could show such affection toward those we love!

Many blessings for a happy New Year!

New Year, New Calendar

Well, it looks like things will be changing a bit for our Middle School youth ministry program. In order to accomodate the busy schedules of our youth and, of course, their parents, we're changing the day and time of Middle School life nights. Starting on the 9th of January, we'll begin having Youth Group from 6-8 PM every other Friday. The location will remain the WTL youth room at St. Jude's. Additionally, we'll to have a monthly Saturday field trip or fun outting of some kind. To make it easy on everyone involved with Middle School Youth Group, there is now a calendar that you can access at any time right here.



Please refer to this calendar often and add it to your favorites for easy access!

Many Blessings for a Happy New Year!!

Advent.. fast approaching

Hey Parents..
The first Sunday of Advent is November 30th. We are going to be having a night with the teens to celebrate this special time in our church. Sometimes I get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas SHOPPING season that I forget to focus on the true reason of Christmas.. Christ! What traditions do you have in your families for the Advent Season that help remind each other the true reason for the season?

The Inaugrial Blog of the WTL

Hey all you parents out there! I am very excited to be blogging to you all, since this is honestly my second time ever using a blog. (So don't feel bad if you are not sure how exactly this works!)

After an awesome parent meeting on Sunday, it was decided that parents need a way to be able to discuss Catholic issues that are important to them as well as to their teens. So with the use of the wonderful world of technology,the WTL Parent Blog was formed! I hope that this will be a forum where all parents of our teens may feel safe and comfortable to discuss any and all issues that they feel are on their hearts. My hope is that we can have some good engaging conversations not only about the Catholic Church and its teachings, but also how you may hear God's call through the beauty of the sacraments, or maybe sometimes not hear anything and wonder what is going on? I ask that all our conversations be in the spirit of our Creator, knowing that anything we all contribute is to help each other develop a closer relationship to Christ and lead each other one step closer to the kingdom of Heaven.

My second hope is that you as parents will be able to have a support group (for lack of better phrase) to discuss issues that your teens are facing and how you all have been able to help them throughout their learning. I will try my hardest to help break open the Word through these discussions and give some light on how our Church and faith can guide us to the Truth.

So lets get down to some discussion... In my life, I contemplate and pray alot about where God is leading me and in what direction He wants me to go. I feel that teens have these similar thoughts about their future and what exactly God is calling them too? That is a question we ask alot in our Life Nights. Our semester with the teens has been looking at morality and the issues they face. Our hope is that teens are able to remember that in all decisions they should consult God through their prayers, but inevitably they make the decision through their free will. And through free will, we as humans sometimes do not make the best decisions for ourselves, which then leads us into sin. But of course, God is all wonderful and forgiving and accepts us right back into His arms when we truly ask for our sins to be forgiven.
So the first question I have for you all to discuss is.... What are issues that you may be facing with your teens or in your own lives that have been obstacles and given you those moments where you think "I know God only gives me what I can handle, I just wish he didn't trust me so much!"? How much do you ask God to help you in these difficult times? In what ways do you try to seek Him to help you with your decisions? What graces have you witnessed because of the Father through these difficult times?

I thank you all in advance for participating in this ministry and pray that the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with an everlasting love of the Father.