Please make plans to join us ,Thursday, September 14 for a Professional Development Day.

During the morning session we will offer the first half of the Mental Health First Aid training. This training is ideal for all in parish ministries and we hope you will take the opportunity to learn some important strategies in providing pastoral care to parishioners of all ages! Our afternoon session will focus on Best Practices in Relational Ministry. These will be ROUND-ROBIN sessions focused on best practices that lend themselves to successful relational ministry. What is your best practice? We want you to take part! We are seeking 6-8 leaders who will share a 15 minute session on a best practice in their parish. What types of topics are we seeking?

• Best practice in forming bonds with parents and grandparents
• Reaching today's teens
• Children's programming that sets a course for lifelong formation
• Accompanying individuals and families through tough times
• Helping individuals of all ages to meet Jesus in Sacramental and daily life
• Best practices in engaging new families (especially newly married, baptism or RCIA families)
• Best practices in evangelizing those on the margins
• Connecting with catechists
• Collaborating with staff

Please download and fill-in the handout below. All "applications" are due by June 1, so that we can structure the day and create valuable resource files for this event!

This was an educational series to help ministry leaders learn more about young adults and what it means to form community with them. You can find the session recordings below.

• Building Community with College Age Young Adults (Passcode: 8.ePmSyx)
• Building Community with Single Young Adults (Passcode: E&%J8Pqr)
• Building Community with Young Families & Single Parents (Passcode: ?HG4Zi4J)
• Coming Together: Integrating Young Adults in the Life of the Church (Passcode: Z=5fAr@#)

In support of the National Eucharistic Revival, the National Catholic Committee on Scouting has initiated a Eucharistic Revival Award. The goal of this award is to find a way for all Catholics, young and old, to revive their faith and love of Jesus through prayer and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. This award has a main central patch and an opportunity to earn eight auxiliary patches, five of which can be worn surrounding the central patch. For the main patch, the requirement is: Attend Sunday Mass and receive the Eucharist (if made First Communion and have no moral impediment) for 12 weeks, preferably consecutively. The themes and requirements for each of the auxiliary awards are as follows:

• Reconciliation – Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (or study the ten commandments if applicant has not made First Penance).
• Rosary – Pray one rosary of each of the joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries.
• Family Prayer – Participate in a family prayer at least weekly for 12 weeks.
• Parish Ministry – Be active in ministry in your parish, such as altar server, choir member, lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, usher (as age appropriate).
• Eucharistic Adoration – Attend a Eucharistic Adoration (preferably with family).
• Eucharistic Miracles – Learn about and discuss five Eucharistic miracles.
• Eucharistic Procession – Participate in a Eucharistic procession.
• Eucharistic Activity – For younger youth, attend a Catholic activity where the theme is the Eucharist; for older youth and adults, attend a retreat where the theme is the Eucharist.

This award is open to all Catholics from first grade level and older. So, it can even be something that a faith formation class or family faith group pursues together! The award can be earned from now until the end of the National Eucharistic Revival in 2025. While the eight auxiliary activities can and should be earned while working on the central patch award, the central patch activity – regular attendance at Sunday Mass – is the foremost goal of any of these activities. Hence it needs to be earned first before any other awards are given. Once the central patch is earned, work on the auxiliary patch requirements may continue until the conclusion of the National Eucharistic Revival.

St. John Fisher University

The GDK Conference will soon be here! Encourage your young people to register today!

This is an excellent opportunity for rising high school juniors and seniors (i.e. current 10th and 11th graders) to gain valuable skills and help them stand out among their peers as student leaders today and into the future. GDK focuses building a more just world, and includes keynotes, workshops, and hands-on opportunities to turn faith into action!

Tuesday, June 13

2:00 p.m.

A webinar co-hosted by NFCYM and Axis Ministries, aimed at helping ministers support parents in navigating the world of TikTok with their teenage children. With the increasing prevalence of social media in the lives of young people, it is essential for parents to understand and guide their children through possibilities and pitfalls. In this webinar, youth ministers will learn practical tips to help parents engage with their teen's use of TikTok and facilitate open and honest conversations around Christ-centered digital citizenship and online safety.

Best wishes to Liana Wolford and her husband, on the recent birth of their daughter, whose presence we have enjoyed at some of our recent events!!