Sr. High Youth Group

” I ask you young people, who naturally and instinctively make your “love of life”
the horizon of your dreams and the rainbow of your hopes, to become “prophets of life”
Be such by your words and deeds, rebelling against the civilization of selfishness that often considers the human person a means rather than the end, sacrificing it’s dignity and feelings in the name of mere profit.  Do so by concretely helping those who need you and who perhaps, without your help, would be tempted to resign themselves to despair.”
-Pope John Paul II, World Youth Day 1996

UPCOMING EVENTS!

Fun Times with the Youth Group

August 28,  7-8:30PM:                    Ice Cream Social

September 11, 6-9PM:                    Sky High Sports (RSVP by Sept. 4)

September 25, 7-9PM:                   Open Gym, game nite

October 9th:  6-9PM                       GameWorks  (RSVP  by Oct. 2)

October 21st, 7-9PM                       Open Gym-   Glow in the Dark sports

Focus on Faith

Wednesday Study Hall-

I will be at Café Javasti every Wednesday afternoon beginning September 7th from 3-5PM.  Come and study with me!   This can be a time for you to study or just talk with your friends  (or me!)      I’ll bring down some board games/card games, etc.   Just in case you already finished your homework.

or Bible Study-

Are you interested in exploring the Bible and the scriptural foundation of our faith?   Many Catholics have never read the bible or studied it–  so they miss out on the context and significance of what we hear on Sundays.   I want to offer you all a chance to deeply explore the bible.    Interested?  I guarantee their are things you have never heard or thought about.   Let me know if you are interested.   I am open to doing this during the Wednesday afternoon study hall or on a Sunday afternoon.    Shoot me an email if you are intrigued or want to hear more.

Wondering how to feel more engaged at mass?

We really want to get you all involved at weekly masses-  as readers and Eucharistic ministers especially.    It’s a great way to stay involved at St. Catherine and contribute to the community.   Plus, it makes mass more interesting if you have a role to play.  Please let me know if you are interested at all.

Strengthfinders (Discover your God Given Talents and Inspire your Community)-  Sept. 25th

These last two years the parish has been meeting in small groups to take a short test and find out more about their own individual strengths and how those gifts can be shared in community.   It is a really interesting test and every individual comes away with a unique set of 5 strengths that speak to who they are.   These strengths are so particular to YOU that your chance of meeting someone else with your same strengths in the same order are 1 in 33 million!  We want to invite you to come and take the test at St. Catherine and then meet to discuss the results.  It really does help to have it all explained.  We will take the test on September 25th at 6:15 (that way we are done before Open Gym. However, I need to know ahead of time if you plan to take it so I can get you a personal code for the computer test.  I believe there will also be a small cost.   The date to gather and discuss is TBA.

10 years of Healing…. 10 years of fighting:

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.   Most of your lives have been profoundly shaped by a post 9/11 climate of war, distrust, and fear of terrorism.    I am working on an opportunity for us to gather with youth from a local Muslim mosque.  I’d love to us to have a chance to share our stories and pray together.  I don’t have a date yet but stay tuned for more information.

Service / Mission Trip

Group opportunities:

St. Catherine’s Parish will be serving at a local soup kitchen once a month this year.  I am going to open up this opportunity to everyone in the parish in the hopes of getting at least 10-15 people every month.   It will most likely also be on Sunday nights.  I am meeting with the parish council soon to finalize details.  Consider making this part of your routine this year.  Every meal would get you 3-4 service hours.

Individual opportunities:

I also have a good list of available service opportunities.  I’d love to connect you with a place to volunteer, or at least send you the list.   contact me!

Mexico???

Keep an eye open for information about this years High School Service Immersion trip.  We have not been able to make it happen in the past but I’m going to keep trying.  If not Mexico than I’ll have a few other options to present.  Hopefully we can find something that you all are interested in.

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St. Catherine Youth Ministry provides senior high youth (grades 9-12) the opportunity to gather together to share their faith in community. By sharing in faith, fellowship, service, and solidarity youth are engaged in their spirituality and begin to articulate their own faith experience.

Faith- Youth group introduces students to different forms of prayer while also engaging students in discussion about their Catholic faith.  Once or twice a month our meeting will involve group discussion and prayer practice around our relationship with God and our call ever more deeply into that relationship.

  • Who is God for you?  Where do you find God in your life and how can we begin live in relationship with God?
  • Who was Jesus?   What does Jesus have to say to us today?
  • Who is the Holy Spirit?  How does the Holy Spirit continue to move and work in our lives and how do we recognize her?

Fellowship- Once a month we will have a fun night out.  Suggestions welcome.

Service-There are constant opportunities for service both in the parish and community.  (ex. planting trees with the Cedar River Watershed, soup kitchens, food banks.)

Planting Trees at CedarRiver Watershed
Planting Trees at CedarRiver Watershed

  • Look for new list of service opportunities 
coming up in the fall!
  • St. Catherine has reserved three youth spots each week at the Blessed Sacrament Soup Kitchen.  The service hours are on Sunday form 12:30 – 3 pm. If you are interested, please contact Shannon or 206-524-8800 ext. 110
  • Shannon is willing to organize group service projects or work with individual students to complete their school service learning requirements.

Solidarity- We talk often about events happening around the world and what we can do to affect change.  Some issues that we will be involved with are:

  • School of the America’s Watch – SOA Watch is a nonviolent grassroots movement that works to stand in solidarity with the people of Latin America and the Caribbean, to close the SOA/WHINSEC and to change oppressive U.S. foreign policy that the SOA represents. We are grateful to our sisters and brothers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean for their inspiration and the invitation to join them in their struggle for economic and social justice.
  • Justice for Immigrants –   The Campaign’s primary objectives are: To educate the public about Church teaching on migration and immigrants;  To create political will for positive immigration reform;  To enact legislative an administrative reforms based on the principles articulated by the bishops; and  To organize Catholic networks to assist qualified immigrants obtain the benefits of the reforms.
  • Peace and Nonviolence -  We will study the lives of saints and other peacemakers who have changed the world through nonviolent action.

Mission / Immersion -Please see the Mission page for more information on our summer mission programs.