Totally Catholic Youth Ministers Lounge: Catechetical Information-Looking Towards Fall Planning

Totally Catholic Youth Ministers Lounge

Are you in youth ministry and you've had it with crazed parents? Rollin' your eyes at the pastoral council? Tired of administration work? Love youth? Love the Church? Appalled at parish politics? Looking for some good games? For a creative ways to teach a lesson for Religious Ed? Just need a place to veg out and say "phew! Someone outside of the parish to talk to!"? Grab y'r Starbucks, turn the computer away from the staff's eyes, grab a seat on a donated dusty couch and let it all go.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Catechetical Information-Looking Towards Fall Planning

I think a lot of people are still being snowed by the likes of St Mary's Press and the Center For Ministry Development with their "Faithworks" and "Youthworks" programs.

For the uninitiated, Faithworks and Youthworkds are comprehensive volumes of information and details event plans for your youth ministry and Confirmation program. Avoid them.

Why? Well, some of the reasons I detailed here. The CMD site and found wanting. But whenever anyone refuses to use the pronoun "He" or "Him" in reference to God, get nervous. Or when the Confirmation program talks about being baptized in the name of "the Creater, Redeemer and Spirit" , run away.

I know I'm talking about throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but why do we put up with this garbage? Why can't we, as Catholics put together better stuff?!

Fine, tell me that the "Faith and Life" series are theologically correct. They are. But ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Sorry, there it is.

Why can't we come up with something that is BOTH theologically correct AND youth friendly? I'm still going to say that LifeTeen's R.O.C. is THE best program going. I know that LT is committed to obeying the Church, but also to the integrity of what a young person is all about. Becoming holy and learning about the faith does not have to be some pie in the sky, holy roller, have-no-fun experience. I don't have a website specifically for R.O.C. but contact LifeTeen at their headquarters: 480.820.7001 or go to their website: www.lifeteen.org.