Day 9.2

Happy Halloween!

Today was another good day at St. Paul's!

Today was continued learning about the Sacrament of Baptism and primarily focused on the symbols of the sacrament.  I emphasized how we need God's grace to live out the theological virtues- faith, hope, and love. How true it is in my life.  It's no wonder why our lives become a mess when we leave out prayer.  It's no wonder why our relationships/outlooks on situations become complicated and confusing.  Jesus provides us grace in the sacraments and through prayer, so we need to start going to the source-go to Him!  I'm my own teacher sometimes- meaning, I give myself advice as I'm teaching...funny how the Holy Spirit works.

There was also candy involved in class...we discussed tricks we've pulled or have been pulled on us and then times where we ever got scared.  It was fun to share stories with one another.  I got many of them to laugh, and laughter is GREAT! 

Since it's Halloween/All Souls Day, I pulled in a few other topics:

Graveyards--> Deceased loved ones whose souls are with God
Zombies--> Well, they are real, but taught what the resurrection of the dead is! 
Skeleton decorations--> Relics.  What they are, what they do, where they can be found

Have a great afternoon and evening.  I can't wait to pass out candy later!  Hopefully some sweet trick-or-treaters will show up!

Day 8.2

Hump Daaaaaaaaay!

And I had the night off! (Aka no night class due to the Football Playoffs...ok!)  

Today was good.  Classes went well, nothing out of the ordinary took place.  Everyone was calm.  It was super gloomy outside, but comfortable and positive inside.

Finally started teaching about the sacraments and how grace is actually conferred in the sacrament! (ex opere operate...but I didn't go into that word because then some of them would have shut down- but yea, I sneaked that concept in!)  They were still overwhelmed by the word concupiscence...so I gave them a break.  

Then I met with my boss and the other night class catechist to plan next Wednesday's class...and guess what we're going to have- ADORATION!!!!  For 30 min!  Praise the Lord!  I so so so miss praying to Jesus during adoration.  I'm very excited about that class next week.

BIG NEWS- we are now on Twitter!  So, "follow" us:  @StPaul_JMJ
I got this approved by my boss today so I went ahead and created the account.  My students will be told tomorrow and I think they'll like the idea!  

The purpose will be to tweets anything and everything Catholic- quotes from class, quotes on the topics we'll be learning about, etc.  

If we get 20 "followers" by Friday morning, I'll be bringing in treats!  So, if you have Twitter, do it for the teens, and follow us!

St. Paul, Pray for Us!
Holy Spirit, Inspire Us!
+JMJ

Day 7.2

Happy Tuesday!

What did we do today?

1. Prayer
2. Journal
3. Clock Partners- Since the classes are bigger this term, I decided we should do more partner work, so rather than me trying to mix them up with their classmates, I have them create "appointments" so when I say "Meet with your 9 o'clock partner," they will know who their partner is and get busy.  It's a tool I was introduced to at Loras and it really helped in student teaching, so we're giving it a go here.
4. Handout on experience with the sacraments
5. Handout/Scripture- Signs that Jesus uses and what they tell us about God's love for us.

I used both handouts from last term because both proved to be effective. 

Both class periods were super productive.  I cannot wait to start teaching about the sacrament of Baptism tomorrow! 

Side note, if you have any ideas for teaching about/celebrating All Saints Day (it's this Friday), help a girl out and share them with me.  Please and thank you!  Don't forget that it's a holy day of obligation!  See you in the Eucharist!

I have a couple exciting topics planned for Halloween/All Souls Day and maybe some candy will be thrown in : )

Any teachers out there know how to avoid getting sick or what to do when feeling a cold coming on?  I mean, other than naps and getting plenty of rest.  I'm starting to experience the "can breathe out of one nostril can't breathe out of the other" syndrome. 

I hope you're having a marvelous day!

God love ya!

Day 6.2

Here we are at the start of Week 2 of Term 2!

I have to say I was quite happy when I checked my work email to find a student from Term 1 emailing me just to say hi.  Best part had to be when the student said "I miss seeing you everyday."  Heart melted.  

Here's what Term 2 has been up to:

Friday we learned about Salvation History (God's love story for us!) and everybody had a story to read with a partner.  Then, they had a series of questions they had to answer and then they had to make a poster which required a title, an image, and a sentence explaining what their particular passage tells us about our relationship with God/Jesus.  Here's our Salvation History wall:

This weekend was very refreshing and rejuvenated my spirit for teaching our faith.  I went on a young adult Catholic Youth Expedition (CYE) in Door County, WI.  What a beautiful mission they have!  Check them out here.  God Bless Fr. Quinn, Sr. Margaret, Sr. Sarah, Sr. Anja, and Sr. Erin.  Pray for them and all of the beautiful people I met this weekend.  I really missed praying in a community aka with other people.  So daily mass, daily rosary, and adoration was REALLY good.  I mean, Jesus is everything, and it was good to be around people who also recognize this.  It's funny because I always sign up for things like this, get nervous the moment I arrive, and after a couple hours I warm up and end up having a wonderful time.  Greatest reminder of the weekend: our identity is to be found in Christ.  All the time.  Everyday.  In all ways.  

I'll never forget the physical beauty of the weekend, too.  Look!

Hike at Peninsula State Park

The Holy Spirit really was present. 

It was a great Monday.  I came to school on fire, ready to convince my students about how much He loves us and how beautiful our faith is.  Here's how I broke it down:

1. Prayer

2. Journal- Played "Lord, I Need You" by Matt Maher for their journal today, I had them write a note to Jesus.  

3. Pop Quiz.  I had 4 questions based on last week.  (1. List attributes of God-I was looking for eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, 2. What makes us (humans) unique compared to the rest of God's creation? 3. How are we like God? 4. What is Salvation History?  
I let them use their notes.  Basically I told them that I want them to be taking notes and listening, and if they did that well last week, they would have no problem answering these questions.  Well, some did well and others not so well.  They have to decide whether they are going to put the effort in or not.  I can't help a student when they choose not to pay attention and destroy the pens and pen caps over the course of my class.  Legit, I have found 3 broken pens.  I have had these students for now 6 days.  Short rant.

4. Review of last week.  Who is God?  Who am I?  Who is Jesus?  

5. Gospel from yesterday: Luke 18: 9-14.  What is a parable? Who was Jesus' audience?  Who is the "good" guy?  Who is the "bad" guy?  Who is justified?  Why?  What is Jesus asking of us?  How does this apply to us today?

6. Explanation on why we need the Church!!!

7. Passed out Pogs and talked about how awesome CYE is.

After school I got a ton of things together organized (handouts, my own notes, etc.)  Check out the graphic organizers we'll be using this term! 

Can't claim them as my own, however, I did shade them in. :)  Check out this awesome blog if you're a catechist or Religion teacher!  

http://looktohimandberadiant.blogspot.com  

This lady has brilliant ideas!  Thanks for letting me borrow your graphic organizers.  Why reinvent the wheel when you don't have to?

Well, it's almost 10pm, which for me, after a full weekend and full day of school, means I'm pooped.  

Please know that I prayed for all of you a great deal this weekend in adoration.  

Thanks for your love, prayers, and support.

St. Paul, pray for us!

Holy Spirit, inspire us!

Day 3.2

Well, today was an early out, so I found it necessary for Term 2 to claim a wall just like Term 1 did for their rosary.  But, instead of picking a wall, they decided to fill the ceiling with inspirational/positive quotations....it looks way better in person, but here's a peek:

It's so important that students take ownership of their classroom.  They loved spending the time crafting and chatting, and so did I.  It's important that they look forward to being here, and this could be one of the reasons-because they have a voice here.  Oh, and we get to learn more about our faith.  We are so blessed to have this opportunity.  Not many places have this option for Religious Ed!

Now I have the night class to look forward to.  Stay warm all you Midwest-eners!  I know how chilly it is in Iowa!  

St. Paul, pray for us!

Holy Spirit, inspire us!

Day 2.2

I hope all of you are celebrating the life of one of the greatest Catholic heroes of all time.  JP2, I love you!  

Today agenda

1. Prayer
2. Journal- "Why are you here?"
3. Pre-assessment (same as Term 1, very similar experience...similar responses-I'm so excited to watch them grow in their knowledge of our faith and more importantly their love for Jesus!)
4. "Who is God" presentation/discussion

I rearranged the seating in my classroom so the tables are shaped like a "U."  I think this helps with discussion but is also set up so they can see the board where I'll sometimes write notes or project information from the laptop.  

My second class is really chatty.  Let me rephrase that, the boys are very chatty!  Any teachers out there know how to manage 16/17 year old chatty boys???  Please send me your suggestions!  I can't really use the clothes pin/stop light classroom management tool on teenagers.  

Overall, both classes went well, and I can tell that they are really interested in what I have planned to learn/discuss in class.

My favorite question of today based on Genesis 1:26

"Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness."

To preface her question, we were talking about the nature of God- his divine nature- intellect, will, 3 distinct persons (Trinity).  

"Wait, so Jesus already existed before he came to Earth?" So I HAD to teach them about the hypostatic union (Jesus is 100% human and 100% divine).

Then she asked, "So if Christians and Jews all understand the Old Testament, how can they deny that it prefigures Jesus, and that Jesus is God?"  BAM!  This girl was thinking this morning!  

Have a lovely evening!

+JMJ

Day 1.2 The Start

(.2 stands for Term 2)

Happy Monday, everybody!  Today was the start of a great term.

I found out last Wednesday that I am teaching 2 classes again this term.  I was told that this will make the class sizes bigger rather than splitting them into 3 class periods.  (True story!)

My first class has 2 ladies and 4 gentlemen (it was funny how they polarized to opposite sides of the room).
My second class has 4 ladies and 4 gentlemen (all of the ladies sat in the front row with the guys in the back...that will not last very long since the guys are VERY chatty.)  I have 2 seniors in that class. The other students are all juniors, and what a great age group (16 and 17 year olds!)  

It was a good first day but there seemed to be a bit of a disconnect.  I had to remind myself that it took time to establish relationships with my students last term, and in time I will know my new students just as well as my students from last term.  It makes teaching so much more enjoyable when you actually know your students!  Lots of new personalities already, and I love it.  

I started off class with prayer and told them that we will all switch off leading prayer.  After prayer, my boss and I went over expectations and then I went over logistics- what books we use (Bible, YouCat, and CCC), what materials they need to bring to class starting tomorrow (notebook, folder, and a writing utensil), where to put assignments (baskets by the door), where to look at the beginning of class to see what I have planned (I call it our Daily Itinerary which basically lists the topics we will be covering.)  
Then I had them answer a questionnaire so that I could learn all about them- I have a lot of BUSY students!  A lot of great discussion came out of that.  My favorite questions of the day- "So, how are you liking Manchester?" and "Why did you move here?"  I very quickly told them how much I love teaching and that you really don't have much of a choice when you're looking for your first full-time job out of college.  When I asked them what there is to do in Manchester, they all unanimously responded "NOTHING!" and whined for a bit.  It was quite comical however, it made me realize that I am not out of the loop on anything going on : )  They had a lot of questions about my background and I shared a little bit about my life and really enjoyed hearing from them.  To wrap up class, we talked about saints.  I had them tell me what they know about saints, I had the seniors in my one class tell me about their Confirmation saints, then I shared the story of mine (Edith Stein) and told the stories of Bl. Chiara Luce and Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati and passed around prayer cards of them to show them how young they were and relatable.  Then I ended class urging them to strive for sainthood and holiness and telling them we're all in this together!  "The world needs us, Manchester needs us, our peers need us, our families and friends need us.  Don't be afraid!"

Please pray that the Holy Spirit continues to open their ears, minds, and hearts.

St. Paul, pray for us!

+JMJ

Term 2 Eve

Twas the night before Term 2 and all through the house...

Hello!  Sorry for being MIA.  Term 1 has been completed!  Yes, I have finished an entire term of teaching. Thanks for all of your support and for caring about what I'm up to.  I know your prayers also made a huge impact on my classes.  

For those of you who are also friends with me on Facebook, you're probably wondering what I did with your responses on "Why being Catholic matters."  WELL.  First off, thank you for all of you who did respond.  What I did was compile all of your responses and created a handout.  On Thursday, we went to the couch room and read the responses which turned into a lovely converation.  Then, I gave them time to also write on that topic:

Here is what they said:

Student 1

It matters because God has called us all to do something different being Catholic.  I believe it is the best way to find out what I am called to do.  He also sent Jesus to die for us and I think that’s pretty amazing and knowing that just makes me want to learn more about what I’m called to do for my religion and also what I should do to help others.  Without being Catholic we wouldn’t have God who will always be there for us even when we are going through bad times.  When our friends and family aren’t there to talk to we will always have God to be there.  He will also always forgive us for our sins.

Student 2

-You always have someone there supporting you

-You know you will be greeted with open arms when you go to heaven

-No matter what God will always love you

-God knows what’s good for you

-Having someone love us so much that He died for us

-Feeling welcomed in the church

Student 3

1.To grow in my relationship with God

2.Gives me something to live for

3.The least we could do for someone that died for us

4.To have eternal life

5.God helps us through life

6.God takes away our sins for us

7.God forgives no matter what we’ve done

8. We trust God

9.We need God in our lives

Student 4

*To me being Catholic means having faith in God and trusting/believing with your whole heart that Jesus died on the cross FOR US!  To SAVE US!  From OUR SINS!  So we can have EVERLASTING LIFE with God in heaven.

*It means we can talk to God through prayer and know He is listening.

*It means we get to encounter God in the sacraments.

Student 5

       It is the sole purpose for living

      Without it, what would be the point?

      It’s everything I believe in

     Being Catholic is where my morals come from.  It makes up who I am.

     Jesus died on the cross for a reason.

     It matters for everlasting life

     Being Catholic connects me to people all over the world- who I’ve never met- but we’re all in the same family because all of us are the children of God.

     It matters because God is the reason I am here

Student 6

1.Jesus gave his life for us to believe

2.Gives people hope

3.You would never become bored with Jesus in your life.

4.Always have a friend to talk (pray) to.

Student 7

Because God is love.  He loved us so much he gave his only son to us!  And then that son DIED for us!  I dunno, it’s just pretty cool that now we can live out our lives sharing and showing God’s love to everyone.

Student 8

It matters because you have something to live for otherwise we wouldn’t need life we would just start in heaven.

Student 9

       The reason for everyone to exist on this earth is because of God.

      Jesus gives up his life for us, we should love and serve him

    If we didn’t have it, life would not be life and we wouldn’t live in eternal happiness after death

    God=love. Without love, our life is full of hate and bad.  God puts the good in our lives and helps guide us to do good.

Student 10

    Our sins can always be forgiven no matter how bad the sin  

    Being holy can keep you in better spirits throughout every day

      If no one else around you accepts you, Jesus will always accept you.

    All in all, I can proudly say that all of my students, in some way or another, have been able to communicate their love and need for Jesus.  The last 8 weeks have been such a beautiful journey.  I already miss my Term 1 students but I'm looking forward to meeting 14 new students tomorrow and improve on what already went very well this past term.

     While it hasn't been the easiest few months of my life, I can honestly say that I know that God wants me to be here, and He is bringing me so much joy through my students and in the work I am doing.  I am supported by so many people-my family and friends, my boss and the pastor, along with my students and their parents and all of you reading this!    

    

    I would love to reflect on how much I've learned over the last 8 weeks, however, I can feel my eyes shutting...this teacher is tired from a wonderful weekend home.  Can't wait to blog about the second first day of school tomorrow! :)

    

     Thanks again for all of your kind words of support and prayers.  Keep the prayers coming!

     St. Paul, pray for us!  

Day 42, Tuesday

The Hunger Games and Morality

Topics that have been and will be discussed based on the movie:

• Murder
• Deceit
• Government Control
• Poverty
• Human Dignity

Below is the lullaby that Katniss sings to Rue to comfort her at the moment of her death.  (This is from the book so it's a little different than what Jennifer Lawrence sang in the movie.)  This scene always gets me choked up.  Katniss is so self-less and one of those fictional characters that I try to emulate: does what she needs to do for others...thinks of herself last...self-less.  What a classy lady!  

“Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when it's morning again, they'll wash away
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.” 

I'm excited for a much more extensive conversation on The Hunger Games tomorrow.

Day 41, Monday

Last week I did not post on Thursday or Friday because I was preparing my apartment and myself for Loras homecoming.  In fact, a couple of my fans stopped by St. Paul to see my classroom.

So much fun.  These ladies knew me "way back" when I was studying to be a teacher.  It was really exciting to show them my place and tell them all about what we're doing for class and my ideas.  It was as equally exciting hearing about how well they're doing with their jobs and grad school.  Those are some pretty intelligent and talented young women right there!

Today is the beginning of the end of Term 1.  I won't get all emotional on this post, but to end it with a bang,  I thought we'd watch a movie to finish up our unit on Morality.  We are watching The Hunger Games!  A few of them have never read the book or seen the movie, so I'm excited to expose them to it since the next movie is coming out so soon!  I'm one of those book nerds that read all three books over the course of a weekend.  There are many moral dilemmas within this movie, and I have an assignment for them on Wednesday with a partner which I will not reveal until Wednesday.  However, the best part of my class was seeing them come in so excited, more than normal-which I didn't know was possible, and with the treats they brought in.  No worries, I brought in Birthday Cake Oreos and Pretzels and we had tons of other treats thanks to them.  As we were feasting I thought how ironic it was since the people in the districts are practically starving... Anyway...  We will need to take more time to finish watching the movie in class tomorrow.  

"Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Day 38, Wednesday

It's 9:09, and I'm just getting to blogging.  

I just went from having a great night and leaving so filled with the Holy Spirit to feeling like I'm going to crash.  

However, the best part of the night class for me was making a table of sophomores recognize how a)funny I am and b)how much Jesus loves them. Ok, scratch the first part.  But for the record, I did get them to laugh!  In fact, I spent a lot of time at their small group simply because the parent volunteer felt like she was unable to get the deeper understanding of the bible story that their group had.  They said my questions and the way I walked them through the entire passage made the overall message/prophecy "make so much more sense" and now it actually "means something to me."  Wow.  All it took was a few minutes to go through the passage, ask them questions, and get them to discover the answer.  

Then I spent time just talking to them, getting to know then, and I would say I could name about 15 of their names out of the 64!  

Another highlight was seeing my small group from last week and having them asking if I could lead their group again "because you make the discussions more interesting and fun....and nowI actually understand what this is about...and you're really great!"  All from the mouth of a 16 year old.  

And then I wrapped it all up and I thought I was going to get all charismatic on them.  I don't even have the gift of tongues, but I could just overwhelmingly feel the  Holy Spirit's presence and it seemed as though I was looking out not into a room full of teenagers, but a room full of beautiful souls.  Souls that are destined to be in relationship with God.  A relationship far better than the person that we are even most loved by on this earth!  

I don't know, I just wish I had more people that I could share my experiences with.  I miss Loras.  I miss having my closest friends no more than a 10 minute walk away from me.  I miss having a group of people that don't just acknowledge how good I can "teach" but who actually know me- my life, my desires, my struggles, my gifts- all of me.  And I always bring myself back to this- that's what God is for.  He is the one that I should desire to be acknowledged by.  And I do, I just really miss having a community.  It's hard when you work so close with someone that never compliments you and never asks how you're doing.  Someone that could really care less about my well-being.  I know that I am loved and recognized by the community, however, that can only go so far because they are not my friends.  I have no friends here.  However, I am immensely grateful for my roommate, a classmate of mine from Loras who can understand where I'm coming from and can share in this feeling.  

God really has blessed me and I know I'm supposed to be here right now.  I just wish that I could remember that I need to go to God to be truly satisfied.

Sorry if none of this made any sense- this feels more like a journal entry than a blog tonight.  

God bless you!

Day 37, Tuesday

I really need to start writing my blogs earlier, because my biggest fan, Mom, goes to bed much earlier...and to be completely honest, I am finding that as a teacher, I feel like I could sleep through the night if I crawled into bed at 4:30pm.  No joke.  And I'm 22.  So, I'll start to blog early to be more detailed.

This morning had a really interesting start.  I set my alarm for an hour earlier than I normally wake up to make it to mass, but I did not succeed in the heroic minute, and I set my alarm for another hour.  It was hard enough to do that while trying to keep my eye-yes, my eye open.  Mornings have always been hard for me, even when I get 8 hours of sleep!  Well to top that all off, I got a ton of shampoo into my left eye, and then I really couldn't keep it open.  Don't worry, I was eventually  brave enough to put in my contacts and move on with my morning.  Then, I decided to eat breakfast (Aunt Dede's delicious cinnamon bread-toasted, of course) and ended up choking on that!  I finally brought the garbage bag down because Tuesday mornings are garbage pick up, then set off on my bike, praying that I wouldn't fall of that!  I mean, I though anything crazy was possible after the struggles of my morning thus far.  Thankfully, I made it to school in one piece and without any issues!

Class was wonderful- we analyzed a number of moral dilemmas including Lawrence Kohlberg's "Heinz Dilemma" which should be familiar to any of you psychology people/ people that took or are currently taking Dr. Shadle's Christian Morality class.  Before going into that, we went through the sources of morality as stated in the Catechism- object, intent, and circumstance.  Main points, something bad can never be good, but something good can become bad.  Like I said, I'm tired, and not interested in going into all of that.  If you must know, take our your catechism or google CCC 1750-1756 :)  My students definitely appreciate the YouCat because it is translated into more common words, but it's the same info!  To sum up class, they were really making connections and did a great job connecting today's lesson into moral dilemmas- scripted scenarios and ones that I made up on the spot.  Morality is what we ought to do and who we ought to be....and sometimes our actions do not always match up with what we should do....but Jesus is merciful and awaits us.  Allow your good shame guide you back to Jesus.  His forgiveness and love is endless!  

Tonight it Bible Study, the topic we covered was shame.  And I recognized some bad shame I've been carrying around- the kind that doesn't help you guide your conscience or protect your values.  I'm talking about the shame that has no good reason, the shame that runs from God's blessings and in realizing how our dignity lies in Him.  The kind that we take on because we allow someone or multiple people to make us feel bad about ourselves without good reason.  And my friends, I forgot about those wounds until I was reminded of them as we dived into scripture tonight as a group.  Here is a beautiful prayer if any of you are reading this and have or are experiencing bad shame:

Dear Lord,

You created mankind in your image, you deemed it "very good."  Help me to recognize that this is true today in my life, and that you see me as valuable and worthy of love just becauase I am.  I offer you all the hurtful, negative words and deeds that have been aimed at me and which have shaped a view of myself that is contrary to yours.  Take my offering and create something beautiful in me, your beloved child.

Amen.

And for all of you experiencing good shame, run to our Lord!  "Listen to shame but don't live there."

Please know of my prayers for all of you, especially my Grandma Nancy and my little cousin Matthew.  I'm telling you, us Martini Family members are some tough people!  

May God continue to love and watch over all of you.

"His eye is on the sparrow and I know He is watching me!"

Day 36, Monday

"Some things I cannot change, but 'til I try, I'll never know!"

I am currently singing along to the "Wicked" soundtrack with my roommate, so I have a feeling this post may be more brief than most because this is too fun.

Today, I told my students that today was the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary/Victory.  Of course, I talked about rosary for a bit, how awesome Mama Mary is, and we prayed a decade of the rosary for our personal intentions.  

Then we read a couple of articles from "The Witness"-The Archdiocese of Dubuque's newspaper.  Both had to do with Pope Francis and Morality.  Man, I love how awesome he is!  He is all about showing love and mercy towards those who show favor towards grave sins or people who have taken part in these: (abortion, contraceptive methods, etc.)  The pope talks about how we need to focus on Jesus' teaching and his approach: LOVE and MERCY.  Sorry, talking down to people is not going to get them to change their hearts.  Introducing them to Jesus' love and mercy through our love and mercy will.  

Then we moved onto another objective which we covered mostly during the sacrament of Reconciliation-just added how forgiveness will ultimately lead to happiness.  We are only happy until we are completely satisfied with God.  Here's a beautiful quotations from Bl. JP2 that I posted as a status last night:

"It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle.

It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal."  -Bl. John Paul II

Lastly, a few of my students told me about our pastor's homily yesterday about how he said he would be willing to do a monthly Sunday youth mass if students came forward and asked him.  I told them that the hardest part is over- getting approval and someone willing to say an evening mass with a homily directed towards the youth.  And I even told them that I'd be willing to help them organize it with our pastor.  The fact that they have 2 adults that will make this happen makes this a piece of cake.  I'm going to make sure this happens! Although, when we started chatting more about logistics and stuff, one of them said, "Well, it might not even be worth it.  It will probably just be the few of us who want it in the first place."  I made sure to tell this student that we need to always welcome more into our church and we never know how the Holy Spirit may inspire one or 50, or 100 of their classmates or friends to join us once a month for a Sunday night youth mass.  We'll see!  Please pray for this.

Please know of my prayers for all of you.  Allow yourself to be satisfied with God.  He is EVERYTHING!