Youth Ministers

How about playing team games ie jeopardy to sort of include that "educating" aspect AS WELL as the "entertaining" aspect? They'll also be working in teams so no one is singled out. I found that when I was young, we'd always like the "boys v girls." There's of course, prizes in the end. Other tweaks could be "Jesus is right" a spin-off of "Price is Right." Other fun things could be playing board games such as: Charades, Pictionary, Christian Version of Cranium. I can see it being quite fun.

Just joining...not sure I belong here. Several people have suggested I help with a youth group. I'm 60 yrs young and have a good repore with the kids but I'm just not sure. Maybe reading some of your ideas will help me. Thanx, Truthx3

Fourth Sorrow
Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary

The Blessed Virgin meets Jesus carrying the cross on which He is to be crucified. See the anguish on her face. John is informing her that Jesus, her beloved Son is going to be hanged on Calvary. Mary sees Jesus carrying the heavy Cross alone - the Cross on which He is to be crucified. This doesn't surprise the Blessed Virgin, because she already knew about the approaching death of Our Lord Jesus. Already weakened by the numerous hard blows given with the soldier's clubs, His body resembles a corpse carrying the Cross. Simon was made to help Him. The soldiers kept hurrying and pushing Him. Then He falls once more, exhausted, unable to raise Himself. At that moment, Mary's eyes full of tender love and compassion meet His. Their hearts seem to be sharing the load. Nothing can be done except to believe and trust in God, and dedicate that suffering to Him.

Prayer

Beloved Mother, stricken with grief, teach us to accept all our sufferings, so that we may relieve your sorrowful heart and that of Jesus. In doing so, may we give glory to God who gave you and Jesus to us. As you suffered, teach us to suffer silently and patiently. Grant unto us the grace of loving God in everything. O Mother of Sorrows, O Mother most afflicted of all mothers, have mercy on the sinners of the whole world.

Our Father (1x)
Hail Mary (7x)
Virgin Most Sorrowful, Pray for Us!

Hymn:

Can the human heart refrain,
From partaking in her pain,
In that mother's pain untold?

Holy Mother, hear my prayers,
In my heart each wound renew,
Of Jesus, my Savior.

Fifth Sorrow
Mary Stands at the Foot of the Cross

The Blessed Virgin Mary met Jesus and continued to climb the mount, following behind Him painfully and sorrowfully with deep anguish, suffering silently. She could see Him staggering and falling with the Cross. She witnessed His being beaten and His hair pulled to force Him to stand up. Upon arrival to Calvary, He was ordered to confess in front of the crowd so that the crowd would laugh at Him. Mary, like Jesus, deeply felt this pain. The Blessed Virgin felt sick at heart at seeing these tyrants crucifying Him naked and so, shaming Him. Jesus and Mary felt more disgraced than we do because they are holy. The Blessed Virgin Mary felt pain beyond bearing when Jesus lay down on the Cross. His murderers, singing, approached Him with hammers and nails, sat on Him, so He would not shake. As they hammered the nails on both hands, Mary felt the blows in her heart. She felt her life fading away. As they proceeded to put the Cross in the hole ready to receive it, they jerked it, and because of its weight, the pain seared all over Jesus's body. He suffered three excruciating hours transfixed to the Cross. He was hurt to the core at seeing His Mother suffering, too. Then Jesus died with His Blessed Mother called to die with Him in spirit. When His sacred body was taken down from the Cross, it was placed in the arms of His suffering and sorrowing Mother.

Prayer:

Beloved Mother, O Heart so martyred, give us the courage you had in all your sufferings so that we may unite our sufferings with yours and thereby give glory to God. Help us follow all your orders so that Jesus's sacrifice will not be in vain, and all sinners, the world over, will be saved.

Our Father (1x)
Hail Mary (7x)
Virgin Most Sorrowful, Pray for Us!

Hymn:

Who could see that Mother's grief,
Without being saddened too,
While she suffers with her Son.

Holy Mother, hear my prayers,
In my heart each wound renew,
Of Jesus, my Savior.

Sixth Sorrow
Mary Receives the Dead Body of Jesus in Her Arms

The friends of Jesus, Joseph and Nicodemus, took down the body of Jesus from the Cross and placed it in the arms of the Blessed Virgin. Then, Mary washed it with deep respect and love because she was His Mother. She knew better than anyone else that He was God who made Himself the Savior of the people. She could see terrifying wounds because of the flogging He received at the hands of Pilate. His flesh had been torn in strips with pieces removed. All over His body there were gaping wounds. Mary found that the scars and wounds from the nails were less severe than those caused by the flogging and by the carrying of the Cross. His beloved Mother was horrified at the thought that He managed to carry the Cross. She saw that all the wounds on His Head had penetrated to the brain. She found that Jesus's death was far worse than that of the bandits. When she saw Him, she remembered all about Him, from His infancy up to that time, and it filled her with deep anguish and sorrow. Our Blessed Mother continued to be a martyr. She, the Queen of Martyrs, didn't hesitate to give her Son who became the Savior of all humanity. She prayed that everybody would go to Heaven; that all would truly follow God, so that Jesus's torturous death would not be in vain. The Blessed Virgin Mary prayed for us all.

Prayer

We thank you, Beloved Mother, for the courage you had standing beneath the Cross on which your crucified Son was giving Himself up as our Savior. That is when you became a wonderful Mother to us. We know that you love us more than our own parents. We implore you to be our advocate before the throne of mercy and grace, so that we can be truly your children. We thank you for Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, and we thank Jesus for giving you to us, the Co-Redeemer and Mediatrix of all graces. Please pray for all of us, sinners of the world.

Our Father (1x)
Hail Mary (7x)
Virgin Most Sorrowful, Pray for Us!

Hymn

For the sins of all the people,
Saw Jesus hang in desolation,
All with bloody scourges rent.

Holy Mother, hear my prayers,
In my heart each wound renew,
Of Jesus, my Savior.

Seventh Sorrow
Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

The life of the Blessed Virgin Mary was closely linked to that of Jesus and depended on Him. As for her, she wanted Him to die so that all His unspeakable suffering would come to and end. Our sorrowful Mother, with the help of John and the holy women, devoutly placed Him in the sepulchre. Then she went home with great pain, dying at heart with her Son Jesus but with the ardent hope He would resurrect without delay. For the first time she remained without Him.

Prayer

Most Beloved Mother, Mother of Mercy, Mother of both God and people, we are your children and we place all our trust in you. Teach us to see God in all things, in all situations, even in our sufferings. Help us to understand the importance of it, and also to know the results of suffering as God had intended it. You, yourself, were conceived without sin, yet you suffered more than others. You accepted suffering with love and with unsurpassed courage. You stood by your Son from the time Jesus was arrested until He died. You suffered along with Jesus, accomplished the will of God, the Father, and hence became a savior together with Jesus. We beg you, Dear Mother, teach us to do as Jesus did. Teach us to accept our cross courageously. Help us to follow in His footsteps, even to be willing to lay down our lives for others.

Our Father (1x)
Hail Mary (7x)
Virgin Most Sorrowful, Pray for Us!

Hymn:

See this most beloved Son,
Dying there in desolation,
Till His Spirit forth He sent.

Holy Mother, hear my prayers,
In my heart each wound renew,
Of Jesus, my Savior.

Concluding Prayers

Queen of Martyrs, your soul was greatly troubled in the ocean of suffering.We beg you by the merits of the tears you shed in these terrible sorrowful mysteries, to obtain for us and all sinners of the world, the grace of complete sincerity and repentance.

To wipe away Mary's tears shed during the Passion of Jesus, pray:

Our Father (3x)
Hail Mary (3x)
O heart of Mary, conceived without original sin, yet did suffer so for us, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3x)

The Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy aid or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, our Mother. To thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

To Obtain a Plenary Indulgence

1. Recite the Sorrowful Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrament
2. Recite the Sorrowful Rosary every day for one month.
3. Recite the Sorrowful Rosary on Tuesday and Friday for the souls ofPurgatory.
4. Recite the Sorrowful Rosary on September 15 which is the feast day of the Blessed Virgin's Seven Sorrows. The Rosary can be said anywhere.
5. Recite the Sorrowful Rosary anywhere on Good Friday.

To Obtain Partial Indulgence

The Sorrowful Rosary carries partial indulgence when recited anywhere at any time.

Other Promises: According to St. Alphonsus Liguori, Our Lord revealed to St. Elizabeth of Hungary four special graces that are given to those who are devoted to the dolors of His Holy Mother. According to St. Bridget of Sweden, the Blessed Virgin grants seven graces to the souls who honour her daily by meditating on her tears and dolors. See - "Prayers & The Heavenly Promises Compiled from Approved Sources" by Joan Carroll Cruz, pages 34 & 35.

Note: The Sorrowful Rosary was granted full or partial indulgence on May 28, 1942 Reference: S. Penit Ap. Can. No. 934. Preces et Pia, OPUS XV

Promises of Jesus and Mary regarding the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of theBlessed Virgin Mary

1. Whoever will recite the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows during their entire lifetime, will receive the grace of complete and true repentance beforedeath.
2. Whoever shall do a novena for someone haunted by evil spirits using the Rosary of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, the Blessed Virgin will chase them away.
3. The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin can obtain miracles especially in times of danger.
4. Whoever promises to recite the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary for 31 days, without interruption, and without distractions, Jesus will forgive all the sins you may have forgotten to confess since your childhood up to the 31st day of your Rosary. Then Jesus will begin to make you accountable once more for whatever sins you may commit after the 31st day. This favor, however, does not exempt you from your obligation to confess all the sins you remember to a priest.

Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Introductory Prayer

My God, I hereby dedicate this Rosary to Thee because of Thy Glory, so that I can honour Thy Holy Mother by following and sharing her suffering. I humbly beg Thee to give me true repentance for all my sins. Help me to remain humble so that I may receive all the indulgences contained therein.

Act of Contrition

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

Hymn

At the Cross her station keeping
Stood the mournful Mother weeping
Close to Jesus to the last.

Holy Mother, hear my prayers,
In my heart each wound renew,
Of Jesus, my Savior.

First Sorrow
The Prophecy of Simeon

The Blessed Virgin Mary gave God her first born as the law prescribed, and Simeon, led by the Holy Spirit, predicted how a sword of sorrow would pierce her heart. The Blessed Virgin knew that she had given birth to the Savior. She immediately and clearly understood this. Though her heart was deeply touched by this favor, her heart remained heavy and troubled for she knew what was written about the suffering and the death of the Savior. Whenever she saw Jesus, she was constantly reminded of His suffering.

Prayer:

Beloved Mother who suffered at heart beyond bearing because of us, teach us to suffer with you. As God wants, imitating you, we suffer and may our suffering be known to God only, like yours and that of Jesus. You dedicate it to God. You, who suffered with the Savior of the world, you are a Mother greater than all.

Our Father (1x)
Hail Mary (7x)
Virgin Most Sorrowful, Pray for Us!

Hymn

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
All his bitter anguish bearing,
Now, at length, the sword has passed.

Holy Mother, hear my prayers,
In my heart each wound renew,
Of Jesus, my Savior.

Second Sorrow
The Flight into Egypt

Mary was greatly troubled when Joseph revealed to her the words of the angel, that they should wake up quickly and flee because Herod wanted to kill the Infant Jesus. The Blessed Virgin Mary hardly had time to decide what to take or leave behind. She took the child Jesus, left everything, rushed outside before Joseph so that they could hurry as God wished. Then she said: "Even though God has power over everything, He wants us to flee with Jesus His Son. God will show us the way and we shall arrive without being caught by the enemy." Because the Blessed Virgin was the Mother of Jesus, she loved Him more than any one else. Her heart was deeply troubled at the sight of the discomfort her Infant Son experienced. Jesus was cold and shivering, and though they were tired, sleepy and hungry during this long travel, her only thought was about the safety and comfort of her Son. She feared coming face to face with the soldiers who had been ordered to kill Jesus, because she was aware that the enemy was still in Bethlehem. Her heart remained constantly anguished during this flight. She also knew that where they were going, there would be no friendly face to greet them.

Prayer

Beloved Mother who greatly suffered, give us a courageous heart like yours. We accept all the sufferings as God so wishes, our own and that inflicted by others. You alone purify our suffering so that we may give glory to God and save our souls.

Our Father (1x)
Hail Mary (7x)
Virgin Most Sorrowful, Pray for Us!

Hymn:

Oh how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother Highly blest,
Of the sole-begotten Son.

Holy Mother, hear my prayers,
In my heart each wound renew,
Of Jesus, my Savior.

Third Sorrow
The Loss of Jesus in the Temple

The Blessed Virgin knew God's glory. She, who was most blessed among all others, received the gift of exceptional love, that is the grace to love her Son far more than most parents love their children. Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, and also the Virgin Mary's Son. The Blessed Virgin loved Jesus more than herself, because He was her God. Compared to other children, He was a most unique child because He was already living as God. When Mary lost Him on their way back from Jerusalem, the world became so big and lonely that she believed that she couldn't go on living without her Son Jesus, so great was her sorrow. Jesus had pleased her in everything. He never annoyed her in any way, nor would He ever displease His parents. As she looked anxiously for her beloved Jesus, deep pain welled in her heart; she blamed herself, asking why she didn't take greater care of Him. But it was not her fault. Jesus no longer needed her protection as before. What pained Mary was that Jesus had decided to stay behind without her consent. She knew, however, that her Son always did what was necessary and she never suspected Him of being disobedient. Mary felt the same pain Jesus felt when He was abandoned by His apostles during His Passion.

Prayer

Beloved Mother, teach us to accept all our sufferings because of our sins and the sins of the whole world.

Our Father (1x)
Hail Mary (7x)
Virgin Most Sorrowful, Pray for Us!

Hymn

Is there one who would not weep,
Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear mother to behold?

Holy Mother, hear my prayers,
In my heart each wound renew,
Of Jesus, my Savior.

BENEDICT XVI ATTENDS SCREENING
OF A FILM ON ST. AUGUSTINE



VATICAN CITY, 3 SEP 2009 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon in the "Sala degli Svizzeri" of the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo, Benedict XVI attended the screening of an abbreviated version of the film "St. Augustine", an Italian, German, Polish co-production. The film was made by Lux Vide/Rai Fiction, Bayerischer Rundfunk/Tellux Film, Eos Entertainment Rai Trade and Grupa Filmova Baltmedia. It was directed by Christian Duguay.



At the end of the screening, the Holy Father expressed his thanks to everyone involved in the project and pronounced some brief remarks. "I feel this film to be a spiritual journey in a spiritual continent, far distant from us yet at the same time very near because the human drama remains the same", he said.



"We have seen how, in a context far removed from our own, the reality of human life is represented with all its problems, sadness and failures, just as we have seen how, in the end, Truth is stronger than any obstacle and seeks out man. This is the great hope that remains at the end: we alone cannot seek out Truth, but Truth, which is a Person, seeks out us. Seen from the outside, the life of St. Augustine seems to finish tragically as the world for which and in which he lived comes to an end. But as was made clear in this film, his message remains and, even as the world changes, it endures because it comes from Truth and guides us to Charity, which is our shared destination.



"Thank you to everyone", he added in conclusion. "Let us hope that many people, watching this human drama, may be sought out by Truth and so discover Charity".

ST. AUGUSTINE FILM/...
Saint August pray for us now and at the hour of our death, Amen

Hi! I'm new to this group. Hope I post this right!

My parish is small with about 200 families. We have a youth group for grades 9 - 12, and confirmation/catechism class for grades 7 - 8. (I am the grade 7-8 catechist.) The respective groups meet separately for their meeting/class, then at the end we join for social time. We occasionally plan joint social activites, such as bowling night or our Christmas party. We have found that this is a nice way to transition the 7-8 graders into the youth group, because as we all know, so many of the kids feel that "confirmation is graduation". There is a real risk that after confirmation we won't see them again. So, we feel that joining with the youth group for social activities helps the 7-8 graders get to know the older kids and want to be a part of that group when the time comes.

Our problem is the youth group leadership. We really don't have a youth group leader. We start the year out with a planning meeting where the parents are asked to lead or participate in a particular meeting, and we plan the year out that way. The problem is, parents are not as committed as they need to be. Follow-through is a problem.

Anyone else have a youth group without a leader, and if so, how have you dealt with it?

Ask your pastor to return this prayer to the Mass.

Holy Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our safe guard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and you, Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits, who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; have mercy on us

The forum is now open! Thanks to all for joining... now go share those ideas and share all that God is doing for your youth group!

If you have an idea for a discussion thread that I have not already created and you can't do so yourself, simply message me and ask. I would be happy to oblige.

Hi all. I'm new to the group and hope to get some wonderful ideas from others. answer to tkdnick, I have used T3 for a bible study night (Java with Abba) and it went pretty well. The kids liked the DVD's. I like the ToB for teens, but didn't use the DVD's. I went through the teaching guide and tweeked it for our class.

We have a program a friend developed that makes each weekly, two hour meeting like a mini retreat including a meal, game, praise and worship and class time as well as small groups. We cover the catechism.

Nice to meet everyone!