January 23, 2009
News and notes from the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry
UE Campus ministry announcement
An announcement is expected “within weeks” naming the new Catholic campus minister at the University of Evansville, according to Steve Dabrowski, director of the office of youth and young adult ministry.
The new appointee will succeed Kristal Riffert who moved from the area to take a ministry position in Pennsylvania.
Following are selected items from the newsletter and from the web site of the diocesan office of youth and young adult ministry.
Maria Goretti Award
The purpose of the St. Maria Goretti Youth Distinction is to recognize adolescents for their outstanding contribution to the life, mission and ministry provided to their family, parish, school, and community.
Who is eligible? A high school student who actively lives out his or her Catholic faith is eligible to receive this distinction. It is recommended that a parish honor juniors or seniors in high school; however, grade or age should not be the sole determinate in selecting those to be honored. No more than two students are to be nominated from each parish. Nominations in excess of this number will not be accepted.
The Maria Goretti Youth Dis-tinction will be conferred at Ho-ly Rosary Church, Evansville, Feb. 22. It is highly encouraged that parishes also recognize their recipients at a parish Mass on another date. Family members are encouraged to attend both the recognition ceremony and the banquet that follows.
The one most noticeable change this year will be in the number of candidates to be nominated per parish. The new guidelines call for no more than two nominees per parish.
Teens Encounter Christ
The next TEC weekend will take place Feb. 14-16 at St. Mary Church, Ireland. This weekend is one of the best evangelization tools we have available for youth and youth adults in the Diocese of Evansville.
The upcoming TEC takes place over President’s Day weekend, so youth will not miss any school.
Source & Summit
If I have seen one program change young people in my 12-plus years of youth ministry, Source & Summit is it. This year’s retreat is scheduled Feb. 27 to March 1.
Information is available from Gail Shetler at FreedByChrist-247@aol.com.
NCYC
The next National Catholic Youth Conference is less than a year away, in Kansas City, Nov. 19-21. Let’s have a southern Indiana contingent that speaks to the vibrancy of faith in our diocese!
The cost will be determined once I have all the information, but expect this to be comparable to past years, approximately $400. See www.nfcym.org for de-tails on the conference.
— Steve Dabrowski