We often get distracted from the best thing because we pursue many good things. This thought is the key with which Fr Patricio Rodriguez, ISP, opened up this passage from the Gospel of Luke in a recent homily: At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they… [Read More]
Longhorns Forging a Culture of Encounter In Our Own Backyard – CARITAS 2016
The week before classes started at UT this January, nearly 80 Longhorn Catholics came back to town early – to go out in mission. This is the 4th year of Austin CARITAS (Catholics Answering the Redeemer’s Invitation to Authentic Sanctity), where UT students give up a week of their winter break to serve those in need… [Read More]
Is it possible entitlement & individualism go hand in hand? (On the parable of the attitude of a servant)
Last Tuesday I was at St William’s in Round Rock for daily mass, and Fr Dean’s homily got me thinking. That day the gospel was from Luke, on the servant who comes in from the field: “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the… [Read More]
Bubble-wrapped Saints
Bubble-wrapped saints? Let’s take in that image…bubble-wrapped saints! How ridiculous, right? Saints are brave, tough, warriors and queens who sweat through struggle and shed blood fulfilling the will of God, steadfast and stouthearted no matter how difficult the task! But wrapped in insulating bubble wrap…? But, if you think about it, if we carried our… [Read More]
Lessons I Have Learned Serving in Youth Ministry
Fall is an active time around most of our parishes, and it’s a time full of incredible hope for another year of catechetics. I’ve been blessed with almost a decade of working in youth ministry and witnessing the incredible ways that the Lord can work in the lives of high school teens. As many lives… [Read More]
Back to Busy – Inspiration for Fall 2015
Fall is in the air! Well not actually in the air weather-wise – I wish! But despite Texas’ insistence outdoors that summer persists, this week kiddos are loading back into school buses, parents are cheering, teachers are groaning, and the boost of energy and activity seems to pervade many realms of economic and social life…. [Read More]
The Radio-Man, New Media & The New Man (Vatican II & Social Communication, Part II)
Social media & technology have been coming up recently in several conversations with friends of mine. The other night at a group of us were talking about youth and smart phones. I mentioned I’d been doing some substitute teaching lately, and experienced a little culture shock in seeing how nearly every high school student and… [Read More]
Where Culture and Scripture Meet (Review: The African American Catholic Youth Bible)
If I’m going to be honest as a reviewer, I have to say that I didn’t want to like this book. That’s a terrible thing. First of all, I generally prefer not to review books I don’t think I’ll like. I made an exception for Wild at Heart. It seemed like the natural follow-up to… [Read More]
Dejarte Sorprender y Transformar
Empecé este año de manera diferente: yendo a misiones con un grupo de jóvenes de Schoenstatt en un pueblito del campo en Chile. Ahora estoy convencido que no hay mejor manera de haber empezado 2015. Estoy profundamente agradecida por todo lo que pasó y todo lo que Dios me hizo experimentar, regalar y sacrificar… [Read More]
Austin CARITAS Mission 2015!
Dear readers! We are in the Third Week of Advent, with Gaudete Sunday! How are you going to share the joy of Christ? This is my Advent Challenge, simply put – how you will go out, as Pope Francis as said so many times, to the periphery to share the joy of the Gospel, to… [Read More]
The Advent of Our Mission
I spent this Thanksgiving looking into our country from the outside, since right now I’m doing a bit of traveling in South America. So naturally, I had to explain to lots of curious friends and strangers what exactly we were celebrating last Thursday. And being the typical American that I am, I had to research… [Read More]
Come and You Will See
The tents are packed up; the rented chairs have been stacked and taken away. The land is empty and yet not quiet. Mulch covers large patches where grass will need to be planted. Bricklayers come each morning and work on finishing the main walkway. You can usually see the builder around finishing this or… [Read More]
How to Keep Youth in the Church (A Response to “3 Common Traits”)
Most of my friends in Austin are people I met at Catholic activities. Catholicism is the biggest part of my life (other than being female, I suppose), so it makes sense that I would mainly associate with other Catholics. What most of them don’t know, though, is that I haven’t always been like this. I… [Read More]
DCYC 56: Ablaze
The annual Austin Diocesan Catholic Youth Conference (DCYC) was last weekend, January 17-19, 2014 in Waco, Texas. Nearly 2400 teens from around the Diocese participated in DCYC, making it the largest DCYC ever. This year’s theme, Ablaze, was a fitting conclusion to the Year of Faith which ended this past November, reminding teens that, “If… [Read More]
Oct 20 XLT for Austin Diocese Youth
This weekend there is great event for the high school youth of our diocese. There will be hundreds of teens gathered from across the area to come together for mass, a meal, and Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the AustinXLT site for more info. The event will include a keynote presentation by Matt Regitz from Prince of Peace… [Read More]
Preparing for WYD 2013
In just week from today, I have the opportunity to travel to Rio de Janiero, Brazil with 10 of my teens and 3 other adult chaperones. I cannot even began to tell you all how excited I am! The theme of WYD 2013 is “Go make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), which I believe… [Read More]
Catholic Summer Camp Guide: 2013
There is one word that’s keeping me going until June: summer. I can see sweet tea, swimming pools and no alarm clocks on the horizon. If you’re a mom, you probably have summer camp on that list, as well. Perhaps you’ve been wondering just where you can find great Catholic summer camps for your children…. [Read More]
Who is she to you? Mary as Educator of the Masculine & Feminine Soul
Who is she to you? Who is Mary to you? How do you relate to her? Perhaps the first relationship that popped into your head was Mother. But have you ever considered her a Teacher? What about as someone who can teach us about gender? About growing up as a teenage boy or girl? About… [Read More]
Pure Women – Pure Fashion!
What does PURE mean? Something that is pure is 100% what it is. Meaning, it is made of nothing else but it’s own essence – bottled water is “pure water” when there are no added flavorings, no artificial sweeteners, no contamination – it’s just pure water. Likewise, being a woman who is pure has nothing… [Read More]
Tech and Catechetics
Our youth live in a world of extreme media consumption. Many of us today are never phased by the amount of time we spend staring at a screen or the amount of screens we have in front of us any given time of the day. It is unmistakable that our American culture is over-saturated with… [Read More]
The Need for Catechists
Throughout the world, ordinary people carry out an important mission of the Church – catechises. I am no priest or doctor of theology, but I am a catechist for high school students. Often times, people will ask me why I would ever want to do such a thing, as if it were some kind of… [Read More]
Who Do You Seek?
“Men and women seek God. Young people realize in the depths of their being that this quest is the inner law of their lives.” -Blessed Pope John Paul II As I write this blog, I am sitting on one of four buses from the Diocese of Austin with youth, youth ministers, chaperones and priests from… [Read More]
