Communion of Saints

Youth participants will learn how to enrich their lives by participating in the Communion of Saints.

Epiphany

Youth will learn to about the feast of the Epiphany and apply these themes to their lives. • By Jim Merhaut

Jesus' Death & Resurrection

Youth participants will learn to develop an understanding of Jesus' death and resurrection as it relates to our everyday lives, providing the ultimate example of how to live. • By Stacia McDermott

Our Lenten Journey • Generations of Faith

Youth learning activity to explore the RCIA process, and its call to conversion for the whole parish community.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

This learning session for teens promotes understanding of the meaning of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Palm Sunday

Session Objective - To summarize, explain, and live from the message of Palm Sunday by exploring Palm Sunday experiences and the passion narratives from the synoptic gospels • By Marla Overholt

Pentecost

Help young people understand the background, history, and effects of Pentecost. • By Jim Merhaut

Celebrating Triduum

Youth explore the Triduum liturgies and reflect on their meanings for our lives today. • By Maria Scherer and Kim Schroeder

Walking with Jesus through Lent • Generations of Faith

This session is designed to bring young people a little closer to Christ during the Lenten season, focusing on authenticity and mapping out their life journeys. • By Jane Angha

Church Structure

Youth participants will learn to identify how the different parts of the Church work together to promote a unified presence of Christ in the world and to explain what their individual roles are in this diverse yet unified community. • By Maria Scherer and Kim Schroeder

Gathered by Eucharist: Sent in Mission

This learning session for teens explores what it means to be gathered by Eucharist and sent in mission. • By Marla Overholt

Images of God

One hour learning session for teens exploring developmental, biblical, and contemporary images of God.

Incarnation: God Among Us

This learning session for teens explores the mystery of the Incarnation. • By Marla Overholt

Jesus' Mission Continues

This session seeks to introduce and familiarize participants with the six different images of the Church as described in Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.

Jesus Teaches Us about Ourselves

This session will describe the Beatitudes and the Our Father in a way that sheds light on who we are truly created to be. God intended us to live and be more like Jesus. We are to live in a loving relationship with God and each other.

Resurrection of the Body

In this session youth will better understand the implications of bodily resurrection on our respect and care for the body in daily life. • By Anthony Camino

What is Faith?

This session will help teens explore the meaning of faith in their lives in light of the New Evangelization. • By Maria Scherer and Kim Schroeder

Discipleship: Serving Others in Christ's Name

This learning session for teens explores what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and serve others. • By Ann Marie Eckert

CRS & Catholic Charities

Time: 60 minutes Activity Objective: Through the exploration of Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA participants will create practical ways to live Catholic Social Teaching as a response to the Gospel call to serve othersPowerPoint slides for Catholic Charities & Catholic Relief Services Youth session • By Katie Pfiffner

Discipleship: New Testament Role Models

Through prayer, discussion, and games, youth participants will learn how they are called to live their lives as disciples of Jesus.

Earth Day: Stewardship Response

Help youth appreciate the gift of creation, learn about the Church's teaching on care for the environment, and explore ways they can actively practice caring for God's creation.

Economic Justice

This Session will help young people define economic justice through the eyes of the Church and understand the effects of economic justice on the Global World.

Faithful Citizenship

This session helps young people understand the responsibilities we Catholics have when it comes to being a faithful citizen.

Living in Solidarity

Who Cares?

Learning session for teens to explore our relationship with those in need through the Catholic Social teaching on Solidarity. • By Lori Muckensturm

Poverty Awareness

To give adolescents a deeper understanding of the Gospel and the Church

Respect for All Life

In this activity youth will explore and apply the Catholic social teaching theme of the life and dignity of the human person in light of the Ten Commandments and the Corporal Works of Mercy. • By Dennis Kunkel,Jim Merhaut

Sacred & Social: Call to Family, Community, & Participation

Learning session for teens on the Catholic social teaching theme of the Call to Family Community and Participation • By Katie Pfiffner

Thanksgiving Tables

To help youth recognize the importance of a grateful attitude by looking at Mary.

Catholic Social Teachings • Generations of Faith

This learning session for teens explores what it means to live the basic principles of the Catholic social teachings. • By Katie Pfiffner

Being Truthful • Generations of Faith

Youth participants will explore the ramifications of truthful and deceptive living and adopt the practices of truthful living. • By Katie Pfiffner

Living Like Christ: Following the Great Commandments

This learning session for teens explores what it means to live like Christ and follow the Great Commandments. • By Ann Marie Eckert

Life in Christ • Generations of Faith

This learning session for teens explores what it means to say yes to God's call to holiness and how the four cardinal virtues can aid them in following Christ's example. • By Cathy Walz

Benedictine Spirituality

Youth will explore the Rule of St. Benedict and discover ways to integrate it into their own lives. • By Marla Overholt

Call & Vocation

Youth participants will think about how they have been called in their life and how that call is their vocation. This session will also explore the different vocational calls of marriage, priesthood, religious life, and single life. • By Ann Marie Eckert

Divine Word Spirituality

This session helps youth develop an understanding of Divine Word Spirituality. • By Marla Overholt

Forgiveness & Reconciliation

This session explores the connection between the common experiences of hurt, forgiveness, and reconciling that we all experience and the theological/sacramental understanding of this topic as expressed by the Church. Participants will grow in their understanding of forgiveness and reconciliation as both necessary to maintain loving relationships and as a holy and sacred activity.

Franciscan Spirituality

Participants will learn about the life of Saint Francis of Assisi and find creative ways to share with others the values and characteristics of Franciscan Spirituality. • By Kathy Filippelli

Ignatian Spirituality

Finding God in All Things

Participants will learn about and experience several of the spiritual recommendations of St. Ignatius Loyola. • By Marla Overholt

Lay Spirituality: Go in Peace

Youth participants will learn to define a person's spirituality using the characteristics of clerical and lay lifestyles. Reflecting on Scripture and contemporary video, the participants will identify three essential elements of Christian spirituality. • By Marla Overholt

Praying into Sunday: Eucharistic Adoration

Ninety minute learning session to introduce teens to the spiritual practice of Eucharistic adoration as a means for deepening liturgical spirituality • By Maria Scherer and Kim Schroeder

Proclaiming Hope

This learning session for youth provides a way to explore the meaning of hope in our lives. • By Marla Overholt

Providence Spirituality

Participants will explore the characteristics of Providence Spirituality to gain a deeper understanding of their own spirituality and how it connects to the way they lead their lives. • By Katie Pfiffner

Stewardship: Come Share the Master's Joy • Generations of Faith

This learning session for teens promotes an understanding of our call to be grateful and to embrace stewardship. • By Mary Ann Otto

Liturgy of the Hours

Help youth explore our understanding of ritual and prayer throughout our day in order to deepen our appreciation for how it can connect us to the universal Church and deepen our relationship with God.

One Holy Catholic Apostolic

A youth activity that teaches about the four marks or four essential characteristics of the Church (one, holy, catholic and apostolic) and how to live them out in daily life.

Parts of the Mass

In this activity, youth participants learn to identify the four major movements of the mass and learn to identify subparts of the mass and their placement in the ritual.

Our Call to Worship

This session will introduce participants to the Revised Roman Missal, help them understand the reasons for the changes, and prepare them to fully participate in the Mass.

Acts of the Apostles

This learning session for teens promotes an understanding of the Acts of the Apostles and the early Church community. • By Cathy Walz

Lectionary Cycle C

Explore with youth the themes in Luke as presented through the eyes of the people who encountered Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, the central Gospel used for Lectionary Cycle C.

Letter to the Hebrews

Learning session for teens to grow in their understanding of sacrifice and Jesus' role in the New Covenant of love as presented in Paul's Letter to the Hebrews. • By Anthony Camino

O Antiphons

Explore with youth the meaning of the O Antiphons and their connection to our lives today.

Pentateuch • Generations of Faith

Our Salvation History

Participants will explore the significance of the key events in the Pentateuch (especially in Genesis and Exodus) in order to gain a better understanding of Salvation History and Covenant, to see how these events are applicable to our lives today, shaping and guiding the way we live as God's people. • By Katie Pfiffner

Prophets of the Old Testament

In this session, youth will be introduced to the prophets of the Old Testament and will discover how we are all called to be prophets. • By Cathy Walz

Reading the Bible • Generations of Faith

God's Inspired Word: How Did We Get It?

Participants will learn how the Bible, as the inspired Word of God, came to be developed over the course of history. This session is designed for 9th-12th graders and may be done with groups from 8-60. Ample room is required for movement is required. • By Leif Kehrwald

The Great Stories: Historical Books of the Bible

This ninety minute youth ministry session focuses on the characters and themes of the Historical Books of the Bible. • By Marla Overholt

The Ten Commandments

Youth participants will view the Ten Commandments as a gift from God, who motivated by pure love, desires to protect us from the flaws of human sin; will learn concepts of Natural Law, Positive Law and Divine Positive Law; and will explore the Ten Commandments in light of their deeper meaning revealed by Jesus in the Gospels. • By Jim Merhaut,Cathy Walz

Wisdom Literature

Youth participants will become familiar with the Wisdom writings from Scripture and gain a deeper understanding of how they continue to provide guidance for us today. • By Katie Pfiffner

Holy Family, My Family

This learning session is designed to have young people take a good look at family and why our Catholic Church supports, nurtures and defends family so strongly. The session will explain what is it about family that brings us closer to God and gives us a better understanding of who we are and who we are called to be. • By Jane Angha

Becoming Missionary Disciples

This session invites the participants to really think about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. By looking at Scripture and Church teachings, we find surprises about what we as Christians are called to do and to be. By taking a look at how and where we encounter Jesus, we can then ask what the world needs us to be. • By Jane Angha

Mission Sunday • Generations of Faith

Mission Possible

A learning activity to help youth understand that they are called to participate in the Church.

Thanksgiving: a Jubilee Experience • Generations of Faith

This is a learning session for youth followed by a parish-wide service project planned by them, to be done around Thanksgiving. This could also be adapted to be used as a family activity.

Understanding & Practicing Justice • Generations of Faith

This youth session helps the participants develop a foundational understanding of justice and human rights, and practical ways to live justly and work for justice in our world today. Can be adapted for intergenerational learning.

Reflection Activities on Human Rights • Generations of Faith

Something within us proclaims that injustice and human rights violations destroy children's and youths' dignity and should not exist. Use these activities to take a critical look at the religious traditions and values that challenge injustice and offer an alternative vision of how live can and should be.