StCYM: Moving Forward! I (22 APR 18)

This week we started our next series I've titled "Moving Forward!". During this series we will discover how we move forward following the soul training we received during Lent. We will focus on discerning major life decisions that currently apply to our lives (what to do after college, what extracurriculars to be a part of, which relationships to maintain or end, etc.). Discernment is not just for a particular vocation, it is something we ought to do for every major life decision.

We began this week by looking at our disposition. Throughout this series we will use Ignatian rules for discernment. To begin a proper discernment, the key is to have the proper disposition. To have the proper disposition we need to recognize what our current state in life is. We discussed questions such as "How is my spiritual, emotional, mental health?", "What are things that hold me back?", "How is my prayer life?", "Does God seem close or distant?", "Am I in any toxic relationships/friendships?", "How is my relationship with the Church?" and others. The discussions were good and lasted the entire evening. We didn't even have time for games!

The teens mentioned how relevant these discussions are in their lives at the moment. They have big decisions to make that require good discernment. This is why providing the tools to discern properly is very important to teens at this stage in their lives. What teens do now can have an impact on what they do 10 years from now or maybe more. Including God and others in our decision making process in a healthy way will produce the good fruit we are all called to produce. Next week we will continue this discussion by discussing how to move forward once we have the proper disposition. Please pray for the teens as they are making their major decisions.

Pax,

Johannes

StCYM: Mega-SNS/Lock-in/Escape Room (1, 6, 8 APR 18)

This week was a particularly busy week. We continue to celebrate the triumph of our Lord over death, we had a Mega-SNS, a lock-in, and a trip to the escape room. This week was all about living it up because God gave us such a great life to live. We celebrate this gift by being the most of ourselves and seeking to glorify God in everything we do. Although my knees are not happy with me for the pain I put them through this week, it was definitely worth it.

We begin with the Mega-SNS where we enjoy our time together for two extra hours. We played a new game called consequence trivia where we had to do challenges to steal lost points. It was outrageously fun to play. A little gross, but mostly fun. I even wore an old suit to play the part of game show host. It was a great time playing basketball, hide and seek, and watching movies. We of course also enjoy our fair share of snacks.

Five days later we did it all over again, except this time we spent the night, thus having even more fun. I hope by now we all caught up on sleep because we certainly did not sleep from Friday into Saturday. We began the lock-in discussing how to move forward from the soul training we endured during Lent. We discussed our concerns and desires. In April we are focusing on moving forward and so we started out by laying the foundation with the help of Sacred Scripture and small group discussion. We enjoyed movies like The Greatest Showman and hit the basketball court again. After a few rounds of hide and seek we returned to the house to play video games and cards. We also ate more amazing food and had good conversations. The air hockey table was a spot for great competition. After watching the sunrise and realizing that sleep was necessary, the lock-in concluded.

This past Sunday we visited the escape room in North Olmsted to practice our team work and problem solving skills. The group in the Mad Scientist room made it out with slightly under ten minutes to spare, while the Sherlock room group ran out of time. They were very close to getting out. Afterward the teens enjoyed a stop at Malley's for some chocolate and milk shakes. It was a great Sunday. We are energized and excited to host the eighth graders at our first open house of the year. We look forward to sharing the greatness of StCYM with them.

As I continue to walk with this group, I am reminded of how awesome life can be. It is easy to get caught up in life taking care of the little things and lose site of the precious gift we have. The teens help me realize the beauty of this gift. St. Clarence is blessed with a great group of teens. I am continuing to learn about them and enjoy what I am learning from them as well. Teens today are in great need of support because they are living adult lives more and more. I don't remember being half as busy as society keeps them today. We should consider it our duty to pay attention to them and walk with them lest we lose them. Teens are a great asset to the Church and its mission.

Pax,

Johannes

StCYM: Cathedral Visit

Sunday we visited the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. It was great to be able to take the teens and some parents to see the Bishop's church. Some have been in the Diocese of Cleveland all their lives and have never visited so they were excited to make the trip to E. 9th and Superior.

Our visit started with Mass celebrated by Fr. Sean Ralph the cathedral's administrator. The readings were Isaiah 25:6-10; various verses from Psalm 23; and Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20. The Gospel reading was Matthew 22:1-14.

In Fr. Sean's homily he encouraged us to respond positively to God's invitation to His heavenly feast. He laid out who was excluded from heaven and who was included in heaven. Responding positively to God's invitation means being one with His Church and living a holy life, which we are all CALLED to do. This sometimes includes things that are not easy to understand or follow.

Following Mass we received a tour of the cathedral from Fr. Sean. We began in the sacristy where we were shown the different vestments and the significance of the different colors. We are also shown where the bishop's staff is kept along with a relic of the Cross.

After the sacristy, we entered the sanctuary where we learned about the bishop's cathedra (chair, Latin) and his coat of arms. We also learned about the statues behind the altar and who they were. We were taught about the various symbols and their origins and meanings.

Once we exited the Sanctuary we learned about the two wings on the sides of the church. We were told about the significance of the imagery around the Mary. The statues around Our Lady are of her family (Sts. Joseph (husband) and Anne (mother), and the Christ Child). The painting on the wall above and around her depict her life ending with her coronation at the top.

Opposite Mary is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Pieta next to Christ, where we learned about the significance of that scene. Above and around Christ is the depiction of the Apocalypse as described in the Book of Revelation.

One of my personal favorite parts of the cathedral is the crypt. In the crypt lye the predecessors of Bishop Perez. The reason I consider it one of my favorite parts of the cathedral is because I am able to see the Apostolic Succession of the Diocese of Cleveland. The bones of St. Christine of Bolsena are below the altar in the Resurrection Chapel. She was a very young martyr who was martyred when she was only about 13 or 14 years old.

Once out of the chapel we learned some Latin. We learned the words Laudamus te, Benedicimus te, Adoramus te (We praise you, we bless you, we adore you). The words are from the Gloria in the Mass. We are CALLED to praise, bless, adore, and glorify God at Mass and in the world.

The last stop of the tour was in the choir loft upstairs. We were able to look at the entire church and truly take in its beauty. Overall the visit to the cathedral was one of prayer, worship, fellowship, and learning. We celebrated Mass with different people and we saw the center of the diocese. All the authority of the priests comes from that place (the Bishop sitting on his cathedra).

God is good.