Website updates for parishes March 2009 Alton Castle Retreat Weekend
Birmingham Catholic Youth Service is organising a retreat weekend for young people in school Yrs5-9.
It will take place on March 12/14th, and the cost is £65 per person, including food & accommodation. The young people will meet others from Staffordshire parishes, will sleep and eat in the Castle itself and will take part in activities such as; climbing, trekking and cycling round the Churnet Valley.
Booking forms are available from www.bcys.co.uk or from the Area Youth Officer – Peter Lucas on 07971 643 648.
Birmingham Catholic Youth Service Staffordshire Area Newsletter November 2008
This is what’s going on in Staffordshire at the moment; please let me have any suggestions and/or comments.
Youth groups – recently another new youth group has been set up at St Augustine’s Meir. Good luck to Jenny, Dawn & all the leaders involved. If your parish is thinking of setting up a youth group, and you need support, please contact me.
Soli House Weekend – 34 young people from the Staffordshire & Birmingham areas came together for a weekend at Soli in October.
They enjoyed small group activities focussing on ‘calling’, a celebration Mass, free time in Stratford, but very importantly, time to get together with old friends and to make new ones.
RE:ACT Youth Festival – In June over 200 young people camped out at Oscott College for our weekend festival. This was organised by the BCYS team, Soli House staff and the chaplaincy team from Cardinal Newman School in Coventry, with valuable support from the Alton Castle team and many other volunteers.
After registration on the Friday night, there was an opening Liturgy, and words of welcome from Archbishop Vincent.
On Saturday, there were various workshops all day, ongoing Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and an opportunity for reconciliation.
On Sunday, Archbishop Vincent returned with many local clergy, for the celebration of Mass.
The staff at Oscott were very accommodating, providing all the meals for young people and helpers, in the dining room, and also a great deal of practical support throughout the whole weekend.
To see photos taken during the weekend, go to www.hhproductions.co.uk
Young Leaders’ Course – the next young leaders course will take place at St John the Evangelist, Chesterton, during November & December.
This is for young people (14 – 18), and the course includes; communication & listening skills, human development, group work & leadership, and prayer & liturgy. Skills which are relevant to young people in many areas of their lives.
Parish Leaders Network Meetings
North Staffs Deanery – Tuesday 20th January, Holy Trinity, Newcastle, 7.30pm
Stafford/Lichfield Deaneries – no dates are planned at the moment
If you are involved (or would like to be involved) in youth work in your parish, come along & see what’s going on.
Resource Boxes – our resource boxes continue to be used by many parishes, and our available for all. The following are available in Staffordshire between November & January;
1) Discussion – “Family Life” - Using an episode of The Simpsons – YP discuss the importance of family life and compare it to soap families. -All ages- Duration 1hr 30mins
2) Discussion - “God’s Plan for us” - Using clips from Spiderman – questions are used to get YP to think about their futures. All ages – Duration 1hr
3) Arts & Crafts – “Batik” - The ancient art of using wax resin to decorate a banner or altar cloth for a special occasion. Activity 50p p/person.
4) Reflection – “The Paper Bag Game” - A simulation game enabling YP to experience how hard people work and how little they earn in other countries. Suitable for 9+. Duration 1hr.
5) Games – Mini Hockey - An indoor or outdoor session for any age group
There are 4 additional boxes, which are not on the rota. These are; Paper Making, Glass Painting, Fabric Painting/Bandanas, Fabric Painting/Stations of the Cross.
To check on the availability of any of the boxes, please contact Peter.
World Youth Day 2008 – An amazing experience!
The four days we spent in the Melbourne Diocese were memorable, and a great preparation for the events in Sydney. The hospitality, kindness and generosity shown by that parish was overwhelming. Nothing appeared to be too much trouble, with some of the host families showing their pilgrims the local sights, inviting them to family celebrations and even doing their laundry.
The time spent in Sydney itself was incredible. We enjoyed 3 catechesis sessions, led by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, Bishop Christopher Saunders of Broome in Northern Australia, and our very own Archbishop Vincent.
The overnight vigil at Randwick Racecourse was very special, as was the Papal Mass, and the welcome of His Holiness a few days earlier. For me, one of the great highlights was the dramatisation of the Stations of the Cross.
For more information and photos, please see the Catholic Today website www.catholic-today.co.uk
It was announced that the next WYD will be held in 2011, in Madrid, Spain. Young people aged between 15 & 30 in 2011, should start to think now about joining the BCYS group.
Young Adults Mass & Social – The next Mass is; Friday 28th November, at St Michaels, Moor Street, Birmingham at 7.30pm, followed by refreshments.
www.yfaith.co.uk - this is a website created by the Catholic Agency To Support Evangelisation (CASE). It is designed for 10 – 13 year olds who have questions to ask and want to learn more about their journey of faith. It features more than 20 interactive pages covering music and film, ‘Girls only’ and ‘Boys only’ sections, book reviews, the Bible and a questions area. ‘Step Ahead’ interviews are likely to be particularly popular; these feature teenagers of 14 – 16 years old who serve as role models, particularly in the area of being open about faith.
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