VEYM LEAGUE OF CHAPTERS
Kateri 
Elizabeth Scalia The Ash Wednesday wake-up call is the start of a spiritual spring cleaning I always love, even when the spiritual work is heavy and messy. I love the Mass readings (“Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart . . .”). I love the sense of ancient tribalism that … Read more“Moonstruck” Delivers a Great Ash Wednesday Homily
Bishop Robert Barron Just last week, I was at St. Joseph Abbey in Covington, LA, not far from New Orleans. I was there to address about thirty Benedictine abbots from around the country who had gathered for some days of reflection and retreat. Covering the walls of the abbey church and the refectory of the … Read moreThe Poison of Gossip
Jenna M. Cooper, J.C.L. One of the most beautiful aspects of our Catholic faith is its strong incarnational basis. That is, “incarnational” in the sense of relating in a tangible, concrete way to physical “fleshly” beings such as ourselves. This is especially evident in the centrality of the sacraments in the life of the Church. … Read moreIntention Matters: Baptized by the Water and the (Right) Words
Elizabeth Scalia This is excerpted from a larger piece appearing in the Winter 2021 “Freedom” issue of Evangelization and Culture, the quarterly journal of the Word on Fire Institute. You can learn more and become an Institute member today, to read more pieces like this. Take my love, take my land Take me where I … Read moreThe Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Glorious and Free Empty Sky
Love. Kindness. Compassion. Acceptance. These should be foundational attributes in every youth leader. We walk into parish halls, meeting rooms, and youth rooms with an immense responsibility to find love in all of the young people we minister to and empower them to continue to find love in others.Read More
Andrew Petiprin Last Sunday at our parish church, we kept the Solemnity of the Chair of St. Peter, moved with special permission from Tuesday, February 22. It was our titular feast as members of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, a distinct liturgical form and pastoral structure within the Roman Rite of … Read moreThe Ordinariate: Bringing My Whole Past into My Future, in Faith
I love using this analogy of guardrails when discussing boundaries with teenagers. In all aspects of your life, you need boundaries to help you create space and to help prevent injury. But the most important relationship to establish boundaries in is your romantic relationships. It can often be difficult helping teens establish healthy boundaries in … Read morePutting Up Guardrails: Helping Teens Set Boundaries
What if, instead of comparing ourselves to other people with the intention to elevate ourselves, we humbly share and support other youth ministers with the intent to allow Christ to transform the hearts of young people?Read More
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impedimentand begged him to lay his hand on him.He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s earsand, spitting, touched his tongue;then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,“Ephphatha!” (that is, … Read moreHow Many Miracles Did Jesus Perform?
With a new year comes new opportunities to build or rebuild relationships with the staff we serve with, our parishioners, parents, and especially our teens. It will be tempting to sink back into old structures, habits, and modes of doing ministry “the way things were.” However, the ways we minister going forward will require vulnerability, … Read moreHealthy Habits: Rebuilding Relationships This Year