Catholic Teens

Hey All--

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, beginning a time of prayer and penance. What do the ashes represent? Well, as the minister says upon putting the ashes on your forehead, "Remember man that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return." We're all going to die someday. And it's a good idea to have a sense of where you're going...heaven. And to prepare accordingly. Likewise, ashes were used in the Old Testament as a symbol of penance and sorrow for sins. Recall, that Jonah, the guy who was swallowed by a whale, went to Nineveh urging them to repent--they responded by putting on ashes and sackcloth to show their sorrow for their sins.

We do the same on Ash Wednesday and by fasting (2 small meals and one big meal). And, in reality, we get off pretty easy. Lent is 40 days long, based on Jesus spending 40 days in the desert in prayer and fasting, before He started His public ministry. Jesus didn't just fast for one day,....but all 40. Remember that before grumbling about being hungry tomorrow :-)

I smiled when I heard that the seminary, where future priests study, is having a liquid-fast Wednesday and Thursday...meaning no solid food for those 2 days. They're taking fasting seriously there! -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question O' The Week:
"How long has the Bible been around?"

Well the Bible is a collection of books. The Old Testament has been around for thousands of years. It's the story from Creation up to when Jesus came(2000 years ago). The New Testament is the story of Jesus and what happened in the roughly 60 years after He ascended to Heaven. For several hundred years these books floated around, without there being an "official" Bible. In the late 300's, the Church held a series of councils to establish what was known as the "Canon" of the Bible. These councils prayed, studied, and discerned, which of the books was truly inspired by God and which weren't. They came up with a list and in 397 at the Council of Carthage, the books for current Bible were declared. Pope St. Innocent I in 405 formally approved this "Canon" and declared it closed. So the Bible, as we have it today, is about 1600 years old. Although the books included are hundreds or even thousands of years older.

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Prayer requests:
I'd like to start a new section for prayer requests. If you have anything or anyone you'd like to pray for, email them to me and I'll add them to the list here. (You can remain anonymous if you like).

Our 3rd Annual College Retreat is this weekend. About 35 young adults will be going to the Rosholt Lions camp to spend some time growing closer to God in holiness, asking where they are called in life, and of course, having a good amount of fun :-) Please keep all these people in your prayers.
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Announcements: Next Youth Group is Sunday, March 5th! 6PM @ St. Peter's. The topic is "Bring a Non-Catholic friend Night". Many of you have indicated you have friends who aren't Catholic who don't understand why you do the things you do. This is a night for you to bring them and have their questions answered. (There'll be pizza too!) Fr. Kevin Louis will be there to help explain things. It should be a fun night! Contact Natalie Timm timmgirl86@yahoo.com for more information!


God bless you!
Phil Lawson

Catholic Teens

Hey All--
DTS--the Dead Theologians Society--continues to expand. We've had a college-aged group at St. Peter's for about 5 years now. In fact, I think we're one of the oldest DTS chapters in the state. More and more DTS chapters are popping up. There's a new one starting in Wisconsin Rapids based at the Adoration Chapel at St. Peter and Parish. Likewise, it's being introduced to St. Mary's Parish in Fancher tomorrow evening. The focus is the saints, praying, and growing together in faith. Plus you get a cool black hooded sweatshirt :-)
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Question O' The Week:
"Can you explain what happens during an exorcism?"
-Wow. Now that's a good question! There is a formal ritual that a priest-exorcist follows. It includes specific prayers to be said. Each case is different. But essentially, the priest prays over the person, invokes Christ and by Christ's power pulls/expels the demon(s) from the person. This is done over and over. In fact, sometimes it takes several exorcisms at different times. It is not something that is pleasant or that should be taken lightly. It is an image of the grand battle that takes place between good and evil. Of course, God wins, because God is All-Powerful.
Nonetheless, it is best to avoid such environments and situations that could invite evil such as horoscopes, ouijai boards, fortune tellers, etc. These are all things that can open a person up to the demonic.


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Announcements: Next Youth Group is Sunday, March 5th! 6PM @ St. Peter's. The topic is "Bring a Non-Catholic friend Night". Many of you have indicated you have friends who aren't Catholic who don't understand why you do the things you do. This is a night for you to bring them and have their questions answered. (There'll be pizza too!) Fr. Kevin Louis will be there to help explain things. It should be a fun night! Contact Natalie Timm timmgirl86@yahoo.com for more information!


God bless you!
Phil Lawson

Catholic Teens

Hey All--
A Blessed Valentine's Day to everyone. Recall that St. Valentine was a real person. He was physician in Rome in the 200's. He was also a Christian, unbeknownst to the authorities. In fact, since Christianity was illegal in those days, Valentine would make frequent visits, as a doctor, to the prison, to minister to the Christians being held. Eventually he was found out and put in prision himself...eventually being put to death in 269.

In a very real sense, he died for love. True Love of God.


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Question O' The Week:

I know that if the devil puts a bad thought in your head it isn't a sin if you dismiss it and don't entertain it. Can that work the same way with judging others? It seems almost like it is automatic to jugde someone but if you dismiss saying that that may not be true of the case is that okay? -Right. We can't control the thoughts or emotions that come. It is how we deal with them or whether we dwell on them that makes the difference. For instance, if you were in a situation and you saw someone, and had a bad thought about them, you should just pray, "Lord, help me to view that person as you do...and please bless that person." Then put it out of your mind as best you can.
Thoughts and feelings aren't sinful. Dwelling on them, encouraging them, or even acting on them is the sinful part. The best course is just to offer it to Jesus and put it in His hands.

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Announcements: Sledding this Sunday! And looks like we'll have snow. 6PM @ St. Peter's. Contact Natalie Timm timmgirl86@yahoo.com for more information!


God bless you!
Phil Lawson

Hey All--
It's amazing what they can do with modern technology. Check out the youth page on the St. Peter's website: http://saintpetercatholic.com/youth_ministry.htmThey've now got my face along with my voice on there, plus a blog! Special thanks to Darcy Bunn, who actually used to work at St. Peter's for all her efforts regarding this.
Pretty impressive stuff all that. And by the Grace of God, it will be another tool to help teens learn more about God and have their questions answered.
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Question O’ the Week: "I've also been told that when you say, for example, the Rosary. When you say the devil will probably never be by you when you say it because he hates that prayer so much. Is it kinda the same when you wear a scapular or will he "bug" you more and tempt you more to get you to become farther away from Christ? "
-Indeed the devil hates the Rosary and he hates the Mass. He hates all things associated with God. And he will generally avoid situations where God is really present, like Mass or when you say the Rosary, or Holy Water. Why? Because the devil knows he is powerless against God. That's one reason why people generally try to have Holy Water in their home or a Crucifix in every room of the house. There's a story of a saint who was praying, the devil appeared to her..she threw Holy Water at him and he vanished.
-However, the devil also knows the best way to "get back at God" is to tempt away those who love God the most. So the saints and all who try to follow God the most, will be tempted, especially hard. But, always remember that God is more powerful and will give you all the help you need, as long as you stay close to Him.
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Announcements: The next Generation JPII Youth Group Meeting is Sunday, Feb. 19th for sledding. Pray for some more snow! God bless you! Phil Lawson
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - February 1, 2006

Hey All—
Success! After about a week of work and some very kind words of wisdom from
people who know electricity much better then yours truly, we now have 2 new
working outlets! Even managed to avoid shocking myself at all.
As wiring and electricity is not something I have much experience with, I am
grateful for the help and advice given. While many of us, myself included,
are very independent, the fact is we all need others---and that’s a good
thing. The same applies in the Christian life. There is an old saying, "A
Christian alone, is a Christian in danger." Meaning..none of us can do it
alone—if we try, we’ll falter. That’s one of the reasons, when Christ sends
out His disciples, He sends them out Two-By-Two. Never alone—always with
someone else to support and encourage them.
We are called to do the same for our friends and they for us, as we seek to
follow Christ more fully.
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Question O’ the Week:
"How can we make sure that we stay married, and not end up divorced when we
get older?"
-The priest who married my wife and I just sent a copy of his homily from
our Wedding Mass to us. In there was a great statistic that I had
forgotten, amidst all the things that are happening on one’s wedding day (go
figure!). He cited this number----of Catholics who pray together each day,
go to Mass together each Sunday, and use NFP(and not any contraception) ….only 1 in 1200 end up divorced. 1 in 1200! Think about that...overall
there is a greater then 50% divorce rate in our society, but if you do the
above your chances of getting divorced are 1 in 1200 or 0.83%. The priest
called it "marriage insurance."
Think about it…praying together daily, going to Mass, and being open to
children---these are the things you promise to your spouse, before God on
your wedding day. If you actually do these things, there’s almost ZERO
chance you’ll end up divorced. The couple makes this pledge before God and
God pledges to bless you. If you keep your end of the bargain, He’ll be
faithful in His. And the numbers point out that it works.
The problem is, many couples don’t live out what they promise…they come to
Church to get married, but then don’t come back the next Sunday, or any
Sunday for that matter.
My parents got divorced, and I decided to do everything I possibly could to
avoid having that happen in my own marriage…and following the above is a
pretty good start!


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No announcements this week!
God bless you!
Phil Lawson

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - January 25, 2006

Hey All--
This week's task has been playing with electricity at the house. So far
no "shocking experiences". :-) Now I know very little about wiring and re- wiring, etc. But I'm learning. I'm reading and asking those who do know
more then I do. And it works.
It's a good analogy to the faith. Very few of us know much about our faith,
and that's why we ask questions and study. This particular email list is an
aid in that regard. Your questions are always welcome!
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Question O' the Week:
"Do you thinkg the Holy Grail is Christ's bloodline or an actual cup?"
-This question is a reference to "the DaVinci Code" a fictional book that
makes the case that the Holy Grail, traditionally claimed to be the cup
Jesus used at the Last Supper, was instead Jesus' bloodline, falsely
claiming that Jesus married Mary Magdalene.
It's an unfortunate reality today that people often get more of their
knowledge on the faith from fictional books and movies then from the Bible
and the Church.
Numerous people throughout history, refusing to believe that Jesus was God
or that He would die for us, or that He would remain celibate, have tried to
tarnish what He did. The DaVinci Code, which, even the author claims to be
fictional(Likewise a team of scholars went through the book and found tons
of historical inaccuracies) is just the latest in the effort to tarnish
Jesus--and it should be pointed out, make a lot of $$$. Dan Brown, the
author, is now a very rich man for what he wrote.
There is zero evidence that Jesus Christ got married or was anything but
celibate. (Besides don't you think if that actually happened more people
would have known about it then Dan Brown?) There is substantial historical
evidence for just the opposite, that Jesus Christ, God, was crucified and
died for us.
So next time you hear something that sounds really weird, just remember,
people love conspiracy theories and there's lots of money to be made.
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Announcements:
The next Youth Group: Generation JPII is scheduled for
Sunday, January 29th at 200PM. We will join hundreds of people
from around Portage County in a Walk for Life, to pray and
demonstrate that unborn babies have rights too. And for healing for
all those who have been victimized or hurt by abortion. Meet at the UWSP
Student Union at 130pm.
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may
live as you wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - January 18, 2006

Hey All--
I helped lead a retreat this past weekend just north of LaCrosse. Good
group of kids--some beautiful land around the camp as well. The students
that I worked with had lots of good questions, so I'll be answering those in
this column. As always, feel free to send in yours as well!

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Question O' the Week:
"What does the devil look like?"
Lots of questions regarding the devil and evil and exorcisms. I suppose the
movie "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" has something to do with that. I'm
planning on seeing that movie soon.
The devil is pure spirit, so technically, he doesn't look like anything. He
is simply an angel who chose to rebel against God. (Recall St. Michael
leading God's angels against the angels who chose to follow God.) St.
Michael won that battle (big surprise!) and the devil was cast out of the
heavens.
The devil as a spirit can take on physical forms as he desires. And because
the devil seeks to get people to follow him, he often appears as something
beautiful or attractive. If people saw the devil for how evil and ugly he
truly was, no one would follow him. So he tricks people. Remember the
Garden of Eden...the devil tricked Adam and Eve into eating of the
fruit...which was very attractive.
So the devil makes evil things look good and thereby tempts people.

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Announcements:
The next Youth Group: Generation JPII is scheduled for
Sunday, January 29th at 200PM. We will join hundreds of people from
around Portage County in a Walk for Life, to pray and demonstrate that
unborn babies have rights too. And for healing for all those who have been
victimized or hurt by abortion.
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may
live as you wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - January 11, 2006

Hey All--
With 2 and a half months left until Baby Lawson comes into the world, we
have already discovered an important truth. Sugar and chocolate make for a
very active little one! My wife had some chocolate cookies and candy last
night before bed. Baby Lawson proceeded to do sommersaults in the womb and
be very active kicking most of the night--keeping my poor wife awake a good
part of it.
I don't think my wife will be drinking any Mountain Dew anytime soon. :-)
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Question O' the Week:
A question is if like for example recently i have been finding that i am
more aware of sins before i do them... like 99.9 percent of the time before
i do something wrong i relize its a sin....and i know that sometimes i wont
be able to resist the temptation to sin so does that mean that because im
more aware of sin that everytime now that i sin it will be a mortal sin?
--No. In fact, it is an indication of just the opposite. You are growing
in holiness. Remember the 3 requirements for a mortal sin, the one that
should apply the most is whether it is a "grave" matter. Have you ever read
any of the stories of the saints lives or an autobiography of one? You will
find them saying what you have just said--as they grow closer to God, they
see their sins even more clearly. Why? Because the closer you get to God,
to His light, the more your imperfections show up...like a speck of dirt on
a white background. And the more you want to get rid of that sin(or speck
of dirt) so you can be even closer to God. And that's what the saints do.
They go to confession and get closer and closer to God.
It's like a relationship with someone you love--you want to get closer and
closer to them and eliminate anything that would keep you separated. And
how wonderful that is with God!
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Announcements:
The next Youth Group: Generation JPII is scheduled for
this Sunday, January 15th at 630PM. Fr. Sotico Florida from
St. Mary's Parish in Custer will spend the evening with us.
We'll also have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the
opportunity for Reconciliation.
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - January 4, 2006

Hey All--
I pray that your Christmas season has been a blessed one! San Diego was
wonderful, spent some time at the ocean and hiking in the mountains(almost
reached the cloud layer!). Nonetheless, it's good to be home. Christmas
without snow isn't quite the same.
As we begin a new year and all the year-end summaries and reviews have been
published, here's one that doesn't get a lot of press. There were 26
Catholic Pastoral Agents killed in 2005. This includes priests, sisters,
one bishop and some lay people, killed while serving the poor or spreading
the Gospel. The complete article is at the end of this email. Let us take
a moment to give thanks for the freedom to practice our faith in the US and
pray for those who suffer, even to the point of death, around the world for
the Faith.
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Question O' the Week:
"Is suicide ever forgiven by God?"
-Good question. I recently heard a statistic that suicide is one of the
leading causes of death among young people today. That's frightening.
First off, suicide is a very bad thing. To purposely hurt yourself in any
way is to sin against God, but harming the beautiful body that He has given
you. A body that God tells us is "a temple of the Holy Spirit." So suicide
is objectively a grave sin.
At the same time, is it "normal" for a person to seek to harm themselves?
No, of course not. Only God knows that state of one's mind, who commits
suicide. Oftentimes, there is great emotional and mental distress. These
are mitigating factors. And so we entrust people who commit suicide to
God's Mercy. If one does not understand fully what one is doing, they
cannot be held fully responsible for their actions. (Recall that in courts
sometimes people will use an "insanity" defense--thereby saying they can't
be held responsible for what they did.)
And so we pray for those who have committed suicide and entrust them to our
loving and merciful God. Similarly, we reach out to others so that no one
else is even tempted to do such a thing.
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Announcements:
The next Youth Group: Generation JPII is scheduled for
Sunday, January 15th at 630PM. Fr. Sotico Florida from St.
Mary's Parish in Custer will spend the evening with us. We'll also have
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the opportunity for Reconciliation.
God bless you!
Phil Lawson

Code: ZE06010102
Date: 2006-01-01
26 Catholic Pastoral Agents Slain in 2005
Highest Number in the Americas
ROME, JAN. 1, 2006 (Zenit.org).- A bishop, 20 priests, two men religious,
two women religious and a layman were added to the list of pastoral mission
agents who met violent deaths last year.
Those 26 deaths compare with 15 recorded in 2004. The new figure appears in
the "Martyrology of the Contemporary Church," published by the Congregation
for the Evangelization of Peoples.
It refers not only to missionaries in the strict sense of the term, but also
to all the Church personnel who were killed or sacrificed their lives as
part of their witness to the faith.
The highest number of victims was registered in the Americas, with the loss
of eight priests, two women religious and two men religious.
"Colombia, with four priests and one nun killed, is still the nation where
social conflicts are most acute and where the Church pays a heavy price for
its commitment to reconciliation and social justice in the name of the
Gospel," noted the dicastery.
"Two more priests were killed in Mexico," it said. "They had been working in
areas of profound degradation."
U.S.-born Sister Dorothy Stang, 73, of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur,
died on Feb. 12 in Brazil. She has carried out her apostolate for 40 years
in small communities of the interior of the Amazon region.
She was shot in the back at point-blank range by two gunmen in the Esperanca
settlement, in the southwestern state of Para. Less than one week earlier
she had reported death threats by four farmers of the area.
African strife
On Oct. 27 members of the Missionaries of the Poor, a religious congregation
of diocesan right, were killed in Kingston, Jamaica. Suresh Barwa, 31, a
native of India, and Filipino Marco Candelario Lasbuna, 22, fell victims of
a bullet to the head while they were working in the kitchen of a
Missionaries of the Poor house.
The report, moreover, that "Africa was bathed with the blood of a bishop,
six priests and a layman."
The victim were either killed "probably by criminals looking for easy
money," "or deliberately eliminated with bloody ferocity in Kenya, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo- Brazzaville, and Nigeria."
Among those who died in Africa was Father Thomas Richard Heath, 85, a U.S.- born Dominican religious. He died Jan. 13, days after being attacked during
an attempted robbery at a religious house in Kisumu, Kenya.
Added to the list of those killed was Swiss Ursuline Sister Margaret
Branchen, 74, an obstetric nurse, who died Dec. 28. She was attacked at a
clinic where she worked in Ngqeleni, near Mthatha, in South Africa. The
police believe the crime was committed in a robbery attempt. News of her
death was made known Friday, according to the Missionary Service News
Agency.
Four priests lost their lives in Asia because of the Gospel: three in India
and one in Indonesia, the report said.
Belgium was also the scene of the murder of a priest, as was Russia.


"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - December 21, 2005

Hey All--
My wife is an incredible blessing to me. One of the many blessings she
offers is being from San Diego. And we'll be spending Christmas with her
family in California. I checked the forecast this morning...mid 70's and
sunny for the foreseeable future. It'll be a pleasant reprieve from our
frigid winter. Hence, there'll be no "Catholic Teens" email next week.
Below is a special article in place of the Question of the Week..the origin
of the beautiful song "Silent Night."
May Peace and Love in Christ be yours this Holy Season!
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Question O' the Week:
The Origin of Silent Night - A Christmas Carol is Born
Special to LifeSiteNews.com by Fr. Bernard Heffernan
For 22 years I looked after the spiritual needs of senior citizen homes.
Volunteers helped. Among them was Anna Cairnduf, a lady who hails from a
mountain town in Austria. She's the grand niece of Father Joseph Mohr, the
writer of the Christmas carol "Silent Night" which for a long time was
ignored. Why?
Great music is expected from great cities and great Cathedrals but hardly
from a poor, cold, drafty little mountain church, where a few days before
Christmas in 1818, a hungry mouse chewed through the bellows of the old
organ, silencing it. Oh no! No music for Christmas.
Nothing good was expected from the mountains and less was expected from
pathetic Father Mohr. He was not a bright light in the diocese. He would
never make a monsignor, hardly even a pastor. The bishop sent him into the
mountains to help a stern old pastor, who at the sight of his new helper
became even sterner.
At the church, the day before Christmas Eve, organist Franz Gruber arrived
and discovered the damaged organ. Exasperated, he pressed the keys and
pumped the bellows. Not a sound! He and Father Mohr pondered, "What could
be done to save Christmas?" Shyly the priest withdrew from his pocket a
paper and showed him the words he had scrawled in German, "Silent Night,
Holy night. All is calm. All is bright. Round yon virgin mother and
child. Holy infant so tender and mild. Sleep in Heavenly Peace!" Franz Gruber was captivated by the simplicity of the song, that told so well
the wondrous story. Hastening home he fingered his violin and wrote the
music so he and Father Mohr could harmonize.
Come midnight Mass, the arriving parishioners and lumber jacks, trudging
through the snow, were disappointed when they heard there was no organ. No
music! Sterner than usual the pastor began the Mass and delivered his
Christmas sermon.
Then to everyone's surprise at the front of Church, appeared six children in
colourful dress and bright red bows, flanked by Father Mohr and Franz Gruber
playing his violin.
There in that little church in the mountains was heard the world premier
of "Silent Night." The surprised parishioners didn't know what to think.
But one glance at the angry pastor told them. After Church the departing
faithful quickly bid Christmas wishes and "Good Night". No one mentioned
the song. One polite lady said the children's clothes were pretty. That
was all.
Perhaps the performance of Silent Night was the last straw, causing the
pastor to complain to the Bishop. Whatever! By the time the snow had gone
and Spring had come, and the organ repair man arrived with horse and cart,
Father Mohr had long vanished like a log round the bend of the river. Up in the choir loft, the organ man found the scrap of paper on which was
written "Silent Night". He carried it out of the mountains to the world, to
its cathedrals, music halls and palaces. Authorship was attributed to
famous composers like Bach and Beethoven. Only later did the world learn of
the humble authors.
Now all the names of other Austrian Priests and organists of the time have
vanished. But the names of Father Joseph Mohr and organist Franz Gruber
live on in a museum built in their honour and in the beautiful Christmas
song, sung in 200 languages every Christmas around the world - "Silent Night" In their Austrian homeland, in the 1800 on Christmas Eve, when lumberjacks
were gathering and `Stille Nachte' rang out through the Alpine mountains,
here in Canada through forested, snow covered hills, across frozen lakes,
lumberjacks also strode to church, summoned by the bells, organs and the
beautiful Christmas carol, "Silent Night".


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Announcements:
The next Youth Group: Generation JPII is scheduled for this
Sunday, January 15th at 630PM.
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may
live as you wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - December 14, 2005

Hey All---
Hope you're enjoying the snow...maybe some of you will get out of school
early? And looks like the various religious education programs are
cancelling for tonight.
The question this week is very appropriate as we approach Christmas. For it
often happens that the closer we get to Christ the more we sin our sins
clearly. This is good and healthy and leads to happiness. Read more
below :-) Note also that confession is offered at St. Peter's this Saturday
from 9am-Noon and 1pm-4pm. Open to anyone!
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Question O' the Week:
"Another question is if like for example recently i have been finding that
i am more aware of sins before i do them... like 99.9 percent of the time
before i do something wrong i relize its a sin....and i know that sometimes
i wont be able to resist the temptation to sin so does that mean that
because im more aware of sin that everytime now that i sin it will be a
mortal sin? "
--No. In fact, it is an indication of just the opposite. You are growing
in holiness. Remember the 3 requirements for a mortal sin, the one that
should apply the most is whether it is a "grave" matter. Have you ever read
any of the stories of the saints lives or an autobiography of one? You will
find them saying what you have just said--as they grow closer to God, they
see their sins even more clearly. Why? Because the closer you get to God,
to His light, the more your imperfections show up...like a speck of dirt on
a white background. And the more you want to get rid of that sin(or speck
of dirt) so you can be even closer to God. And that's what the saints do.
They go to confession and get closer and closer to God.
It's like a relationship with someone you love--you want to get closer and
closer to them and eliminate anything that would keep you separated. And
how wonderful that is with God!
*********************************************************
Announcements:
The next Youth Group: Generation JPII is scheduled for this
Sunday, January 15th at 630PM.

God bless you!
Phil Lawson
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - December 7, 2005

Hey All--
Yesterday, we celebrated the Feast of St. Nicholas. Hope your stockings
were hung and filled with goodies yesterday morning! A lot of people don't
realize just who Nicholas was. He was actually a Catholic Bishop in the
territory of Myra. (Modern day Turkey). He lived in the 300's and was known
for his generosity. On one occassion, he helped a poor family by throwing a
pouch of gold coins through their window on 3 consecutive nights. This
allowed the family to stay out of slavery. From this event, we get the
giving of gifts and eventually Santa Claus.
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Question O' the Week:
"How can we come to know Christ more fully?"
Pope Benedict answered this in a recent address to some young people from
the Netherlands. He tells them that if they don't know how to pray...ask
Jesus and Mary to teach you. I'd say that's a pretty good source! Enjoy
the rest of his comments!
Date: 2005-11-28
Pontiff Tells Young Dutch How to Know Christ
Through Prayer, Eucharist and Sacrament of Reconciliation
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 28, 2005 (Zenit.org).- In a message for the first Youth
Day held in the Netherlands, Benedict XVI explains to young people how they
can come to know Christ.
"Jesus is your authentic friend and Lord," the Pope said in the message,
read in Dutch to the thousands of youths gathered Sunday in Nieuwegein.
"How easy it is to be content with the superficial pleasures that daily life
offers us, how easy to live just for oneself, apparently enjoying life!" the
Holy Father wrote. "However, sooner or later, we realize that it is not true
happiness, as the latter is much more profound: We find it only in Jesus."
To discover Jesus, Benedict XVI gave young people three personal pieces of
advice.
Above all, he recommended prayer. "If you do not know how to pray, ask him
[Jesus] to teach you and ask his heavenly Mother to pray with and for you,"
the Pope said. "The prayer of the rosary can help you to learn the art of
prayer with the simplicity and depth of Mary."
"He knocks"
Second, the Bishop of Rome invited young people to discover Jesus in the
Eucharist, the sacrament of his real presence, where "he knocks on the door
of your heart to give you his grace."
"Go out to meet him in the holy Eucharist, worship him in the churches and
remain kneeling before the tabernacle," the Holy Father exhorted. "Jesus
will fill you with his love and will manifest the thoughts of his heart to
you."
Third, Benedict XVI mentioned the sacrament of reconciliation as the place
where "Jesus waits for you to forgive your sins and reconcile you with his
love through the priest's ministry."
"Never feel alone because you are part of the Church, which is a great
family," he added. He encouraged the young people of the Netherlands to go
to Jesus who "needs you to renew present-day society."

*********************************************************
Announcements:
The next Youth Group: Generation JPII is scheduled for this
Sunday, December 11th at 230PM. We'll be caroling at Harmony House, the
nursing home behind Sentry. Meet there!
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - November 9, 2005

Hey All--
Welcome to those of you who are new. Every week, I send out an email to
Catholic Teens in the area, answering a question that's been sent to me. I
have a long list of questions, but feel free to submit your own to me via
email.
It was great to see so many of you this past Sunday at the new youth group.
I think there were about 20 of you there! And from what I heard, the last
people didn't leave until about 1000PM. I take it you had a good time :-)
Natalie was telling me about some of your ideas for the future. Very
impressive!
************************************************************************
Question O' the Week:
"Does Jesus still heal today?"
-Good question. Yes! He most certainly does. One need only look at the
many miracles that occur throughout the world to testify to this truth.
There are countless people who have been healed by the Eucharist, through
prayer, Eucharistic Processions(think Stuebenville), and other Eucharistic
miracles. My confirmation students should recall the woman who was healed
as the Eucharist was processed by her in Lourdes in the early 1900's. She
had been completely blind, and after that she could see. Scientists and
doctors could not explain it. The miracle is even documented at the Medical
Bureau of Lourdes.
Similarly, when one is very sick or approaching dangerous surgery, the
priest is called in to give the sacrament of "Annointing of the Sick." The
priest who represents Christ, annoints the person and asks for spiritual and
physical healing. And you know what? It happens.
So to answer your question, Yes, Jesus still heals today. And Thanks be to
God for that! :-)
*********************************************************
Announcements:
The next Youth Group: Generation JPII is scheduled for Sunday, December 4th
from 630-800PM at St. Peter's.
God bless you!
Phil Lawson

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - November 1, 2005

Hey All--
Today we celebrate All Saints Day. Why a day for All the Saints? How many
days are there in a year? 365....and how many saints are there? A lot more
then 365! So we have a day, a Holy Day, to remember and celebrate all the
saints in heaven. It's a good reminder to us that they are there to inspire
us and pray for us--and again that we are never alone!
Tomorrow we celebrate All Souls Day. The annual day set aside to pray for
our deceased brothers and sisters in Christ. We do this out of love and
charity. Some ask, why pray for the dead? If they’re in heaven, they
certainly don’t need our prayers, and if they are in hell, well, no amount
of prayer will help. So why pray for them? The answer is the age-old
Catholic teaching on Purgatory, the place where all those who have chosen to
follow Christ, but fallen short, i.e. died with the stain of sin on their
soul, go on their way to Heaven. Purgatory is that place of purification
people pass through, in order to be made worthy of Heaven, to see the face
of God. For nothing impure can exist in Heaven. (Rev 21:27 "…nothing
unclean will enter it [heaven].")Spirit.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Question of the Week!
"What is a Novena? Please explain."
-Ok...I will :-) "Novena" is Latin for the number 9. It's a tradional
method of prayer. You pray for something or ask a saint's intercession for
some particular intention for 9 days. And on the 10th, you look for the
answer. It dates back to the Apostles. After Jesus ascended into Heaven,
what did His Apostles do? They went back to the upper room and prayed--and
prayed some more, waiting for the Holy Spirit Jesus had promised to send
them. After 9 days, the Holy Spirit came, we celebrate this day as
Pentecost.
There are formal Novena prayers. Check out <www.ewtn.com> for a bunch of
them. Or you can make up your own words and pray if for nine consecutive
days. My wife and I prayed several Novena's to St. Joseph asking for God's
guidance as were dating each other--trying to discern whether God was
calling us to marriage. I'd say it worked out pretty well :-)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Events:
-St. Peter's Youth Group for 8th Grade and up--meets 1st
Sunday of each month from 630-800PM. Next meeting is this Sunday,
November 6th!
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may
live as you wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - October 26, 2005

Hey All--
Confirmation takes place at St. Peter's this Sunday at 2PM with Bishop
Listecki. The Confirmation Mass actually counts for the regular Sunday Mass- -so feel free to come to it! And even if you can't come, please keep these
young souls in your prayers as they prepare to receive the Gift of the Holy
Spirit.
> --------------------------------------------------------------
Question of the Week:
"How can priests be good marriage counsellors if they don't know what it's
like?"
--This is a typical question posed. And it really has a very easy answer.
If having experienced something was the only way to counsel someone, no one
good be an alcohol and drug counselor unless they had once been addicted, no
doctor could treat cancer, unless he had experienced cancer himself. No
male doctor could ever deliver a baby, because well "he doesn't know what
it's like." See the problem?
While experiencing something can often be helpful, it is certainly not
necessary to being a good counselor. Think of your counselors at school.
Regarding priests, the opposite can be said, they have dealt with so many
people in so many situations, they have more experience and stories, then
most people who are married. They also have the extra grace via the
Sacrament of Ordination, which certainly helps them give good counseling,
and more then just human counselining, but the counselling that God desires
to give. (I think I'll take that over just a human's advice :-) ).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Events:
-St. Peter's Youth Group for 8th Grade and up--meets 1st
Sunday of each month from 630-800PM. Next meeting is Sunday,
November 6th!
God bless you!
Phil Lawson

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - December 12, 2004

Hey all--
The question below is a good and typical one. The answer is from
http://www.blogger.com/www.catholic.com Altough it is a Catholic webpage, the statistics they use
are all taken from other non-Catholic sources. For instance the divorce
rate among those who co-habitate is about 80%! Kind of blows up the theory
that living together before marriage helps one to find out if its going to
work. The other statistics aren't much better. For my money, I'm going to
do everything possible to avoid ending up divorced--and avoiding living
together before marriage is a good start.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Question of the Week:
"Why is living together before marriage so wrong? Isn't it better to se if
we can live together first?"
Most cohabiting couples who hope to marry see their arrangement as a good
test run, a way to make sure that they're compatible before tying the knot.
After all, who wants to go through a divorce?
Aside from all of the spiritual factors regarding premarital sex, let's take
a look at what researchers have found about living together before marriage.
Two researchers summarized the findings of numerous studies by stating
that "expectation of a positive relationship between cohabitation and
marital stability . . . has been shattered in recent years by studies
conducted in several Western countries."i
What the studies discovered is this: if you don't want to get divorced,
don't move in until after the wedding. Why is that? Consider the following
facts about cohabitation: Most couples who live together never end up
getting married, but those who do tie the knot are almost twice as likely to
divorce as couples who don't live together before marriage.ii Overall, the
divorce rate of cohabiting couples is about eighty percent,iii and non- virgin brides are sixty percent more likely to end up divorced than women
who enter marriage as virgins.iv Couples who cohabited prior to marriage
have greater marital conflict and poorer communication, and they made more
frequent visits to marriage counselors.v Women who cohabited before marriage
are more than three times as likely to cheat on their husbands within
marriage.vi The US Justice Department found that women who cohabit are sixty- two times more likely to be assaulted by a live-in boyfriend than by a
husband.vii They were also more than three times as likely to be depressed
as married women,viii and the couples were less sexually satisfied than
those who waited for marriage.ix
So, from a standpoint of marital duration, marital peace, marital fidelity,
physical safety, emotional well-being, and sexual satisfaction, cohabitation
isn't exactly a recipe for happiness. Even USA Today reported, "Could this
be true love? Test it with courtship, not cohabitation."x You may assume
that if the couple had lived together a bit longer, they would have ironed
out the difficulties and not had these problems in marriage. The studies
show the opposite: longer cohabitations are associated with a higher
likelihood of divorce.xi Now, even if you don't think that your boyfriend
would be abusive or that you would get depressed, the divorce rate speaks
for itself.
Like all of us, you dream of a lasting love. If you're serious about making
this relationship work, save your marriage before it starts and don't move
in until after the wedding.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
i William G. Axinn and Arland Thornton, "The Relation Between Cohabitation
and Divorce: Selectivity or Casual Influence?" Demography 29, 1992, 357-374.
As quoted in Why Marriage Matters, p. 57.
ii Bumpass and Sweet 1995; Hall and Zhao 1995) As quoted in focus on the
Family brochure "Five reasons you need a 'piece of paper.'"
iii Kim Camplisson, "Celebrating Christian Marriage," The Southern Cross,
April 26, 2001, 8.
iv National Survey of Family Growth, Dr. Kahn, Dr. London. As reported at
http://www.blogger.com/www.members.aol.com/cohabiting/soc.htm.
v Elizabeth Thompson and Ugo Colella, "Cohabitation and Marital Stability:
Quality or Comiitment?" Journal of Marriage and the Family 54, 1992, 263. As
quoted in Why Marriage Matters, p. 57.; John D. Cunningham and John K.
Antill, "Cohabitation and Marriage: Retrospective and Predictive
Consequences," Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 11, 1994, 90. As
quoted in Why Marriage Matters, p. 58.
vi Tanfer, Koray, and Forste, Renata. "Sexual Exclusivity Among Dating,
Cohabiting, and Married Women," Journal of Marriage and Family, February
1996, 33-47. As quoted in Five reasons you need the "Piece of Paper" Focus
on the Family, 2000.
vii Colson, 1995, as quoted in Five reasons you need the "Piece of Paper"
Focus on the Family, 2000 .
viii Lee Robins and Darrell Regier, Psychiatric Disorders in America: The
Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study (New York: Free Press, 1991), p. 64. As
quoted in Why Marriage Matters, p. 66-67.
ix Hering 1994:4, as quoted in Five reasons you need the "Piece of Paper"
Focus on the Family, 2000 .
x William Mattox, Jr, "Could This be True Love? Test it with Courtship, not
Cohabitation," USA Today, Arlington; Feb 10, 2000.
xi Elizabeth Thompson and Ugo Colella, 1992, p. 266. As quoted in Why
Marriage Matters, p. 57.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
This question and answer taken from Jason Evert's book If You Really Loved
Me. For more great chastity Q & As, order your copy of his book today.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Events:
-St. Peter's Youth Group for 8th Grade and up--meets 1st Sunday
of each month from 630-800PM. Next meeting is Sunday, November 6th!
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may
live as you wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - December 14, 2004

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 13:39:44 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> Today is the Feast of St. John of the Cross. He lived in the
> 1500's. A couple of neat things about him...he sought to live a
> holy life and actually reform his religious community. They didn't
> like him for that, and actually locked him up for a long time---even
> trying to kill him at one point. Yet, they weren't successful and
> he eventually escaped. A neat thing happened, God brought another
> holy lady into John's life, St. Theresa of Avila, who was trying to
> do the same thing in her own community. Together they were able to
> help each other against the difficulties that they were
> encountering. Imagine that, having a friend who is a saint! When
> you strive to do God's work, He has a way of helping you out :-)
> And bringing awesome people into your life. :-)
>
> Remember how we went through how we could Prove that God existed?
> One of the arguments was the "Argument from Design"--for example
> when you see a watch, you don't just wonder that it magically came
> together...someone had to design it. I came across an article that
> I've included below, of a professor who was an atheist(didn't
> believe in God) who just realized the same thing I taught you guys
> back in the fall. You just learned it about 60 years earlier then
> he did :-)
>
> God bless you all!
> Phil
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> Prominent Atheist "Discovers" Aquinas' Proof for the Existence of "a
> god" Only 750 years behind the times
>
> December 13, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Professor Antony Flew, a
> leading proponent of atheism and defender of Darwinian Evolution,
> has re-invented the philosophical wheel and announced that he has
> come to believe in God, or more precisely, in the existence of a god,
> based on evidence of creation. Flew told the Associated Press in an
> interview that he has concluded that some sort of intelligence or
> first cause must have created the universe.
>
> Flew said of his newly discovered god, that it was the god of deism,
> an Enlightenment notion of a divine "watchmaker" who, after creating
> the universe and winding it up and setting it going, had nothing
> further to do with it. "It could be a person in the sense of a being
> that has intelligence and a purpose, I suppose," said Flew.
>
> Flew spent several years at Toronto's York University after retiring
> from full time professorships in England in 1982. His Deism has been
> growing for the last several months. He wrote in the August-
> September issue of Britain's Philosophy Now magazine, "It has become
> inordinately difficult even to begin to think about constructing a
> naturalistic theory of the evolution of that first reproducing organism."
>
> Flew's explanation, that a god, or divine intelligence of some kind
> must exist because of the existence of extremely complex biological
> systems such as the DNA molecule, leaves him just over 700 years
> behind the times.
>
> St Thomas Aquinas, in his book for beginners, the Summa Theologica,
> called Flew's "discovery" the "Argument from Design," and added four
> more logical proofs for the existence of God. Most modern
> philosophers, firmly wedded to the materialist philosophies
> originating in the 18th century, instead of refuting or attempting to
> disprove St. Thomas' proofs, have simply ignored them.
>
> Flew has written about his 'conversion' in a new edition of his 1966
> book, "God and Philosophy," to be published next year by Prometheus
> Books. He said, "My whole life has been guided by the principle of
> Plato's Socrates: Follow the evidence, wherever it leads."
>
> To read St. Thomas Aquinas Five Proofs:
> http://www.newadvent.org/summa/100203.htm
>
> hw

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - December 22, 2004

On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 13:21:19 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> A note to wish you all a Blessed Christmas!
> I'm glad to see the snow. It's always nice to have snow for
> Christmas vacation--sledding/ice skating :-)
>
> I'll be out of town for the next week. My fiance' is from San Diego
> and we'll be spending Christmas with her family. (High in San Diego
> is supposed to be around 70 degrees...it'll be tough, but I'll try
> to handle it :-) ).
>
> While we celebrate this beautiful Feast of Christmas, Jesus' birth,
> let us not forget those who are persecuted for their their belief in
> Jesus. The story below is from Saudi Arabia. Please keep these
> people in your prayers.
>
> God bless you all and Merry Christmas!
> In Christ,
> Phil
>
> Saudi's Conversion Lands Him in Prison
>
> JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, DEC. 21, 2004 (Zenit.org).- A Saudi father of
> four has been arrested and imprisoned for converting to Christianity.
>
> Emad Alaabadi was arrested Nov. 29, but the news was reported only a
> few days ago by the Washington, D.C.-based human rights group
> International Christian Concern (ICC).
>
> Local sources confirmed Alaabadi's arrest to AsiaNews, an agency of
> the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions, stating that "he is
> not the only Saudi Christian in prison at present. … There are
> others."
>
> The presence of Christians in Saudi prisons had also been confirmed
> by Brian O'Connor, an Indian Protestant who was deported from Saudi
> Arabia after being tortured and held in prison for "evangelizing."
>
> ICC said at least three Christians were arrested along with
> Alaabadi. Fundamentalist Wahhabi Islam is the only expression of
> religion allowed in Saudi Arabia.
>
> Alaabadi, 30, converted to Christianity two years ago. He was
> intercepted by the muttawah, the Saudi religious police, while
> driving his children home from school.
>
> The police escorted the children home and then took Alaabadi to the
> local prison in Hofuf. Later he was transferred to Jeddah.
>
> On Dec. 4, he managed to telephone his mother in Australia, who said
> that he sounded "very weak." ZE04122105
>
> email this article

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - January 4, 2005

On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 13:51:25 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> Hey All!
>
> Hope your Christmas was wonderful! San Diego was nice :-) A bit
> warmer then Wisconsin anyway!
>
> Today is the Feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. An amazing woman.
> She was a convert to Catholicism, married, had a family, was widowed,
> started a school system, founded a religious order, and was later
> declared a saint. Not a bad life eh? In many ways, she's a role
> model for people who want to "do it all."
>
> A more complete biography follows below.
>
> It's another example of how awesome a life one can have if you
> follow God. Did Elizabeth ever think she would accomplish all of
> the above? Probably not. She just kept saying "yes" to God. For
> that matter, I never expected to be in Stevens Point teaching about
> God..but here I am :-) And who knows what God has in store for me
> next, and for you too.
>
> God bless you!
> Phil Lawson
>
> Born into a wealthy and influential Episcopalian family, the
> daughter of a physician, and raised in the New York high society of
> the late 18th century. Her mother died when Elizabeth was three
> years old, her baby sister a year later. She married the wealthy
> businessman William Magee Seton at age 19, and was the mother of
> five.
>
> About ten years into the marriage, William's business failed, and
> soon after he died of tuberculosis, leaving Elizabeth an
> impoverished widow with five small children. For years Elizabeth had
> felt drawn to Catholicism, believing in the Real Presence in the
> Eucharist and in the lineage of the Church going back to Christ and
> the Apostles. She converted to Catholicism, entering the Church on
> 14 March 1805, alienating many of her strict Episcopalian family in
> the process.
>
> To support her family, and insure the proper education of her
> children, she opened a school in Boston. Though a private and
> secular institution, from the beginning she ran it along the lines
> of a religious community. At the invitation of the archbishop, she
> established a Catholic girl's school in Baltimore, Maryland which
> initiated the parochial school system in America. To run the system
> she founded the Sisters of Charity in 1809, the first native
> American religious community for women.
>
> "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may
> live as you wish." --Mother Teresa

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - January 10, 2005

On Mon, 10 Jan 2005 16:35:34 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> Hey There!
>
> Hope things are going well as your 1st Semester and winds down!
>
> This week is actually a focus on Vocations. Now a vocation is what
> God calls you to do with your life. For some it is a priest or
> sister. For others it is marriage. And for still others it is the
> single life. And God has a vocation for each and every one of us!
> We spend much of our young life asking God what vocation we're
> supposed to be in. I'm 28 and I just found my vocation (getting
> married on May 28th :-) ). Yet, a few years ago, while I was
> asking God what I was supposed to do, I ended up going to Rome with
> a bunch of other young men from around the country for a week. We
> went there to see if God was calling us to be priests. And it was a
> beautiful trip! But that wasn't where God wanted me. Finding your
> vocation is a journey, but a wonderful one!
>
> Pope John Paul II recently made some comments directly to people
> your age.....
>
> "Dear young men and women! Trust Christ; listen attentively to his
> teachings, fix your eyes on his face, persevere in listening to his
> Word. Allow Him to focus your search and your aspirations, all your
> ideals and the desires of your heart," the Pope writes.
>
> The full article is below.
>
> God bless you!
> Phil Lawson
>
> Papal Advice to Young People: Be Not Afraid to
> Follow Christ
> In Message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations
>
> VATICAN CITY, JAN. 9, 2005 (Zenit.org).- In his message for the next
> World Day of Prayer for Vocations, John Paul II encourages young
> people to respond to Christ's call to follow him without hesitation.
>
> The Pope in his message reminds youth that the world today needs
> "holy priests" and "persons wholly consecrated to the service of
> God."
>
> "Dear adolescents and young people, it is to you in a particular way
> that I renew the invitation of Christ to 'put out into the deep,'"
> the Holy Father says in the message, published Saturday by the
> Vatican press office. The Day of Prayer takes places April 17.
>
> "You find yourselves having to make important decisions for your
> future," he writes. "I still hold in my heart the memory of the many
> opportunities I have had over the years to meet with young people,
> who have now become adults, some of them your own parents, perhaps,
> or priests or religious, your teachers in the faith."
>
> "I saw them, happy as young people should be, but also thoughtful,
> because they were conscious of a desire to give full 'meaning' to
> their lives," the Pope states in the message entitled "Called to Put
> Out into the Deep."
>
> "I came to recognize more and more how strong is the attraction in
> young people to the values of the spirit, and how sincere in their
> desire for holiness. Young people need Christ, but they also know
> that Christ chose to be in need of them," John Paul II continues.
>
> "Dear young men and women! Trust Christ; listen attentively to his
> teachings, fix your eyes on his face, persevere in listening to his
> Word. Allow Him to focus your search and your aspirations, all your
> ideals and the desires of your heart," the Pope writes.
>
> The papal message then addresses parents and Christian educators,
> priests, consecrated persons and catechists to remind them of their
> "peculiar task of guiding young people on the path to holiness."
>
> "Be an example to them of generous fidelity to Christ. Encourage
> them to 'put out into the deep' without hesitation, responding
> eagerly to the invitation of the Lord. Some he calls to family life,
> others to consecrated life or to the ministerial priesthood," the
> Holy Father states.
>
> "When adult Christians show themselves capable of revealing the face
> of Christ through their own words and example, young people are more
> ready to welcome His demanding message, stamped as it is with the
> mystery of the Cross," he adds.
>
> "Do not forget that today too there us need of holy priests, of
> persons wholly consecrated to the service of God!" he says.
>
> He concludes the message with a prayer, asking Jesus to waken in the
> "hearts of young people the desire to be witnesses in the world of
> today to the power of your love."
>
> Pope Paul VI instituted the World Day of Prayer for Vocations in
> 1964. ZE05010907
>
> email this article

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - January 18, 2005

On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 10:55:51 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> It has been wonderful to see the outpouring of support and prayers
> to the victims of the deadly tsunami in southern Asia these past few
> weeks. It reminds us that good can always be brought out of tragedy
> and that people really can work together.
>
> Amazing stories are coming forth from this disaster, including this
> miracle that happened in Indonesia. The story is below. This
> basilica, filled with 2000 people for Mass right near the ocean, was
> spared, in fact no water got in, despite the fact that everything
> else was washed away or damaged. Amazing. Read on....
>
> A Ray of Hope Amid the Chaos
> By: Michael Whitcraft
> This brings us to December 26, 2004, when the terrifying tsunami
> wrought destruction throughout the coastlines of southern Asia. The
> town of Vailankanni was not spared the destruction. However, as the
> waves engulfed the town, a Mass was taking place in the shrine with
> 2,000 pilgrims in attendance.
>
> Although, it left the entire town in shambles, killing thousands, the
> deadly waters did not enter the shrine, and everyone present was
> spared. According to the BBC, the shrine was the only building to
> escape the devastation.1
>
> Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect is that buildings on the same
> elevation, further inshore were destroyed, while those inside the
> shrine remained entirely dry.
>
> Basilica officials did not hesitate to call the event miraculous, an
> opinion shared by Sebastian Kannappilly, a businessman from
> neighboring Kerala state who was in the shrine during Mass. He
> stated: "It was a miracle that the water did not enter the church."
> His driver, who was waiting outside the Church, perished.2
>
> God bless you!
> Phil Lawson

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - January 25, 2005

On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 13:07:32 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> Not a lot of people know this, but Norma McCovey, the original "Roe"
> in the Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion in this country back
> in 1973 had a conversion experience. (Today is the Feast of the
> Conversion of St. Paul-- Read Acts 9:1-22 for the details :-) ).
> After seeing the great damage that abortion has done to so many
> people, in particularly women, she had a change of heart, and
> actually found God in the process. In fact, she has appealed her
> case all the way to the Supreme Court, asking that they overturn the
> original decision. As a party to the original case, she has that
> right. So far nothing has come of her appeal.
>
> It is a reminder, that we are all in need of constant conversion,
> constant turning back toward God. And we need to pray for those who
> think abortion is good that they may have a change of heart. And we
> need to pray for those in crisis situations who don't think they have
> any other option.
>
> For it is in prayer that the good comes about.
>
> Some of you have heard about Steubenville Summer Youth Conferences.
> These weekend conferences for teens are held around the country and
> attract around 2000 teens for a weekend of fun, prayer, and
> learning. I've seen many teens who have been touched by these
> experiences and grown much closer to God as a result. There's a
> group going from Stevens Point, that Angie Harris, youth minister at
> Pacelli is heading up. They'll be going by bus to Alexandria, LA
> June 23rd-27th. I have flyers that I can send you if you're
> interested.
> (Ryan, Abbey, Diana--you'll be getting one in the mail).
>
> God bless you!
> Phil Lawson

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - February 1, 2005

On Tue, 1 Feb 2005 10:05:36 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> St. Paul talks about "running the race" in a number of places in the
> New Testament. See Hebrews 12:1-4, "and persevere in running the
> race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the
> leader and perfecter of faith..."
>
> A number of you play sports or have in the past. How much time do
> you spend practicing? (You might say too much! :-) ). But why do
> you practice? So that you can perform on the playing field. St.
> Paul speaks of the life of faith similarly---it's a long race, a
> marathon, per se. Full of peaks and valleys, good times and bad
> times(sound like football or basketball season?) And we always keep
> going, with our eyes on the prize--in this case heaven and Jesus.
> It's an awesome life! :-)
>
> Every week, I'll answer questions on the faith. So feel free to
> submit one or two..or three...
>
> **********************************************************************
This one is from Milladore, "What is apologetics?" --Well it's not
an "apology" for being Catholic. The original meaning of the
word "apologia" is to give an explanation or defense of. So apologetics is
giving the reasons why you believe what you do. In a Catholic context it is
the formal study of why we believe what we do as Catholics.
>
> It has become more and more popular the past 20 years or so as more
> people want to know why Catholics believe in things like purgatory,
> Mary's perpetual virginity, etc.
>
> **********************************************************************
> ***
>
> Below is a cool email I received....
>
> God bless you!
> Phil Lawson
>
> Does GOD Exist?
> The university professor challenged his students with this question.
> "Did God create everything that exists?"
>
> A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!"
>
> "God created everything?" The professor asked.
>
> "Yes sir", the student replied.
>
> The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created
> evil, since evil exists, and according to the principal that our
> works define who we are, then God is evil".
>
> The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor, quite
> pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven
> once more that the Christian faith was a myth.
>
> Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question
> professor?"
>
> "Of course", replied the professor.
>
> The student stood up and asked, "Professor does cold exist?"
>
> "What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never
> been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question.
>
> The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According
> to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the
> absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when
> it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter
> have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460° F) is the total
> absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction
> at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word
> to describe how we feel if we have no heat."
>
> The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"
>
> The professor responded, "Of course it does."
>
> The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does
> not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light
> we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to
> break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths
> of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light
> can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you
> know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light
> present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to
> describe what happens when there is no light present."
>
> Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"
>
> Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already
> said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's
> inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence
> everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."
>
> To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least
> it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It
> is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to
> describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not
> like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is
> the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present
> in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or
> the darkness that comes when there is no light."
>
> The professor sat down.
> The young man's name --- Albert Einstein

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - February 8, 2005

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005 11:29:31 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> As this email list expands, welcome to the teens from Rosholt, who I
> had a fun time visiting with this past Sunday morning. And feel
> free to share this with your friends and anyone else who's interested.
>
> Tomorrow begins the season of Lent. We all get ashes on our
> foreheads. Why? It seems kind of strange, after all we spend lots
> of time keeping our bodies, especially our faces(acne anyone?)
> clean. It's a tradition that goes back to Biblical times. We get
> ashes on our forehead to show a spirit of repentance, acknowledging
> that we have sinned against God. And that we need God's mercy.
> There are many instances in the Bible of people who have sinned,
> putting on what is called "sackcloth" and ashes, to show that they
> were sorry. Additionally, it reminds us that we are "made from dust,
> and to dust we shall return". Remember, we're hoping to end up in
> Heaven someday, none of us will be on Earth forever. And finally,
> it is a sign, a witness to the world around us, that we are people
> striving to follow God. (I don't think ashes on the forehead will
> ever be "fashionable."
>
> *************************************************************
>
> This week's Teen Question:
> "How do we get to Heaven?"
> -The simple answer is by saying "Yes" to God--following Jesus. We
> spend our lives praying, receiving the Sacraments, and doing our
> best to follow God's Will for our lives. And it's not like He's
> left us without direction. We have the 10 Commandments, we have the
> life of Jesus, and we have the lives of the saints. We can learn
> from their examples as to how we should live our own lives. Is it
> hard at times? Yes. But that's why God gives us Grace to keep
> plugging along, especially in the Sacraments. Communion, also means
> the food for us to keep persevering toward God. And in Confirmation
> we receive the Holy Spirit and the 7 Gifts that come with. (Wisdom,
> understanding, knowledge, counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the
> Lord). All these things are given to us to help us on the way
> toward Heaven. So take advantage of them :-)
>
> -As always feel free to submit questions to be answered here!
> ****************************************************************
>
> Finally one announcement:
> Wisconsin Right to Life is having their Annual Teen Convention in
> Appleton this year. April 23rd-24th. LeRoy Butler, former Green
> Bay Packers star will be speaking. Cost for Teens is $35. And the
> local Portage County Right to Life group is offering $20
> scholarships, meaning your cost is only $15. I have the rest of the
> details, so contact me if you're interested.
>
> God bless ya!
> Phil Lawson

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - February 14, 2005

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 14:47:42 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> Today is Valentine's Day(as you already know). But did you know who
> the real St. Valentine was? He was a priest and maybe even a bishop
> in Rome. He was also a physician. He was arrested for giving aid
> to Christians who were in prison(for being Christian--remember it
> was illegal back then). While in prison, he actually converted his
> jailer by miraculously restoring his daughter's sight.
> Unfortunately, he was still beheaded soon after.
>
> What does this have to do with Valentine's Day today? Who knows.
> Altho you can draw parallels. St. Valentine was killed because of
> his love for the Christians in jail. You could say that he died out
> of love for his Savior, Jesus. And what greater love is there, then
> for one to die for another?
>
> Some people speculate that the early Christians took what was a
> pagan holiday of fertility, and not real actions, and made it good,
> by focusing it on what love can and should be--perfect love for God
> which is what two people want to share in marriage.
>
> *****************************************************************
> Question o' the Week
>
> "Why do we pray to Mary and the Saints? Isn't that worshipping them
> instead of God?" -Excellent question! Short answer, is that we
> don't worship anyone except God. We honor the saints and we are
> allowed to communicate with them via prayer. Why? How? Jesus
> bridged the gap over death. All who are united to Jesus are among
> the living and joined together.
>
> Look at it this way. When someone compliments you, are your parents
> jealous? Of course not. They're proud of you. How does God feel
> when we honor some of His children, like the saints? He's proud and
> happy :-)
>
> Thing about it, who do we honor? The president, our soldiers,
> priests, teachers, parents--all important people. All people we
> respect and look up too. It's the same thing with the saints.
>
> God has given us Mary and the saints as examples for us to follow,
> and intercessors to offer their prayers for us. When somebody gets
> sick or goes to the hospital, you ask people to pray for them right?
> I know I do! Does that take something away from God? Of course
> not, the more people who pray the better. And who's prayer could be
> more powerful then Mary's, the mother of Jesus(you gotta believe
> Jesus listens to his mother :-) ). And likewise, the saints who
> are in heaven, who see the face of God have very powerful prayers.
>
> One other thought, some will say that by having statues of the
> saints, we are worshipping them. Again, no we don't. So why do we
> have statues? Let me ask you a question...why do you have a picture
> of your boyfriend or girlfriend? It's to remind you of them. Do
> you worship his or her picture? I hope not! In the same way, we
> have statues that remind us of the saints and help us to think more
> about them and God.
>
> God bless you!
> Phil Lawson

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - February 22, 2005

On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 12:23:03 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> Hey Everyone,
>
> Today is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. What? A "feast" for
> a "chair"? Strange. Allow me to explain :-) In ancient Roman
> times there was a day set aside in February to remember the dead.
> They'd set the table for a meal with an extra chair for Uncle Jim or
> Aunt June who was no longer with them. Additionally, in this time,
> a "chair" was a symbol of authority. Picture a king sitting on his
> throne. The early Christians knew these things and they wanted to
> honor St. Peter, the first pope, as well as pray for the current
> pope. So they "Christianized" this Roman tradition. Hence, today,
> we remember St. Peter, and how Jesus Christ made him the first Pope,
> "the rock on which he would build the Church. "Peter" in Greek
> literally means "rock". And Jesus promised Peter that "the gates of
> hell would never prevail against the Church." (See Matthew 16:15-19)
> . And we pray as well today for our current pope, Pope John Paul II,
> for his health, intentions, and leadership.
>
> Remember, Jesus didn't leave us to fend for ourselves here on Earth--
> He gave us lots of help on our way toward Heaven. Perhaps the biggest
> help is the Church, which acts as His representative on Earth.
> Guiding, teaching, praying, and leading us. Pretty amazing concept,
> but that's what He did. :-)
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Question O' The Week
>
> "Does the devil tempt people who aren't Catholic?"
> --Yes. The devil's goal is to get as many people to hell as
> possible. Recall that the devil was driven out of heaven because he
> was jealous of us and envious of God. The devil is still mad, but
> is not powerful enough to challenge God. So how does the devil get
> back at God? He tries to take what is most precious to God, us.
> The devil tries to corrupt what God has created as beautiful, every
> human being, and turn it into something bad. Think about what drugs,
> alcohol, unmarried sex, and other sins end up doing to people--they
> end up hurting them and pulling them away from God. And the devil
> is happy.
>
> This can and does happen to all sorts of people, Catholic or not.
> Now, what does happen is that a person who is really trying to live
> a holy life, ends up being tempted more then someone who isn't.
> Some of the saints had literal fights with the devil. This makes
> sense, as the devil really doesn't like people who are trying to
> follow God strongly--so he will try extra hard to tempt them. But
> always remember that God is stronger! :-)
>
> God bless you!
> Phil

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - February 22, 2005

On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 12:23:03 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> Hey Everyone,
>
> Today is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. What? A "feast" for
> a "chair"? Strange. Allow me to explain :-) In ancient Roman
> times there was a day set aside in February to remember the dead.
> They'd set the table for a meal with an extra chair for Uncle Jim or
> Aunt June who was no longer with them. Additionally, in this time,
> a "chair" was a symbol of authority. Picture a king sitting on his
> throne. The early Christians knew these things and they wanted to
> honor St. Peter, the first pope, as well as pray for the current
> pope. So they "Christianized" this Roman tradition. Hence, today,
> we remember St. Peter, and how Jesus Christ made him the first Pope,
> "the rock on which he would build the Church. "Peter" in Greek
> literally means "rock". And Jesus promised Peter that "the gates of
> hell would never prevail against the Church." (See Matthew 16:15-19)
> . And we pray as well today for our current pope, Pope John Paul II,
> for his health, intentions, and leadership.
>
> Remember, Jesus didn't leave us to fend for ourselves here on Earth--
> He gave us lots of help on our way toward Heaven. Perhaps the biggest
> help is the Church, which acts as His representative on Earth.
> Guiding, teaching, praying, and leading us. Pretty amazing concept,
> but that's what He did. :-)
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Question O' The Week
>
> "Does the devil tempt people who aren't Catholic?"
> --Yes. The devil's goal is to get as many people to hell as
> possible. Recall that the devil was driven out of heaven because he
> was jealous of us and envious of God. The devil is still mad, but
> is not powerful enough to challenge God. So how does the devil get
> back at God? He tries to take what is most precious to God, us.
> The devil tries to corrupt what God has created as beautiful, every
> human being, and turn it into something bad. Think about what drugs,
> alcohol, unmarried sex, and other sins end up doing to people--they
> end up hurting them and pulling them away from God. And the devil
> is happy.
>
> This can and does happen to all sorts of people, Catholic or not.
> Now, what does happen is that a person who is really trying to live
> a holy life, ends up being tempted more then someone who isn't.
> Some of the saints had literal fights with the devil. This makes
> sense, as the devil really doesn't like people who are trying to
> follow God strongly--so he will try extra hard to tempt them. But
> always remember that God is stronger! :-)
>
> God bless you!
> Phil

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - March 1, 2005

On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 11:15:44 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> As many of you have seen, Pope John Paul II has been struggling
> health-wise of late. Altho he keeps plugging along!
>
> The Vatican has set up an email for people to send him greetings.
> It's
>
> At the same time, he is a profound witness to the dignity of all
> human life. As society continues to de-value the weak, the elderly,
> and the unborn, Pope John Paul II continues to show that no matter
> what one's physical condition, they still have value and dignity.
> God still created them! At Princeton University there is a
> professor who says you should be able to kill children up to 6
> months After they are born, because they have not achieved
> "personhood." In Florida, they are trying to remove food and water
> from Teri Schiavo so that she dies, even tho she breathes on her
> own. Germany is seeing more retired people move there, because the
> countries to the north allow for assisted suicide.
>
> We have much work to do.
>
> **********************************************************************
Question o' The Week!
>
> How can priests be good marriage counselors if they don't know what
> it's like?
>
> -Good questions! Altho, you can ask the same thing of many others---
> ho wcan a doctor treat an athlete if he's never been one? How can a
> counselor work with an alcoholic if he's never been one? How can a
> juvenile counselor work with a kid in trouble if he's never been there
> himself? How can a psychiatrist work with someone who's depressed if
> he's never dealt with depression personally? The answer, of course,
> is that, while experience can be helpful, it doesn't guarantee good
> advice or wisdom :-) The fact is, oftentimes priests make some of the
> best marriage counselors because they have dealt with so many
> different situations in their work. Plus they have the added
> assistance of the Grace of God :-)
>
> **********************************************************************
> *
Below are some upcoming teen advents!
>
> Teen Events
>
> See the link below to the Office of Youth Ministry Website for more
> details.
>
> http://www.dioceseoflacrosse.com/Home/Offices%20and%20Ministries/Youth
> %
> 20Ministry/Main/Events.asp
>
> Guest Speaker: Matt Smith - a devout Catholic who shared his Faith
> on MTV’s Real World (New Orleans) and the Real World/Road Rules
> Challenge
>
> Sunday, April 10 Aquinas High School La Crosse
>
> Doors Open at 1pm for food and fellowship with Matt and other teens.
>
> 1:30: P&W 2:00 Matt 3:00 Sunday Mass with Fr. Joe Hirsch
>
> - Print out some flyers (downloadable from the website) - get them
> in the hands of your teens - and encourage them to be "evangelists"
> by inviting their friends!
>
> MilkFast
>
> MilkFast is an amazingly simple way to empower teens to do something
> great. Teens fast on Milk and water for a day to raise money to
> provide milk to an orphanage and poor city in Peru. The teen who
> works the hardest wins a mission trip to Peru. You can organize an
> event OR teens can do it all from the comfort of their own living
> rooms! Check out the website for more details and get the word out
> (that’s all you have to do!).
>
> Steve Angrisano Concert
>
> Wed, March 9 7:30-8:30pm St. Bronislava Parish
> Plover
>
> Steve Angrisano, singer, songwriter, and storyteller has presented
> to tens of thousands of young people across the country (events
> include Steubenville Conferences, NCYC, and World Youth Day). He is
> simply one of the best.
>
> Don’t miss this!
>
> Adventure Camp
>
> Sometimes when people think "camp" they think of little kids,
> multicolored yarn, and face paint. NOT THE CASE with Adventure Camp.
> Last year at camp I saw 100 teens rock climbing, rappelling, swinging
> on high ropes 50 ft in the air, kayaking, fellowshipping,
> praying…and, without a doubt, having the best week of their summer.
>
> Most importantly - they had a deep experience of living a life of
> Christian prayer and fellowship. I saw some amazing and lasting
> changes occur in the hearts of teens that week. I can’t wait until
> my own kids are old enough to send them!
>
> Camp Week 1 is almost full and Week 2 is filling up. Check out the
> website for more details on how to register.
>
> NCYC
>
> Every other year approx. 25,000 Catholic Teens gather for our
> nations largest youth rally - NCYC (National Catholic Youth
> Convention).
>
> The upcoming NCYC is in Atlanta, GA, Oct. 26-31.
>
> Plans are still being hammered out for a Diocesan trip, in the
> meantime - make sure to put it on your calendar!
>
> See link to NCYC below:
>
> http://www.frontpageaccess.com/youthmin/ncyc_2005.htm
>
> *********************************************************************
>
> God bless you!
> Phil Lawson

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - March 8, 2005

On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 16:22:52 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> This past Sunday's Gospel was the story of the man born blind whom
> Jesus healed.(John 9:1-41) It is a reminder of how Jesus touches
> each person He meets personally. There is no hurt or affliction or
> pain that Jesus cannot heal. And there are a lot of hurting people
> in the world. Working at the Church, I see a lot of people when
> they are suffering. And I do my best to bring Jesus to them--for He
> is the one who can heal them. You are called to do the same thing.
> When you see people hurting---you are called to help comfort them,
> to help bring Jesus to them. How do you do this? By offering a
> shoulder to lean on, by listening, by praying, by offering to help
> in any way possible, by just being there for the person. Remember,
> God uses regular people like you and me, to help accomplish His Will.
>
> >
> > ********************************************************************
> > **
> Question o' The Week!
> >
> > "Wouldn't it be better to accept someone for thier religion then try
> > to
> change them?
>
> > -Wouldn't it be better to leave someone as a criminal then try to
> > change
> them? Wouldn't it be better to leave Joe as an amateur quarterback
> then to try and make him a better one? Wouldn't it be better to
> leave someone not knowing how to read and write then try to change
> them? I don't want the above to sound harsh, but it's the same
> reasoning. In the case of a criminal, we realize that the person
> would be better off obeying the law rather then breaking it. We
> realize that helping make Joe a better QB is better for him. It
> is the same with religion. When a person finds God and Truth they
> are happy.(Look at Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II!) Wouldn't
> you want everyone to be that happy and fulfilled? If you truly
> cared about someone, and you knew of something that would make them
> totally happy, wouldn't you want them to have it? And that's what
> Truth and God offer a person. So we try and offer it to them. You
> can never force it on someone, but you should offer it. Why?
> Because you care about them. When you read through the Gospels,
> you see how Jesus met everyone right where they were, and then
> called them to something even better. He offered them the chance to
> change and live even better. And many did--and found happiness.
> -----------------------------------------------------
>
> This weekend our young adults and college students from around the
> state will be going to Rosholt for a retreat. We've got young
> people from up north, Milwaukee, LaCrosse, and the Stevens Point
> area attending. Please say a prayer for all of them!
>
> >
> > ********************************************************************
> > ***
> Below are some upcoming teen advents!
> >
> > Teen Events
> >
> > See the link below to the Office of Youth Ministry Website for more
> > details.
> >
> > http://www.dioceseoflacrosse.com/Home/Offices%20and%20Ministries/You
> > th%
> > 20Ministry/Main/Events.asp
> >
> > Guest Speaker: Matt Smith - a devout Catholic who shared his Faith
> > on MTV’s Real World (New Orleans) and the Real World/Road Rules
> > Challenge
> >
> > Sunday, April 10 Aquinas High School La Crosse
> >
> > Doors Open at 1pm for food and fellowship with Matt and other teens.
> >
> > 1:30: P&W 2:00 Matt 3:00 Sunday Mass with Fr. Joe Hirsch
> >
> > - Print out some flyers (downloadable from the website) - get them
> > in the hands of your teens - and encourage them to be "evangelists"
> > by inviting their friends!
> >
> > >
> > Steve Angrisano Concert
> >
> > Wed, March 9 7:30-8:30pm St. Bronislava Parish
> > Plover
> >
> > Steve Angrisano, singer, songwriter, and storyteller has presented
> > to tens of thousands of young people across the country (events
> > include Steubenville Conferences, NCYC, and World Youth Day). He is
> > simply one of the best.
> >
> > Don’t miss this!
> >
> > Adventure Camp
> >
> > Sometimes when people think "camp" they think of little kids,
> > multicolored yarn, and face paint. NOT THE CASE with Adventure
> > Camp. Last year at camp I saw 100 teens rock climbing, rappelling,
> > swinging on high ropes 50 ft in the air, kayaking, fellowshipping,
> > praying…and, without a doubt, having the best week of their summer.
> >
> > Most importantly - they had a deep experience of living a life of
> > Christian prayer and fellowship. I saw some amazing and lasting
> > changes occur in the hearts of teens that week. I can’t wait until
> > my own kids are old enough to send them!
> >
> > Camp Week 1 is almost full and Week 2 is filling up. Check out the
> > website for more details on how to register.
> >
> > NCYC
> >
> > Every other year approx. 25,000 Catholic Teens gather for our
> > nations largest youth rally - NCYC (National Catholic Youth
> > Convention).
> >
> > The upcoming NCYC is in Atlanta, GA, Oct. 26-31.
> >
> > Plans are still being hammered out for a Diocesan trip, in the
> > meantime - make sure to put it on your calendar!
> >
> > See link to NCYC below:
> >
> > http://www.frontpageaccess.com/youthmin/ncyc_2005.htm
> >
> >
> > ********************************************************************
> > *
>
> God bless you!
> Phil Lawson
>
> "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may
> live as you wish." --Mother Teresa

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa

Catholic Teens - March 15, 2005

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 15:59:58 -0600, pwxsevere wrote
> Hey All,
>
> I'm guessing most of you have had less then happy experiences with
> retreats. That's a shame, because they can be such incredible
> experiences. The retreats I had as a young person weren't real good
> either--but that's changing. :-) This past weekend, I helped lead
> a retreat for college students from around the state. We had 36
> young people attend the retreat in Rosholt voluntarily(no Mom or Dad
> or other person forcing them to go-- seriously!). And you know
> what? They had an awesome time--that was relaxing, fun, peaceful,
> they learned things, and met some really awesome people. Plus they
> all got a little closer to God in the process. Thanks to those of
> you who prayed for them--it was certainly a great experience! And
> this will be offered to you as you get older.
>
> In the meantime, keep praying and learning! :-)
> > >
> > > ******************************************************************
> > > ****
> > Question o' The Week!
> > > Why do Catholics not eat meat on Fridays?
> ------Because the Pope likes fish. :-) (I'm kidding) Recall that Friday
> was the day that Jesus died(Good Friday). So it's always been a
> Christian tradition to do something extra special on Fridays as a
> sacrifice to help us remember Jesus' ultimate sacrifice. Giving up
> meat on Fridays became a popular way of offering a specific
> sacrifice that everyone could do. And is it really that difficult
> when we compare it to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus did for us?
>
> It also helps us to grow spiritually as well. The Bible is full of
> examples of people fasting and making sacrifices for God.
>
> > >
***********************************************************************
> > Below are some upcoming teen advents!
> > >
> > > Teen Events
> > >
> > > See the link below to the Office of Youth Ministry Website for
> > > more
> > > details.
> > >
> > > http://www.dioceseoflacrosse.com/Home/Offices%20and%20Ministries/Y
> > > outh%
> > > 20Ministry/Main/Events.asp
> > >
> > > Guest Speaker: Matt Smith - a devout Catholic who shared his Faith
> > > on MTV’s Real World (New Orleans) and the Real World/Road Rules
> > > Challenge
> > >
> > > Sunday, April 10 Aquinas High School La Crosse
> > >
> > > Doors Open at 1pm for food and fellowship with Matt and other
> > > teens.
> > >
> > > 1:30: P&W 2:00 Matt 3:00 Sunday Mass with Fr. Joe Hirsch
> > >
> > > - Print out some flyers (downloadable from the website) - get them
> > > in the hands of your teens - and encourage them to be "evangelists"
> > > by inviting their friends!
> > >
> > >
> > > Adventure Camp
> > >
> > > Sometimes when people think "camp" they think of little kids,
> > > multicolored yarn, and face paint. NOT THE CASE with Adventure
> > > Camp. Last year at camp I saw 100 teens rock climbing,
> > > rappelling, swinging on high ropes 50 ft in the air, kayaking,
> > > fellowshipping, praying…and, without a doubt, having the best
> > > week of their summer.
> > >
> > > Most importantly - they had a deep experience of living a life of
> > > Christian prayer and fellowship. I saw some amazing and lasting
> > > changes occur in the hearts of teens that week. I can’t wait until
> > > my own kids are old enough to send them!
> > >
> > > Camp Week 1 is almost full and Week 2 is filling up. Check out
> > > the
> > > website for more details on how to register.
> > >
> > > NCYC
> > >
> > > Every other year approx. 25,000 Catholic Teens gather for our
> > > nations largest youth rally - NCYC (National Catholic Youth
> > > Convention).
> > >
> > > The upcoming NCYC is in Atlanta, GA, Oct. 26-31.
> > >
> > > Plans are still being hammered out for a Diocesan trip, in the
> > > meantime - make sure to put it on your calendar!
> > >
> > > See link to NCYC below:
> > >
> > > http://www.frontpageaccess.com/youthmin/ncyc_2005.htm
> > >
> > >
> > > ******************************************************************
> > > ***
>
> God bless you!
> Phil Lawson
>
> "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may
> live as you wish." --Mother Teresa

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you
wish." --Mother Teresa