St. Patrick's Day, observed on March 17th, commemorates the life and legacy of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Among the green decorations and the merry tunes of traditional Irish music, lies a deeper significance—the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. While it's often associated with parades, shamrocks, and all things Irish, the roots of this joyous occasion delve deep into the annals of Catholic history.

Beyond the revelry and reveling in Irish culture, this day holds a profound religious significance for Catholics, serving as a testament to faith, resilience, and the power of spiritual transformation.

The video below (on FORMED.org) is good source for all ages to learn more about St. Patrick. -Beth

We will not have EDGE or RE classes on March 17th for Spring Break.

Class will resume on Sunday, March 24th.

All families and all ages are invited to attend! Please bring a dessert to share.

There was no EDGE class for Spring Break.

No EDGE class for Spring Break.

Class will resume on Sunday, March 24th.

This past Sunday we spent the first hour of our time together in the Church with Deacon Ron as we were all present for training as Lectors. It was a very informative training and we all left prepared for this position. Not everyone would like to be a Lector, but if they ever choose to, now they can!

Because there were so many of us in attendance, questions to be answered, examples to be given, and some practice, we were unable to complete training for the other positions as planned. We will be scheduling another training very soon for those, to include Eucharistic Ministers, and will provide that date as soon as possible.

We returned to the Youth Room to celebrate TWO birthday girls with donuts and cupcakes! Then the Teens had their chance to tell us one memory from the past week. (see video below)

Next, we began the 4th session of their Lent Study, Born of the Spirit. While we only had enough time for our actvitiy and the first few slides, it was still a valuable time of learning and sharing. Unfortunately, we will not have time to revisit the session this coming Sunday.

Instead, I would ask that Parents encourage Teens to review and discuss the session together using the discussion slides below. They are very familiar with the format we follow and this would be a great opportunity to allow them to share their faith & knowledge by leading the session with your families. (please click the link below to view the discussion slides)

We closed in prayer with a blessing from Father Dominik, but many stayed to visit and be together a little longer. It was another lovely day with the HSYG and we are blessed that they chose to gather during Spring Break!

Special thanks to Deacon Ron for training us to be Lectors, and to April Smith for assisting!

We will continue Transformed by Grace (a Lent Study), with Session 5, The Grain of Wheat.

Come see a Hitchcock movie in the Great Room!

Bring a dessert to share.

Click the link below to open the PDF file for a printable schedule.

No class this week.

Next class will be on Sunday, March 24th.

For all Children and Youth (ages 5-17) from all parishes.

Every Saturday at Sacred Heart Cathedral from 1pm-2:45pm.

There will be no Oratory on:

• March 30th for Holy Saturday
• April 6th for Easter Saturday

Registration due May 5th.

To Register:

-click this link to register online https://dioceseoffairbanks.org/summer-oratory

-click the PDF link below to print a form

-pick up a form from the tables outside the Chapel

Completed forms with payment can be given to Beth or the Servidoras Sisters.

Per the Diocese policy for the safety of everyone, a minimum of 2 adults are required to be present for all Youth Ministry activities.

Ideally we would have at least 4-6 volunteers (preferably more), allowing for at least 1 assistant present for the HSYG one Sunday per month. We are also still in need of at least 1 more assistant for the EDGE class.

While the search to locate others who have current certification with the Diocese is ongoing, we have reached a point where we need to request that parents assist on a rotating basis so that we can continue to safely offer HSYG.

Please consider completing your certification, and/ or asking individuals who you think would be a willing volunteer. Or, you can submit suggestions for me to contact.

All youth ministry volunteers must have current certification for the course of Serving Vulnerable Populations and a Criminal History Record Check on file with the Diocese. More information can be found by visiting Adult Training on the Diocese of Fairbanks website. Diocese of Fairbanks - Adult Training - Fairbanks, AK

Call or Text 907-978-4786

Email stnicksym@cbna.org

Office hours are as follows:

Sunday 10am-7pm

Wednesday 3:30pm-5:30pm

It is a privilege to work with St. Nick's Youth!

As always, please never hesitate to contact me for any reason.

I pray you are having a blessed week.

In Christ's love, Beth