Lent is a time of reflection and prayer; a time of penance, fasting, abstinence, and giving.

Changes in both our liturgical environment and some of our practices during the liturgy are helpful reminders to help us focus on the journey and help us to further appreciate and more deeply enter into the mysteries of the Faith.

• Vestments and altar cloths are purple, except on Laetare Sunday (the 4th Sunday of Lent).
• The purple is suggestive of penance and solemnity.
• We omit the Gloria and the Alleluia.
• Crosses and images will be veiled beginning the 5th Sunday of Lent through Good Friday.

We should be mindful that while we are encouraged to fast during Lent, we should not be fasting from the Church’s sacraments or sacramentals.

• Attend Mass.
• Do penance in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
• Pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays.
• Pray the Rosary.
• Give alms to our parish and community.

Father in Heaven, the light of your truth

bestows sight to the darkness of sinful eyes.

This week I will be traveling for our daughter Avery’s volleyball tournament in Seattle, Feb. 16-20, and our daughter Ainsley's Academic Decathlon competition in Anchorage, Feb. 21-24.

(Although I will be back in town for about 24hours on Feb. 20-21, I will not be in the church on either of those days, but I will be available by text, call, or email; see INFORMATION section below.)

While we are grateful and excited for our girls to have the opportunity to participate in these events,

I will be very sad to miss all of the Faith and Fun with EDGE & HSYG on Sunday, February 18th,

but mostly I will miss each and every Youth and Teen!

Thankfully we are blessed with amazing parishioners

who graciously volunteer their time for our Youth Ministry!

• Elizabeth Tynes and Emily Lugdon will be leading the EDGE class with their Symbolon session.
• Shannon and Rob Blackburn will lead the teens for HSYG as they begin their Lent Study.

I can’t wait to be back in the Youth Room with all of the Youth & Teens on February 25th! -Beth

The next TLM will be on Saturday, February 17th.

All TLM Masses are at Sacred Heart Cathedral at 6pm.

This week we had a late start because we were all visiting with each other! Deacon Ron stopped in to tell the class of how he delivered the Valentines made by the Youth & Teens at First Friday, and the joy they brought to the Elderly and Homebound who were able to receive them. Even the nurses gushed on how lovely the cards were! Please join us in praying for those who were unable to have theirs yet due to illness in their facility.

Next, we talked about our own joy from our recent warm-up, more daylight, and how happy the kids will be to enjoy the outdoors again! Then we had a quick recap of the second half of our 6th session, (9th of Symbolon) Mary and the Saints.

Before beginning our 7th session, The Last Things, we asked the Youth what they knew about an Obituary. Then they filled in the blanks on a worksheet titled My Own Obituary (see example in photos below). Most chose to keep their answers private, but they did share giggles over what songs they would choose to play at their funerals or celebrations of life. Most importantly, this got them thinking about what kind of life they want to lead and how they want to be remembered.

This also led into our 7th session, The Last Things. We talked about the people who do not believe in God and Jesus (ex., Agnostics, Muslims, Wiccans, etc.), and what they believe will happen when they die. The kids were shocked by some of the answers (see slides below).

We continued with discussing Purgatory and how God does not force His love, but let's the will of each person decide how they will choose to spend eternity... in heaven or in hell.

Please click the links below to view the session and the discussion slides.

We ended class with lots of laughs from watching the videos from our February First Friday!

Many thanks to Miss Elizabeth for always being there with us!

We began with some 'football snacks' and the Super Bowl playing in the background. There wasn't a lot of interest in the 'big game' so we had a quick recap of our last session, God Has Suffered, then moved on to begin God Is Logical.

This was immediatly an interesting topic when the Teens learned it was a Catholic Priest who was responsible for the Big Bang Theory. During our discussion the Teens shared that they actually haven't experienced conflict with faith in science. They see God's work in all aspects of the science they have encountered so far, whether it be in what they study or in their activities. And, that they regularly feel awe and wonder in His creations.

Please click the links below to view the session and the discussion slides.

Again, it was suddenly time for parents to start arriving, but a few still managed to squeak in some fun, including another quick game of Hide & Seek, with Father Welcome as IT!

You can see some of the fun with Father Welcome in the video below. And, even though I didn't get a recording of this, just imagine... Father, in Birkenstocks, running full speed down the hall outside the Youth Room, trying to tag teenagers! That may help explain one of the video clips, hahaha!

Special thanks to Clay & Father Welcome for joining us!

We will take a brief pause on the God Is... Collection during Lent to begin Transformed by Grace (a Lent Study), starting with Session 1, Into the Wilderness.

due to the Catholic Engagement Encounter.

*HSYG will not be affected*

All are invited to the Farewell Gathering for Deacon Ron & Betsy Jones!

Join us for a potluck in the Social Hall after the noon Mass on Sunday, March 3rd.

*Please bring a dish to share.*

No class this week.

Next class will be on Sunday, Feb. 25th.

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

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

We would like to encourage all families to save the date and submit your registration for the Summer Oratory!

Last year the Summer Oratory was an incredible experience for all ages in attendance, including Youth & Teens, as you can see in the photos on the flyer below! -Beth

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

Out of Office

Fri., Feb. 16 - Sat., Feb. 24.

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