Nov. 19th-26th SNYM News

Since becoming Youth Minister, I have prayed in thanksgiving daily for the gift that is the Youth of our parish. These young people are truly magnificent and are an inspiration. It is a blessing to witness their love for God and dedication to our faith!

I pray we all enjoy a very happy Thanksgiving Day! - Beth

Applications are still being accepted, but applicants will be added to the Wait List of potential attendance in the event that current attendees need to cancel their reservation.

Teens (ages 13-17) who are of good character and active in their faith are invited to accompany the Youth of the Diocese of Fairbanks to attend the March for Life and Winter Youth Festival in Washington D.C., January 16-21, 2024.

Click on the link below to open the PDF file for more information and to print the application form.

Or, contact Beth for printed forms and any questions.

Because Miss Elizabeth was absent last week, we began with letting the Youth tell her what they had learned. They also shared their good news and Thanksgiving plans.

We then passed out Prayer Journals and reviewed music before going to the chapel for Eucharistic Adoration with Father Dominik. It is beautiful to see the reverance of these young people in the presence of Christ.

We returned to the Youth Room to complete the final half of our 3rd session of Symbolon, The Bible. We discussed the misconceptions that the Bible has contradictions, that even with human authors it is God's Word, why the Gnostic books are not included, and that God uses the Scripture in the Bible to teach us.

We also emphasized that if the Youth ever have any questions, or are presented with questions they cannot answer, they should always remember that there are many who will be there to assist them... parents, priests, Deacon, myself, Miss Elizabeth, loved ones and friends... and that it will help us all to grow in our Faith!

In the photos below you will see the incredible artwork on our chalk table created by Elijah! We also directed the Youth to the whiteboard where they added their Uplifting words and phrases!

Unfortunately, we ran out of time for some of our planned activities, so we promised the Youth we would make it up to them at our next class!

Because we were not able to finish our planned activity and game at our last session, the EDGE class was promised that we would do that this week!

We will also begin the first half of the 4th session of Symbolon, The Story of Salvation.

TO ACCESS FORMED:

1) Go to formed.org/signup

2) Enter our Zip Code, 99705

3) Enter your Name and Email Address

4) Check the email account entered and follow link.

We began in the Youth Room talking with the HSYG about our upcoming Thanksgivng Potluck and announcing that we have a guest speaker for their Round Table Q&A on Dec. 10th. (Scroll down to the Looking Forward section for more information.)

We then passed out Prayer Journals and reviewed music before going to the chapel for Eucharistic Adoration with Father Dominik. Per the request of our Teens, he also offered Confession. The value and gratitude of providing this opprtunity for our Youth is profound.

We then went back to the Youth Room where the Teens were very surprised and confused when they found Candy Corn at the doors and on the furniture. They soon realized it was a prank for Jack, our Teen who is well known for despising Candy Corn! It was hilarious to see them wandering around trying to solve this mystery! Of course they blamed the innocent Youth Minister, haha. Then the Teens were so happy when the prankster revealed himself! Many thanks to Nick Shamrell for an extra fun surprise and for stopping by to visit.

They then learned about a new-to-us Saint by completing a Crossword Puzzle and hearing the story of the inspiring life of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne. (Video below in Photos.)

After learning how St. Duchesne built many schools as a pioneer in the Mid-West, the Teens headed to the Social Hall to build their own log cabins with popsicle sticks. As always, their unique creations were astounding!

Many thanks to Shannon Blackburn for graciously volunteering to assist at HSYG last week!

The HSYG will host Father Dominik at our Thanksgiving Potluck!

Those present signed up to bring the following:

Mashed Potatoes

Potato Soup

Cranberry Sauce

Rolls

Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Whipped Cream

Sparkling Cider

The following suggested items are still needed:

Turkey

Gravy

Dressing/ Stuffing

Green Bean Casserole

Any Vegetable Side

Any Beverage

OR, Teens can choose to bring something else!

If your Teen has not yet chosen a potluck item to bring, please contact Beth.

Teens will also be sharing in their gratitude together with games and activities!

No class this week.

Next class will be on Sunday, Dec. 3rd.

SERVIDORAS SISTERS ORATORY

We will have our first Round Table Discussion on Sunday, Dec 10th!

Our guest speaker will be presented with questions FROM the Teens to answer WITH the Teens.

ALL Questions and ANY Topic are welcome!

The box to submit questions is now available in the Youth Room.

Or questions can be sent via email to Beth ANY TIME to be printed and put in the box.

Please encourage your Teens to think of questions to sumbit.

Feel free to offer suggestions on topics that may be of interest to them and others.

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