Featured Resources: October 2021
From Nights on the Saints, to Discussions on Mental Health, to Halloween Gatherings, we’ve carefully curated our content and highlighted some that we believe can be useful for your ministry this month!
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PARENT/YOUTH NIGHT
October 31 – Frightfully Fun Family Fest
The session is designed for youth (high school and/or middle school) and their parent(s). It provides an opportunity for youth and parents to play, share with, and affirm each other. It also puts a Catholic Christian spin on the celebration of Halloween through learning more about the Communion of Saints.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
October 2 – The Beloved Community: Sharing the Vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The purpose of this session is to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. by understanding his vision. In this session participants will learn about King’s vision of the Beloved Community, investigate its scriptural roots, and make connections with our Catholic Social Teaching.
October 7 – Survivor: Identity Island
Participants will learn more about their true identities and values as they learn skills to cope with expectations and peer pressure.
October 15 – Praying with St. Teresa of Avila: Preparing our Inner Castle
This middle school session introduces youth to an important saint and her contributions to our spiritual classic writing. St. Teresa of Avila, a Doctor of the Church, shared many of her spiritual insights through letters written to her religious sisters. This session focuses on a few of her teachings but specifically on the Interior Castle. Youth have an opportunity to learn about the life of St. Teresa and then create a personal castle that represents who they are. The session ends with a prayer service using some of the writings and reflections of St. Teresa.
October 31 – Light Up the Night! A Halloween Bonfire
This middle school community event focuses on the ancient Halloween tradition of bonfires. Participants will be sing songs, tell stories, play games, and learn about the origins of Halloween and the connection to the feasts of All Saints’ and All Souls’ days. This event works best with groups of 10-30 participants.
HIGH SCHOOL
October 2 – Mohandas Gandhi: Leadership and Non-Violence
In this session, participants explore Gandhi’s philosophy of leadership and his commitment to non-violence. This session is designed for 14–30 participants. It can easily be done as a youth-and-parents session.
October 4 – Serving Like a Saint: Francis of Assisi
In this session, participants will be invited to meet and learn about the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Through activity and discussion, they will be asked to follow Francis’s example of simplicity, service, and care for all of God’s creation. This session can be adapted for any group size.
October 5 and 22 – Celebrating the “Wideness of God’s Mercy” – Divine Mercy Sunday
In this session, high school participants meditate on God’s Divine Mercy through Scripture and in the lives of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II whose own devotion stemmed from the revelations of Saint Faustina Kowalska.
October 7 – Learning about Depression: I’m Fine; Save Me
In this session, adolescents will understand depression as an illness, how they can try to prevent it, and what they can do if they experience it. This event is appropriate for groups of all sizes.
October 14 – The Joyful Mysteries: A Reflection on the Rosary
This session is designed for groups to explore the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary. Participants will have an opportunity to “break open” the Scriptures surrounding the Joyful Mysteries and then pray the rosary while bringing those mysteries to life. This session will work best with a larger group of students, but can be adapted to work with groups of any size.
And don’t forget to check out Equipped for Life, our new 4-year program for guiding young Catholics on their faith journey. All 4 modules from Year 1 – “Encounter” – are available now. We’ll be starting to release lessons from Year 2 – “Discipleship” – over the next few weeks.
