RESOURCE - Grace Hill Media - Free Preview Screenings

Are you interested in attending advance screenings or special previews of movies with a message? Past Grace Hill Media opportunities have been Chronicles of Narnia, Bella and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Just sign up here.

They just recently sent out a timely link with all that is going on in Iran. Hear first-hand from Iranian Academy Award Nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo on "The Today Show" about what's happening in the streets of Iran and how it relates to her upcoming film, "The Stoning of Soraya M."

Youth Convention Planning Team

Preparations for High School Youth Convention 2009 are underway and the planning team is getting ready to gather on Thursday, July 9th to start that part of the process. We will meet monthly from here until the event. If you are interested in volunteering or perhaps being in a stipended position, please contact Tauno at 206.382.2019. Thanks.

Reminder - 2009 Cardinal Bernadin New Leadership Award

Please see below a reminder from Jill Rauh, Youth and Young Adult Coordinator for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development



From: JPHD-USCCB
Sent: Friday, June 12, 2009 10:22 AM
Subject: Reminder: Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award Nominations Due July 31


Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to remind you that nominations of young persons ages 18-30 for the 2009 Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award are due July 31, 2009. This award, given annually to a Catholic young adult engaged in efforts to end the root causes of poverty, is an excellent opportunity to recognize a deserving young Catholic from your diocese.

The brochure and nomination form are available here.

Please submit all nominations by July 31, 2009. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this celebration of young Catholic leaders and their work to fight poverty in the U.S. As always, please let me know if you have any questions!

Sincerely,

Jill Rauh
Youth & Young Adult Coordinator
Catholic Campaign for Human Development
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 Fourth Street NE
Washington, DC 20017-1194
202/541-3297
202/541-3329 (fax)
jrauh@usccb.org

ACCY and Ascend

A few quick reminders about ACCY...
1. OYYAM recommendation is that ALL potential ACCY members participate in Ascend. However, only those who are interested in being diocesan delegates are required to attend.
2. The deadline for potential ACCY diocesan delegates to register for Ascend was extended to June 15th.
3. Remember that parishes will decide who will represent them on ACCY in the regions and the regions will determine who will represent them as diocesan delegates. The plan is for the regions to use time at the fall gathering on September 10 to determine the process for choosing their diocesan delegates. Therefore, NO applications need be sent to OYYAM.
4. If you have further questions, please call OYYAM at 206.382.4562.

RESOURCE - Journal of Student Ministries

The Journal of Student Ministries is a resource for those working in ministry with young people. Among the many items currently on their home page is a link to an article from USA Today about the Catholic presence on the US Supreme Court due to the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the bench.

RESOURCE - Need a Self Directed Retreat?

Did you miss the Youth and Young Adult Ministers Retreat and you are looking for a way to do a self directed retreat? Our retreats are often rooted in a book that taps into what we need to replenish ourselves for ministry and ourselves for our life beyond ministry. The links that are listed here provide you with details about the books, and in the case of "Sabbath" provide you with a searchable copy. All of these sites offer discounts for used copies if you would like to go that route. You may of course choose not to purchase from these sites but they sometimes give options that the publishers do not.

This year, we examined, "Sabbath - Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest" by Wayne Muller. Last year, our retreat was based on "The Godbearing Life - the Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry" by Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster. Many of you may recognize that Kenda was one of the keynotes from the National Conference of Catholic Youth Ministry (NCCYM) held in Cleveland, OH this past year. We have also had the opportunity to hear Mike Carotta present from the book he wrote with his wife entitled "Sustaining the Spirit - Callings, Commitments & Vocational Challenges". All these books would present worthwhile opportunities for some self reflection, challenge and affirmation of the work you do as a minister but also who you are as a person of faith independent of your role as minister.

I encourage you to take the time to do a little bit each day to engage in the care of you and your relationship with God. God gave us the commandment, we just have to obey!

RESOURCE - "Sabbath, Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest" by Wayne Muller

This book was the basis for our Youth and Young Adult Ministers Retreat last week because as ministers we don't always engage in the traditional Sabbath because of our role and duties in ministry that take up our Sunday. The book gives many short reflections about rest and renewal from a variety of faith traditions and maybe most importantly it also gives practical suggestions about how to integrate Sabbath into our lives. It is critical for us as ministers to incorporate our Catholic faith and our relationship with God into our daily lives beyond the minstries that we facilitate. This book is a good resource to do so...