Lord, I've been thinking and asking myself,
"What am I going to do for Lent this year?"

I've got a few ideas,
maybe even a kind of plan
about praying more,
giving up some things I like
and reaching out to those in need...

But then I look at that pocket Cross
and I hear your voice in those words,

Come back to me with all your heart...

I think I get it, Lord:
that's what you want me to do this year; that's your
plan for me this Lent...

You want me to come back,
to come back to you,
with all my heart...

Come back to me with all your heart...

Those words really cut to the chase, Lord,
and they say it all:
You. Want. Me.
And you want all of my heart...

You sure do know how to ask a lot!

So I gotta take this a day at a time,
one step at a time,
walking through these 40 days of Lent...

Walk with me, Lord, and be patient with me
when my pace slows down
or I try to take a short-cut
or I walk away or just stop moving:
be patient and walk with me, Lord...

Come back to me with all your heart...

Help me pray, Lord, and in my prayer
help me find my heart and yours
as I make my way back to you this Lent...

And help me let go of the things that claim my heart
and keep me from coming back to you
and offering all you ask of me...

Lord, help me be generous in reaching out
and opening up my heart to those in need
- just as you reach out to me...

Come back to me with all your heart...

Walk with me, Lord:
help me come back to you
with all my heart
this Lent...

A Concord Pastor Comments

http://concordpastor.blogspot.com/

Thank you.

Thank you for all you do for the young church! Your efforts for the faithFULL Diocesan Food Drive and the many exciting spiritual, social, and service events in your parishes and schools show your creative generosity. There continues to be an urgency to build youth and young adult responsive communities. Communities that encourage and invite young people and young adults into all aspects of parish life thrive as they continue to build disciples of Jesus Christ. The youth and young adults of your community are the church of today!

There are a few programs that may interest you and those with whom you minister. Please forward, invite others to, and attend the following offerings:

A) Open My Eyes (3/29/14 @ Rowan University in Glassboro, 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.) - How are we spiritually preparing high school seniors and current college students for life at college? This event for high school seniors and college-aged young adults is designed to support life at college, through prayer and building community. The keynote address will be given by Ennie Hickman, who is a national speaker from the Franciscan University Summer Conferences. Check him out on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/AKs_qnhTt08

B) Know Love Serve @ the Diocesan Youth Congress (4/13/14 @ The Church of the Incarnation in Mantua 1 p.m. - 7 p.m.). Help make a difference by helping to feed 27,000 meals to the hungry in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Celebrate Palm Sunday (a.k.a. World Youth Sunday in Rome) with Bishop Sullivan.

C) Mark your calendars for a workshop on Saturday, May 3, 2014, entitled Service & Justice with Teens from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Romero Center in Camden. Mike Jordan-Laskey, Romero Center Staff and I will be leading a session of service and best practices on doing service with youth but more importantly prayerfully reflecting on the service.

My prayer for you is that Lent will be a time for renewal and centered on Jesus Christ. May your journey be blessed!

Peace and all good,
Greg

Know Love Serve - Diocesan Youth Congress 2014

Helping Hands - Join the Movement

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Location: The Church of the Incarnation, 240 Main Street, Mantua, NJ 08051

Know, Love, Serve! Your parish's and school's teens in grades 8 - 12 are invited to the Diocesan Youth Congress. This day-long event provides teens with a chance to make new friends, explore their faith through service and connect more deeply with God. The schedule includes a dynamic service event, inspiring prayer, and speakers.

Join in on Catholic Relief Services' Helping Hands food making project to help the hungry in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Visit the Helping Hands website for more information. Also join Bishop Sullivan for Mass that day.

For more publicity, click here.
For a parish/school registration form, click here.

For the parental permission form, click here.

For the medical release form, click here.

Emerging Best Practice -

Scouting & Youth Ministry

Catholic Scouting is youth ministry! The Church of the Holy Family in Sewell recently held a Girl Scouts and mom's retreat focused on earning their Marian Award.

Retreat highlights included:

relationship building for girls and their moms
Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m.
painting of a reflection of the Blessed Mother
catechesis about the Mary's role in our faith and the dogma of the Immaculate Conception
discussions of faith
closing prayer experience

In what ways do you connect with your parish or school scouting community? Or in what ways does the scouting community connect with their parish's youth ministry? We are serving the same young church!

To learn more about Catholic Boy and Girl Scouting click here.

To learn more about this day retreat contact Julie LaRosa at the Church of the Holy Family at (856) 228-2215.

Confirming Young Disciples

Vision and Practice for Preparing Adolescents for Confirmation

2014 National Workshop Series from the Center for Ministry Development

When: Friday, March 21, 2014 (rescheduled from 2/14)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Where: St. Mary's Church, 2001 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ
Cost: $54 per person

For more information or to register, contact the Center for Ministry Development

To download a brochure click here.

NJ State Catholic Youth Rally

Consider joining the five dioceses from New Jersey in this day of fun and faith. The Diocese of Paterson is hosting this year's Liturgy. And the Diocese of Camden is hosting the Opening Session at 9:30 a.m.!

The NJ Catholic Youth Rally Package includes:

Admission to Six Flags Great Adventure
Opening Ceremony (9:30 a.m.) & Closing Liturgy (6 p.m.)
FREE Admission and catering for ages two and under
FREE Parking Vouchers
FREE Return Ticket for every person who visits the catering area
Private All-You-Can-Eat Buffet from 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Total Package per person - $45.00

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL -Tickets must be postmarked and paid for by May 1, 2014, and they will include one free ticket for every ten paid.

Special accomadations may be made for parishes with economic need. Please contact Greg Coogan at 856-583-6122 or gregory.coogan@camdendiocese.org for more information.

Click here for a flyer and order form.

Resource Register for Youth Ministry

Sunday Prayer for Teens 2014 - 2015 by Ansel Augustine

Sunday Prayer for Teens provides a great way to support a teenager's prayer life throughout the year. This resource helps high school teens develop a habit of prayer by providing the Sunday Gospel and a reflection directly linking the Gospel message to their life. It includes materials for every Sunday and Holyday of Obligation from September 7, 2014, through August 30, 2015.

It's a great gift for:

Prayer groups
Youth and campus ministry groups
Retreat or service groups
Informal group of friends
Individual use

Discounts are available through the Diocesan Book Service. Please contact Joanne DiGennaro at (856) 583-6122 or Joanne.DiGennaro@camdendiocese.org

Costs are:

1 - 29 copies: $1.60 each plus shipping
30 or more: $1 each plus shipping

Why Young People Abandon Faith:

Lessons from William Wilberforce

By Derek Melley
College Transition Initiative of the Center for Parent and Youth Understanding

Read this article by clicking here.

Open My Eyes - Event for

High School Seniors & College Students

Does leaving for college mean leaving your faith? It doesn't have to. Current college students & high school seniors are invited to "Open My Eyes" at Rowan University's Chamberlain Student Center in Glassboro, New Jersey. This inspiring day-long event on Saturday, March 29, 2014, from 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. will bring together the college classes of 2014 - 2018 for a day of prayer, faith, evangelization and community. The day is sponsored by Catholic Campus Ministries of Rowan University, Rutgers-Camden and Stockton College. Registration is now open, so won't you consider joining us? Get more information or register by clicking here.

Click here for a flyer.

iRace 4 Vocations

Plan on attending the 3rd Annual iRace 4 Vocations on Sunday, April 27, 2014. This year's race is at Rowan University in Glassboro. Help spread the word with your ministries.

To register or for more information, visit the new and improved website by clicking here.

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Theology on Tap is a speaker and discussion series for women and men in their 20s and 30s, married and single.

Topic: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Guest Presenter: Fr. James King, Parochial Vicar, Infant Jesus Parish, Woodbury Heights, NJ

When: Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Where: Dubh Linn Square, 482 E. Evesham Rd. Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

Time: 7 - 9 p.m.

It's a great chance to hear a dynamic speaker and engage in meaningful conversation in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. No cost to attend. Participants are welcome to purchase food and beverages. For more info: (856) 583-6122 contact Greg by email.

Ever thought about volunteering for a summer?

The SSJ Mission Corps Summer Experience is a two-month volunteer program at Saint Mary by-the-Sea Retreat House in Cape May Point, New Jersey. Volunteers are invited to live in community and to open themselves to God's transforming grace in service to retreatants. This opportunity is for women ages 19-30 who seek an experience of Gospel living. One year of college is required. This program is sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia, PA.

Dates: June 23 to August 21, 2014*

*If end date presents a challenge, please let us know.

Contact Information: Rebecca Little, Director

215-248-7235 or ssjmissioncorp@gmail.com

Website: http://www.ssjmissioncorps.org/summer-experience.html

Rebuilt? Making Church Matter

Save the date to hear one of the co-authors of Rebuilt and Tools for Rebuilding!

Thursday, May 1, 2014
12:00 - 4:00 PM
Christ the Good Shepherd Parish, Vineland, NJ

Fr. Michael White, as pastor at the Church of the Nativity, has seen his parish almost triple in weekly attendance and more importantly, the commitment to the mission of the church has grown, evidenced by the significant increase of giving and service in ministry.

Registration information will be coming soon.

To find out more about Rebuilt visit here.

Continuing the Journey

"Continuing the Journey" is a weekend adult conference being held from Friday, April 25 - Sunday April 27, 2014, for all those who minister and work with youth - Catechists, Youth Ministers, Volunteers, Priests, Men and Women Religious, Campus Ministers and more!

This will be the SECOND

"Continuing the Journey" Conference that the Archdiocese of Newark's Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry is hosting. Visit here for more information or to register.

Dynamic speakers include Ansel Augustine, Mike Patin, Bob McCarty and many others.

Diocese of Camden
631 Market Street
Camden, New Jersey 08102

(856) 583-6122
gregory.coogan@camdendiocese.org

Youth, Young Adult & Campus Ministries is grateful for the support of the Bishop's House of Charity Appeal.

For more information visit here.

	"No matter how many institutions we sustain or how much activity goes on in our parish or diocese, if new intentional disciples are not regularly emerging in our midst, our ministry is not bearing its most essential fruit." pg. 89 Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus by Sherry Weddell (Our Sunday Visitor, 2012)