Blessed are the Peacemakers

The coming of the Christmas season offers us a chance to reflect and hopefully make some changes. Two weeks ago (during the second Sunday of Advent) we spent a great deal of time talking about these verses:

Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.
Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:16-21

You were challenged to think of someone in your life (past or present) that you are not "at peace" with, and to write to them in an effort to be a peacemaker. We wrote Christmas cards, and although you may not have sent your card, I still encourage you to make peace. Below is a link to an online greeting card service that may help you on your way to becoming a peacemaker.

Catholic Greetings

Remember, as much as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. You cannot control how others receive the peace you offer, just as not everyone accepted what Jesus offered, but you can stand blameless before God knowing you did what you could to be at peace.

Have a blessed Christmas!

Begin Your Day Prepared!

Saint Michael the Archangel,
Defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host – by the power of God – cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Get Ready to DIS-STRESS

The full weight of the school year's work and activities may be crushing your joy. There are all kinds of stress - some are actually good for you, but many seem to make it difficult to stay connected to those people and things that are important to you.

Come join us this week to find out how to deal with the stress in your life in ways that are positive and real and maybe just a little silly. . .

I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.
John 16:33

Give it Away Now!

On September 28, 2008 Life Teen groups across the country collected clothes for donation to the St. Vincent dePaul Society. Our goal, collectively, was to donate 50,000 lbs. of clothing for the poor.

Our Life Teen group is a small and new group, so we contributed to this cause by donating 38 lbs. of clothing. Check out our photos from this past Sunday's Life Night. We learned that we all have too much stuff and that we are called to give out of our "excess." God has given us all abundantly and exceedingly more than we could ask. What we have been given is for us to give away, not to hoard.

We encourage you to look into your life (and your closets!) and see how God has already blessed you, and then look for ways to give of your time, talents, and treasures.

Join Us for Generations of Faith

This Sunday, September 14 our church is sponsoring a Generations of Faith church-wide event. Teens are invited to participate on Sunday from 2:00 - 4:30.

Since this year is the year of St. Paul, we're studying his impact and will examine our own "journey with a purpose."

Here's the plan:

2:00 Meet in the Parish Center for food!
2:30 Main Teaching in the Church - whole group
3:15 Break out groups - Teens head to the Youth Shack!
4:15 Back to the Church for a wrap up and sharing
4:30 Dismissal

Stay for Mass afterwards at 5:00pm.
There is NO Life Night on this date.

Life Teen Fall Kick Off!

When?
Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008
6:30 - 8:30 pm

Where?
Parish Center
St. Jerome Catholic Church
Largo, FL
Get Directions

Come and make new friends, have great food, and hone your music trivia and Rock Band skills!

For more information, contact Vicki Caruana, youth leader.

Core Team Recruitment

Am I Right for CORE?

Everyone has a baptismal call to serve. A CORE Member is an adult who is responding to his or her baptismal call to serve in youth ministry. As a CORE Member, you will be an important role model in teenagers' lives. Your approach to ministry should be rooted in service, commitment, and dedication to the Church and the teenagers you serve.


Why are CORE Members important?

CORE Members are one of the most vital parts of the Life Teen Program. First and foremost, CORE Members are role models to all of our teens. We know that how you live and act makes a strong impression of teens. The CORE Members work under the supervision of the youth ministry staff for the purpose of assisting in the fulfillment of the Life Teen mission.


How do I know if I am right for CORE?

Being apart of CORE means that you must follow and uphold the commandments set forth by LifeTeen for all CORE members. You must be able to keep these in mind when working with teens:

1. Thou must be a person of prayer, a child of God.
2. Thou must walk in joy, faith, and truth.
3. Thou must remain positive, affirming and humble.
4. Thou must offer respect before thou expect it.
5. Thou must never forget why thou art there.
6. Thou must not remain separate, thou must sit amongst the teens.
7. Thou must participate, and step out of thy comfort zone.
8. Thou must "befriend" the teens, without being "their friend."
9. Thou must never talk until thou hast listened.
10. Thou must at all times, exude faith and trust in the leadership.

How much time does being a CORE Member take?
We are aware that everyone has their own lives outside of Church and the biggest drawback for many people is the amount of time. Although I can not give you an exact amount of time, being a CORE Member is really what you make it. If you are only about to help out once or twice a month, that is okay, we need all the help we can get! Ideally, we would like people who are able to come to the LifeTeen Mass at 5 pm on Sundays and stay to help out after, which can mean either hands-on or behind the scenes.


Is there an age limit?
As long as you are over 21, we want you! We are looking for people of all ages and at different points in their lives. Everyone has experiences to share with others and it is important to have a diverse CORE team. We are also looking for people who have varied levels of faith. Some of you may come to Mass only once a week, while others come once a day! We want all of you to share your experiences with the teens!

What if I am not confident working with Teens?
Not a problem! We have plenty of other areas that we need help with. These areas are as simple as setting up the pizza on Sunday evenings, or decorating the Youth Shack for a Life Night. We will also need help on Retreats and creating flyers. Whatever your talent is, we will find a productive way to use it!
What if I have other questions?

If I have not answered your questions, please feel free to call me at (727) 595-4610 ext. 715 or send me an e-mail at youth@tampabay.rr.com. I am also available before the 5 o’clock mass on Sundays, and I will be more then happy to set up an appointment with you any other day of the week.


Thank you for your time and I will be in touch with you shortly. I truly hope that you have found this flyer helpful and you seriously consider answering God’s call to help with youth ministry.

God Bless,
Vicki Caruana
Coordinator of High School Ministry

Life Teen Work Day

Life Teen at St. Jerome's is in a state of "re-creation" and as we prepare to kick off the new year around Labor Day, we need many hands to make light work of it.

The Youth Shack, the home of Life Teen for many years, is in desperate need of tender loving care. This Sunday we are having a WORK DAY to do some organizing and cleaning.

Pizza and wings will be served to nourish your bodies and fellowship with your fellow servants will nourish your soul.

Please join us after Mass on Sunday!

We are also looking for adult members for our Core Team. If you are interested in serving with and for the teens of our parish, come to the Work Day and see what Life Teen is all about. We need people at different levels of their faith and with different gifts and talents. The Body of Christ is made up of many members, each with its important and particular job.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

Welcome to the Youth Shack!

My name is Vicki Caruana, your Coordinator of High School Ministry, and I'd like to personally invite you to participate in the youth ministry of St. Jerome Parish here in Largo, Florida!
Even if you've never attended a Life Teen mass (Sundays at 5pm), we'd love to have you (and your family if you're willing) come to mass and then you could join the rest of the high school students after mass for food, fun, and fellowship in the Youth Shack.

This blog is dedicated to five ideals: Communion, Communication, Community, Compassion, and Catholic. We hope to learn together how to share our time, talent, and treasure within our world beginning. . .

• in our homes


• in our schools


• in our parish


• in our communities


• in our nation

If you would like to be updated regularly, subscribe to this blog and receive email updates on new content.

Look for our upcoming post about who your "Core Team" members are soon.

Watch for news on a Fall Retreat!

Watch for plans to attend Rock the Universe 2008!