Week of December 18, 2011

Merry Christmas! On behalf of Bishop Melczek and Deacon Bob Marben, a happy and holy Christmas season to you and those you serve! OYYA will be closed starting Wed. through the remainder of the year. As always, never hesitate to contact me at anytime via email, Facebook, or celphone.

Evangelization document: Catholic Church leaders continue to seek ways to reach out to older adolescents. One particular concern expressed often by Pastors, Pastoral Council leaders, Catechetical leaders, youth ministry leaders, and parishioners is that youth participation in church activities—including Sunday Eucharist—drops off significantly following the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Diocesan Youth Council, a representative body of high school-aged leaders from parishes throughout the diocese, recently participated in a process that explored some questions critical to how teens view their faith—and how the faith views teens. The process resulted in “Evangelization to, with, by, and for Catholic Teens in 2011: Insights from the Diocese of Gary Youth Council.” Give it a look (get ready for an overwhelming urge to catechize!). Visit http://is.gd/evang11 and read it online or download/print a PDF version.

YM Coffee Talk is Jan. 9: Because many are still off work on January 2nd and home with families, YM Coffee Talk moves to the 2nd Monday this month, Jan. 9, 4-5:30, Starbucks at Star Plaza, Merrillville. Open to any adult leaders in ministry with Middle and High School youth, it’s an opportunity to feel supported in your ministry, surrounded by others like you who share the similar highs and lows of ministry. Drop by! http://tu.nu/coffee

Diocesan ReConnects to end: After prayerful dialogue and discernment, the Office for Youth & Young Adults has decided to no longer offer ReConnect as a monthly diocesan program. We are thankful for the participants, clergy, and other leaders that worked to make ReConnect happen in its brief but successful run as a diocesan program. Well over 150 young people participated in just six ReConnects, so attendance met or exceeded our expectations! However it was clear that the events were not generating the kind of multi-parish representation necessary to justify it being a diocesan program, and I did not get the sense it was meeting a need for parish youth ministry coordinators. That said, I and many agree that the format works as a quick and easy program that provides both a profound prayer experience and an opportunity for community. If you are a parish, cluster, or school leader that likes the concept of ReConnect, and would like to offer it as a parish, local or regional program, you may do so! ReConnect is inexpensive, fairly easy to organize, and gives young people the right blend of Spirituality and fellowship. Contact Kevin Driscoll, Diocese of Gary Office for Youth & Young Adults to talk about how to bring ReConnect to your community. Available to you: outline and suggestions for implementation, logos, and all rights to the program.

Indiana Catholic Action Network (I-CAN) Emails: Shaping public policy is the responsibility of every person. Our democratic form of government and our Church both call us to become involved. The IN Catholic Conf. analyzes political issues from a social and moral point of view, and through the Indiana Catholic Action Network (ICAN), you and other Catholics can have a direct impact on legislative action. Catholics can become part of the I-CAN network through email “Action Alerts” and follow the Church's position on legislative issues, know the Church’s position on issues, and learn how to contact legislators to voice an opinion. Bishop Melczek and the Diocesan Peace & Justice Commission have asked all diocesan program coordinators to submit email addresses for the leaders they serve. I will be submitting our email list, but I wish to give you an opportunity to opt-out before I submit the list. If you do not wish to be added, simply send me an email and I will delete you from the list I will submit early next year. For more info on I-CAN, visit http://is.gd/iccican

Updated Data on Indiana Children and Youth: The updated “Kids Count Data Book Executive Summary” is now available with new statistics on children and youth. Highlights: • Indiana’s child poverty rate is 22%. By area, 31% of urban youth, 21% of rural youth and 13% of suburban youth live in poverty. • 32% of Indiana youth live in a household where someone smokes, compared with 26% nationally. • Indiana’s Child Abuse and Neglect Rate decreased from 15.6 per 1,000 children to 14.5 per 1,000 children in 2010. This year’s county pages include a new section called “School District Profiles” to help you track academic achievement and other education issues in your local community. Visit http://is.gd/kidscount