team catholic

#Fathers4Daughters, praying for @PPact

2012-02-29T11:05:00.000-05:00

As much as I tell teens that it’s important not to say things on the internet you wouldn’t say in person, sometimes I forget this myself. Especially these last few weeks-- feelings about abortion, the HHS Mandate, Planned Parenthood, even Susan G. Komen and Nikki Minaj—have been very strong.

Like many, I follow Planned Parenthood’s twitter-- @PPact—to stay up to date on what they’re up to, and as a sort of evangelizing, I occasionally tag them in tweets when I want to respond to something they’ve said. It’s the beauty of social media, that everyone has a chance to speak up.

Yesterday, as I was responding to yet another tweet that I disagreed with, it occurred to me that @PPact is one of the few accounts I frequently tag that I don’t actually know in person. And then, I began to think that it’s not Planned Parenthood tweeting, per se. It’s a person. Well, probably a team of people, but a person nonetheless.

I started thinking about this. Wondered about them. I’m friends with a lot of people—both on twitter and in real life—who I don’t agree with. I wondered if I met the @PPact tweeter, if we’d get along. If we could make small talk about shoes and movies, outside of this huge issue that is at the forefront of our disagreements on twitter. Anne Marie Cribbin and I even invited them to meet up with us for happy hour.

After reading Unplanned by Abby Johnson, we’re all more aware of the importance of prayer in bringing about a culture of life. In the middle of 40 days for life, let’s recognize the social media workers behind @PPact and pray for them, specifically. Not as a nameless organization, but the tweeters, specifically. They’re just as passionate as we are. They do their job with a great deal of tenacity. Their role in promoting Planned Parenthood is critical. They need our love and prayers.

There is a great presence of priests and fathers in social media. Anne Marie Cribbin and Joia Farmer had the great idea to ask priests and fathers to specifically pray for the women behind @PPact. Priests, who have the special privilege of celebrating mass, are asked to offer masses for @PPact… and announce it on twitter! Use the hashtag #Fathers4Daughters—stating the truth in love—that God the Father has a plan for each and every life. That fathers matter. That spiritual and biological fatherhood changes lives in an earthly and heavenly way. That the women of @PPact are known, loved and awaited by God.

I’m praying, specifically, that the women of @PPact encounter the love of God the Father in a real way. I’m praying that as I continue to speak up in my own little way, protesting what Planned Parenthood does and says, that I do it in charity—with a desire not to win arguments but souls.

And, I’m praying that that happy hour happens. Why not? It’s Lent. Go big or go home.

Will you commit to pray for @PPact? You don't have to follow them, but tweet them when you do. Remember, love wins.

First Serve God

2012-02-15T11:05:00.000-05:00

Originally published in The Bluffton Packet, February 15, 2012:

One of my favorite films is A Man for All Seasons. Released in 1966, it is an adaptation of the play by Robert Bolt and based on the life of St. Thomas More. If you haven’t seen it, the cliffnotes version is that King Henry VIII wants to divorce the queen to marry Anne Boleyn. Furious that the Pope won’t grant a divorce, King Henry VIII demands that his subjects take an oath declaring him the head of the Church of England. St. Thomas More—a good friend of the King—refuses and is eventually beheaded for treason stating, “ I die his Majesty's good
servant but God's first.”

As everyone in England signs the oath, More’s colleagues see the danger in his refusal. The Duke of Norfolk beseeches: “Thomas, look at these names! Why can't you do as I did and come with us, for fellowship!” to which More replies, “And when we die, and you are sent to heaven for doing your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not doing mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?”

What exactly is More talking about here, and with such strong language? For a simple explanation of conscience, let’s remember what we learned from Pinochio: it tells us what’s right and wrong. A more poetic description is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, describing it as “a law…not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at
the right moment… For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God” (paragraph #1776).

Our nation has always valued our freedom to follow our conscience, making religious freedom the first in the Bill of Rights and historically respecting the individual’s right to practice their faith. Archbishop Timothy Dolan

explained just how broad a spectrum there is in the U.S. in his recent editorial in The Wall Street Journal, saying, “The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone… Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the
government respects that principle for conscientious objectors”.

The topic of conscience and religious freedom has been in the news a lot these past few weeks, especially with regards to the Catholic Church’s teachings on contraception and the nationwide mandate for Contraception and sterilization coverage. While people may disagree with what the Catholic Church—or any faith—teaches, the right to follow one’s conscience is fundamental. James Madison, in defending the First Amendment, explained that “conscience is the most sacred of all property”. The concerns currently being raised by the Catholic Church are not about imposing their beliefs on others, but about being free to follow their own beliefs and be good servants of God.

the HHS mandate: why it's not ok.

2012-02-01T00:08:00.002-05:00

When King Henry VIII demanded that his friend St. Thomas More support his divorce and remarriage, the issue was not just the sanctity of marriage. It was that the king had broken away from the Catholic Church and founded his own system of beliefs that would accommodate him. Not content to merely violate the authority of God on his own, he demanded that the rest of England accompany him in his dissent. Given the choice to obey God and his conscience or be beheaded, St. Thomas more chose death.

It seems archaic that a government like the United States of America would dare intervene in the rights of citizens to practice their faith and follow their consciences on private matters. Lessons about Pilgrims on the Mayflower and freedom of religion come to mind and seem impossible to juxtapose with the recent decision of President Obama to uphold the HHS Mandate.

It took me a while to wrap my brain around it—probably because I find insurance and law really complicated – but also the concept that someone could force a Church or individual to do what the government is proposing is so foreign to my liberated American brain. However, let me explain why I—as a Catholic and employee of the Church—am outraged. If I mess up the technicalities, please feel free to clarify.

As an employee of the Church I currently have benefits—like anyone else—as part of my compensation. I have never attempted, but apparently under our current plan I would be unable to obtain funding for contraception, sterilization or abortion, which is cool by me because as a Catholic, I'm not down with that.. (I would add that, as the daughter of an insurance salesman, I know that this makes sense from a liability perspective as well. Multiple sexual partners place women at greater risk for medical issues arising from contracting STD’s and STI’s, so it would seem that insurance companies would not want to encourage any pharmaceuticals that in turn enable such behavior and cause more expenses. But I digress).

Under the HHS Mandate, my employer, the Catholic Church, will be required to provide benefits that cover contraception, sterilization and abortion. As in the money that they provide that goes to give me discounted penicillin and trips to the dentist (things that we are not morally opposed to) could be used to fund abortion, contraception and sterilization—things that we, as Catholics, believe to be ineherently wrong.

Here’s the kicker—(and what I’m hoping I explain correctly)—when the HHS Mandate kicks in, the Church will be fined if they choose to uphold what we believe to be true and what God demands of us as Catholic Christians and refuses to provide these as “benefits”. And, I will be fined if I choose to opt out of these benefits. It’s a lose-lose. As Archbishop Dolan, president of the USCCB, has said, “Never before has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience. This shouldn't happen in a land where free exercise of religion ranks first in the Bill of Rights”.

Snaps, Archbishop.

And, at the heart of it all is the same issue that St. Thomas More was challenged with. That the government would mandate funding of abortion, contraception and sterilization is odious to us as Catholics, but more so is the fact that they would have the audacity to overstep our right to practice our faith. We are not talking about a cult in a compound arranging under-age marriages. We’re talking about The Catholic Church and the government mandating that we violate our consciences or be punished.

This is not a “Catholics and birth control” issue. This is an issue of the Government over-stepping their place and telling Churches what to do. This is an issue that should concern every citizen—Catholic, Christian—anyone who believes in natural law, religious liberty and the freedom to form their conscience and practice their faith.

St. Thomas More stood up to King Henry VIII and was beheaded. I think we can all call our congressmen, sign a petition and stay informed.. Most importantly, this Friday is a day of fasting and prayer for our Bishops. Do it. They are acting courageously and need our prayers.

march for life reflections...

2012-01-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

The youth of the Lowcountry just returned from the March for Life.

Read my reflections at Lifeteen.com...

thankful...

2011-11-17T00:50:00.000-05:00

so, I'm not going to NCYC which is sad, because I hear glitter, felt banners and awesomeness from 5thousand will abound. Instead, as I've been harping on for the past several weeks, I'm trading turkey for tamales this year and joining some good friends on a mission trip to Mustard Seed Communities in Nicaragua.

I can't wait to share the stories, but what I want so share now is just my profound gratitude for the prayers, affirmation and support that came from both the Hilton Head community and my friends on social media. I was quite intimidated at the prospect of raising the necessary funds for this trip, it seemed like a lot to come up with in a month. However, between twitter, Facebook and one e-mail campaign, I exceeded my goal. So many friends-- some whom I've only met in passing at conferences-- sacrificed and it's truly humbling to know that when I leave on Friday, I'm going with the support of so many.

It's rare that I'm sentimental like this, but know that this Thanksgiving, y'all have truly given me a lot to be thankful for. My prayer for all of you this week is that God is as generous to you as y'all have been to me.

See y'all in a few!

"The Way"

2011-10-27T10:14:00.000-04:00

Originally published in The Bluffton Packet

'The Way' reminds us to make most of every step

While Charlie Sheen was "winning" it appears his father and brother, Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez were busy filming The Way, a story of a man who walks the Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James.

I'm pretty excited to see The Way because I walked the Camino de Santiago (or simply "The Camino") with two friends a few years ago. Long before Emilio Estevez said it on "The View," my friends and I learned that the Camino -- and pilgrimages in general -- are a metaphor for life.

The word "pilgrims" might take you back to re-enacting the first Thanksgiving or make you think of people in drab attire and buckled shoes, but there's more to the label than a Charlie Brown special. A pilgrim is a "person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons." So, a pilgrimage is the journey that person takes. The value of a pilgrimage is that it reminds us that this life is not all there is, that our lives are a journey that will certainly end in death -- we just don't know when. As Pope John Paul II explained in 1986, "We are pilgrims progressing from time to eternity, and our goal is the father himself."

The Camino is a 500-mile trail that begins on the border of France and spans across Spain, ending in Santiago de Compostela, the city where St. James is buried. It's one of the most popular pilgrimage routes in the world, with about 70,000 walking the path each year. My friends and I took about 32 days to walk it, finishing between 12 and 20 miles a day. The days fell into a comfortable routine of waking, walking, eating and getting to know our fellow pilgrims.

One of the mottos of the Camino is "el camino es la meta" or "the way is the goal." With hours each day spent on "the way," one can see how this applies to life. Each step I took toward Santiago wasn't just about the final destination -- it was about what I was experiencing, learning and doing along that path.

The goal was both the destination and to make the most of each step that took me there.

Christ told his disciples, "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). Until my pilgrimage, I hadn't given much thought what it meant to say that Christ is "the way." The Camino was full of days that could get long and weary. When the blisters kicked in and you were running low on water, every step required a conscious decision to stay on the path. We were never sure of what to expect, but our goal was simple: the way.

So it is with life. We encounter challenges, boredom, difficult decisions and people but we know that every moment is bringing us closer to the end of this life and the beginning of the next. Just like those hoping to reach Santiago need to stay on the Camino, those hoping to reach heaven have a clear way to follow: the person of Christ.

#stuffmiddleschoolerssay, aka: my social justice fail

2011-10-25T10:42:00.000-04:00

After Msgr. Gregory of Mustard Seed Communities spoke at all our masses this weekend, I thought I’d ask the middle schoolers what they thought about it and if they wanted to help somehow. The conversation went something like this:

“So, who heard Msgr. Gregory at mass this weekend?”

I was greeted by a chorus of, “I didn’t go to mass this weekend”.

(Insert tangent of, “I know you’re in sixth grade, but you need to remind your parents how important it is to take you to mass on Sunday. I'm sure you’ve all heard it.)

“Well, if you didn’t hear Msgr. Gregory for yourself, he talked about the children that they take care of in Jamaica, The Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Zimbabwe who don’t have enough to eat. There’s a program where we can support them called Sustain a Life”.

At this point, a fifth grade boy excitedly raises his hand and blurts out, “Miss Alison! You know how you can buy a star? We could BUY a poor KID!”

This idea is met with great excitement. A sixth grade girl chimes in, “yeah! We could keep it here in the youth room. They could sleep on the couch and you could be it’s MOM!”

This is not going the direction I had hoped, but thinking it was still salvageable, I tried to bring them back to the reality of the situation, asking, “well, that’s really nice of you guys to want to take care of a kid, but don’t you think they’d miss their family, living in the youth room?”

The kids stare at me, blankly. “No”, they all say.

I persist, “You wouldn’t want to leave your family and live in the youth room, would you? Even if you had cool stuff, wouldn’t you miss them?”

Again, a blank stare, “no.”

I have a suggestion for them. “Well, guys, we can’t keep a kid here” (insert round of disappointed sighs) “but we can send them money each month to help feed the kids in Zimbabwe. What about if, for the next month, instead of drinking Capri Suns, we drink water and send the money to feed a child in Zimbabwe?”

“You mean bottled water?” they ask.

“No, that still costs money. You’d just drink from the water fountain”, I explain.

“No, I don’t think so…” they all answer. At this point, I’m rapidly losing faith in humanity and, specifically, the 6^th grade. “You guys, when you die and Jesus asks you how you took care of each other, don’t you want to say that you gave up Capri Suns so kids can eat?”

“Well, maybe if we could have hot chocolate instead?” they propose.

Then, Mr. “Buy a kid” remembers something. “Miss Alison! You can sponsor a puppy for $15 a month! And they send you a hoodie and a tote bag! That’s even cheaper!”.

I sigh. “You know what guys, let’s just put in a movie.”

I realize that sixth graders who have grown up on Hilton Head have a long way to go when thinking about children on the other side of the world. So, my question is, what have you found to work in teaching kids empathy and compassion for children they have never met or seen?

Halloween: Let's not Bring Sexy Back...

2011-10-16T22:02:00.000-04:00

Originally published in The Bluffton Packet:

Halloween in a few weeks provides some serious fodder for a “Pastor’s Corner” column. Few holidays stir up as much controversy-- Christians don’t like the spooky supernatural overtones; police warn of the dangers of going door-to-door and dentists offer prizes in exchange for candy to prevent cavities.

These are valid concerns, and I’d encourage parents to be aware of the dangers of occult activity that can creep into Halloween celebrations, don’t let kids knock on the doors of strangers and be sure to brush your teeth. However, the latest Halloween trend that I find disturbing is best summarized in the 2004 film “Mean Girls” when the main character, Cady, explains, “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total ... (let's just say it rhymes with "but")... and no other girls can say anything about it. The hardcore girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears”.

While this description is a bit crude, the reality is that any girl over the age of seven searching for a Halloween costume will discover the entire selection prefaced by the term “sexy” (even if it’s not labeled “sexy” per se, it’s implied in the hemlines). Justin Timberlake’s not bringing sexy back—the costume shops are, with their options for sexy “rag dolls”, “nurses” and “crayons”.

“Sexy”, by definition, means something is sexually suggestive or stimulating. Growing up, I always enjoyed Halloween as an opportunity to dress up as someone I found glamorous or intriguing. I transitioned from painting my face as a cat or clown as a child and began raiding mom’s make-up supply to wear with a poodle skirt when I was a teenager. I wanted to look older and pretty, but “sexually stimulating” was not an objective when I was eleven.

While the pressure for parents to allow their daughters to dress as a “sexy _______” (insert anything: cow girl, panda, maid, vampire) for Halloween is becoming disturbingly normal, assembling costumes is also a great opportunity to discuss the difference between looking pretty, glamorous and interesting versus “sexy”. No one’s saying that girls need to wear a burka, but Halloween is a great opportunity to learn how to get attention for the right reasons—for being creative, quirky and beautiful. Not the girl with the most skin showing. This isn’t normally an objective, why should it be for Halloween?

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis tells the story of an unattractive man who was forced to wear a mask which made him appear more attractive. Lewis explains, “when he took it off he found his own face had grown to fit it. He was now really beautiful. What had begun as disguise had become a reality.” What had begun as disguise had become a reality. As we help our daughters, nieces and friends choose their Halloween costumes, be sure the disguise is a reality that will both inspire the right behavior and get the right attention.

what is love?

2011-10-13T16:28:00.000-04:00

This was originally published in the Bluffton Packet...

Like any single gal, I get a lot of unsolicited advice about dating. It ranges from the not-so-helpful-observation: “you know, you’re not getting any younger” (thanks, I hadn’t noticed) to the overly-simplified: “you’re just too picky” (I know right? Me and my crazy rules about illegal drug use) to the absurd: “there’s lots of men in Alaska” (and then I could see Russia from my house?). Occasionally I do hear something helpful and inspiring.

Bill and Joan are a couple from Church who, despite their senior citizen status, are wildly popular with the youth group. I think it’s their sense of humor and exquisite listening skills. While the kiddos are rambling on and on about their families, pets and vacation, Bill and Joan listen with patience that can only come from spending years with children and grandchildren. The kids also think they are “adorable because he still looks at her like she’s the most amazing person in the world”. Given their fame, I asked Joan if they’d consider talking to the teens about marriage and dating.

Joan paused and said, “well, you know the key to marriage is respect. If you respect someone, you’ll just fall more in love with them as time goes on. If you don’t respect them, eventually you won’t even want to be around them”.

Genius. I realized in all the advice I hear and read, respect for someone rarely enters the conversation. Respect has been pushed aside by both mine and younger generations. Physical attraction and plain ‘ole lust— which asks what can I get from you?-- has overshadowed seeing and respecting the whole person in their inherent dignity. Love-- “willing the good of the beloved” as we learned in Theology (or, in laymen’s terms, just wanting what’s best for the one you love)—is no longer the question. Now, it’s “what’s best for me, and I’ll keep you around as long as you’re on the same page”.

While the idea of love may be fading amidst the onslaught of messages we get about relationships from the world, it is still what humanity craves and what the future hopes for. It’s why Bill and Joan are so popular with the kiddos—their marriage, grounded in respect, is what the kiddos want for themselves one day.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “that’s what I want for MY kids too!” then this is a great time to live in the Lowcountry. On Tuesday, September 27 there will be a program for Middle and High School students at the Visual Performing Arts Center at Hilton Head High School from 7:00-9:00 p.m. entitled “Silver Ring Thing”. A program about guys, girls, dating, waiting, love, second chances and the best choices, it will challenge your kids to wait for a person who respects them in a relationship. You can buy tickets for $5.00 on-line at www.silverringthing.com or for $8.00 at the door. There will be a simultaneous meeting for parents. Empower your kids by showing them what real love and respect is and to not settle for anything less.

-------------------------------------------------------
Obviously, the Silver Ring thing is over, but you can find more great resources on respect and love at Family Honor and www.chastity.com.

my lunch...

2011-09-20T13:01:00.000-04:00

This has little to do with anything I normally write about, but my roommate Danielle made these sandwiches a few weeks ago and they've so dramatically changed my life-- I mean, honestly, somewhere between discovering The Catechism of the Catholic Church and The Middle in order of how much I appreciate her introducing me to this concept. Great for Fridays with Team Catholic when you're tired of tuna, because they're vegetarian AND if you're like me and don't shop that often, it's all ingredients that you can buy in small portions OR keep in your fridge for a while without going bad. So here they are...

Danielle's Amazing Veggie Sandwiches

Ingredients:

some sort of bread product (I'm a fan of pita bread, but regular sliced bread, english muffins, flat bread, anything substantial enough will work)
hummus
cream cheese (whatever your preference is-- all fat, no fat or somewhere in the middle)
spinach
tomatoes
cucumber (I like to slice them horizontally-- they fit better on a sandwich that way. But I'm not a control freak, telling you how to slice veggies or anything...)

Spread hummus on one piece of bread and cream cheese on the other. Pile the tomato slices, cucumbers and spinach in the middle. For variation try avocados.

The beauty of it is that the hummus and cream cheese are such a great protein combo, it really stays with you all day.

And that was my lunch.

God, Bless America

2011-09-11T13:10:00.001-04:00

It seems cliché to blog about this today, but I can’t stop thinking about being an 18 year old sophomore at Franciscan University of Steubenville, sitting in my 9:00 a.m. Survey of Physical Science class when a student raised his hand and said he had heard that there had been some plane crash in New York, and to include that in the typical prayers our professor began each class with. By the time we were dismissed at 10:30, word had gradually spread that there was a serious situation in New York and DC (and it had been gradual… life without cell phones or wireless internet meant you actually had time to process information) because some of our classmates with family in the area were frantic about not being able to reach them.

My next class was with Sister M. Johanna and while we were beginning to realize that something serious had happened, no one in their right mind skips her class. I remember some students talking, some quietly sobbing, worried about their families that they were unable to reach that morning.

Sister M. Johanna walked in and said she wasn’t quite sure what to do—but first we were going to pray a rosary. When we finished praying, I remember her saying something to the effect of, that while she had thought about canceling class, she wanted us to understand that this would be part of our vocation as Catechists—that we would encounter many crisis if we chose to work for the Church, and that our responsibility at that moment was to study so that we could be better equipped to handle whatever challenges were in store for the Church. We could leave if we felt that we had to, but this was how we could best respond. In fact it was the only way we could respond at that moment.

Walking across campus that afternoon, Adoration and confession had been set up on the lawn of the JC Williams Center—the center of campus. I remember turning the corner with a friend and seeing the monstrance on the lawn, classmates kneeling around in silent prayer and my friend saying, “I love this place”. She was right. While the world was in chaos, Christ reigned on campus that day and we were able to dwell not on the uncertainty of the future but His presence to us then and there.

These two moments stand out in my mind from 9/11/2001. First, my professor telling us, not callously but with gravity that our responsibility as students and future catechists that morning was to pray and then continue to study so that we could help people understand the mess that was unfolding that very morning. Second, that encountering Christ in the Eucharist—the source and summit of our faith—was the answer in a moment when no one seemed to know what the right thing was to do or say.

They say that 9/11 is a day that shaped the millennials, causing us to realize that our world was no longer safe, that we would enter adulthood with a lot of uncertainty. My experiences were definitive, but it was in a way that left me knowing that in the midst of fear and uncertainty, Christ is consistent and present.

Offering prayers for all affected by 9/11 today.

go by giving...

2011-08-29T19:44:00.002-04:00

(click here to go by giving...)

Upon graduation, I spent a bit of time in Belize as a volunteer lay missionary with SOLT. My good friend Gayle Ohrenberger actually surprised me and hopped on board a last-minute spring break mission trip and brought me coffee, peanut butter and much appreciated communio.

Gayle caught the mission bug and has since led several trips with the high school she is the campus minister for. Truly a mission trip rock star, she has encountered everything from lost passports to broken bones to parasites and she not only keeps going back, she brings teenagers with her.

Inspired by Gayle's courage, I'm hoping to join her on a mission trip she's leading for young adults to Mustard Seed Communities in Nicaragua. There won't be teens on this trip... This time I get to take the orders and do the dirty work. I'm excited about it.

The crazy part is that it takes place in November, over Thanksgiving. While it only costs Mustard Seed about $100 to have me for the week, they wisely require that I raise about $1000 to contribute to the support of the mission and raise awareness for what they do. I realize that these are difficult times and it was only a few weeks ago that I was begging support for my sister Martha, a FOCUS missionary. I'm also shaking donations out of everyone locally to support Room at the Inn and their upcoming silent auction.

I realize that asking people to throw a few dollars towards a trip to Nicaragua-- when there are so many other needs-- is pretty brazen of me. However I can say, with confidence, that it's not to support me (I even pay for my own plane ticket and put down the $100 deposit to cover the cost of my visit)-- it's solely to support the children with disabilities that Mustard Seed cares for, as well as outreach to the poor who live and work at the local dump. I have the freedom to skip town for a week at Thanksgiving, go hug children, clean toilets and dig ditches. Maybe you wish you could too but for whatever reason can't. As Martha just told everyone as she headed to Nebraska, "some give by going, others go by giving". So, here I am, begging for your prayers and, if you can spare it, the $5.00 you'd spend on a latte.

To make a donation, please click here and then click "make a donation".

I promise if I make it, the blogging will be phenomenal.

click here to go by giving

stuff my grandmother says

2011-08-27T16:10:00.000-04:00

The other day I dropped by to visit my Grandmother who lives in a retirement home that is pretty much straight from the script of In Her Shoes, if you're familiar with the film (and that was a reference, NOT a recommendation, just to clarify). She invited me to walk over to the clubhouse for a food sample fair.

It was pretty great-- imagine "sample day" at Sams or Costco, only without the shopping part. And wine. Whee! In addition to food, there were some vendors with paper products. The gentleman peddling napkins that were made from 100% sugar or corn products instead of trees (don't ask me how that works...) showed my grandmother his product and assured her, "they come in a pack of 1000". She replied, matter-of-factly, "oh, I won't live that long".

I choked on my fried zucchini with wasabi sauce, but then caught myself. It wasn't a pitiable or dramatic statement, she was just offering her opinion, like who might win the World Series or something. Considering she'll be 90 in January, my grandmother's pretty healthy. There's a good chance she'd use all 1000 napkins and some, but that's not the point. I was just struck by how very aware my Grandmother was that she would die one day. It's something that we all toss around, but when your initial reaction to a pack of 1000 napkins is that you probably won't be around long enough to use'em, it's a whole different story.

If I internalized the knowledge of my inevitable death to that point, I wonder how that would affect my actions. I think if I really understood-- not just knew, but understood-- that I was going to die, I'd waste less time, pray more and treat people better.

But I'd still buy paper products in bulk.

Parents Know Best

2011-08-25T23:34:00.000-04:00

Last night was the first night at Religious Ed. (or CCD or PSR... or whatever the trend is these days...) at our parish. All the kiddos were in their classes while their parents were in a meeting. I took this opportunity to talk to all the classes about getting involved in youth group. For street cred, I brought along three teens to share their experiences (for the record, highlights included, "going to a real mall at the March for Life" and "CLI is the first time I sprained my ankle!" and me assuring the kids that we didn't just shop and get injured at youth group.)

En route to the different classes, they asked said, "hey, Miss Alison, what's going on in there".
"That's the parent's meeting".
"Can we talk to them?"
"you want to talk to parents?".
"Well, duh, Miss Alison. They're the ones that take their kids to youth group. They need to know how important it is."
Then the next one chimed in, "I mean, I wouldn't have gone if my mom hadn't made me go the first time. It's like, super important for them to know that they need to force their kids to go cause they won't want to at first. But it's really important they they make them go, cause it changes everything."

Wow. Wish the parent's meeting hadn't ended before we finished talking to the 6th graders.
These kids have figured a lot out.
Parents, never doubt your influence.

Confessions of a Reluctant Virtual Pilgrim

2011-08-21T14:32:00.001-04:00

I admit, when I first started reading about making this past week a “virtual pilgrimage” with Pope Benedict XVI while he was at World Youth Day, I scoffed. I was a “left behind Catholic”. While the cool kids were sipping sangria and eating tapas, I was meeting students at Starbucks and finalizing the fall schedule. So when @madrid11_en, @BustedHalo , #CindyWithB16 and @CatholicNewsSvc, @JackieFrancois and the whole bunch from @LifeTeen invited me to “follow them to Spain” I’m not going to lie, my reaction was less than Christian.

My tweets reflected as I schlepped through my Monday, stateside, saying things like, “going to Mass. Just like all of you in Madrid. #youarenotthatspecial”. I don’t have EWTN and wasn’t watching the videos that were being uploaded, but as the week progressed, the candid 140 character updates of both friends and strangers made me start pray about, wonder and appreciate what Team Catholic in Madrid was up to.

At the risk of over-sentimentalizing a profound reality of our faith, we are the Body of Christ and despite my best efforts to ignore the graces overflowing from Madrid out of jealousy that I wasn’t experiencing it first-hand, I found the updates from the pilgrims about their encounters with each other, the Holy Father and, ultimately Christ to be quite moving. By Friday, when #ViaCrucis was a world-wide trending topic, I was hooked and proud to know that my brothers and sisters in Christ—most of whom I would not meet until heaven—were, for a few moments, reminding the world what was really important.

Social Media has been blamed for a lot of problems—compromising people’s privacy, a skyrocketing in bullying, a shallowness in relationships based on 140 character spurts in communication—but this past week I begrudgingly admit that I was grateful for those who made my unexpected “virtual pilgrimage” possible, tweeting pictures, stories and quotes from Madrid. This morning I was genuinely saddened to read all the “adios, Madrid” and “Gracias, B16” in my newsfeed, feeling that although I wasn’t drenched from the rain on Saturday or waking up for mass in a field this morning, social media had given a new dimension to World Youth Day and allowed me to be a prayerful observer across the Atlantic. As if 1.5 million youth gathering to celebrate being Catholic wasn’t powerful enough, social media allowed so many more to follow and be inspired by their individual experiences.

I’m sure the apostles had no idea that Christ’s command to “make disciples of all nations” would include a digital component in 2011, but I this week, I think social media—especially Twitter—gave us a deeper appreciation for our Catholic—Universal—Church.

why you should go see "The Help"...

2011-08-15T22:40:00.000-04:00

Taking advantage of the "Feast Day Three-Day" (yep... Team Catholic's offices were closed for the feast of The Assumption of the Blessed Mother) I went to see The Help with my grandmothers this morning and learned a few things. First of all, I bought tickets on-line ahead of time, and although I tried to explain, I think they think I somehow stole them, wikki-leaks style. Second, when one of the entertainment weekly clips in the previews kept showing Bret Michaels, my grandmothers were quite confused as to why he was famous and "why does he wear that scarf on his head?". Again, there are some things you can't explain.

"The Help", however, was phenomenal, a great story with a lot of spunk. I won't even attempt to summarize, but the ugly reality of racism in Jackson, MS in the 1960s is portrayed in a way that makes you cringe and then think. A lot.

What struck me the most was that this was all less than a hundred years ago. The characters on the screen were driving cars and using telephones. Sure, they hadn't realized smoking would kill you yet, but the events on the screen didn't feel like "history" as much as "stuff that happened when my grandmothers were even older than I am now". This was not the distant past.

As I watched Skeeter's character thumb through the laws regarding segregation in Mississippi, the absurdity now so obvious, it made me wonder what my generation would look back on with shame. The women of Jackson lobbied to build bathrooms for their hired help, thinking it would add value to their house when all they do is give a testimony to the gross injustices of the time.

What will my generation look back on, ashamed? We gasp in horror as the bridge club quotes scripture to justify their actions... but what atrocities is scripture tossed around to defend these days?

It's uncomfortable... but worth thinking about.

Tom MacDonald

2011-08-14T00:01:00.001-04:00

I love everything about this story: http://www.thisistomsfault.blogspot.com/.

This is why...

The other night on Facebook I stumbled across a note from one of those “friends” that you have that you really haven’t talked to in years but haven’t dropped because they’re kinda cool and plus you wanna keep your friend count up to save face. But I digress. This sorry doesn’t begin there. It begins way back in 2006…

When I was in Belize with the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT), my good friend Anne, a graduate of UMass Amherst (and an all-around awesome person) began to tell us that the mission we were working with would be in good hands when we left that summer because in the fall, her friend Tom MacDonald was coming to volunteer. We would speculate, “who would plan retreats?” and Anne assured us, “Tom MacDonald!”. “Who will plan masses?” “Tom MacDonald!” “who could help rebuild the rectory, perform heart surgery on the Church ladies and sew uniforms for children in need?” Anne would roll her eyes and assure us that duh, Tom MacDonald would totally have this under control. According to Anne, Tom MacDonald was basically the Old Spice Guy of Team Catholic.

We went home, began our post-Belize lives and I forgot about the man, the myth and the legend that was Tom MacDonald. Then I ended up back in Belize on a short trip and found myself at a St. Patrick’s day party, drinking rum, imported Guinness and Belikin with the volunteers at the mission that year and suddenly, I remembered. “Wait! WHERE’S Tom MacDonald?” A tall volunteer with crazy hair said, “he didn’t come”. “You mean to the party? But I have to meet him. Will he be around campus tomorrow?” “No,” Tall-crazy-haired-volunteer said, “he didn’t come to Belize. I’m Zach, a friend of his.” To make a long story short, Tom MacDonald never showed up, Zach had come to Belize after hearing about it from Tom and had even bravely taken on the role as the token non-Catholic at the mission (they showed up occasionally at Mt. Carmel) and I continued to see him, occasionally. He was clearly a great teacher and committed to the mission, but I could never see him without wondering how and why someone would come to a random mission in Belize without Tom MacDonald.

Fast forward to last night when I found Zach's Blog: http://www.thisistomsfault.blogspot.com/on my facebook newsfeed. His story of pursuing and being pursued by God and the Church is great, but my favorite part is reading about how he blames Tom MacDonald. I literally laughed out loud when I saw the title, thinking back to 2006, and how Anne assured us that Tom’s impact on the mission would be legendary. Reading Zach’s blog last night I realized that she was right.

Let's hijack this hashtag...

2011-07-19T17:05:00.000-04:00

So, Planned Parenthood’s twitter account, @PPact is collaborating with The National Women’s Law Center to host a “blog carnival” on Thursday, July 21. Check out http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/positions/birth-control-matters-blog-carnival-1081.htm for details.

It’s a little unclear what a “blog carnival” is, but it appears the point is for bloggers to share why they think there should be no co-pays for birth control and wax eloquently on all that it’s done for women.

You can apparently sign up to participate in the “blog carnival” here: http://action.nwlc.org/site/Survey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&SURVEY_ID=12441 and it’s probably worth entering your blog information, but I have a feeling they’ll be screening for content. However, they are publicizing the “event” under the hashtag #BCBC. They are also publishing the adventures of “Birth Control Girl” on a YouTube channel with the hashtag #BCGirl and the generic hashtag #birthcontrol.

So, I propose that we hijack the hashtags. Here’s how:

Write about why you disagree with Planned Parenthood’s stance on Birth Control—it can be a personal testimony, link to something you’ve already written, link to an article you agree with, etc. The point is to give a voice to the truth. If you need some ideas, visit http://www.thepillkills.com/, www.onemoresoul.com, or my personal fave, Father Chris’s homily on contraception: http://teamcatholic.blogspot.com/p/father-chriss-homily-on-contraception.html
Tweet your link on Thursday as much as you can. Be sure to include the hashtag #BCBC, #BCGirl and #birthcontrol. This way, those searching twitter and the internet for blogs about birth control will find more than Planned Parenthood’s propaganda.
Spread the word to bloggers—it doesn’t have to be a new post—but let’s flood the internet with links to the truth about what birth control has done to women’s health, relationships and marriages. And remember, preach the truth in love. Winning souls is far more important than winning arguments.

2011-07-05T12:25:00.000-04:00

I don't know about the rest of you all, but I find summers in youth ministry to be the equivalent to Christmas in retail... The Triduum for Liturgists... Finals week for College students... You get the idea... So, so much to do in so little time.

While blogging inevitably suffers, I'm still writing for The Catholic Miscellany and The Island Packet
(and, to demonstrate my diversity, even interviewed Chris Butler and Josh Barrett for the Hilton Head Monthly) so here's links to the latest columns:

"Confession Helps the Bullied, Too" (from The Miscellany)
"Messages about who we are apparent in Everything" (from The Bluffton Packet)
"Teaching modesty about much more than clothing" (from The Bluffton Packet)
"Summertime worship critical for children, teens" (From the Bluffton Packet)

Also, check out my Teen Tips and Parent Tips at Family Honor. It contains advice for teens and parents on issues like the internet, media and health issues.

Stay cool!

can my sister send you mail?

2011-05-24T14:58:00.000-04:00

Hi all. My sister, Martha, is awesome and recently graduated from Ave Maria University. I'm super-proud of her because she's making a two year commitment to FOCUS. I'll let her explain why:

For the next two years, I'll be working with an organization called FOCUS, or Fellowship of Catholic University Students. This ministry sends missionaries to colleges in the United States to aid young people in their drawing closer to God and in their battle against the negative elements of today's culture. FOCUS specifically seeks to meet these students where they're at by having its missionaries strive to come to know the personal needs of the students they encounter and to share Christ's love with them. What was instrumental in my decision to become a FOCUS missionary was a realization of what an awesome gift the Catholic faith is through spending four years an Ave Maria University, drawing closer to God during this time through the spiritual and academic opportunities that the school made possible for me. Basically, Catholicism is way too awesome not to share, and I know that the hope it offers is much needed in the lives of my peers! -Martha Griswold

If you know Martha, you know that she's going to be absolutely amazing at this-- I've been blessed to encounter many people who tangibly represent Christ to me, but no one is quite like Martha and I know she's going to make a huge difference in the lives of the students she'll encounter. However, here's the thing. She's off to FOCUS training and is supposed to have something like 200 addresses of people she can mail her newsletter updates to and ask for prayers and financial support. Giving her your address in NO way means you have to pray for or financially support her (although clearly she would not be opposed to either cause she prays for ALL of you... Yes, even you...) it would just get her off to a strong start. You don't need to be rich, Catholic or even able to read. You just need a mailbox. So, if you're willing to get updates in the mail from Martha, please e-mail (or Facebook) her your address: mgriswold@focusonline.org

****also. I'm late to the game here, but apparently my Christendom alumni sister Emily has already collected about 25 addresses from the Front Royal/ Christendom crowd. I'm BEGGING my Franuniv friends to not let them out-do us.

Blessed Pope John Paul II, pray for us.

2011-05-01T14:44:00.003-04:00

“He helped us not to fear the truth, because truth is the guarantee of liberty…” (Pope Benedict XVI's Beatification Homily). This is what we learned from Blessed John Paul II, as a generation formed by the Church he led while the world sank deeper into moral relativism.

Standing in the middle of St. Peter’s Square in August of 2000, jet-lagged, overwhelmed by the crowds of European teens who seemed to have different standards of hygiene than we did, watching the sun set behind the obelisk we chanted, “John Paul II, We love you!” as he entered on the Popemobile and then greeted us in what must have been dozens of languages. I remember weeping with my friends when we heard him welcome pilgrims from the United States with, “The Pope loves you too!” and realizing—not just knowing from a guide book but realizing in the marrow of my bones, as I stood just feet away from the tomb of St. Peter, in a city where Christians had been fed to lions and celebrated mass in Catacombs—that I was part of a faith that wasn’t something my parents, a self-help book or charismatic personality had invented. It had been handed down to me, through the apostles, from Christ. And He was visible in this man’s leadership.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explained, “the whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love”. When Blessed Pope John Paul II took office, people feared that the younger generations had come to see the Church as irrelevant, old fashioned and not worth the time we could spend reading the Wall Street Journal, drinking Mimosas on Sunday mornings.

So what does Blessed Pope John Paul II do? Spends the first six years of his Pontificate clarifying God's plan for sex. Gathers millions of young people for World Youth Days. As Pope Benedict XVI explained, “What the newly-elected Pope asked of everyone, he was himself the first to do: society, culture, political and economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back with the strength of a titan – a strength which came to him from God – a tide which appeared irreversible. By his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, this exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak of the Gospel.” He taught doctrine in love, out of a tangible concern for our health and happiness. Recognizing, like a loving parent, the importance of challenging us with the truth. He showed us that the Church was truly our “travelling companion”. That we belong to, and are called to heaven.

As I read my friend’s statuses and chat about the beatification today I see a generation whose lives are deeply affected by the witness this man gave us, calling us to holiness when many in the world were content to let self-destruct. Blessed Pope John Paul II… Continue to pray for us.

Blessed are you, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you believed! Continue, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. You often blessed us in this Square from the Apostolic Palace: Bless us, Holy Father! Amen. -Pope Benedict XVI.

look, mom... an index!

2011-04-15T18:29:00.000-04:00

I share the Pastor's Corner in the The Bluffton Packet with Dan Griswold, who despite having an awesome last name is not related to me. In case you are fortunate enough to not live in Bluffton (ha. I couldn't resist) or recycle too quickly, they've made an index of the columns. I feel so official.

locked up for life...

2011-03-29T11:40:00.000-04:00

I’ve mentioned that when I die, I want to be the one with the questions. In the centuries of static between our present day and the words "What you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me…" (Matthew 25:45) I fear that I’ve re-interpreted that to mean “tithe, be nice to people who are nice to you and do what you can to help out”.

I fear this has worsened as I get older and realize just how challenging it is to keep up with bills and carve out free time. I love my life, I’m often smug about it. I think to myself, “I made good choices. If others didn’t and find themselves in a bad spot, this is not my problem”. Then I wonder if I’ll be so confident saying that when I meet God face to face.

So that's why I let myself get "locked up for life" to support Room at the Inn. I've mentioned them before. They are assisting mothers in need in the Lowcountry, giving homeless girls shelter and the assistance they need to choose life for their unborn children. I've got to collect $1,000 in bail… or apparently I go to jail.

When they asked me, I assured them that I was not friends with folks who could write checks for $500, $100 or even $20 (Lord knows on most days I sure can’t)… But I thought to myself, I have plenty of friends who would give up a coffee or sacrifice a movie and could give $5 or $10 in support…

Click here to donate on-line through pay-pal.

Or, mail checks (put Room at the Inn of the Lowcountry in the Memo)to:

Room at the Inn of the Carolinas
PO Box 484
Colfax, NC 27235

You don’t need to tell me what you give, but if you can let Monica, their director of development, know at mjenks@roominn.org so that, well, she doesn’t have me arrested… That’d be great.

I'll have questions...

2011-03-29T10:29:00.003-04:00

Originally published in the Bluffton Packet, March 28, 2011.

When I die and I meet God face to face, I want to be the one with the questions."

I heard this statement over the summer and I think about it constantly. The speaker explained that there were lots of moments in life that she planned to ask God, "What exactly where you thinking, allowing that to happen?" But, she said, she hoped God wouldn't have the same questions for her.

Obviously, God has his reasons for why things happen. But standing before the almighty, our reasons might seem a little weak.

This question was rolling through my mind a lot this January when I had the opportunity to tour the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., with the teens in my youth group. As an adult, I was the one getting their questions. And, let me tell you, it is a lot easier to answer questions about drugs, sex and rock'n'roll than why God allows bad things to happen.

Standing in the train that carted people to their deaths in Auschwitz, I was impressed that the teens asked not "Why did God allow this to happen?" but the more practical question, "Miss Alison, didn't people know this was going on? Well, why didn't they DO something?"

There are many inspiring examples of people who did "do something." However, there are many more who looked the other way. The hundreds of shoes collected from Auschwitz on display at the museum are a slap in the face reminding us that it was fellow human beings who allowed this to happen. Only God knows why.

It is a powerful examination of conscience for us to ask what we might be overlooking in our time.

Christ doesn't mince words. When people asked him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison and not minister to your needs?" (Matthew 25:44) he answered, "What you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. And these will go off to eternal punishment..." (Matthew 25:45-46).

Uncomfortable yet? I am. How many times have I ignored Christ in my neighbor? We're halfway through Lent and our sacrificing should be encouraging us to focus not just on our relationship with God but with those around us who are in need.

Opportunities abound, but if you're looking for some specifics in the next couple weeks, consider the following:

Invisible Children will be screening a film about victims of terrorism in East Africa at 7 p.m. April 7 at Park Plaza Cinemas on Hilton Head Island. The screening is free, there will be information presented about ways you can get involved. Contact Chris Rosenberry, 843-422-5848 for more details.

Room at the Inn, a local shelter for unwed mothers is in need of assistance in many ways. Learn more at www.roominn.org.

Neighborhood Outreach Connection works to provide assistance and encouragement to local families in need. Learn more at www.noc-sc.org

There are many ways to love Christ in our neighbors both locally and at an international level. When you die, be sure you're the one with the questions.

Catholic Icing

2011-03-29T10:14:00.000-04:00

When I read this in the Miscellany I was reminded that team Catholic SC has a native who's doing some really great stuff when it comes to craft projects and catechetical ideas for younger children. Actually, truth be told, I find some of her ideas helpful for bulletin board and middle school craft projects as well. Follow Lacy on Twitter to get tips like when you can find Stations of the Cross stickers at the Dollar Tree and where to order rosary eggs from.

why I'll eat meat today...

2011-03-24T23:53:00.001-04:00

Today I’ll eat meat. And drink beer. And it's not "cheating".

I remember the first time I learned about solemnities during Lent. It occurred, conveniently, during my freshman year of college when I had given up chocolate. A box of fresh-baked cookies arrived in my mailbox from a well-intentioned friend. As I sat in mass that evening, mourning the tragedy of allowing them to go to waste, the priest celebrating explained that it was the solemnity of the Feast of St. Joseph—that we were “allowed” and even encouraged to celebrate the feast day by partaking in whatever we had given up.

This caused a small existential crisis. As a child I had always scoffed at those who “give up Lent on Sundays”. I was homeschooled, after all. A hardcore Catholic who knew prayers in Latin, not one of those slackers who gave up something random like blue starburst for Lent so that it’d be so easy they didn’t even remember what it was by Palm Sunday. I did not “take Sundays off”. However, in my short time at Franciscan I was realizing that perhaps my approach to faith had been a bit too regimented-- A lot about my will power and not so much about God acting.

Franciscan was the first time I really tried to incorporate the liturgy into life, realizing if the Church had lived this “schedule” for 2000 years there must be something to it. I began to get into morning and evening prayer, celebrate special feast days, Lord’s Days and tried to reserve the Sabbath for God. There’s a real benefit to taking advantage of earthly reminders to remember eternal realities.

I ate the chocolate chip cookies that day, in honor of St. Joseph. And ever since then, I have celebrated Sundays and solemnities in Lent. Everyone's heard that Sundays don’t count as the forty days and all the theological reasons, but I’ve found that personally, it just allows me to experience the whole liturgical cycle better. For example, if I go without chocolate or a glass of wine with dinner all week and then partake to celebrate on Sunday, it’s a physical reminder of an intangible reality. Refocused in that way, the sacrifices of the week are more meaningful.

When it comes to the Sunday debate about Lenten sacrifices, I don’t judge either way.
But I'm not cheating, I'm celebrating. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Except on Sundays and Solemnities.

#winning...

2011-03-21T22:17:00.000-04:00

Originally Published Tuesday, March 15, 2011 in The Bluffton Packet

Even if you're not one of the more than two million people following Charlie Sheen on Twitter, you're probably aware of what he's been up to.

I admit, while I usually don't pay much attention to celebrities, when Sheen's rants show up on TV or the Internet, I can't look away. On his profile, Sheen states that he is an "unemployed winner" and says things like, "Winning! Bring it!"

Overnight, "winning" has become the go-to word to describe every ridiculous idea that people choose to act on. I'm not saying it's the end of the world, but Sheen is a blatant example of what St. Paul described in his letter to the Philippians when he warned that many "conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their 'shame'" (Philippians 3:18-19).

Sheen, sadly, seems to be living this out almost to the point of parody.

What I find more disturbing than Sheen's actions, though, is the way the world is looking at him as a sort of example -- affirming his claim that he is "winning." While most of us probably will never live quite as fast as Sheen has, we all have moments in which we confuse "winning" with, well, the opposite.

Since the original sin of Adam, we struggle against temptation. For most of us, those temptations are minor, like gossip or laziness. But it's these small sins that start to lead us away. Sheen probably did not wake up one morning and decide to use cocaine (or, excuse me, "buy it," as he's been quick to point out in interviews), but whenever we allow our "god" to be our stomach, we set ourselves up for more trouble.

I write this with ashes smudged on my forehead. By the time you read this, we will be one week into Lent. When I received my ashes this morning, I was told, "Remember... you are dust and to dust you will return" (Genesis 3:19). For the next 40 days, we focus on acts of prayer, fasting and almsgiving (sharing what we have with others) to remind our stomachs -- our desires -- that they are not the boss of us.

Pope Benedict XVI states that because we constantly "strive for emancipation from God's will in order to follow himself alone, faith will always appear as a contradiction to the world."

While Sheen is an extreme example, we need to be constantly aware of the ways that the world defines "winning" as contrary to what we are called to as those made in the image of God, called to be with him forever in heaven.

The pope continues that Christ alone "is the reference point of the righteous life, its goal and its center." When the world ends, there will be "winners." Don't miss out on the opportunity Lent provides to truly understand what this means.

#gleefail

2011-03-09T23:25:00.000-05:00

Glee, Glee, Glee, Glee, Glee...

I love your snark. Your witty dialogue. I love how you portray Kurt’s relationship with his Dad… How you give me hope that if arts can triumph over cheerleading and football, then maybe someday youth ministry will too (a stretch, I know, but just go with it).

The episode you aired this week was, by far, your worst. I don’t look to you as a moral compass, simply to be entertained by the keen insights you have into the personalities of teenagers. Often, you can perceive the exact reason I love teens—how they can be slightly self-absorbed one minute and then completely transformed by their motivation to help others the next. You take no prisoners and mock everyone.

However, this week you sunk to the sensationalized sexuality that is the reason I hate most programs about teens. You glamorized sexual experimentation, gave mixed messages and had some very naughty prop placement that I can’t even describe (and I was homeschooled. So if I picked up on it, you’re just sick…)

Plus, what’s with “celibacy”? NO ONE uses that word.

With the exception of the talk that Kurt’s dad gave him (while slightly misguided—still a poignant demonstration of his hope for his son) and clarifying that anyone under 18 making a sex tape is producing child porn and could go to jail —none of your adult characters provided any useful information to teens who were confused. Teens are capable of courage (lest we forget Jordin Sparks dishing on promise rings at the VMA's back in 2008). When your hormones are catapulting and you’re trying to survive high school, what teens need to be told is that they are stronger than their feelings… not that any form of experimentation is ok, provided it’s to a perky soundtrack.

I don’t expect a television show to form teens in virtue. However, this week’s episode was an awkward mash-up of “Skins”, public service announcements and mediocore music. And not even funny.

In hectic lives, it's the small moments that count most

2011-03-04T00:43:00.000-05:00

Originally published in The Bluffton Packet, February 28, 2010

I rarely arrive at work before our parochial school begins, which is at something like 8 a.m. -- an hour when I doubt even God is awake. But the other day I was in my office at 7:30 a.m., my eyeballs propped open with caffeine, watching the kiddos being dropped off for school, and I saw something that really left an impression on me.

I already thought it was pretty benevolent of parents to give their kids a ride to school -- my friends and I, back in the day, used to have to take what we affectionately referred to as "the big cheese," aka the bus.

Then I saw something that restored my faith in humanity, at least for the next few hours. A father, dressed for work, got out of his car and tossed a football with his son on the lawn for a few minutes before school. It was so Hallmark meets Norman Rockwell that I wanted to take a picture of it -- but quickly realized that would be creepy.

Instead, I reflected on the moment. It's clichè to say, but it's actions like this one that make all the difference for kids.

I once saw a billboard outside of a church that read, "Kids spell 'love' 'T-I-M-E." There are so many big decisions to make as a parent -- where to send your kids to school, who their pediatrician should be, whether the kids should play soccer or baseball -- that the smaller things, like just spending a few minutes truly focused on each other, can get lost in the shuffle.

I can only imagine how difficult it is for families to make "T-I-M-E" in their incredibly busy lives, especially on those days when the kids are just not that easy to be around. I'm sure there are days when it would be tempting to drop off the kids at school early and then use those extra minutes to run to Starbucks before work. But, as a parent, you are the most important person in your child's world. Don't take this as a guilt trip, but as encouragement. Study after study shows this is true -- that's why so much money is put into the "Parents: The anti-drug" campaign.

It might take a village to raise a child, but you are the only permanent residents. The coolest teachers and coaches (and even youth ministers having a great hair day) do not have the same influence as you do.

The beauty of this is that making a difference and being present in your child's life doesn't require fancy activities, expensive programs or grand plans.

Just you.

The football toss I witnessed is just one example of a parent taking time out of the day to be present for his son. Other great opportunities for stealing a moment are: during car trips -- with the radio and phones shut off, of course -- while grocery shopping, at dinnertime or even doing household chores together, such as cooking or cleaning. I know that these are the moments I remember most from my childhood. As a bonus, that question or issue your kids really want to talk to you about most likely will bubble to the surface during these moments together -- when their guards are down and they feel most at ease.

Parents have the hardest job in the world -- long hours, lots of sacrifice, rarely being thanked or acknowledged for your effort. But persevere. Your love makes all the difference.

The House You're Building

2011-03-02T23:49:00.000-05:00

Today I talked to some middle school girls about-- to keep it generic-- friendship. It was the typical "we all want to fit in but what's really important" chat, but I used The House You're Building by Audrey Assad as an introduction. What was really effective was this clip where she explains the song. She says that it's about being a "misfit" and I have to say, when these middle schoolers heard her talking about how she still feels awkward and that we all have moments of feeling like we don't fit-- well, it resonated. I think sometimes I forget that despite their matching school uniforms, none of them really feel like they fit in.

The song led into a great discussion about how when we try to fit in with each other it will only leave us exhausted and disappointed-- the important thing is that Christ is our foundation, He won't disappoint, and His Church offers us a place to belong. Like I said, the usual stuff. But starting with this tune reached them.

While I love Audrey Assad, It hadn't occurred to me to use this song for this purpose until my friend Joanna suggested it. Just throwing it out there for y'all.

sacramental chaos

2011-03-02T00:50:00.000-05:00

Every Taco Tuesday I tell myself to not drink so much sweet tea. Yet every Tuesday evening finds me overly-caffeinated, and if there's no Glee and grape slushies (like tonight), attacking tasks that require energy and not too much thought. Tonight I tackled my office.

Because my parish is awesome, I have an office to match. This year youth ministry went from a small classroom where I barricaded my desk in the corner with coolers and rubbermaid tubs to keep the dodgeballs from hitting my computer to a truly amazing multi-purpose room with a youth room and separate corner office. It's exactly the type of office they warn you you'll never get if you work for the Church. Kids, sometimes "they" don't know what they're talking about. Remember that.

Anyways, the only problem with this is that while I'm not a "leave old dishes that grow mold in my bookshelves" dirty, I am "why file paper when stacks on my printer, fridge and sacred spaces make it so much easier to find necessary paperwork" cluttered. Also, I've found parents are delighted to fill out the same permission slip three times, should it get mis-filed.

Actually, I should work on that.

This is especially awkward since, as a corner office, everyone walking by can see. I am well aware that stacks of paper, 3 starbucks cups and a tooth brush littering my desk doesn't exactly say, "hi, I'm a professional you can trust with your children" so I try to attack it every couple weeks. Tonight, as I was madly chucking christmas cards and permission slips from 2007, I encountered a conundrum. A water bottle that I had been using for holy water. This bottle has caused me sacramental awkwardness before, but now it was finally almost empty-- save a few droplets-- and I absentmindedly chucked it in the trash. Then I realized this is a sacramental... We don't throw out prayer books, rosaries or other sacred objects (not because we believe they are gods, but out of respect for the God they remind us of), so I rescued it and set it on my desk and wondered... what do I do with a bottle that held holy water? Well, what would anyone do... I consulted social media. I'm always amazed how #teamcatholic comes through with some great (never sarcastic) responses when posed with a ministry question. I got some pretty amazing answers that needed to be shared:

MarianneSkees our thoughts here are that if it's dried out you're fine

RealMichaelW or burn it.

lucashennessey I think you'd be ok to pitch it...if you're REALLY feelin' cautious, you could bury it...

(which, I think would be bad karma from St. Francis... holy water or not, plastic's not biodegradable).

churchmankirk i'd say it could be recycled. The melting down is basically like the burning that's acceptable for blessed object

DorianSpeed Ooh - tough one. I'd fill it with non-holy h2o, pour that onto the ground, then dispense with the bottle.

LT_TheBiblegeek Go to a wake and sneak it into the open casket during the viewing. #Catholic #reverent #efficient

And that was not all. Facebook also held answers:

hmm add more holy water next time your at Church and keep it a Holy Water container! Make it easy on yourself!

The truly PC thing to do would be to throw it at a vampire who has a large carbon footprint.

Can't you rinse it out really well in the church's special sink?

melt it into a statuette of Jesus. He won't mind.

Throw it away followed by 3 Hail Marys, that's what I do.

So... Thanks, internet. I am overwhelmed with options. After careful consideration... I think I'll just leave it on my desk indefinitely. A paperweight for expired permission slips.

eating is not a bad thing

2011-02-21T00:24:00.000-05:00

Eating is good for you.

No, really.

Sometimes I forget that there seems to be an unending war on food in society. However, the past few weeks it has come up repeatedly in conversation. What really jolted me was that it’s come up in multiple conversations about the Eucharist.

In the midst of talking about the source and summit of our faith, of Christ’s body and blood given to us for our consumption, the comment I’ve heard frequently in the last few weeks is, “why would Jesus do that when bread is so bad?”

Whoa, boy.

My first reaction is, “wasn’t the Atkins diet like, so early 90’s?” But the kids stating this aren’t old enough to remember the days when everyone ordered meat with a side of meat smothered in cheese. Then my inner catechist wants to explain that it’s only the appearance of bread, and explain transubstantiation. But then I realize the problem isn’t belief.. The problem is that it’s food. (Well, and of course we're in a crisis of faith here, people don't believe, we all know that. But could part of the reason that people don't believe be because of their fear of carbs? is that crazy?)

Lately I’ve been observing an unprecedented loathing of food, especially among teens. That attitude of, “this [insert item of choice: pizza, sandwich, popcorn, chocolate, etc] is bad for me, I shouldn’t be eating it” is the consistent approach to food of any kind. We all eat things we shouldn’t but lately the kiddos are forgetting that the body does require a certain amount of calories to function each day. Unless you’ve got a gluten or wheat allergy, bread is not a bad thing.

If we’re teaching kids that Jesus is the “Bread of Life”, it’s not going to have the desired effect if they hear bread and think, “food is evil” instead of “that which has nourished humanity since before manna appeared in the desert”.

Culturally, there’s obvious contributing factors like skinny supermodels and diet trends. However, I think there’s more to it. Dinner time as a family rarely happens—taking away the community aspect that food once had. The way food is portioned now—100 calorie packs, light yogurt that tastes like black forest cake, smoothie supplements— means that even when we eat, the goal is to be as close to not eating as possible. When I hear youth talk about food, it’s always in apologetic tones, as if eating were equivalent to smoking or skipping school. No joke, I hear conversations like, “today, I forgot to do my homework” and then, “yeah, well I ate lunch… Ugh… Fail”.

Today's Second Reading reminds us that our bodies are the temple of God. Eating is building up the temple of the Lord (not a basilica rotunda—but we’ve definitely taken the other extreme). I’m not lamenting that everyone’s got an eating disorder or about the shallow images of beauty that we fixate on as a culture. I’m stepping back and realizing that our warped understanding of food has finally trickled down to how we perceive the source and summit of our Christian life.

I’m not quite sure where to begin to address this. Anyone find anything that works?

the behavior desired...

2011-02-18T00:09:00.000-05:00

My friend Bridget is a special ed. teacher. When we were all in college and RA's together she used to remind us, sagely, to "model the behavior you desire". I think it's how the heathens interpret Bosco's, "get your students to love you and they'll fallow you anywhere". (For the record, Bridget is not a heathen. But I think she had to read a few for her major).

This came to mind this week. Between my homeschooled background and FUS, there's rarely a moment when I don't know what to do in Church. Genuflecting, sign of the cross, the reverent bob of the head for the mention of the Lord's name-- I got it covered. However, I take for granted and sometimes forget to impart this on the kiddos. Walking by the adoration chapel Wednesday, I suggested we duck in to say a quick prayer. When they walked into the chapel and were totally at a loss I realized that I hadn't given them any instruction on how to act, assuming they knew. Whoops.

I could have whispered hushed, forceful instructions in the tone I typically reserve for repossessing cell phones on high school retreats. "Genuflect! Pray! Focus!". Instead, in a moment of laziness which could maybe now be seen as the Holy Spirit, I realized that as little 7th grade bunchkins, they do everything I do. So I just knelt and prayed. And wouldn't you know it... They did too.

I had a similar revelation this summer when I realized if I spent less time eyeballing the teens for bad behavior during mass and spent more time just praying I would stop making myself mental, stop driving them crazy, and actually pray during Mass like I was supposed to. Win all around. It sounds so simple, but it changed my whole summer, when I realized the best thing I could do for the kids was just pray during Mass.

We still have to intervene when kids are setting fires or busting out their horoscope in Church, but I think Bridget was really onto something. I've seen youth ministry turn into an observation role-- of giving instructions from a distance. But when we model the behavior we desire we not only instruct those around us, but we stand to get holier too.

iConfess

2011-02-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

The Bluffton Packet published this today:

App helps you clean out your soul's nooks and crannies

By ALISON GRISWOLD

Published in the Bluffton Packet, Tuesday, February 15, 2011

My mother is an extraordinary woman who tried to teach her children that cleanliness is next to godliness.

She vacuumed with diligence and explained that a bathroom is crawling with unseen micro-organisms that can only be tamed with lethal doses of bleach and elbow grease.

As a child, I was a less-than-willing pupil at Mom's School of Cleaning and often attempted to cut corners. I would vacuum without moving furniture and only offer a pathetic swat with a towel to the germs lurking in our bathroom, thinking no one would notice.

Before I could go outside, Mom would investigate and always seemed to know exactly where I had cut corners. Now that I'm an adult, I see how obvious it is when a home has been poorly cleaned. Dust will shift in unswept corners, and a bathroom's odor will quickly betray its neglect.

Recently, there's been a lot of attention given to the iPhone application "Confession: A Roman Catholic App" that aids Catholics in preparing for the Sacrament of Confession, which was established by Christ when he told his disciples, "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:23)

Knowing that as human beings, we desperately need to hear that we're forgiven, Christ uses the priest hearing our confession to tell us the same words offered in the New Testament (Luke 7:48-50) and we hear, "Your sins are forgiven, go in peace."

It feels great!

The iPhone app does not actually forgive our sins but gives us a means to better prepare for Confession. All Catholics are encouraged to make an "examination of conscience" before they go to Confession. This involves going through each of the Ten Commandments and asking yourself how you've failed to follow them.

For example, when thinking of "Thou shalt not kill," it's not enough to ask, "Have I killed anyone?" No, an examination of conscience will further probe, "Have I killed anyone's reputation through gossip? Have I physically harmed anyone? Put anyone in danger through my actions?" and so forth.

It's taking an inventory of our lives so that we can ask for forgiveness and then work to avoid sin in the future.

My mother taught me that no matter how much I said my room was clean, it wasn't unless all the nooks and crannies were examined and scrubbed and vacuumed.

Our souls are the same way.

We can tell ourselves that we're doing all right, but we really need to examine all the nooks and crannies of our lives in the light of the Ten Commandments and example of Christ.

The iPhone Confession app is not there to offer forgiveness, but like any examination of conscience -- whether or not you are Catholic -- it will help us see where we have failed and need the forgiveness of Christ.

Alison Griswold is the director of youth ministry at St. Francis By the Sea Catholic Church.

Cyril and Methodius

2011-02-15T00:10:00.000-05:00

today Msgr. Laughlin gave such an amazing homily I took notes.

however, the notes are in my car, so I'm gonna paraphrase.

While Hallmark celebrates [st] Valentines' Day today, it's technically the feast of the very impressive Saints Cyril and Methodius, missionaries to the Slavic people. What Msgr. Laughlin pointed out today, and forgive me if I botch the details, was that the Liturgy of the Catholic Church was originally in Greek. It was translated into Latin, which was the language of the common people, around 400 B.C. (he asked, "remember when we went Latin to English?... that wasn't the first time the language changed") Msgr. pointed out that as missionaries, Cyril and Methodius encountered resistance to the idea but were eventually given permission to translate the Mass into the Slavic languages around the 800's, giving us the Eastern Rites.

The beauty of this is that the Church, while consistent and unchanging in Her doctrine, meets people in their native language. We often forget about the Eastern Rites, but Msgr. pointed out that the Pope is not just the Pope but the Patriarch of all the rites in union with Rome. There's a lot of discussion about the Liturgy, language, Latin, etc, but in the midst of all this we see hope for unity.

I like this.

it's all about Communio

2011-02-13T03:15:00.000-05:00

It’s 2:01 and I’m highly caffeinated from driving back from a gathering of Youth Ministers in Columbia, SC this evening. The Diocese of Charleston hosted a Youth Ministry appreciation dinner which included food that was not pizza, Bryan Murdaugh doing a cover of Popple's destined-to-be-classic, "Youth Ministry in the 80's" and an appearance by Mike Patin which I'm thinking was either a surprise... or I just don't read memos from the Diocese. Also, Bishop Guglielmone gave a really touching "thanks". I sincerely hope that all my friends in youth ministry have diocesan directors/ bishops/ priests like we do in SC. We're blessed.

I get link-happy when I'm caffeinated. But name dropping was not my point tonight.

Like I said, it was a really cool evening for lots of reasons (who knew we all owned real clothes and not just retreat t-shirts?) but this is what was rolling around my head, barreling down I-95 at about 5.7 miles over the speed limit... When I was a Religious Education major at Franciscan our professors, especially Sister M. Johanna, told us it was all about "Communio" (or Community if you're not saying it Italian style with hand-gestures. But try it both ways and you'll never go back...) So, Sister would tell us that it was all about Communio and it is the deepest vocation of the Church in that it is the life of the Trinity-- one God, three Persons in a communion of love-- and in this profoundly mysterious way that I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around at 2:22 a.m., we are called to be in union with God, His Church, and then invite others into that union through our words, deeds and prayer.

You may just want to skip that shoddy explanation and read #257-#260 in the Catechism to get a better grasp of that, but anyways, my point is that we are cooperating with the Trinity.

We cooperate with the Trinity! That's insane. And it's why friendships in ministry are just neat. Over the past couple years I've met snarky girls in their twenties with great hair and taste in music and obviously hit it off with them because, well, they're just like me. However, I've also met men and women who are older, younger, married, religious and card-carrying members of the Donny Osmond Fan Club and even though it appears we have little in common, we have everything in common because at center of it all is that response to the love of the Father, Son and Spirit and our desire to bring this to those we serve. I mean, some co-workers bond over dollar vodkas at happy hours. We bond over sharing the invitation to the eternal love of God with those He created.

I thought I understood Communio in college because I could write an essay on Lumen Gentium. However, sitting with some of my fellow "laborers in the Vineyard" tonight, reflecting on the ways that the life of the Trinity has been shared with the teens in our Diocese over these last few years and what it's like to get to be a part of that... I realized that I didn't really know what I was signing up for when I was 18 and cracking open the Catechetical Documents for the first time... but it is all about Communio.

Lourdes

2011-02-11T06:57:00.000-05:00

My friend Lisette has a blog you should read. Ok. Lourdes.

I've been to Lourdes twice (I like to think it's St. Bernadette rewarding me for taking her name at Confirmation) and while I think in some ways it bears a strong resemblance to a Catholic Disney Land (walking up to the main Basillica looks a lot like the Magic Kingdom, you wait on line to use the baths and there's incredibly tacky merchandise in every shop in town) the experience I took away from Lourdes is that suffering is a gift.

The story of Lourdes is that St. Bernadette, a young girl, saw Mary, the Mother of God in what was basically the town dump. Mary told her to drink and wash in the "spring" that was nothing more than dirt. While onlookers laughed at her simplicity, Bernadette dug with her hands through the mud and was eventually led away by her concerned family. However, a spring bubbled up that has been attributed to dozens of officially documented miracles and countless more "unofficial" ones.

A Church was built and what was once a dump is, now a destination for many Catholics but especially those seeking healing. Hundreds shuffle through the baths every day and there are several hospitals in town to accommodate the sick who are brought in on stretchers and wheelchairs and are given prominent places in processions and liturgies.

St. Bernadette died a painful death from asthma. As we know from The Song of Bernadette (capturing the heart of little Catholic girls long before "The Princess Diaries") Mary had assured her that she could not promise her happiness in this life, only in the next. So many of us pray for healing for ourselves, for our friends, from so many things. While God heals and miracles happen every day, there are also many moments where it appears that our prayers go unheard. What I realized, watching the hundreds of infirm gather at Lourdes, was the beauty of suffering and faith that there is more than this time on earth. Walking the stations of the Cross in Lourdes seemed so real, to see that those who suffer are the ones who are so closely united to Christ because they know, first hand, the depth of what His love was for us. He perservered in the midst of physical suffering that he could chosen to end at any time.

We spend so much time avoiding suffering, seeing it as a "curse" or a sign that God has forgotten us. The prominence of suffering in Lourdes made me realize the gift that it is. Not that we shouldn't work to alleviate it -- but that God is very close to those in the midst of pain because it is what he himself experienced on earth.

and then I hit "reply all"...

2011-02-07T23:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I’m so savvy with technology I amaze myself. Whether it’s CC’ing priests on three different continents to network them over an e-mail, getting 32 kids to turn in a waiver over Facebook or viewing a prospective date’s house on google earth, technology affords a lot of amazing and downright creepy conveniences. However, sometimes I’m a klutz. I’m pretty sure I not only accidentally denied Bob McCarty's friend request on Facebook, but I also reported him as Spam. Every attempt I make to incorporate YouTube videos into a lesson ends up with the video either not loading or showing some raunchy ad that was not there when I previewed it. And, a few weeks ago, I committed the biggest faux pas ever. The dreaded “reply all”.

I blame the iPhone. It was an exciting day when Verizon lived up to everything we ever hoped and knew they could be and announced that starting in February they’d be carrying the iPhone. There was much rejoicing and dancing in the streets from loyal Verizon-ites like myself. Will we get one? Who knows. But now we have a choice. But I digress. My fellow Verizon customers noticed a tinge of bitterness from media outlets and friends who appear to be ruing/ defending their connection with AT&T and frankly, it was making me cranky. So, in a fit of cranky-texting, I shot out a final text which I intended my friend to receive, saying, “still cranky. Dam- iPhone users really are a cult. At least with religion, people are happy when you join…” a few minutes later I got, literally, a dozen text messages from teens in my contact list saying, “who is this?... Miss Alison?”

I had texted my high school contact list instead.

Whoops.

I am rarely embarrassed—taking yourself too seriously is fatal in youth ministry—but I was mortified—and still cringe reading it. Accidentally texting the wrong message happens… but a bitter wrong message with a bad word in the mix? Epic. Fail.

I quickly texted the kids my mistake… And sent an e-mail to their parents to apologize but as we know, words… words cannot be erased… An excellent confessor often gave me James 3 as penance, which begins , “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly, for we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also…” (James 3:1-2).

The moral of the story? You’re always just one button away from causing scandal… from a millstone (Matthew 18:6). The parents in our parish have been incredibly understanding, saying, “but you didn’t mean to send it to them” but the point is that classic lesson that if you don’t have something nice to say, you just shouldn’t say it because once it’s been said (or texted) you don’t know who will repeat it or read it.

Words are powerful. Use with caution.

the hottest places in hell...

2011-02-02T00:47:00.000-05:00

"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality." I saw this quote from Dante on a poster at the United States Holocaust Museum last weekend while in DC for the March for Life. It was quite an experience. As soon as we stepped of the elevator, there was a sea of youth groups in absolute silence. Hundreds of teenagers not saying a word to one another. Not texting, not talking, not even trying to console each other with inappropriate public displays of affection. The experience really stands out in my mind as the only time there was absolute silence all weekend. Confronting absolute evil tends to have that effect on people, even teenagers.

I had a similar experience a few years ago when I had the chance to tour Auschwitz with some friends from college (including my good friend and blogger Cathleen). I had always been a sort of Holocaust junkie, choosing to do my third grade book report on The Diary of Anne Frank and then moving on to The Hiding Place and any other stories I could find. I thought I knew what to expect when we tumbled out of our cab and entered under the classic "Arbeit macht frei" sign.

Nothing, I learned, can really prepare you for what you experience actually walking through a Concentration Camp. Standing in the gas chambers, facing the wall that was used for executions, visiting the cell where St. Maximilian Kolbe was starved to death... It makes it real. Your brain wants to deny that something that horrible is possible, but the evidence is there. Then you want to do something but you realize you're several decades late to the scene.

When I was touring the museum last weekend I kept asking... "what would I have done?" It's easy to judge those who ignored or denied as lazy or even evil , but to really ask yourself, "what would I have done" is terrifying, because you just don't know. Then you start thinking... decades from now, what will people be saying about me? About my generation? When Auschwitz was liberated, they discovered shoes, suitcases, and even human hair belonging to the victims. It's a display that makes you physically ill, evidence of evil that cannot be denied.

Watching this video this morning I realized that this is the evidence gathering against my generation. This is our moral crisis.

Decades from now, what will be said about us?

my favorite part of the March for Life...

2011-01-25T18:34:00.000-05:00

I just returned from our youth group's pilgrimage to the March for Life. More stories to come, after I wake up, but a quick breakdown of some of our numbers… 34 7^th-12^th graders, 12 adult chaperones (including two Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist), two of the best bus drivers ever , 25 hours on a bus (round trip), 300 hot hands, 150 granola bars, 50 sack lunches and about 18 hours of sleep spread out over four nights…

It’s epic, really.

I've mentioned that I was initially reluctant to bring kids to the March for Life and am constantly surprised at what they gain from it and their enthusiasm to return. My hope is always that they see it not just as a road-trip-adventure (which it is) but as a chance to commit to upholding the dignity of all humans from conception to natural death.

The experience which confirmed this was before any of our actual March for Life activities took place. We had just spent the morning touring the Holocaust, Smithsonians and Archives (and learning an important lessons about layering clothes in winter weather) and were herding the freezing, under-dressed youths onto the bus for the Life is Very Good Rally on Sunday night.

My only focus was counting heads, but one of my teens tugged my sweatshirt and said, “Miss Alison, there’s a guy out there digging through the trash. Can I give him something to eat?” She was right. I hadn’t even seen him. I knew that I had an extra sandwich, so I went to get it out of my bag. No announcement, no request from me. I turned around to dozens of kids (and observant adults) passing up their snacks. By the time I returned to the front of the bus, my arms were full of Capri suns, peanut butter crackers, hand warmers and cookies. Our driver accompanied the student who offered him the collection; he accepted everything but the beef jerky. I don’t blame him.

I had walked right by a man digging in a dumpster. A 17 year old noticed. I love youth ministry.

we love life

2011-01-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

Hilton Head high student wants you to know, life is good

originally published Tuesday, January 18, 2011 in the Bluffton Packet

This weekend I'll be taking 38 teens and 12 adult chaperones to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Politics aside, it's a pilgrimage -- a spiritual journey -- that gives the teens an opportunity to prayerfully stand up for their beliefs. In Deuteronomy 30:19 we are told by God, "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you are your descendents may live."

Issues surrounding human life can be emotionally charged, but one teen in our group wrote an essay on her way to a soccer practice about why she was attending the March for Life, and it beautifully captures the notion that the choice for life -- while sometimes difficult -- is good.

"MARCH FOR LIFE"

By Julee Kuklinski

When I was about 9, my mom told me that we would be adopting a child.