YM Blog
Blog Posts
God’s Graces
A couple weeks ago our dear 13 year old dog, Lady G, left us. Lady was part of our family. She kept us safe, provid... READ MORE »
Let’s Talk About Mental Illness
May is Mental Health awareness month. In the last few weeks there have been several stories in the news about young... READ MORE »
Broken Open
Throughout this season of Lent, I’ve been contemplating the words we hear God speaking to us each year on Ash Wed... READ MORE »
Lent: Be Made New
Recently I was asked, a few times actually, how many children do you have? The first time I very instinctively answ... READ MORE »
Are We Done Yet?
Last week I attended the annual membership meeting of the NFCYM (National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry) w... READ MORE »
Joy in the Suffering
Exactly a week before Thanksgiving my husband and I found out I would be having a miscarriage. That will be a day... READ MORE »
New Year, New Me! Really?
Happy Feast of the Three Kings! The Christmas season is quickly coming to an end. We have experienced God’s love ... READ MORE »
Blessed
I am one of those people who loves Christmas music and would listen to it any time of the year. I tend to make myse... READ MORE »
Prepare!
Prepare! Fear not! Rejoice! Exhortations such as these ring forth each season of Advent. Have you ever paid attent... READ MORE »
Thankful Always
It is common to be thinking and talking about gratitude in the month of November, the month of Thanksgiving. It is ... READ MORE »
Is It a Secret?
Going into a retreat day I helped lead for a parish a few months ago, I knew what our team had planned for the part... READ MORE »
Finding Kindness
My kids started school 3 weeks ago. A new chapter of life has begun in this household. I can tell you that this mam... READ MORE »
A time for commitment?
It is September 2021! During my prayer over the last few months, I feel that God has been placing something in my h... READ MORE »
Hanging On
I feel like I am having a delayed reaction to all we have been through since March 2020. I am absolutely worn out. ... READ MORE »
Cannonball!
Most of us have probably found ourselves in situations where things went differently than anticipated or planned. T... READ MORE »
Listen with Love
I was reading a favorite weekly blog written by Jane Angha on her website www.ministryblueprints.com. In one part ... READ MORE »
The Vine and the Branches
I was praying with this past Sunday’s Gospel and the line above stood out to me. In the last week, I have felt re... READ MORE »
Plants, Vines, Branches and Jesus!
My dad is a gardener and a really good one at that. He has a green thumb. I grew up with plants everywhere inside ... READ MORE »
A Little Help Over Here?
Over the past few days a video has been making the rounds on social media. It shows a young man grabbing the leg of... READ MORE »
A Mother’s Heart
I have been a Mom for 31 years. It is by far the biggest blessing of my life to be a Mom. I have two daughters; my ... READ MORE »
Make room for what matters
Lord, thank you for your unending mercy and unconditional love! You loved me so much that you died for me and promi... READ MORE »
He Did It For You!
Can you believe it’s Holy Week! Where did these 40 days of Lent go? Holy week is one of my favorite weeks of the ... READ MORE »
Enter Into Stillness
Last year around this time we were in the early weeks of everything shutting down as the pandemic spread throughout... READ MORE »
Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day
As far as I know I do not have any official Irish heritage. I have not ever done one of the ancestry kits. However,... READ MORE »
A listening heart
Most of my conversations lately have started with a “It’s been a year already!” Yes, we have already started ... READ MORE »
Making Room for Grace
It’s Lent. Again. Traditionally this has been one of my favorite times during the year. But after Lent never real... READ MORE »
Be the Light
Matthew 5: 14-16 tells us You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they li... READ MORE »
Happy New Year
Happy New Year Friends! Welcome 2021! I don’t know about you but I ended the year reflecting and giving thanks ... READ MORE »
Give Way to Love
2020 has been a hard year. Throughout this year we have faced extreme polarization, civil unrest, economic uncertai... READ MORE »
While We Wait
In last week’s E-vine reflection Jenny shared that Advent and Christmas are her favorite seasons of the year. The... READ MORE »
Be prepared for His abundant love
Advent and Christmas are my absolute favorite seasons of the year! It’s time for a new start, a reminder of God... READ MORE »
Waiting in Joyful Hope
Advent is my favorite time of year. The Christmas lights come out, the Christmas Tree goes up, wreaths are hung, th... READ MORE »
Unmistakable Hope
A few weeks ago, I was enjoying daily Facebook memories of the Holy Land pilgrimage I made two years ago. The pilgr... READ MORE »
Gratitude
On October 21st, the Youth Ministry division offered a Virtual summit and Mike Patin was our speaker. Mike spoke to... READ MORE »
Remember…
“Hope is a muscle. It is something we flex and that is the thing about muscles, if you don’t use them, they atr... READ MORE »
True Hope
I’m tired of it all. Are you? The political ads are on repeat. Social media posts are divisive. People are arguin... READ MORE »
The Race You Did Not Choose
Just over twenty years ago, I did something I never dreamed I would ever consider: I said yes to running my first m... READ MORE »
Alive and Breathing
In late 1999 my Mom was very sick with cancer. I was flying to a conference for work and remember looking out the w... READ MORE »
A heart like Jesus
A heart like Jesus - READ MORE »
Agent of God’s Love
During the time I spent in recent days preparing this reflection, I found myself struggling. It has been difficult ... READ MORE »
A Time for Everything
Each New Year’s Eves many people start reflecting on resolutions and the question “how do I want my life to be ... READ MORE »
None of us can live without Joy!
Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.... READ MORE »
Fighting My Battles
I think by now most children have started the 2020-2021 school year. It’s back to early mornings. Back to some so... READ MORE »
Transitioning Into Renewal
Life is filled with transitions. Many transitions are part of the regular rhythm of life. On New Year’s Eve we st... READ MORE »
Three P’s
I was asked to help plan a retreat for this fall and was trying to figure out what would be helpful for someone in ... READ MORE »
Imitating Christ
In the year 2020, we have an overwhelming access to anything and everything happening around the world and locally.... READ MORE »
Be Not Afraid
Fear is such a powerful emotion that is very present in our lives and in the world. There is always fear. Fear ... READ MORE »
Just Stop
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. I was recently talking with the others in the Youth Ministry Division, a... READ MORE »
Slow to Anger, Rich in Kindness, Loving and Forgiving
At Mass this past Sunday, July 19th we heard this responsorial psalm: Psalm 86: 5-6, 9-10, 15-16 You, O LORD, are g... READ MORE »
Time flies when you’re having fun?
Time flies when you’re having…fun! While the word ‘fun’ might not be the best description, I’ve chang... READ MORE »
A Heart Like Good Soil!
Can you believe that we are half way through 2020? So much has changed in the past 4 months. I will be celebrating ... READ MORE »
Seeing as God Sees
It is stunning how much has happened in these first six months of 2020. One of the things I will remember most from... READ MORE »
Waiting to Exhale
There was a book titled Waiting to Exhale written in 1992 and it was made into a movie in 1995. It is a romantic co... READ MORE »
The love of a father
In the last few months, our world has been challenged to step out of it’s comfort zone. We’ve adapted to a new ... READ MORE »
We Are One!
“But racism still profoundly affects our culture, and it has no place in the Christian heart. This evil causes gr... READ MORE »
Time to Be the Church
“We’re all in this together.” How many times have we heard this phrase during the past two and a half months?... READ MORE »
Strength to Transform
My life had a major change on January 20th before COVID-19 was ever interrupting all our lives. I had routine blood... READ MORE »
Spring Cleaning
Want to learn how to be present? Spring cleaning. I think during this safer at home period, some people have gotten... READ MORE »
Finding God in the Chaos
I don’t know about you but life was chaotic before Covid-19. This pandemic brought a whole different kind of chao... READ MORE »
Time to Change
Years ago I had the opportunity to go on retreat in Santa Cruz. I spent a good amount of time that week sitting on ... READ MORE »
Perseverance
This reflection sponsored by the letter “P”. It was right around Friday, March 13th when the impact of COVI... READ MORE »
What is Happiness?
I love planning events! I can’t plan them in the usual way that I’ve known so naturally, I have felt stuck.... READ MORE »
He Is Risen
I sat down to start writing this reflection. I typed then deleted. Typed again then deleted. Then I realized th... READ MORE »
No Greater Love
A few years ago, my experience of Triduum was markedly disorienting. The beautiful symbols and rituals of the l... READ MORE »
Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart
Happy April Fool’s day everyone! I volunteered to write the reflection that would be shared on April Fool’s... READ MORE »