Youth Ministry  

The Year that was 2009

Youth Pilgrimage to Lourdes

20th - 27th June 2010

Each June a group of young people travel to Lourdes as part of the Limerick Diocesan Pilgrimage to work as helpers to the many sick people who also travel from our Diocese. 

This trip is a chance for young people from all over the diocese to participate and assist with the Diocesan Pilgrimage, to get to know new people and to experience friendship, fun and faith. The pilgrimage booked out within two days this year. Details of our 2011 pilgrimage will be available in September.

Early booking is essential as places are limited.

Fundraising Events & Preparation for Pilgrimage

We usually do bag-packing each year to contribute towards the overall cost of the youth pilgrimage and hopefully (if we raise enough money!) we might be able to reduce individual fares.  This fundraising is an important part of the preparation both socially and financially and it is expected that all those traveling as part of the pilgrimage will help out and participate in these events. Dates for fundraising events have yet to be confirmed.

Also we have two gatherings before we go, the first one is for those who haven’t been to Lourdes before and the second for both those who haven’t been and those who have. We will meet in the Pastoral Centre on the following dates:

Saturday April 24th – First Time Pilgrims                       11-1p.m

Saturday May 22nd – All Youth Pilgrims                          11-1p.m

We also have an information and pre-departure meeting for families. This meeting will be held in the Pastoral Centre on the following date:

Wednesday June 2nd – Parents Information Evening        7.30p.m

For further information please contact Karen on 061-400 133 or just drop into the Pastoral Centre

Diocesan Youth Project 2010

    ‘The LORD is my strength and my song’ Psalm 118

This years Diocesan Youth Project centres on music. We would like you to choose a song or piece of music that reminds you of or makes you feel closer to God. Be original and think outside the box - it doesn’t have to be a song that is very well known as long as you give us the band name or singer we can look it up online, so try and pick a song that has a special relevance for you - maybe it’s the lyrics that speak to you, or maybe it’s the melody, the singer or the music itself.

To be a part of this year’s project you can get an application form from either your religion teacher or the Pastoral Centre. There is no cost for entry and all students who enter will receive a letter of participation.   

Closing date for entry is 31st of March 2010

If you have any questions concerning the project please feel free to contact Aoife or Chris in the Pastoral Centre - 061-400133 or email awalsh@ldpc.ie

Confirmation Retreats

To help in the preparation of children for confirmation we have been offering retreats to confirmation classes since September. Availability is limited, so if you or your parish school is interested in benefiting from these retreats please contact us at the pastoral centre as soon as possible.

Dates for confirmation retreats will be given to schools on a first come, first serve basis so contact the Pastoral Centre for dates and book early to avoid disappointment. There is a cost for these retreats and all details are available from the Pastoral Centre.

Keeping Safe Training

The Child Protection Training Committee will be holding Keeping Safe training on Saturday March 20th from 9.30am – 5.30p.m in the Limerick Diocesan Pastoral Centre. It is an ideal opportunity for new parish volunteers to become familiar with Safeguarding Children policy or for existent volunteers to refresh their skills and knowledge. Pre-booking is essential.

If you have any queries please contact Aoife or Chris at 061-400133.

Eucharistic Ministers Training for Secondary School Students

This training is aimed at students in fifth and sixth year and is best suited to groups of 8 – 12 students. The training focuses on the practical aspects of being a Minister of the Eucharist as well as the theological aspects of Eucharist, Ministry / Service and Models of Church. This half day training course is offered on request at the Pastoral Centre. Please contact Aoife or Chris for more details.

Parish Youth Ministry Manual\Resources

The Youth Ministry Team is compiling a youth ministry manual that parish volunteers can use to run youth groups in their parish. This manual will contain outlines and resources for gathering young people. Each gathering provided will focus on various aspects of faith formation for teenagers. It will also contain practical tips and suggestions for gathering youth groups as well as child protection and prayer resources. We hope it will be a manual that will help shape youth ministry in parishes and pastoral areas in the diocese. While it continues to be a work in progress we do have resources to hand that would be helpful to anyone who would like to begin or find new ideas for youth initiatives in their parish or pastoral area. 

Please contact Aoife or Chris for more details.

Anois Leadership Programme

Anois’ is a secondary school student leadership programme that has it’s roots in another programme called Training for Transformation. Training for Transformation is an adult based programme that has encouraged and enabled communities in developing countries to bring about the changes that their communities need. The Anois training adapts this adult programme to a student level. Over a four day residential the students are exposed to experiential learning that is geared towards uncovering their leadership skills and qualities. At the end of the experience the students return to their schools with the goal of putting their leaderships skills into practice by running a school project.

If you have any queries about the programme please contact Aoife or Chris.