I was invited to speak to a small group of youth ministers on Sunday afternoon and then speak to a regional gathering of teens that night.

It was a good trip; some of the highlights were:
• supper with teens from one of the parishes…it was very neat to see teens very vibrant and committed in their faith. Special thanks to Tom E. (my faithful driver/host) Cindy L. and teens from Ascension for sharing some of their time, pizza, and “good news” about their parish. Side notes: Jeff, could you have eaten that last slice of pizza? And, be careful, guys, I may come out of semi-retirement to join you for a Tuesday night hoops game…don’t worry ladies; I won’t break into your Pilates class.
• I went to mass Sunday where a vibrant priest used bubbles to make some pretty cool points about Jesus being the way, the truth and the life. I missed his name, but I was very impressed with worship at St. Matthew’s.
• I had to smile in a big way when I saw some folks from Holy Family, who I’d met in February. It was great to see Alex P. And to visit for a few minutes with Ms. Alfie, but what really got me was when parish teens showed up for the evening talk wearing t-shirts with “got Mike?” embroidered over the heart….and “godisnowhere on the back “neck” of the tee. Alfie got me good on that one.
• There were 300 teens there from 10-12 parishes. St. Nicholas church was host for the youth gathering while Christ the King was the site for the adult ministers meeting. Mary Ann H. From Holy Spirit was my contact person; thanks for keeping all info flowing.

Good things are happening with youth in the diocese of Richmond; I am impressed with what I’ve seen in my visits there in the last 2 years.

And some good news…my spring travel “season” is about done.
May has only one commitment for speaking (and that’s okay). I’ll enjoy the family, some updates on the web page and maybe a minor league baseball game (New Orleans Zephyrs) or rare golf game.

More as we go!