I had a great day with about 15 teens from this parish. We were together to do some thinking and “second glances” at leadership through an evangelization lens. I really enjoyed their openness to the material and that they gave up a Sunday to hang out and think through this.

I had some neat experiences…

• They do like (and have)Popeye’s chicken in places north of Atlanta!
• I’ve never played ping pong in a laundry room where you can play off the walls like a hockey rink…Very interesting. Good game Andrew.
• I learned that some teens really get into the sounds and motions of “Hunter, Woman, Bear”—an icebreaker. (Bang! Heyyyy-eyyyy!)

It was so cool to watch these teens affirm one another once given the chance and some tools to do so.

You ever get the feeling when you meet someone that you would be good friends if distance allowed you to hang out more? I get that feeling when I am with Anne Marie Cribbin, youth minister in Bethesda. She is bright, witty, focused and so into youth ministry. She is a partner in Over the Top Ministries. I know you will probably be hearing more of Anne Marie in the future, as she begins to get invitations to speak at rallies, retreats and more. (If you need a dynamic female presenter, I want to recommend Anne Marie.)

(Anne Marie as Bobbie Jo Culp of Saturday Night Live fame–with Justin Russell)

I got to meet Tom Hild who runs a wonderful summer work camp experience called Encounter in the Washington DC area. www.eglweb.org/encounter

Tom and I got connected through Gene Monterestelli of Apex. We had a good visit; I got to meet his daughter Anna, who is so much like my daughter Meg. We had a wonderful dining experience with Anne Marie at a Mexican(?) restaurant called Jaleo. A nice way to end a good weekend and a chance to talk about coming back to the area.

Anytime I get a call to work in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, I am ready to jump at the chance. I have such great respect for the Office of Youth Ministry staff there. I get to see Mark Pacione, Scott Miller, Chris Ashby, and Kristen Witte. I greatly respect these people, admire their work and their vision, and flat out enjoy being with them. I am also impressed how they care for one another, and really desire to make one another better.

I was invited up to be a part of a Respect Life Symposium on Friday. It was a wonderful model, I think, for how to heighten awareness, give information and understanding, and foster action and commitment on the “gospel of life” with young people. The underlying theme/approach was about respecting life in a consistent ethic of life. The issues of abortion and euthanasia were discussed as well as stem cell research, war, racism, poverty, and capital punishment were brought into focus as part of a true Catholic understanding of respecting life. You need to contact Scott Miller for more on the dynamics and specifics of the day.

Saturday, I was privileged to speak to 700 catechists and youth ministers on the theme “Life is Christ.” The Division of Evangelization and Catechesis co-sponsored this event. Again, such professional people. I was flattered to be asked to address this group. It “felt” good to relax and laugh while reminding and challenging us all about where (and if) we truly find life. Sometimes we get so lost in the ACTIONS of ministry, we forget to find, share, and show LIFE and JOY in the ministry. And that is a shame, since, it is supposed to be Good News.

Though it was brief, I got a nice little visit with Cardinal Keeler of the Archdiocese, who just celebrated 50 years of priesthood. I never got to see Pope John Paul II really up close but there was a feeling that I experienced with the Cardinal that I was with someone very similar in his love for people and his concern to shepherd well.

An added benefit to the trip was the chance to visit with ministry friends…I was able to have supper with Kristen Witte, Gene Monterestelli (Apex) and Alexis Yankowski (who interned for a while in the youth ministry office—hey Shrug!) . I got to see faces from the ministry journey: Tony Tamburino, Michaela R., and Dee H.

I also got to spend sometime with Sr. Eileen McCann, a workshop presenter that day, who works for the Catholic Bishops Conference. We went to ESPN Zone to watch some football (I don’t get to watch too much college football because I am working most fall weekends, so that was a treat.) Some of us were picking on Eileen earlier at lunch about “her” Syracuse Orange football team’s loss to Connecticut. The topic of college nicknames came up. I suggested they change the name to the “seedless gourds”; needless to say, she did not warm to my suggestion. Not all of my ideas can be winners.

I leave Baltimore with more fond memories.