My wife Marlene and I flew out last night to Las Vegas, carying 6 large bags–our clothes and tee shirts, playing cards, buttons , pens and pads –to go to the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry. This event happens every other year. It is for the adults who work in youth ministry . It’s always a joy to be with friends from across the country…people who are on the front lines of working with teens and sharing faith with them.

We arrived late last night at the host hotel, the Riviera in Las Vegas. We were pleasantly surprised to find out we were given a suite.

Today Marlene set up my booth (will try to get some photos up soon) while I went to a retreat with 14 other “itinerant” ministers; that is, people who travel most of the time in their ministry to teens. Gene Monterestelli of APeX, led a good day for those of us who travel. The day included thoughts on vocation, joy, the anatomy of a call and even some nuts and bolts of traveling ministry. Good people and good food for thought.

(Gene as a menacing eagle man? Don’t ask. He’s different but man he’s got great insights and super connecting abilities with so many people….a true bridge builder. Thanks Gene for ministering to me today.)

The actual conference begins tomorrow. I’ll blog more when I can.

Whenever someone from the Archdiocese of Baltimore calls to ask me about speaking, sign me up! First, it is one of those places where I feel the Holy Spirit’s presence within and around me in powerful ways. Second, the staff from the office of youth ministry are excellent –from the caliber of their programming to the rapport and respect that have with/from teens and adults–from their professionalism to the JOY they seem to have working with one another–it’s just great for me to be around them.

The theme of the weekend was “This generation will…” A great theme–focusing on potential and challenge.

I loved the energy of the teens. I spoke to them four times over the course of the weekend; they were right there in the fun stuff as well as the deeper, more challenging parts of the talks. It tickled me when one table of boys held us a sign that said “Patin for Prez” (they don’t want that!) Many signed the web page’s guestbook and said some really nice things. No I didn’t pay them.

Scott Miller was kind enough to let me know that there are podcasts of two talks on their office website.

After the weekend, I spoke in two area parishes: St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth. I did that for Encounter workcamp friends, Tom Hild and Anne Marie Cribbin. “Good times!”

(me and Tom at Encounter last summer–notice my nice duct tape tie)

Three days. 14 talks. 700 employees.

I really enjoy getting to be with people who work day-in, day-out in the intense and demanding world of health care. My topic for the good folks was ” Going the Extra MYLE–Make your Life Extraordinary.”

I was very impressed with the hospital and the spirit of welcome from the employees as well as the administrators (who showed up for the 1 am talk-even though they had heard the stories and punch lines numerous times before!) I also learned that I am not exactly built to speak at 1 am.

Saw an old high school buddy from my seminary days. Also went to the local Catholic bookstore and a youth minister was shocked to see me there. She mentioned to the manager that I was there –and the manager treated me like I was some sort of celebrity! Kinda funny. But then again maybe she was going the extra myle.

I was approached in Atlanta during the National Catholic Youth Conference last Ocober by a parish youth minister about doing a rally for the diocese of Albany. Many times when people show an interest in having me come out to be with them, it doesnt always happen.

That wasn’t the case here. My contact person, Brian Evers, contacted me shortly after NCYC and we set a date over a year away…and it was clear to see that so many people from the diocesan office to a volunteer committee busted their tails to make this youth conference (the first they have had in, like, 9 years, I think) such a big success.

What was even more cool was the fact that the focus of the weekend was VOCATION/CALL. The actual theme was “Unwrap your Gifts.”

The music was top 5 for the year…there was a group of about 15 teens who had been practicing for awhile and it showed. It added so much to the weekend. Special “props” to the musicians leading the way.

One of the highlights for me was how they committee structured and presented a 90 minute workshop to all 500 teenagers who were there. (When was the last time you went to a workshop on vocations and 500 people were there?) I loved the creativity and interaction. They did 4 (very) short game shows connected to the four major states of life:
+ Single life : The Dating Game
+Married Life: The Newlywed Game
+ Religious Life: Who DOESN’T Want to Be a Millionaire?
+ Priesthood: Deal or No Deal

This was well done, cleverly crafted and received very well. I was very impressed with the vocations office (team) and the adults planning this piece.

The energy among the teens was great. Part of that comes from the example of their Bishop, Howard Hubbard.

He was there with us for opening prayer on Friday and even stuck around for icebreakers—he did “Yogi Bear!” Few bishops have done that (Cardinal Keeler of Baltimore did—a personal favorite memory for me!).

Many thanks to all the people who made this event “first class” in the details.

Fr. Hampton Davis and I have known each other for 20 years. He is a priest of the diocese of Lafayette and is “on loan” to Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. I love his passion and ZEAL. He has a great gift for engaging people. He is a good preacher and he “makes my soul smile.”

For the last few years (with the exception of 2005–Katrina), Fr. Hampton has invited me to Notre Dame to speak to the third year seminarians on how to preach to young people. I was a student there in 1984 and also taught an elective on youth ministry there a few times–odd to be on the other side of the desk in classrooms where I was a student.

That’s a high privilege because of the role of the priest and the impact of homilies and preaching. It’s also a high privilege because of Fr. Hampton’s skill in this area.

I got to see some ministry colleagues. Fr. Pat Williams is rector at Notre Dame and also a fine priest who I was blessed to work with through the TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) program. I got to see my “classmate,” Fr. Jose Lavastida who serves as academic dean. I am really happy these three men (Frs. Hampton, Pat and Jose) are still doing priestly formation—they are all fine examples of priesthood and good “walking advertisements.”

As always, it is good to go back to New Orleans…though now it is a little hard. I saw some of the neighborhood around the seminary and saw portions of it deserted–businesses boarded, houses gone or gutted, and some places looking and feeling like a ghost town.

I got to join the seminary community for morning prayer—that’s was a great experience because I feel a great energy there (when seminarians, religious men or women, or priests pray).

(Notre Dame Seminary Chapel)

I get so fired up (I gotta wonder what the students thought) when I talk about what it takes to speak with, preach to, share faith with, teens. And I drove back to Lafayette thankful that I get to do this “for a living.”