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)