Julie Herr: We continue to pray for all those impacted by the tragic, sudden death of Mrs. Julie Herr, Asst. Principal at Andrean H.S. So many of you have students at Andrean. Please consider incorporating some time in your gatherings with youth for prayer and reflection. There are never easy answers when it comes to death, but there must be an outlet to raise those tough questions, and where better but a loving, supportive community like yours?! (Web/email: click here for a great article published in the P-T)

DRE/YM Pro Day Registration: Help advocate for the professionalism of the field of youth ministry...attend this day set aside for the professional development of youth ministry. If you have not yet registered for the Jan. 26 DRE/YM Professional Day at OLC in Merrillville, please do so ASAP. We hope you'll attend this very important day of formation and enrichment. We welcome to our diocese Mr. Joe Gall from the Archdiocese of Detroit, who will facilitate a process on high school-aged catechesis, one of the most important priorities of Bishop Melczek. Web/email, click here for the info page for this day, where you can also find the PDF for a flyer and reg. form. YM's should follow the same registration process as DRE's, submitting forms to Frank Zolvinski in the diocesan Religious Formation office.

"Prayer on the Square": On Saturday, January 19th, Lake County Right to Life is promoting an hour of prayer on the Square (around the old court house) in Crown Point, commemorating Roe V. Wade, the court decision that made abortion legal through all nine months of pregnancy. The group will pray for the 49 million that have been killed, as well as their families. Bring a group and join in! Help put an end to abortion through prayer! Beginning at 11 am, the event includes a stand for one hour, holding signs (provided) and praying that all life will be recognized as a sacred gift from God. (Web/email: click here for more RvW resources)

TAPT: Promotional posters and registration information packets for youth ministry leaders are now being printed and are due to arrive in mailboxes in a week or so for the twentieth annual Teens Are People Too retreat, March 7-9. Registration is easy: just send your teens to www.garytapt.com  to sign up, it’s that simple! Most everything you need to help you promote is already available at www.garytapt.com , including FAQ & two sizes of promo posters you can download.

Who wants at least a full year's worth of YM programming for free?!:  What prevents us from presenting more "meat" in our programs? Who among us isn’t in search of IDEAS? What is often holding us back is not having a good resource. Now, the Diocese of Gary is ready to take care of ya’! This summer, all parishes bringing a group to the Catholic Youth Xperience (July 18-20) will receive a one year subscription to Youth Ministry Access, the Ctr. for Ministry Development’s subscription website for YM leaders, giving you access to over 70 gathered programs, lesson plans, and event ideas, as well as prayer services, online training for your leaders, non-gathered strategies, YM-related articles, and much more. Further, by attending CYX, you will be trained on how to utilize YMA effectively. Too good to be true? Well, what can I say...we’re really proud of CYX, and we’re prepared to bribe if that’s what it takes! Your teens will get an unforgettable weekend, leaving Valpo riding a "youth ministry high," and you’ll then have some great resources to help you sustain that momentum. CYX details coming in March.

CRS speaker available: Our Chicago-based regional rep for Catholic Relief Services reminded me that they are still looking for a location for a guest speaker from India who can speak about Operation Bice Bowl and hunger awareness. This is a great opportunity just waiting to be booked...for free! Schools, YM programs, RE classes, etc. Having this speaker to address these issues with your youth/young adult audiences would be a great segue into Lenten season activities and celebrations. CRS can also assist you with everything, all you have to do is contact Laura Johnson, Program/Advocacy Officer, CRS Midwest, at 312-733-5124 (lajohnso@crs.org). Dates that are available to the Chicagoland area: Feb. 3rd - 10th. 1st come, first served!