Wind, Fire, and Seven Gifts

The youth group met for its regular session on Friday, May 7 and the theme for the evening was the Holy Spirit, his representations in the Bible, his seven gifts, and the ways that he acts in our everyday lives. The group was particularly large and it was exciting to see a number of new youth attending.

The session began with the prayer of the Rosary which the group offered for Iliana who had just undergone a long surgery earlier that day to remove an infected gall bladder (update: the surgery went well and Iliana is now back home resting. Praise God!). After the Rosary, Maria opened the session with an super-intense competition of the three-legged race. Youth paired up and tied two of their legs together before racing toward the finish line. It is uncertain whether or not anyone took note of the winner, so we'll just assume it was Br. Joseph. A second game of "leading the blind" was played right afterward.

After breaking a good sweat, the youth returned the Hope Room for a reading from the Gospel and a discussion on the Holy Spirit. Maria and Br. Joseph reflected on the various ways that the Holy Spirit acts in our lives on a daily basis, urging us to prayer, consoling us in difficulties, encouraging us to stand up for Christ, etc.

Following the discussion, the youth broke up into four groups and came up with dramatic sketches demonstating how the gifts of the Holy Spirit play a part in our everyday lives. They were very entertaining!

To end the session, the group celebrated our May birthdays with cake. Daniel, Keiren, and Alondra all celebrate birthdays during the month of May.

A somber note to our meeting, youth director Maria announced that she will be leaving Annunciation effective immediately. She thanked the youth for including her in their lives in recent months and promised to drop by on occasion and say hey. The youth thanked her as well.

Br. Joseph announced several possible dates for the summer Amigos de Jesus retreat. It is very important that youth check with their parents and summer calendars now and let us know which of these dates work best with your summer schedule. We are planning on making a retreat exclusively for members of the youth group at St. Anne's Lodge (where the Confirmation retreat was). The session ended around 8:00 pm with prayer.

Important - Possible dates for the summer retreat are....

June 25 - 27
July 02 - 04
July 30 - Aug 01
Aug 06 - 08

Please let us know soon which works best for you!

God's peace to all of you,
Br. Joseph

Visit our group page on Facebook: Amigos de Jesus