The Blog of Ultra!!

Hey everyone! This Katie again to tell you about how ULTRA our week has been! We have had EDGE movie night, Glass Alabaster, team day, and... a visit from the Massive Worship team! Let me tell you about it!

First, let me tell you about how amazing our Glass Alabaster nights have gone thus far. We have 2 nights, with 6 girls coming to it. Oh my goodness, the girls just amaze me! They are all so great, and we have an equal balance of having fun with them, but also going deep with them. Our first night was on 'Daughter of God, Bride of Christ.' Wow! The first night kind of hit them hard. We had a really great environment to get the girls to be comfortable. I gave a talk on our identity coming from being God's daughter, and the fact that no one can take that away from us. I talked about how we can relate our relationship to Christ as our husband. The girls really liked that. We watched a video to the song 'Beautiful' by 'Bethany Dillon.' The video was mainly about the struggles of attaining beauty by the world's standards. It was really powerful, and I know that it helped the girls a lot. We then had a prayer time, in which they wrote something down that they wanted God to help them love more about themselves. They took the piece of paper that they wrote on, and laid it at the foot of the crucifix that we had for the environment. After all that, we made HUSBAND BOXES! It was really awesome. We got blank boxes, and the girls were free to decorate as they please. The point of the boxes is that they can put things in it (letters to their future husbands, rosaries, prayer cards, etc.) and then give it to their future husband on their wedding day. The girls all loved that idea. We had so much fun with it. Last night's Glass Alabaster was about Friendship, and how we can be a good friend to each other, and how to love. It was really good, because the girls shared all the struggles they had with their girl friends, but how it is so good to have those relationships. Our team day, we celebrated beautiful Cecile's birthday!! Happy Birthday Cecile! We love you! For our women's session, we vegged out and watched a chick flick. It is one of our favourite things to do together, so it was really fun! Later, we blindfolded Cecile, and took her to one of our host homes. Cecile is Italian, and loves to cook... especially pasta! So that is what we did. We made delicious pasta! Then we had her favourite cake: cheesecake. So yummy. It was such a fun night! It has become a tradition to watch American Idol at this house as well, so that is how our night ended off. So great! Thanks for being born Cecile! We love you!

This past weekend, Marcus and Cecile went to OLVC for a conference put on by the Massive worship team. Emily, DJ and myself had things to do here in Wetaskiwin. Friday morning, we went to adoration and daily Mass, as always. Afterwards, there was a little bit of a social for all the daily Mass attendees, so the three of us went to that. It was really good, because we go to daily Mass every week, but never really get to know the people that go. So this gathering was the perfect way to meet and talk to them. Also on this same Friday, we had an EDGE night. It was a movie social night. We watched one of my favourite movies, 'Despicable Me.' So funny. I was probably laughing the loudest, more than the kids were.

After the Massive Worship retreat, Cecile and Marcus came back... but they came with the Massive Wroship team!! It was really good to see them and to catch up with the team. On Monday night, we had a big praise and worship night at our contact person's home. Wow. That is all I can say. It was really great to come together and to praise our God with people from Wetaskiwin and with the Massive Worship team. Thank you for being so amazing and for doing the work of God, Massive Worship. We love you and miss you so much!

I pray that you have an amazing week! We are excited this weekend for our supervisor visit! We love Sarah and Jesse! Can't wait for next's week blog!

God Bless,

Katie Doyle

iNFUSE Team 3, Wetaskiwin, AB

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him!" Colossians 3:16-17

And the Grammy for Best Conference in Music and Youth Ministry Training Goes to...

What were YOU up to last Sunday night? For me, plans were made early on in the week to spend my evening at home, settled in front of the television with a cup of tea and a handful of candy, watching my favorite awards show. Yes, above the Oscars, Emmy’s and People’s Choice, I prefer the Grammy Music Awards! Every February since I was old enough to stay up later than 9:00pm, the Grammy’s has been the most exciting and entertaining awards show out there.

With hundreds of talented musicians and music industry people gathered to honor the best and most talented of musicians in the world, the Grammy’s are one of the highest musical honors to receive.

My favorite part is not necessarily listening to the gripping speeches and “thank you’s”, or even catching the crazy commercials in between, but rather seeing and hearing so many different bands and groups play on one stage, in one night. Immediately I am inspired take my cello out of it’s case and practice for hours on end. This year I was sweetly surprised to see a cellist in one of the performing bands playing his cello while standing up, (which is a feat in itself) whipping his hair all around and looking like he was having the time of his life. It’s awesome to be inspired by such amazing and talented musicians!

Now imagine our Massive Worship Conference being as big as the Grammy Music Awards… Imagine countless musicians and youth leaders gathered from across Canada to be trained, equipped and inspired to further their ministries back home. Imagine meeting these musicians and youth leaders and discovering that you are not alone in the struggles and victories that come with serving in ministry. Imagine learning hands-on from some of our area’s finest when it comes to leadership, parish ministry, youth culture, and Catholic music. Imagine encountering Christ powerfully in this environment, with these people… I’m getting chills just thinking about it!

It’s pretty obvious that the Massive Worship Conference is not the Grammy Music Awards; I think it’s even better. That's why you should check it out this spring, March 25th-27th, here in Ottawa, ON. Get your friends, your youth leaders and coordinators, your musicians and music ministers (both newly budding and expert) and register online www.massiveworship.com for this awesome event. Register before February 24th and get a great Early Bird discount, and register with a group of 5 or more and get 5% off each registration. Sweet deal, you don't want to miss this!

UNO, Giant Dutch Blitz, and Secret Santas

Another week of fun, games and ministry here in Steinbach has gone by.

Family Fun Day this month has to be my favourite one so far! We rented the outdoor rink and invited parishioners out for a family fun skate. I am not sure how many we had come out, but it was a lot! Although we had booked the ice for our event we allowed anyone who happened to drop by to join us, which really added to our numbers. A few of the guys brought hockey sticks with them and Andrew and Brenden stayed behind for an impromptu game. What I neglected to mention in my last blog, in which I mentioned how the team had gone skating, I have only gone skating about half a dozen times in my life. I was a little nervous at first about the day, especially since there are so many figure skaters and hockey players in the community, but the environment was so welcoming that my worries disappeared almost immediately. I even did a lot better than I thought I did. I also learned how to skate backwards!

AND SO EXCITING!!! We had our first LifeLine! LifeLine is our high school youth group which alternates Sundays with our REACT night. The night, entitled “Ready, Set…” was a night of games and simply getting to know each other. We started the night off with singing the song “I Am Free” and it was great to hear the teens singing loud and proud together. Giant Dutch Blitz also made an appearance during the night and was a success yet again. We made it a little more challenging by having only three people on each team. I know my muscles were sore the next day! But it was well worth it.

The past couple of team days have been wonderful. During the one we discovered that UNO can be a rather stressful game all round. The other team day saw us finally doing our Secret Santa gift exchange which ended up being filled with duct tape, toilet paper, laughs, and a touch of mystery (especially for me as I was the only one who didn’t figure out who got my name!)

Our faith study “Discovery” has started off really well with five people coming out each week to learn more about God’s love, his sacrifice and our faith. Each week I am amazed by the insight and openness of those participating. God is truly working in these young adults and I am excited to see where this faith study takes us in the end.

That is all for now. Stay tuned for more from Steinbach, and remember to keep us and our ministry in your prayers.

God bless,

Elizabeth Fitzmaurice

Oh Saskatchewan....

Greetings to all followers of the NET blog! Katie Foster here, signing in from Encounter Team One. I was very excited this week when our regular blogger, Maria Kalin, extended an invitation to me to write this latest entry. Team One has been very busy doing the work of God since arriving in Saskatchewan. Retreats are going great, and lives are being touched.

Upon arriving in Saskatchewan, our team had reason for celebration, as our wonderful blogger Maria Kalin turned 19! The evening was marked by a Wal-Mart adventure followed by a trip to Dairy Queen, and completed with team prayer led by the birthday girl herself. That evening, our team was hosted together in a school in Weyburn, making it great for team spirit and convenient for retreat set-up. We woke up the next morning, however, to a chilling temperature of -40°C. Instead of letting this discourage us, however, many took the opportunity to attempt a new trick – throwing boiling water in the air and watching it freeze before reaching the ground, to the amazement of all those from warmer climates. Following our stay at that school, we traveled to Wilcox, where we were once again hosted in a school. This was not a regular school however, and so we stayed in dorm rooms at Notre Dame High School. While we were there, we had opportunities not only to minister to youth on retreats, but connect with them in the cafeteria and around campus, and even take in a few hockey games. From there we traveled to Regina, where our team met up with NET Ireland alumnus Reed Miller. Following a few nights stay in Regina, we hit the road once again, traveling to Yorkton, where we threw a surprise “Un-Birthday” party for Jacob Aultman. We arranged a Super Bowl party, which included dinner at our contact person’s house, and a wide screen television on which to watch the Super Bowl. The night was fun for many, with a close game and a great half-time show, however, much to the displeasure of Tom Russell, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Green Bay Packers.

In the last three days we have been doing Confirmation retreats in Yorkton and Melville, and then traveled back to Regina for a much anticipated weekend of team days, a ministry day, a “no-obligations” day, and a travel day.

Ministry has been great as well. One aspect of our ministry that we have made recent developments in has been with regards to the rosary. Before Christmas break we gave few rosaries away, and talked about it only a little on retreats. In the past several weeks, however, we have begun to speak on the rosary before prayer ministry, and the response from the youth has been amazing. During prayer ministry over half the youth can be seen with rosary in hand, and many have taken them home. I noticed a girl in my small group today, a non-Catholic, praying the rosary during prayer ministry, and I was touched. To see the enthusiastic response of the youth to the rosary has been inspiring, and I know that the Blessed Mother will use this prayer to bring about a deeper response to the love of God in those youth and in this nation.

On a more personal note, over the last several weeks, God has been giving me a deeper awareness of the purpose of our ministry, and the importance of our ministry. All across our nation there are people who are hungering and thirsting for the love and mercy of God. Through the work of the NET team, some hear the Gospel message preached for the first time. Others, who have been told only rules and regulations from authorities in the Church, hear for the first time the mercy and compassion of God. Through listening to youth speak in small groups, I have realized that our world is broken, and through ministries such as NET, healing can begin. Some need a listening ear; others need an example from youth. I have realized the importance of relational ministry, of investing in others, and reaching them with the message of the Gospel. This is especially true on retreats, but God has been showing me that He uses the NET team to reach more than just the youth.

Recently, God has also shown to me that Netters are not limited to witnessing only on retreats and in host homes. A few days ago, Google maps gave incomplete directions to get to the church, causing some of us to stop at a gas station to get directions. Claire and I went in, and were helped by a gas station cashier, who helped us look in the phone book for the church address and phone number. While doing this, conversation flowed, with us explaining a little about NET and our ministry, and the cashier revealing that he had little experience with church in his past. After finding the church address, he bade us farewell, closing with the proposition the he “may join [us] someday”. I realized as we continued onto the church that we were meant to get lost that morning, and that perhaps God used us to bring one of His children home to Himself. God continues to use opportunities such as this to remind me that we are called to be a light in the darkness, salt to the earth, and hope to the nations. I pray that God may continue to use our team for His work and His purposes as we journey forth from here!

From Regina, Saskatchewan, signing off, Katie Foster. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all!

P.S. Copy and paste this link to see a video of our team throwing boiling water into the air, and the astonishment that follows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K83xUuXUDgs

Sharing is Caring, or is it?

Greetings from Encounter Team Two! Danica here – I’ve hijacked the blog from Patrick this week.

First of all, we apologize for the delay in an update. It’s been a while since we checked in with you all! These past few weeks have been keeping us busy and on the move. Since our last blog we have moved all over southern Ontario – Hamilton to London to Kitchener to Guelph to Deemerton to Woodstock (hometown of our very own Trevor Hendershott) to London to Forest to Alliston and that brings us to our current location: Mississauga.

One of the really cool things that we’ve had the opportunity to do in the past few weeks is attend (yes you read that right – attend, not run) a retreat for university students. The University of Guelph chaplaincy runs a retreat for university students from numerous different schools every year around this time and for the past three years, a NET team has been able to join them. We were the lucky team this year since we were in the area, and I think our entire team agrees that it was an amazing weekend. Basically, we were there to mingle, meet people, play music and do the occasional funny skit, or as we like to call them on NET – AMEs (After Meal Entertainment). The weekend was full of talks, Mass, adoration, confession, and basically time to hang out and get to know everyone more. It was really amazing to talk to people our own age and share our faith with university students. That’s something we don’t have a chance to do very often, and it was a really neat opportunity. Of course, I speak for the team in saying that, as I was stuck in bed the whole weekend with strep throat. Apparently, as a team we not only share vans, clothes, and ministry, but we also share the common cold! Three of us came down with strep throat that week but I’m happy to report that we are healthy again!

Another fun thing we’ve been able to do as a team is go bowling. It was the first time five-pin bowling for our two foreigners – Tanya and Cristy, and both thought it was a little strange. They weren’t the only ones who thought it was strange. The jury is currently out on which is better - 5 pin or 10 pin bowling. Regardless of our different opinions, we had a great time getting strikes and gutter balls together, not to mention the victory dances that came after a good shot.

Since coming back from Christmas break, all of our retreats have been confirmation retreats with the occasional family retreat thrown in. Family retreats are new for our team. We’ve done three family retreats so far and they have all been awesome! At the end of one of the family retreats, we generally have a sharing time where anyone can stand up and say something they liked about the day or something they experienced or learned – basically anything they want to share with the entire group about the day. During one of those large group sharing sessions at the end of a family retreat, a father stood up and thanked us for the day. He said it was an amazing experience for his family and he particularly enjoyed meeting other families in the parish and just having fun together. He asked what he and the parish could do so that the experience of the day could last longer than just a one day thing. Together the families who were there decided they wanted to do more family activities in their parish and are now looking at starting some sort of regular fun day for families of the parish. It was really amazing to see the impact of the retreat and to see how God moved in their hearts that day! Praise God for His amazing work! I feel very blessed to be one of His instruments this year! [That's Jon and I to the left in one of our AMEs - the Vaseline skit].

Like I said earlier, we are currently in Mississauga. We have two retreats for the same class of grade eights, and are very excited for that because it means we get to spend a longer period of with the same youth. For the next few weeks we will be in the Toronto diocese and in and around the Greater Toronto Area. Next week our lovely supervisors, Meaghan and Pat, come down to visit us. Pray that they may have a safe drive to come see us! Please keep our team in your prayers, and know that you are in ours!

It was a pleasure writing the blog for you this week!
Until next time,
God Bless,
Danica O’Neill
Encounter Team Two