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Catholic Youth Ministry

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Into the Dark

Session Four: Sharing Christ's Light

About this Night

The Gather is a high-energy large group game. The Proclaim is a teaching about the importance of bringing the light of Christ into the dark that incorporates practical suggestions on how to live in Christ’s light and share it with others. The Break gives the youth an opportunity to discuss the teaching and retreat in a small group, as well as pray for each other’s intentions as the go forward from the retreat. The Send closes the session with a retreat wrap up and an opportunity for the youth to share about their retreat experience.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this session is for the youth to be empowered to bring the light of Christ into the darkness.

Scripture

Key Concepts

• Jesus wants everyone to experience new life in Him, so as we find the light of Christ in our darkness, we are called to share His light with others.
• In order for us to share the light of Christ with others, we have to let His light into our lives.
• It is not enough to simply experience the light of Christ, to keep it to ourselves and hide it away. We must go out and share about our God who loves us so much that He came to save us from all darkness.

Encountering Light

Session Three: Casting Out Fear

About this Night

The Gather includes a fun video that demonstrates how the light of Christ reveals the truth. The Proclaim is a teaching that helps the youth see how Jesus can help them in the face of fear and suffering. During the Break, the youth reflect on different Scripture verses and share in small groups which one stood out to them and why. The Send closes the session with Eucharistic Adoration, during which the youth are able to tangibly lay down their fears at the feet of Christ.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this session is for the youth to see how they can invite Jesus Christ into any suffering they may be experiencing and that the light of Christ has the power to cast out all fear.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

• While we will continue to experience fear throughout our lives, Jesus does not want us to be controlled by our fears — we can choose to turn to Him and His perfect love, which casts out all fear. (1 John 4:18)
• The truth about who Jesus is and the love He has for us can free us from our fears.
• Jesus knows what it is like to suffer, which is why He invites us to unite our suffering with His so He can help us in our suffering and bring good out of even the worst situations — just like He did on the cross.

Seeing Light

Session Two: Forgiveness of Sin

About this Night

The Gather is a blindfolded trust walk. The Proclaim is a teaching about the power of Jesus’ death and Resurrection, which overcame the darkness of sin and death. The youth will also learn that they can go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation to be forgiven of their sins and brought to new life in Jesus. The Break is a small group discussion about the teaching. The Send provides the youth an opportunity to seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this session is for the youth to understand that Jesus conquered the darkness of sin once and for all through His death and Resurrection. It will also remind them that they can seek forgiveness for their sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

• While we freely choose to sin, God does not leave us in the darkness or abandon us to our bad choices. From the very beginning, God had a plan to save us.(CCC 410)
• Jesus died to save us from the darkness of sin and death. By His Resurrection, He brings us to new life.
• We experience forgiveness for our sins and receive the graces to live in the light of Christ through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Out of the Dark

Session One: Sin and Fear

About this Night

The Gather includes a retreat welcome, an introduction of the Core Team, and a reveal of the theme for the retreat. The youth then play a game where they are challenged to put together a puzzle while blindfolded. The Proclaim is a teaching about what sin is and the darkness of sin and fear, which helps the youth understand that the first step to coming out of the dark is recognizing where there is darkness. During the Break, the youth discuss what they learned in the teaching. They also learn more about the examination of conscience and examine their fears. The Send concludes the session with a glow-in-the-dark obstacle course and Night Prayer from Liturgy of the Hours.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this session is for the youth to understand that they will encounter different types of darkness in their lives — including the darkness of sin and fear — and that they need to be aware of the darkness in their lives in order to come out of the dark and into the light.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

• We were not created to live in darkness, but that does not mean that we will not struggle with sin or fear. We are not perfect, so we need to continually work to overcome our sin, trust in God, and not be afraid.
• We sin when we do, say, or desire something that goes against what we know to be right; sin is an offense against God. (CCC 1849)
• While there are a lot of things we may be afraid of, we do not have to live in fear — we can choose to not be afraid because we have a loving God in whom we can trust.

Running Partners

Sacrament of Matrimony

About this Night

The Edge Night begins with a two-part Gather game. The first part is a wedding day fashion competition where the youth make toilet paper wedding dresses and newspaper tuxedos. The second part is a surprise married life race. The Proclaim is a teaching about marriage that challenges the youth to think of spouses as spiritual running partners in the race of life, helping each other reach the finish line of heaven. The Break is a series of challenges that the youth complete in small groups while they learn about the four aspects of marriage — that it is free, total, faithful, and fruitful. The Edge Night ends with the Send where the youth learn about Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin and pray for their intercession.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this Edge Night is to introduce the youth to the Sacrament of Matrimony.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

• Man and woman were created by God for each other. They were created to love each other perfectly, to live in peace with one another, to bring new life into the world through their children, and to watch over and take care of all of God’s creation. (CCC 1604-1605)
• The Sacrament of Matrimony is unique because the husband and wife are the ministers of the Sacrament; the priest is just a witness to the Sacrament and blesses it. (CCC 1623)
• There are a lot of ways that marriage has been misrepresented or broken in our current culture, but no matter what it has looked like over the history of humanity, “God Himself is the author of marriage.” No one can change the definition of marriage. (CCC 1603)

Passing the Baton

Sacraments of Holy Orders

About this Night

The Edge Night begins with a Gather that features a surprise party to celebrate the parish priest(s). The Proclaim uses the analogy of passing a baton to show how the Sacrament of Holy Orders is the Church’s way of keeping the unbroken line of apostolic succession going from Jesus to today’s clergy. In the Break, the youth make prayer cards so they can pray for seminarians and write letters to the seminarians, thanking them in advance for serving the Church. The Send includes a video that features priests and their stories, as well as a prayer for priests from St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this Edge Night is to introduce the youth to the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

• Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, ordained men receive special graces and authority to act in the person of Christ. They make Christ visible in our Church, especially by bringing Jesus to us in the Eucharist. (CCC 1550-1552)
• There are three levels at which a man receives Holy Orders: deacon (including transitional deacons — those studying to be priests — and permanent deacons), priest, and bishop.
• Each man who becomes a bishop, priest, or deacon is given the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide the people entrusted to him and defend the Catholic Church. He is given the strength to preach the Gospel, be a model of holiness for others, and give his life for those whom He serves. (CCC 1585-1588)

Running Lanes

Sacraments at the Service of Communion

About this Night

The Edge Night begins with a Gather game in which teams race to reach the finish line using paper plates as stepping stones and staying in specific lanes. The Proclaim explores the scriptural ties to the Sacraments of Holy Orders and Matrimony and how these sacraments provide a path to heaven according to God’s plan for each person. In the Break, small groups discuss practical advice for discerning their vocations. The Send ends the Edge Night with a time for the youth to reflect on the different vocations and where they may be called.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this Edge Night is to introduce the youth to the Sacraments at the Service of Communion and how they are revealed in Scripture.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

• God gives us different vocations because He made us unique and calls each of us to holiness in our own way.
• In the Old Testament, priests reminded the Israelites of God’s presence and offered sacrifices. Deacons, priests, and bishops do that today, but the sacrifice they share with us is Jesus’ perfect sacrifice.
• After the Fall, people made a lot of mistakes in regard to marriage, forgetting God’s original plan. Jesus made matrimony a sacrament, reminding us how beautiful and important marriage is.

Running Alone?

Issue Night on Illness

About this Night

The Edge Night begins with a small group Gather game where each person lists some of their favorite things and the group guesses who wrote each list. The Proclaim discusses unanswered prayer in the face of illness, addressing that this suffering is real but God is still loving. In the Break, the youth travel to different stations to hear about saints who struggled with unanswered or dry prayer and/or serious illness. In the Send, small groups share their thoughts about the saints from the Break and then close in a prayer for times of suffering.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this Edge Night is for the youth to learn that God never abandons us and that His plan, even when it involves suffering, is for our good — a good beyond our wildest imagination.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

• God loves us and only wants the best for us, which is being in a relationship with Him.
• Because of our fallen state, we all suffer, experience illness, and eventually die.
• It can be hard to pray in the face of illness, especially when it seems like God is not answering our prayers, but God is always with us and always tries to bring us closer to Him, even in the midst of suffering.

The Final Mile

Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick

About this Night

The Edge Night begins with a Gather where the youth make no-bake energy bars. The Proclaim focuses on Christ’s ministry of healing and how He continues this ministry through the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. During the Break, the youth learn more about what happens in the Rite of Anointing of the Sick and have a short discussion about each part of the Rite. Lastly, during the Send, the youth reflect on the places in their lives where they need healing and the Core Team prays for them.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this Edge Night is for the youth to understand that Jesus desires to bring us healing and that through the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, those who are seriously ill can receive spiritual and, at times, physical healing.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

• Regardless of whether suffering and illness happen in our final mile of life or throughout our lives, Jesus is with us in our suffering.
• This ability to heal is passed on to the Church, who carries out Christ’s healing through prayer and the means of “touch” in the sacraments. In this case, the ministry of healing is passed to us through the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. (CCC 1509-1513)
• When we unite our suffering with Jesus’ suffering and pray for others in the midst of our pain, we can give our suffering even more meaning. The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick helps people offer their suffering in this way. (CCC 1505, 1508, 1521-1522)

Running Backward

Sacrament of Reconciliation

About this Night

The Edge Night begins with a Gather activity where one youth from each grade competes to complete a backward challenge. During the Proclaim, the youth learn more about the Sacrament of Reconciliation and its effects. For the Break, the youth examine their consciences using a reflection handout. The Send closes the Edge Night with the youth praying for those whom they need to forgive.

Goal of This Night

The goal of this Edge Night is to help the youth come to a better understanding of conversion and the grace given through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Catechism

Scripture

Key Concepts

• We may get lost or turned around in our journey toward heaven. We may even find ourselves going backward and getting further from the finish line. Through all of the difficulties, however, we are called to keep trying and working on our relationship with Jesus. (CCC 1415-1429)
• Our sins are the choices we make that go against the will of God. They are offenses against God that rupture our relationship with Him and the Church. (CCC 1440)
• The Sacrament of Reconciliation repairs any damage that has been caused by our sins. It brings us back into relationship with Jesus and all other members of the Church. (CCC 1471-1473)

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