Poinsettia Delivery Canceled

Thank you all for your offer of service this past weekend regarding the poinsettia deliveries. I was so disappointed that the snow kept us from visiting with our home-bound parishioners.

We won't be rescheduling the deliveries this year. Instead, the parish staff is delivering the flowers to the patients at the Rosemont Manor Nursing Home tomorrow morning. They will enjoy having them.

We'll have plenty of other service opportunities in the coming year and I look forward to completing them together.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas

Tonight is the Christmas party to celebrate a successful first half of our youth group year and to enjoy a little social time as a group before the holiday.

We are looking forward to an evening of bowling with all of you who can attend. For everyone else, we wish you a Merry Christmas. Enjoy some time away from school with your families and remember what Christmas is all about.

On Saturday, December 19th, the youth group will be spending a few hours to share our time with some parishioners who look forward to our visits. We will be delivering poinsettia plants to the home-bound members of our parish. We are grateful to all of you who can help us to complete this service to our church.

Please know that we include you and your families in our holiday wishes and prayers.

See you in 2010!

God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make us a people of this light. Make us faithful to your Word, that we may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Thanksgiving

Don't forget: We are not meeting on Tuesday, November 24 (the week of Thanksgiving).

Youth Group meetings will resume on Tuesday, December 1 with the high school group.

Thanksgiving Prayers...
Thank you God for all the wonderful blessings,
For our daily meals, for clean drinking water,
For sunlight and for the cool breeze.
I'm thankful for my family, my friends, and my health.
I'm thankful for my friends, to love and be loved and for freedom.
I'm thankful to be alive and praise you for all these wonders.
I'm thankful that you have been so gracious
To give your only Son to us
Who gave his life and bore the Unbearable
For us sinners.
On this Thanksgiving Day, I take the Opportunity to give thanks for countless other
things you provide us with on a daily basis.
Amen.

Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love,
please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks.
Thank you for all the graces and blessings You have bestowed upon us,
spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage.
Our food and shelter, our health, the loves we have for one another, our family and friends.
Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year.
This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Brother. Amen.

Special Olympics Success!

Thank you to everyone who volunteered with Special Olympics. I know the athletes appreciated your encouragement and the Villanova Students were grateful to have you there helping with the event.

We have many more service opportunities coming up, so mark your calendars!
1. Saturday December 12 from 9:45am - 11:30am Anne Murphy needs your help for Breakfast with Santa. If you can be there for a few hours to help with face painting she'd be grateful.

2. Saturday December 19 (time TBD) the parish needs your help with poinsettia deliveries. We will be delivering the plants to all parishioners who have lost a loved one over the past year. Your help makes this ministry a success.

Chris took lots of pictures this weekend at Special Olympics. Enjoy!

Special Olympics - 11/7

Please join the St. Thomas of Villanova Youth group in assisting with the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania.

You will meet with Chris in the parking lot across from the football field of Villanova University at 10am. From there you will head over to campus to register and then will be sent off to help cheer for the olympians in the powerlifting competition.

We will conclude the service at 2pm. You can get picked up in the parking lot at that time.

All volunteers must fill out a waiver and bring it with them. Parent signatures are needed in order to participate. Check your email for a PDF of this waiver.

Please RSVP by Thursday, November 5.

Don't Forget Your Canned Food!

I just wanted to remind you all to bring food donations to our upcoming meetings:

Tuesday, October 27 - High School Meeting
Tuesday, November 3 - Middle School Meeting

*For all three of the above meetings, please bring your food donations!

We can take any canned or boxed non-perishable food. Some of the most in-demand items are:
Tuna (small cans in a case),
Peanut butter & Jelly
Soup, Beef Stew, Chili
Pasta sauce
Rice

Also, head's up....

Saturday, November 7 - Both Groups, Volunteering with Special Olympics
Specific time TBD but will likely take place from 10am-2pm. Mark your calendar.

Evite to follow...

High School Meeting At Presbyterian Village

On Tuesday, October 13, the High School youth group will be playing bingo with the residents at T Presbyterian Village.

We will meet out by the awning in the back parking lot of Presbyterian Village at 7:00. Please plan to be picked up around 8:30pm.

Directions to Presbyterian Village:
(From Rosemont Chapel)
Start on Lancaster Avenue heading toward Villnova University
Turn left onto Lowry's Lane and follow Lowry's Lane to Conestoga Road.
Lowry's Lane becomes Strathmore Drive when you cross Conestoga. (Look for iron gates and pillars at the entrance of Strathmore.)
Cross over Conestoga Road onto Strathmore Drive. This road winds around through a residential area. Take the second right onto Cheswick Place (there is a very small sign as you turn that says Rosemont Presbyterian Village).
You are proceeding to the Main Entrance, stay to the right of the fork. Follow the road around to the large parking lot. Park near the canopy entrance that is the Main Entrance to the community.

Coming Up: Food Drive

In the coming weeks the High School group will participate in a service project. We'll be visiting the residents at Presbyterian Village and playing bingo with them. In previous year this has been a favorite activity of many of the youth group members.

Later, in December, the Middle School group will visit with them as well.

In addition to our service with the residents of Presbyterian Village, we want all youth group participants to start thinking about ways they can do a little extra to help others. With that in mind we are asking our youth group members and families to collect food for a donation to our sister parish's food pantry.

Start collecting canned and boxed goods now. We'll gather them up at our meetings at the end of October and beginning of November.

More information to come...

Off to a Great Start!

Our youth group year is off to a great start. We had a fantastic turnout for both the High School and Middle School groups these past two weeks. We are enthusiastic about this upcoming year and have lots of great stuff planned.

Recap from the past two weeks...

Rules
1. No cell phones during the group. If we catch you texting or playing with your phones, we will hold on to them until the end of the meeting.
2. Be respectful. Listen when others are talking. Don't interrupt.
3. Clean up after yourselves. Make sure all of your trash is thrown away before you leave.
4. Be safe. No running around. Wait on the sidewalk for your parents to pick you up at the end of the meeting.
5. Participate & have fun!

T-Shirts
We designed youth group t-shirts for all of our members. How do you get one?
1. Come to at least 3 meetings and be sure to sign in.
2. Volunteer for a service project on a weekend.

See you all soon!

Getting Ready

We are just over three weeks away from the start of our youth group season. I hope you all are as excited as I am to meet new people and learn from each other. I am hopeful that we'll have a good turnout throughout the year and encourage you all to start marking your calendars now.

As always, feel free to bring friends from other parishes and other faiths. Everyone is welcome just remember to be respectful of each other and of the volunteers who are working to make this group a success.

Please email me with questions and comments about the group. I welcome your suggestions for activities, outtings, discussion topics, service projects and more.

Reach me at karentnoonan@gmail.com.

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!

Archdiocese Events

Since our youth group is relatively new and somewhat small, we aren't always able to hold big events just for us. Luckily, the Office for Youth & Young Adults (OYYA) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia creates wonderful opportunities for you all to get involved and join in with other youth sharing our faith.

Consider signing up for one of the following:

YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD
The Office For Youth And Young Adults is looking for strong, committed, faith-filled teens to serve on this year's Youth Advisory Board (YAB). The Youth Advisory Board is open to youth entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year in high school. Applications can be found online (www.oyya.org).
Let me know if you are interested and I will be sure to contact OYYA for extra details.

About The Youth Advisory Board:
1. Assists OYYA in realizing our vision: Youth and young adults actively participate in the life of the church through the sacraments and have a burning desire to know, love and serve God and neighbor.
2. Presents the voice of the youth to OYYA through input on Vicariate and Diocesan initiatives.
3. Serves as a model which exemplifies the capacity of young people to collaborate with adults as parish leaders.

YOUTH FOR THE EUCHARIST & THE GATEWAY
Youth for the Eucharist provides an opportunity for participants to encounter Jesus in the Holy Eucharist through adoration, praise and thanksgiving. The evening consists of Eucharistic Adoration with live music, the opportunity for Confession, followed by social time and refreshments. Youth for the Eucharist is free and open to all ages

Upcoming Youth for the Eucharist Dates & Locations:
*August 9, 2009 @ St. Titus, East Norriton (7:30 PM - 9:00 PM)
*September 13, 2009 @ St. Titus, East Norriton (7:30 PM - 9:00 PM)
*October 18, 2009 @ St. Francis of Assisi, Springfield (6:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
*November 15, 2009 @ St. Joseph's, Downingtown (6:30 PM - 8:30 PM)

The Gateway @ Our Lady of Lourdes (Philadelphia) is a first Friday celebration from October-June that is centered around the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The evening begins with Mass, Confession, Adoration, and Sacred Heart Devotion and is followed by a coffee house featuring local talent, dance lessons, and more! The Gateway is free, but all who attend are asked to bring a drink or a snack for the social.

The Gateway Returns: Friday, October 2, 2009
7:30 PM - Mass, Confession, & Sacred Heart Devotion
8:30 PM - Coffee House featuring The Gateway's Got Soul Talent Show
Interested in performing at The Gateway's Got Soul Talent Show?
Contact Chris Jones: 215-965-4625 -or- cjones@adphila.org

OYYA OPPORTUNITIES COMING THIS FALL
Adoremus Te
Sunday, October 25
Malvern Retreat House
Plan on celebrating National World Youth Day Sunday by attending this awesome Catholic Youth festival which will include Eucharistic Adoration, prayer, inspirational talks, praise music, great food & more! Details coming soon!

Urban Youth Summit
Friday, November 13, 2009
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location / Topic: TBD
Open to 7th-12th Grade Youth
The Urban Youth Summit is an evening for 7th-12th grade youth that will discuss specific issues that youth are facing in their lives today. The summit includes local entertainment, guest speakers, insight from high school leaders, food, activities and more! Interested in being on the planning committee?
Contact Chris Jones (215) 965-4625 -or- cjones@adphila.org

Splash Party Rescheduled

The annual Splash Party was re-scheduled due to rain. If you can volunteer here is the update information:

When: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 6:00PM - 9:00PM (Help needed around 7pm)
Where: Conestoga Swim Club on Rt. 320 in Villanova
What: Help run the games for the children. Games include sack races, egg toss, etc.

BONUS: You'll get free food and access to the pool!

Help with Splash Party

Volunteers Needed

The Family Life Committee of the Parish is hosting their annual Splash Party and they need us to volunteer!

When: Thursday, July 16, 2009, 6:00PM - 9:00PM (Help needed around 7pm)
Where: Conestoga Swim Club on Rt. 320 in Villanova
What: Help run the games for the children. Games include sack races, egg toss, etc.

BONUS: You'll get free food and access to the pool!

Please email Anne Murphy (service@stv.comcastbiz.net) if you can help out.

First Newsletter Sent

You should have all just received the first Youth Group News email newsletter. As I continue to have news to announce you can expect to receive similar emails from me. Feel free to email back if you have questions or comments (or let me know if you'd prefer not to get my emails).

Here's a copy in case you didn't get it:

Youth Group News

Blog Being Update - pictures posted! As you all may have noticed, I forgot all about our blog this past year. But never again! I will be sure to keep the blog updated with announcements related to our group. Here you will find our upcoming schedule, notifications if we need to cancel for any reason, pictures from our functions and much more. Bookmark the blog and check it out often. Feel free to leave comments too. FYI -- I just posted pictures from some events from the 2008/2009 year. Visit the blog. New Youth Group Season - beginning in September While we don't have the specific start date for our Fall youth group season, mark you calendars for Tuesday evenings. We will continue our Tuesday night meeting schedule. The middle school and high school groups will alternate meeting weeks so we'll see each group every-other Tuesday. Keep an eye on the blog for details announcing our first meeting.

Archdiocese Events

City Of God - 12-hour overnight event When: Begins: Sunday, August 9th, 7:30 PM Ends: Monday, August 10th, 9:30 AM Where: St. Titus Church East Norriton, PA What: City of God begins with "Youth for the Eucharist" at 7:30 PM and will end the following morning with Mass at 8:45 AM. The evening will include a One Act Drama, Living Candlelight Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Eucharistic Adoration and much more! Register by August 1 here.

Pictures from the 2008/2009 Year

Special Olympics Fall 2008:



Villanova Challenge Program - Spring 2009:

Back to Blogging!

Hi Everyone,
It's been a busy year for me personally and so I let this blog slip through the cracks. Our youth group was as strong as ever but my updates disappeared and for that, I apologize.

For this upcoming youth group year I will be sure to give this blog more attention to provide you all with updates about our group.

FYI - if there is every a meeting cancellation, you can find out about it here.

Hope you're all having a great summer. I'll see you in the Fall!

-Karen