Teams are formed and meeting as the diocese prepares for our next TEC to be held March 13 - 15 at St. Dominic's Parish Center in Garden City.  A wonderful group of young men and women have already registered to enter into the TEC experience and Encounter Christ through TEC.  As we journey through this Lenten season we are reminded more fully of Christ's Paschal Mystery and our call to enterinto our own Paschal Mystery, dying to self for the sake of others.  As the teams prepare for this TEC, they are responding to this call and as everyone experiences TEC they too will come to recognize their own dying to self.

If you are interested in learning more about TEC or registering for TEC please contact me at the diocese.  If you have already experience TEC and want to know more about the details of the upcoming TEC weekend, then please contact me as well.  Your continued prayers, support and sacrifice are greatly appreciated.

I recently had the opportunity, as many of you have, to watch the movie, "To Save A Life".  For anyone who has seen the movie it does bring out many issues our youth are dealing with daily.  Once again, as I think about 2010 and our young people, I quickly realize that even though at one time I was a teenager, I really never was their age.  Our youth deal with so much more than I could ever imagine.

So here we are looking to March 27 - 28 and our annual high school youth rally, "Tough Enough To Be Catholic?" As I think back to NCYC and our many diocesan events, I know and believe that our young people are finding greater strength in the faith we profess. They are turning to this faith and to their friends who are walking this same journey and together they are becoming stronger witnesses and disciples of Christ.  They are finding joy, strength and comfort in this walk of faith.

These 24 hours of the high school rally, promise to be one more step on this journey.  As young people from all over the diocese gather at Dodge City Community College, this short event will give our youth joy, strength and comfort.  And who knows maybe this will be coming in a time when our young people need it the most.  See you in Dodge City on the 27th.

In 1986 Michael Card wrote a song, "Joy in the Journey".  As I share my thoughts today, the first verse encompasses all of them.

"There is a joy in the journey, there's a light we can love on the way.  There is a wonder and wildness to life...".

So here I am, February 11, 2010 sitting in my office writing this article and putting the finishing touches on preparation for our annual JOY (Jesus, Others, You) retreat to be held this weekend.  There is a wonder and awe in my thoughts as I look to the weekend and fifty-five freshman and sophomores who have responded to Christ's invitation, to be part of this weekend and to enter more fully into their own journey with Christ.  As a person prepares for a weekend like this, you always hope for a good response.  Eighteen to twenty-four is a good number, thirty-six is great.  And here we are with fifty-five.  Yes there is a joy in this journey and I look to this weekend with "wonder and a wildness to life."

I want to express my appreciation to each parent, grandparent, teacher, catechist and youth minister.  To everyone who not only invited but encouraged these young people to enter into this experience. To everyone, I say thank you for walking this journey with these young people and for helping them encounter Christ in this very special way.

My invitation continues,  please keep these young people and the team serving them in your prayers this weekend.  The Body of Christ will grow stronger as we gather in Garden City, and together with your prayers and support great things will continue to happen today and forever.  Stay tuned to next week, for an update, pictures, and thoughts from the participants and more.

On November 19th some 300 youth from our Diocese began a journey with 21,000 other young people from around the country, to show the vivacity of their faith.  These disciples of the Church are gathered for 4 days in Kansas City, Missouri and we chronicle their pilgrimage with daily photos posted on this site.  These photos will hopefully demonstrate the effort of our diocese's young people to create a more profound friendship with our Lord, Jesus Christ.

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Directors of Religious Education and Youth Ministers,

Please find the Framework for Youth Ministry as published by the USCCB HERE.