April 27, 2014 Dear Brothers and Sisters of St.

Johns Community, At a meeting for parents of current middle school students held on April 9, we announced a new vision for youth ministry at St. John the Evangelist, a vision which we believe is exciting in its potential to serve our mission of evangelization and forming intentional disciples for Jesus Christ! This will impact our students in middle and high school. The most notable change from previous practice is that we will begin preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation with students who are at least in 9th grade, effective in the upcoming school year, with the Sacrament of Confirmation being celebrated in the fall of 10th grade each year. By doing so, we are seizing the opportunity to offer a better approach to preparing our young people for this sacrament by opening avenues for formation and service not possible for those in middle school, including: Participation in weekend retreat experiences such as Mount 2000, Steubenville Conferences, Life Teen Camp, and our Archdiocese Palm Sunday Weekend Pilgrimage (all restricted to those in high school); Exposure to organized service opportunities that offer direct service in such venues as Our Daily Bread (soup kitchen); First Fruits (farming fresh produce to assist the hungry), and so far Responding to challenges that our teens are confronting in the areas of morality such as sexuality and dating, pornography, and life issues (that are not always appropriate at the middle school level).

The 8th grade year will become the year of proximate preparation (that is, candidates must be enrolled in some Catholic religious formation program such as religious education, Catholic school, or Catholic homeschooling) while 9th grade would include participation in the formal Confirmation program in addition to some form of religious education (High School Life Teen Program or Catholic high school). Our high school program will continue to utilize the Life Teen Program for teens in Grades 9-12 and will continue to meet on Sunday evenings from 6:30-8:30 PM (following the 5:15 PM Youth Mass) and will also offer two annual retreats, social events, and participation in service projects such as Work Camp, direct service to the poor, as well as other trips such as the Steubenville Conferences. New in the fall will be a dynamic new middle school youth ministry program called Edge. Some like to refer to it as Life Teen Junior as it incorporates the basics of the Life Teen model large group gatherings with smaller group discussion as well as its emphasis on spiritual formation as well as social and service activities. Edge will meet twice a month on Tuesday from 7:00-8:15 PM for those in 7th and 8th grade. 7th and 8th grades will also have the option of traditional religious education classes on Sunday mornings instead. 6th grade will have the option of classes on Sunday mornings or Wednesday afternoons. For those who were unable to attend the presentation on April 9, a video recording of the presentation can be viewed at www.stjohnsp.org/youth. (Click on YOUTH MINISTRY VISION.) You may also view the PowerPoint presentation there and access the handout that was distributed.

We are exciting about these new opportunities to engage and meet the needs of our young people and we need committed adult disciples of Jesus to help us make this happen. We ask that you prayerfully consider how you might commit to become part of this effort. Some ways to consider: Membership on the Life Teen Core Team, planning and executing the Sunday Life Nights Membership on the Edge Core Team, planning and executing the Tuesday Edge Nights (September-April) Membership on the Confirmation Team, preparing teens for the Sacrament Prayer Support for our Youth Ministry Program: the teens, the adults, and our parish to be that place where we all live the Gospel and encounter Christ together Support for any of our programs: snacks, setup, etc. Parent Support programs associated with the programs to enable parents to grow so that this effort also serves to strengthen our families in faith. Chaperones and Coordinators of service and social outings.

Of course, to be engaged on this level (apart from the prayer, which we would hope that EVERYONE would commit to) would necessitate completing all archdiocesan requirements for child and youth protection (STAND) as the well-being of our young people is our priority. Next year we will offer a small pilot Confirmation preparation program for those high school teens who have not yet been confirmed. To be eligible teens will need to have completed one year of proximate preparation in a religious education program (Catholic school, Religious Ed, or Life Teen) as well as be enrolled in a Catholic school and/or attending our Life Teen Program at St. Johns. The Sacrament of Confirmation would then be celebrated in the Fall of 2015 for those candidates after which we would fully launch our new Confirmation program for those entering or already in high school in 2015. For more information about opportunities to be engaged in our exciting new outreach to youth, or if you have further questions, please contact any of us. Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. James D. Proffitt Pastor

John Poland Director of Religious Education

Stephen Herrera Coordinator of Youth Ministry

Sr. Linda Larsen, SSJ School Principal

689 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park, Maryland 21146 410 647 4884 fax 410 544 3047 www.stjohnsp.org