ALTAR SERVERS FUN DAY

There's only one thing I can say about the recent Altar Server's Fun Days - and that is EXCELLENT! A huge thank you goes out to all those parishes and young people who came along and made the events the success they were. As a way of saying Thank You to all our altar servers who give of their time and commitment throughout the diocese, Youthcom put on two Fun Days during the month of June, one in Coleraine and the other in Crossgar. Over the two days, we had 235 young people from 20 parishes attend. The parishes represented were: Clonard Monastery, Rasharkin, Portstewart, Coleraine, Portrush, Cushendun, Saul & Ballee, Crossgar, St Matthew's, Derriaghy, Drumbo & Carryduff, Bangor, St John's, Saintfield & Carrickmannon, Aghagallon & Ballinderry, St Colmcille's, St Luke's, Kilcoo, Castlewellan, and Upper Mourne. Throughout the day young people enjoyed getting to make new friends while whacking each other in the Gladiator Duel or bouncing off each other in Sumo Suits! Also on offer were inflatable bouncy castles, slides, assault courses, bungee run, and demolition zome. Not to mention relay races, cricket, skipping, parachute games and lots of other activities (especially football - no day is complete without it!). Both days came to an end beautifully with the celebration of mass, and a huge thanks goes out to Bishop McKeown who took the time to come along on both days and celebrate with us. Hopefully, we will get the opportunity to do the same again next year, but in the meantime, enjoy the photos!

Clare Gilmore

Faith Development Officer

The next World Youth Day is to be held in Madrid in August 2011. Youthcom are in the process of organising a pilgrimage to WYD and posters will be made available to all parishes in the diocese in the very near future. World Youth Day is an incredible opportunity for young people to gather with thousands of other young Catholics to explore and celebrate their faith. If you are at all interested, and wish to know more, please don't hesitate to contact Youthcom on 028 9023 2432. More information will be posted shortly.

Youth Ministry Framework Document Launched

'Called Together - Making the Difference' offers a recommended framework for how youth ministry should be carried out in the Irish Church in the future. It suggests ways in which the Catholic Church in Ireland can:

· Accompany and guide young people through the complexities of life

· Encourage young people to become more aware of the spiritual and more trusting of

their faith

· Help them make good decisions and take the most rewarding paths

· Help them understand what it means to have faith

· Show them how to get involved in Church life and how to live by and learn from the

teachings of Jesus.

In the preparation of this document some young people were asked what gifts they contribute to the Irish Church. One responded: 'Longing to belong in a meaningful way and to make a difference'. I think it was a L'Arche volunteer in Belfast who said those words. Even after all the painful realities of the past, many young people continue to feel this way. They still long to belong; they still long to belong in a meaningful way. All that is best in the Irish Church longs to be a place where its younger members experience not only a profound respect but a strong sense of welcome, nurture and challenge. This document calls all of us together; it invites young people and the wider Irish Church to shape a new reality. The sponsors of this document are convinced that it's working together that young people and the wider Irish Church can make a positive difference in Ireland and in the world. We are all 'Called Together to Make the Difference;' we are committed to this now and will be into the future. We are committed to inviting young people to work with us as architects of a new future.

Young People Rock the Fairways at Youth Day

700 young people gathered to celebrate their faith at the Fairways Hotel, Dundalk on 4 October 2009 as part of the 2^nd National RE Congress. The Youth Day was organised by Youthcom, and was a combination of music; teaching; witness talks; and liturgy. Schools from as far away as Stranorlar; Dungannon; Magherafelt; Downpatrick; Dublin, and Navan, amongst other places, took part in Youth Day. A further 100 young people were unfortunately also turned away due to the event being booked up some weeks in advance. The enthusiasm of the young people was repeatedly spoken of at the main congress by the speakers who had witnessed Youth Day.