Lenten Resources

Lent begins this year with Ash Wednesday on February 17th.  Here are some great online resources for making the most of your Lenten journey. If you have a link to add, please pass it along. Check back frequently to see if new things have been added.

• Good Ground Press has some online retreats that you can tackle in your own time. Try this one called "Life is a Puzzle." You can also look over to the left hand side to see their other retreats.
• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has put together some Lenten resources here.
• The USCCB also has some audio resources that you can download to your favorite mp3 player and take with you.
• Check here for some great meatless recipes from Catholicmom.com.

At Blessed Sacrament, you can participate in the Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent. The youth will present their annual Stations of the Cross performance on Friday, March 26th. The parish is in the process of putting together a list of other activities and I will post that here as soon as it is available.

2010 March For Life

On January 21 and 22 four youth and adults from our parish had the opportunity to participate in the Diocese of Richmond's delegation to the nation's annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. They traveled by bus as part of a larger delegation to Northern Virginia where they attended the “Life is VERY Good” youth rally hosted by Catholic speaker and musician Steve Angrisano. After the rally, the group spent the night at a hotel and woke very early the next morning to get ready for the Mass and March for Life Youth Rally at the Verizon Center. Then they walked to the Washington Monument and joined the March to the Supreme Court building. The youth reported that they had an amazing time and came back with a renewed sense of the value of life and the importance of being pro-life!

Youth Retreats

Here in the Diocese of Richmond we are fortunate to have a vibrant youth retreat system in place. Each year there are many different retreats offered for youth to participate in. 

Discovery is a peer ministered retreat geared towards 9th and 10th grade students.  During this weekend long retreat, youth will have a chance to discover more about themselves and their relationship with God.  This happens through peer and adult led talks, small group discussions, and community building activities.
Discovery retreats will be held:

• Feb. 5-7, 2010 at Smith Mountain Lake (near Roanoke)
• Mar. 5-7, 2010 at Smith Mountain Lake (near Roanoke)
• Mar. 5-7, 2010 at Camp Hanover (near Richmond)
• Mar. 12-14, 2010 at Grace Bible Camp (near Lexington)
• Mar. 26-28, 2010 at Eastover Retreat Center (near WIlliamsburg)

Christian Awakening is a peer ministered retreat designed for 11-12th graders. It is similar in format to Discovery, but allows for more mature youth to delve deeper into their faith. Youth will look at ways to live out their faith in a vibrant way through service to others while becoming better, more committed Christians.

Christian Awakening retreats will be held:

• Feb. 26-28-2010 at Mary, Mother of the Church Abbey (near Richmond)
• Mar. 19-21, 2010 at Smith Mountain Lake (near Roanoke)
• April 16-18, 2010 at Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center (near Williamsburg)

Kujenga is a peer-ministered retreat designed for African-American youth to learn about their own culture as well as their relationship with God through a celebration of culture and customs. This retreat will take place Feb. 5-7, 2010 at Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center, Blackstone, VA. 

Registrations are typically due not later than two weeks prior to the retreat date. If you would like more information or to register for one of these retreats, please contact Rabia at rlieber@bsccva.com.