"How about this: you kids look at me right before Communion, and if I give "the nod" then you'll know to just keep walking out the door instead of coming back to our pew?"
World Youth Day 1993 in Denver was perhaps the most life-changing experience I have had. I was 14 years old, and my mom was one of the chaperons. The debt of gratitude I owe to the great Polish Pope has been drawing my heart back to WYD ever since, though until now, it has not happened. I knew that the clock was ticking for how long I could physically handle the "youth" part of this event, so when I saw the location was POLAND, well... I set my heart on it.
My parents didn't write articles about their brilliant ideas for instilling Gospel values in their children, they just lived it. But it goes to show that the simple ways that parents live their faith have life-long effects on their children...
I hope that the whole parish will join me in welcoming our new parish sacristan, Robert Thacker. Robert is a ten year old young man who has been in our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program for three years now. His mother, Diane, gave me permission to share with you the story about how he came to serve our parish in this way.