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Don't miss these events.
Mark your calendars today!



July 27
Movie Night: Food, Friends and a flick!


July 31
Service Splash: Spend a couple hours cleaning the church grounds. Afterwards we'll have have water wars to cool off and have fun!


August 2
Ronald McDonald House Dinner: A great service project for students grades 6-12 (An opportunity for Confirmation students to gain some service experience.) We'll provide and serve a meal for families at the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester.




August 5
Iron Chef Challenge: Are you up to the challenge? Join this extreme cooking contest and help St. Francis Church defend our title! Two dividsions: Middle School and High School. Each division winner walks away with the coveted "Golden Spatula". Will it be you?

TEC 2009

When and Where – 2009
• August 7-9, 2009 – TEC 53 – Rochester
• October, 2009-MEA – TEC 54 – Pipestone
• February 12-14, 2010 - Waseca

TEC begins on Friday or Saturday morning at 9:30
a.m. and ends Sunday or Monday evening at
6:00 p.m. * Handicap accessible.

What is TEC?
TEC is a three-day retreat weekend based on the Paschal Mystery: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. TEC originated as “Teens Encounter Christ” in 1965 as a retreat experience for high school students. Pathways TEC brings teens and adults together to be participants in encountering Christ as the family of God during the weekends. TEC is open to all youth ages 16 and older.


What Happens On the Weekend?
A TEC weekend works to build spiritual growth through participation in group activities. Although some time is given for individual prayer and reflection, the emphasis throughout the weekend is on group participation through music, discussions, talks, prayer, Scripture, liturgy and celebration.

Each day of the retreat has a central theme:

�� “Die Day” is the first day- a day centered on
the death of Jesus Christ. On “Die Day”
participants reflect on many different
aspects of their lives, focusing on better
relationships with God, self and others.

�� “Rise Day” is the second day, a joyous
celebration of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. On “Rise Day” participants celebrate
the presence of God’s love in their lives.

�� “Go Day” is the third day- a day which
explores the continuous call to spread the
Good News. On “Go Day” participants
recognize and prepare to carry forth the
message of Jesus Christ.

Applications are available www.dow.org under Youth and Family, Pathways TEC or call Mary White at 507-280-0917 for more information about the TEC experience.

For more information or to sign up please visit the Diocese Website or grab an application brochure from the Gathering Space kiosk.

Service with PossAbilities

On Tuesday, June 23rd we had our service project with a group from PossAbilities. We bought fabric then cut, measured, and tied them into wonderful blankets to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House!

Several students were already quite experienced in making fleece blankets and so the project took no time to finish! We had 9 young people, 5 from PossAbilities, 2 staff and 2 volunteers for a total of 18 people to complete 11 blankets!

We were grateful for the PossAbilities group who could join us---I think we all made a great team and plenty of fun was had by all!



Thank you to Tyler Crawford and his group from PossAbilities! Thanks also to Paula Wick who brought skills, tools, and ideas to make this a great event!

Running Start for School: Supplies Drive

Running Start for School Supplies Drive
July 24th-August 2nd

Do something meaningful this summer!
Now, more than ever, families will need help purchasing the necessary school supplies for their children. But you can make a difference. Join the rest of the St. Francis of Assisi Youth Group and the Running Start for School program. We will donate school supplies and those supplies will be donated to families in our community. For more information, please visit the United Way website.


Then, we'll celebrate!
We’ll celebrate at the end of the drive with a party. One lucky student will win a free ticket for our Valley Fair trip on August 24th! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to benefit families in YOUR COMMUNITY.

How do I participate?
You can help by bringing in school supplies and encouraging others to do the same! Two bins will be placed in the church Gathering Space. If you are entering grades 6-8 then you will donate (and encourage others) to the middle school team. If you are entering grades 9-12 then you want to donate (and encourage others to donate) to the high school team. All items can be dropped off in the marked bins in the Gathering Space at church. Be sure to put your items in the right bin! Items will be collected on a regular basis and the scores will be updated.

Why should I get others to donate?
Because you want your team to win! Middle School students will battle High School students to see who can raise the most donations. The winning team will celebrate with a party at the end of the drive. The winning team will also have all participants names entered into a drawing for a free ticket to Valley Fair for our trip on August 24th! To be an official participant you must have items donated with your name placed in the bin. Others can donate on your behalf, just have them mark (in some way) that the items are on your behalf! You also should be present at the celebration party to claim your ticket if you win!

Want to do more?
Student leadership help is needed! Create posters or make fliers encouraging people to donate to this good cause. Maybe you’d like to help plan the celebration party at the end. All help is welcome—just talk to Carol! Those in the Confirmation program can take a leadership role in this event to count towards the service expectations for Confirmation Preparation.

Running Start for School: Supplies Wish List

Backpack - no wheels
Binder with zipper
Colored pencils - 12 count box non-short
Eraser - block
Folder - two pocket
Glue - 4 ounce washable bottle
Glue stick - .21 ounce washable
Highlighter - variety of colors
Markers (thick washable) - 10 count box
Markers (thin washable) - 10 count box
Pen - Red
Pencil box - 8” x 5”
Pencil pouch - fits 3-ringed binder
Pencil sharpener - covered
Pencils - #2
Pens - blue OR black
Ruler (inches and centimeters) - 12 inch
Scissors - kids blunt tip
Scissors - kids pointed tip
Spiral notebook - 70 sheets wide-lined
Spiral notebook - 70 sheets college ruled
Paper - wide lined - 150 count loose leaf
Paper - college ruled - 150 count loose leaf

Cityscapes Photo Safari

Thursday, July 9th

Noon-5 pm

We’ll meet at St. Francis of Assisi church. Karen will lead us to the Civic Center, by the river, and to the edge of downtown on our Safari! We’ll “hunt” for some great shots focusing on shapes and shadows in our photos. Karen will teach along the way. Kids will get individual attention as well as help with how to better use their cameras! Take pictures like never before! Join us for the fun

What should I bring?
-$$ for snack at Roscoe's
· Your own camera (digital, film, disposable...whatever!)
· Fully charged battery and empty memory card! (Or extra batteries if not rechargeable)
· Good walking shoes
· Comfortable clothes you can move around in. Also watch for the weather forcasts. Bring layers and you can leave any "extras" at church before we leave. Also consider bugspray, sunblock, bag or backpack, etc.)
· Nothing extra you won’t want to carry for yourself! (Remember, we'll be outside and walking for several hours!)

How do I sign up?
Grab a permission form from the arish center office or Gathering Space kiosk. All forms are due
Tuesday, July 7th. Because of the nature of this activity, participation is limited to 12 students. Sign up today and reserve your spot! All students entering grades 6-12 are welcome!

Welcome Event UPDATE

We held our first annual Welcome Event on Friday, June 19th! Our "new" youth group members got to learn a little bit about why we gather as a youth group, what type of activities we do and what they can look forward to.



This event was also lead by our Middle School Youth Council. The youth council has been meeting and sharing ideas, games, and activities to create a fun event for the 6th graders. The youth council was responsible for preparation and decoration and they also shared what they liked most about youth group and what events they can't wait for this year!



Fun was had by all as we enjoyed icebreaker games, pizza, foosball, music, "townball," and getting to know new friends!



Thank you to the youth council for all your work in preparing and decorating for this event. Thanks also to Pam Severson and Jose Luis for volunteering your time as well as all the others who stayed to help clean up!

I look forward to seeing all of you lots this summer!

Summer Schedule

June
June 10 City Wide Valley Fair trip (contact Resurrection Church at 288-5528 to sign up)
June 14 Youth Council Meeting
June 19 5th Grade Welcome Event
June 20 Rochesterfest Sandblast Competition
June 23 Service: Fleece Blankets with PossAbilities
June 28 Believe! A Catholic Youth and Family Day (call 522-3016 to get tickets)

July
July Begin “Running Start for School” school supplies drive
July 9 Photo Safari
July 17-19 Steubenville Catholic Youth Conference (Grades 9-12)
July 27 Movie Night
July 31 Service: Church Grounds work with Water Wars and Cookout

August
Aug 2 Service: Ronald McDonald House Dinner
Aug 5 Iron Chef Competition
Aug 10 Movie Night
Aug 16 Church Picnic
Aug 21 Nighttime Photo Safari
Aug 24 Valley Fair Trip
Aug 30 City Wide Trip to Twins Game (Hosted by Pax Christi)

June Service Project

Learn how to make fleece blankets for Ronald McDonald House!
Join us Tuesday, June 23rd from 4:00-6:00 pm to make fleece blankets to donate to families at the Ronald McDonald House! Whether you've made a blanket before or have no idea how to start--we'd love to have you! Making a blanket for someone is an easy and fun act of service. We’ll also be joined by a group of young adults with developmental disabilities from PossAbilities! These young adults will create blankets along with us and then we'll spend a little time getting to know one another!

This event will be a great learning experience for all. It will be a fun, stress free event that will benfit others in our community!

Open to all youth entering grades 6-12. To sign up, grab a permission form from the kiosk in the Gathering Space or from the Parish Center Office. Bring your own fleece to make a blanket or bring $5 to help buy the materials. Permission forms can be picked up in the Gathering Space kiosk or in the Parish Center Office. All forms are due by Friday, June 19th in the Parish Center Office.