Cardboard Box City 2010: Update!

St. Francis took 12 youth and 3 adults to Soldier’s Field this year to spend a night in the box! 

We had fun constructing and decorating our shelters. The weather turned out to be pretty pleasant and the rain held off for the most part!

There was food, entertainment, and games throughout the evening.  Three of our young men won the treasure hunt this year and took home the $50 prize!  One of our girls’ teams was hot on their trail!  Congratulations to Riley Orr, Gavin Popp and Braden Delaney.

Some of our kids got to do some drumming and play a couple games!

Gavin Popp was interviewed by KAAL Channel 6 News.  Gavin fundraised over $600 by himself and received the award for raising the most funds by an individual! 

In the morning we worked on blankets for the Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN).  Each person receives their own pillow and blanket during their stay at IHN—this can be a great comfort in a time of transition for these families. 

By the end we were all pretty tired...

 

Thank you very much to our two chaperones who ‘braved the elements’ with us: Justin Peters and Steve Dickes.  Thank you also to all our adult helpers including Steve and Mike Delaney, Rhonda Orr, Michelle Larson, and Gen Smith.  These adults helped with transportation, constructing our shelters, cutting and tying blankets, and providing us a wonderful breakfast!  Another thank you goes to Warner’s Stellian for providing many of the boxes!

Cardboard Box City 2010: Update

Click the link to see the video coverage of Cardboard Box City 2010!  Our group is shown and Gavin Popp is interviewed!



St. Francis Youth on the News:
http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S1804828.shtml?cat=10151

Steubenville North Video 2011!

The Steubenville North Youth Conference video is here!  Check out the video and get ready for an awesome experience at Steuebnville North 2011!  All current 8th gradeers-high school seniors  are invited to join us--right here in Rochester July 15-17 at the Mayo Civic Center.



Partnership for Youth has a new website as well--check it out!  Registration for the conference opens November 15th!

http://www.partnershipforyouth.org/

TrutH Teen Mass

Open to EVERYONE! 

This Mass will be geared toward teens but all are welcome to participate!

Mass this Sunday at Pax Christi.

Raking Day

Help needed for the RAKING DAY!

Saturday, November 6th

10 am- 12 pm

During the Fall Festival, parishoners were able to bid on a day of raking from St. Francis youth!  As you may know, the money raised from the fall festival benefits the parish and so this is a great service project for our youth.  Now we need your help!  If you are able to help rake on Saturday, November 6th we would like your help!

Items to bring:
-Warm clothing
-Gloves
-Rake


I will be there to help you rake. We will work until the yard is finished and all leaves are picked up (about noon). I will provide lawn bags along with juice and donuts when we stop to take a break.

Please let me know if you have a vehicle in which you could help carry lawn bags to the recycling center. If you have a truck or trailer---that would be a great help! We’d like to get rid of all the leaves for this family!

If any parents, siblings or friends would like to come along to help in our efforts please invite them to join us! The more people we have, the quicker we can work!

Again, this is a good service to the church and this family!  If you're able, consider joining us in a morning of service!
If you are able to participate, please contact Carol Crawford by email at youthminister@stfrancis-church.org or phone at 288-7313.

Fall Kickoff Update!

Our Fall Kickoff was a great success! A total of 28 middle and high school students joined us for a night of food, fun, and games!  What a GREAT turnout!

 

We started off with our pumpkin carving contest. Individuals or teams were asked to carve pumpkins and a winner was chosen among the entries. There were so many great carvings, but our overall winner was Riley Orr who took home a prize pack! 

 

 Next Linda Baltes joined us to share a little about the Resource Room. Each student was asked to bring at least one donation to the Resource Room. Linda gave tours and answered any questions the kids had about this important ministry.  Then it was time to bob for apples! This was a hit—we even had people who wanted to go 2, 3, 4 times! Especially with our recent warm weather this game was a lot of fun!

Next were our minute to win it games. We played ‘Junk in the Trunk’, ‘Noodling,’ and ‘Joker’s on You!’ We all had a great time and we’ll definitely have more minute to win it games in the future!

Finally, we ended the night by announcing our costume winners.  Gavin Popp took home the 'best overall'  and Molly Kiley won for 'most creative'.

 

Thank you to all who participated. Special thanks to our adult volunteers as well as Linda Baltes for taking us through the Resource Room! Thanks for making the kickoff such a great time!

Why attend DCYC this year?

Winona Diocese Catholic Youth Conference (DCYC) is offered every other year to high school students throughout the Diocese of Winona. This year, DCYC will be held right here in Rochester November 13-14 and offers LOTS of exciting things including:

• A dynamic and interactive presentation by nationally-known singer, songwriter, and storyteller, Steve Angrisano.
• A performance of "Catholic Comedy" by Judy McDonald.
• An evening concert with Steve Angrisano and our diocese's Peter Bierer from St. John the Baptist in Mankato.
• Hands-on Service Projects.
• Celebration of the Eucharist with Spirit-filled song and worship.
• Swapping -an exchange of creative and fun items between conference participants.
• Presentation of "St. Timothy" and "Companions on the Journey" awards to a young person and adult leader who provide outstandingexamples of ministry and service.
• The opportunity for youth from across the Diocese to meet on another and to give witness to a living, vibrant faith.

If you are in grades 9-12 please join us for this amazing opportunity right here in Rochester, November 13-14. Permission Forms area available in the Gathering Space kiosk and Parish Center Office.

Attention adults: Volunteers are needed!  Volunteers will be  stationed in different positions through the entire event to direct people, supervise space and reset some chairs/tables.    There are three shifts:  Noon-4pm, 4-8pm and 8-12am. Most help will be needed in the later shift. 

Break Nights

Permission forms due each Wednesday preceding the BREAK Night.

If you have already turned in a Permission Form, simply RSVP for the BREAK Night by Wednesday of that week.

Please note:

January 2011 BREAK Night will be Friday, January 14th

Fall Kickoff 2010

Who:  All students in grades 6-12

When: Saturday, October 9th 6-8:30 pm

What: A fun kickoff event for Youth Ministry!

Bring an item for the Resource Room, your own pumpkin, and a costume to wear!  See the permission form for details.  Permission forms due Wednesday, October 6th and are available in the Gathering Space kiosk and at the Parish Office.

Costume Contest: All students are encouraged to come dressed in a costume to this event. Costumes must reflect our Christian values and not be representing violence, gore, immodest dress or the like. Costumes should be uplifting and positive. Prizes will be awarded for most creative costume and best overall costume. Any costume deemed inappropriate will be asked to change. If you have any questions about costume appropriateness, please see Carol Crawford.



Pumpkin Carving: Youth can participate in pumpkin carving if they’d like. Carve by yourself in in a group. Each group/person should provide their own pumpkin to carve. Each pumpkin will be carved using pumpkin carving kits that will be provided. No youth will be allowed to use a knife. As always, no knives should be brought to this event.


Resource Room: The Resource Room is a ministry of St. Francis of Assisi Church that supplies people in need with basic household items. As the resource room is constantly ebeing used, it constantly needs to be replenished. As an “entrance fee” each youth is asked to bring an item for the resource room.

Suggested donations include: Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, bar soap, shampoo, dish soap, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, cleaning supplies, dishes, pots and pans, frying pans, blankets, pillows, sheets, towels, disposable diapers. A special need right now is shampoo. As a part of the evening, the youth will get to see the resource room and hear a little bit about how it operates and who it benefits.