EDGE Youth Ministry

EDGE Night "Call Me Mom"

The Matching Game was played as the Gather Game. Students, arranged in grade-level groups, matched each Core Member with his/her hobby. The goal of the EDGE Night was to help teens see Mary as a living witness of humility and faith and to understand Mary's role in the Church. She is our spiritual mother and is known under many titles. These titles include, "Our Lady of Good Success, Our Lady of Consolation, Our Lady of Sorrow, Our Lady of Czestochowa, Our Lady of Banneux," etc. We ended the Night by praying the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

FallMiddle School Retreat "Fit for a King"

Guided by Matthew 6:33,"... seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness;" the goal of the middle school retreat was to help the middle school youth see their identity as knights and ladies in God's Kingdom. The retreat participants compared and contrasted the Kingdom of God with historical kingdoms and found that a "knight" and a "lady" are not only figures in history, but they exhibited virtues that are still desirable in men and women today. The retreat ended with The Energizer, a diocesan evening event for parents, teens, and children.

EDGE Night "Call Your Mother"

The Gather Game allowed students to tell about themselves and list one thing they love about their earthly moms. The "toaster timer" caught some of them in mid-sentence. The “chosen” students then picked a jar of baby food from a brown bag and tasted it for all to witness. Prizes were given to these brave teens. The presenter asked the students to recognize the bond they have with their mothers. Most of these mothers carried them 9 months, care for them even now, and know so much about them. Our spiritual mother, Mary, has this same love for each of us. God has a special job for each of us on earth and He hopes we will say, “Yes,” to His call just like Mary did. The Magnificat, Luke 1:46–55, is the hymn of the Virgin Mary. We can pray the same words that Mary did when she proclaimed her fiat. Another way that we pray for Mary’s intercession is with the Rosary. The students prayed a “Human Rosary” as we lit a candle for each prayer in the rosary circle.

EDGE Night “Roses in Winter: Our Lady of Guadalupe”

The Gather Game, “Baby Bottle Chug,” was an old-fashioned chugging contest; with apple juice. Again, our introduction to the Night is associated with babies/mothering. The goal for the Night was to introduce the students to the apparition of the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Mary gave Juan Diego a message and a miracle as proof of the validity of her request. Our Lady’s message applies to our lives today. The miracle of the tilma continues to astound scientists who study the Our Lady of Guadalupe image. We ended the Night by asking for Our Lady of Guadalupe’s intercession in prayer.

EDGE Night “Grace in the Grotto: Our Lady of Lourdes”

The partner competition with confetti-filled eggs was great fun! The goal of this EDGE was to learn about the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes and how the messages of St. Bernadette apply to our lives today. She said to Bernadette, “I do not promise you happiness in this world, but in the next.” As with all apparitions of Mary, the purpose is to lead us closer to her Son. The miracle at Lourdes is the healing spring. Millions visit the site of the apparition each year. We ask for the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes and offer up our own hardships for the conversion of sinners everywhere. We ended the Night with and a short history of “The Angelus” and then prayed The Angelus together.

EDGE Night “The Day the Sun Danced: Our Lady of Fatima”

The Core Members performed a skit for the middle school students called, “Yes, Mother.” The emphasis in this funny skit showed that ‘saying’ your prayers is not the same thing as ‘praying’ your prayers. The goal for the Night was to tell the story of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. Again, Our Lady has much to teach all of us in her message at Fatima. She did not come to scold us, but rather to remind us that sin is real and that it affects our lives. We must pray for each other and strive for holiness. We ended the Night by learning a short history of “The Hail, Holy Queen” and then prayed the Hail, Holy Queen together.

EDGE Night “Know Your Momma”

Five teams of Moms plus son or daughter competed in the “Know Your Momma” Game Show. This night focused on Mary’s role in Salvation History and themain teachings of the Church about Mary. This night helped review with the teens teachings on the Annunciation, the Assumption, Mary’s Perpetual Virginity, Mary as Mother of God, and Mary, Queen of Heaven.