Parishes and schools are encouraged to have young people carry the cross into parish or school liturgies as a witness to our responsibility to share this symbol of Christ’s love. You may also wish to have the cross present during retreats as a part of prayer space, to use it as part of a prepared prayer service, or to be creative and think of your own ways to utilize the cross in your ministry. Remember that it is a diocesan cross, so in time, thousands of young people will have carried it, prayed before it, and been inspired by it.
Use the Hosting the Cross resource to plan your experience with the cross and to answer any questions you might have. Use the Resource Packet for suggested prayers and activities.
Download Hosting the Cross Resource Packet
Have you ever been over at a good friend’s house for supper, someone that you really enjoy being with, and when you finish eating, you want to spend more time with that friend, so you talked in the living room, or went outside on the porch? Eating a meal with your friend was satisfying, but you still wanted to relax and just hang around for just a little while longer.
Well, since the Mass is the source and summit of our Christian life, it means a lot to us; it is a holy meal where we partake of the Body and Blood of Jesus. But like any friend, we need some extra time together to develop our friendship with Jesus even more. We can do this with Jesus in our adoration of Him before the tabernacle or by worshiping Jesus exposed in the monstrance for adoration.
So be a good friend to Jesus, and stick around a while longer.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a celebration of the merciful love of God. Through the gift of this sacrament, we are brought back together with the Father (reconciled) through the saving action of Jesus Christ, His Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This gift, given to the Church by Jesus himself on the evening of the Resurrection (see John 20:21-23), brings the sinner into the embrace of the Father, Who seeks us out and forgives. No one is beyond that embrace; no one is too far gone. Now, we who approach this sacrament with faith in God’s love and mercy and an honest awareness of our sins, with a sincere heart to try and live better, experience the depth of God’s love.
This guide can help you and your teens make the most of this powerful experience of God.