Message from the Msgr. Kenneth Schwanger
My Dear Family of Our Lady of Lourdes,
This past weekend we got to see and hear the great blessing that is our Youth Ministry. It is a prime example of what I always say: that the youth are not the future of the Church, they are the Church today! We have youth groups for elementary school students, for middle school students, for high school students, and for college students as they expand their engagement in the life of the parish through the young adult groups of the parish.
The Youth Groups are also where the catechesis that those who are preparing for the Sacraments receive at home is expanded and lived out in practice. Sunday Mass attendance, home-based learning of the essentials of the faith, and our on-campus youth ministry provide both a foundation and continuing formation that prepares our young people for a life in the Church.
Now, I would like to add an opportunity for those who would like to go even deeper in their faith formation. We are preparing to offer on-campus catechetical instruction that will build on and go beyond what our young people learn at home. It would be a three day per week academy, probably Tuesday through Thursday, and would cover the essentials of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in depth and prepare the students for their Confirmation. Students of any age could join the academy and would have to commit to full participation up to the time of their Confirmation.
As part of our preparation for the academy, I would like to invite our Catechists who are certified by the Archdiocese of Miami or who would like to be certified and to serve in the academy to contact me at msgr@ololourdes.org.
We can all meet together and go over plans for this exciting expansion of our Christian Formation Ministry. I’ll share more information here and on our webpage as things progress. God bless.
Msgr. Schwanger
Pastor