World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life

This Sunday is the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. I think the Consecrated Life is awesome and I've had the great blessing to have met many men and women who have given their lives in service to the Church and to the people of God.

Due to my work in youth ministry I've mostly been involved with those Consecrated working in education: Marist Brothers, Josephites, Mercy Sisters, the list goes on. It always struck me how generous these men and women have been with their lives.

Consecrated Life is often the forgotten vocation. Let's not forget about these men and women who have served God and the community is such a selfless way.

This Sunday let's pray that God blesses our Consecrated brothers and sisters and the many groups doing the Lord's work.

Disconnection

For those reading this outside of QLD the weather we've been having over the last couple of weeks has caused problems for many homes across the State. There rain has flooded many areas, the wind has taken down branches and power lines but perhaps the biggest concern residents have has been a lack of power.

Now obviously having no electricity means many household appliances simply shut down: fridges, freezers, washing machines, etc. For a young person like myself this is devastating: I couldn't watch television, couldn't play Halo on the xbox and couldn't use my phone or computer once their batteries ran flat which meant I couldn't access facebook (GASP!)

It felt like the apocalypse! I had no access to the rest of the world, I was deprived of connection with the rest of humanity. It made me realise how much I take for granted access to technology and social networks. It's the reality of the world our young people belong to: they have instant connection to the world via facebook, twitter, smart phones and/or iphones.

It's often said that Gen Y and Gen Z (it scares me that there's a whole generation after mine, am I really that old?) lack social skills because they are only adept at facebooking or tweeting, but what these generations have achieved is limitless networking with the rest of the world. Our generation is about connections -just take a look at how many facebook "friends" you have and how many you actually would connect with on a regular basis. It's not a bad thing, but it's important to recognise that young people want to belong to something; be it a social network, or a band, or a sports team, anything: if you're like me you want to feel like your existence means something to others.

That is what vocation is all about: connection with God and with the Church community. You ARE meant for something, you're called to that connection with God and with the world. So next time you log into facebook, let it inspire you to think about how you want to connect with God and with the world - or how God might be calling you to connect.

Wellbeing

I recently got introduced to a new ministry called Experience Wellbeing. The name is self-explanotary and their mission is centered around John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full". They offer many different retreat programs, professional development and pilgrimages.
To learn more about Experience Wellbeing click here.

Great Story

This is an interview with a seminarian from the Diocese of Peoria in the States. There's a whole series of clips worth checking out.

I love his story, how he told his mum the only way he'd go to a seminary was if monks dragged him there! It's a great reminder for us to stay open to God's calling.

Regrets

I don't know about you, but when I look back on my life there are definitely things that I regret. Those moments that you look back on and think, "wow, I wonder what would have happened if..."

For me that moment was in Year 11. It was the Under 18's representative basketball tryouts. I went to the first tryout and the coach made us run laps for five hours (ok, so maybe it was closer to one hour). I was dead by the end of it and I decided I wasn't cut out for representative sport and didn't attend the next two tryouts. Soon after I gave up playing competitive basketball all together.

Now, I'd be kidding myself if I said that making that rep team would have lead to me becoming an NBA player but certainly it would have been a massive opportunity. I missed out on doing something I dreamed about since I was a kid.

These missed opportunities can haunt us a little bit. Quite often there things we never get a second chance at. I'm determined to not let opportunities pass me by anymore. Sometimes that puts me in awkward or uncomfortable situations, but it's worth it to not be a bitter and boring when I'm 90 years old. As the old phrase goes: carpe diem/seize the day.

I am the Brave

I've been in and around youth ministry since I was in Year 12. In all that time I haven't had the chance to attend Zero Gravity. Zero Gravity (or ZG as it is affectionately known) is a camp for Catholic teens provided by Emmanuel Youth Outreach (click here to see what the camp is all about). This year I finally got to attend as a leader and I was excited to see what all the buzz was about.
Rather than give you every single detail about the camp (so much happened it would be a strain on my brain to remember it all anyway), check out this awesome video of the camp (including an interview with none other than yours truly):

I don't know about you, but I always get a little bit anxious when I'm attending something for the first time: being in an environment I'm unfamiliar with, surrounded by people I don't know is definitely outside of my comfort zone. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit anxious about going to my first Zero Gravity and not fitting in. But instead of awkwardly sitting in the back corner by myself, I felt like I was welcomed into a family. I guess that's the cool thing about Zero Gravity: it's more than a once a year camp, it's a community that supports and encourages each other to continue to journey in the faith throughout the year.

The theme of this year's camp was The Brave: to step out in our faith, to change the things we're maybe too comfortable with, or to share about what we actually get up when we're at "some Church thing". The challenge to be brave in our faith is a challenge for all of us. I know I was definitely challenged to step out more in my faith seeing 150-plus teens get so amped about being "The Brave".  Here's a challenge for you: how will you step out and be "the Brave" today?

Peace,

Adam

Welcome!

Hi and welcome! My name is Adam and I am the Vocations Field Officer for the Archdiocese of Brisbane. I belong to a team of people who make up the Vocations Centre (learn more about our team at our website or add us on Facebook here). The Vocations team's aim is enable all people to understand their call, specifically to encourage young men to discern a call to the priesthood. 
My role is to bring that vision to youth within the Archdiocese by visiting schools, attending youth camps and retreats, visiting youth groups - basically being anywhere youth are! 
So come join me as I travel around the Archdiocese as I post about what I get up to. It's my hope that this blog might be mildly entertaining, somewhat riveting, accidentally profound and of course, that it prompts you to ask yourself the question: where am I going?

Peace,
Adam