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Introducing Catholic Youth Parramatta's
ELEMENTS

“Elements” is a new online initiative by Catholic Youth Parramatta which offers content for youth ministers to use in their respective parishes, schools and movements. It will be distributed monthly.
We look forward to seeing how Elements grows with you. If you wish to discuss the content of this initiative further, contact Qwayne on qguevara@parra.catholic.org.au.

“ … If you have something dark in your soul, ask the Lord for forgiveness. Christmas is a great opportunity to cleanse the soul. Do not fear, the priest is merciful, forgiving all in the name of God, because God forgives everything.”. - Pope Francis

A Season of Waiting Joyfully

It's that time of the year again where we look forward to the birth of Jesus Christ. The season of joy and giving. We are reminded of the gift of family and friends and recognise the blessings poured into our lives throughout the year. In this edition of Elements, we share resources exploring the different aspects of Christmas. This includes the waiting period of before Christmas, known as Advent, the Nativity and the key players in the Christmas Story.

There are many online resources that can help you with your final youth gathering for the year. Ideas to use the material below includes:

Watching a video with your youth and separating them into small groups to discuss the content of the video. Use discussion questions that draw young people to think about the meaning of Christmas more deeply.
Drawing out key lessons from the videos and using the content to form your pastoral talk
Inspiring the youth to prepare well through Advent by encouraging a culture of prayer and joyful waiting
Using a video to prompt your youth to reflect on the year that was and having them list their blessing to offer to Jesus (optional: list struggles also)

For Youth and Young Adults:
1. Waiting for Christmas - Fr Mike
2. Advent: More than a Chocolate Calendar - Fr Mike
3. Christmas Peace - Ken Yasinski
4. Advent - Busted Halo
5. The Paradox of Christmas - Igniter Media

For Children:
1. An online series of pictures that be downloaded to explain Christmas | Why Christmas
2. The Nativity Scene Through A Child's Canvas - Xt3
3. Christmas Story told by Aussie Kids - Xt3

Guides for Youth Group Meeting
1. The Precious Present
2. Can you afford Christmas - Young Christian Workers

As we remember the year that was, may we look forward to the year that will be in 2018, remembering always that it is a journey of mercy and love with God. It is He who loves us first so much so that He gave us His son to be with us.

Merry Christmas, faithful servants of God! May He continue to bless you in your mission as you bring more young people closer to the truth of God's love for humanity.

Holy Role Models
Role models are important to share in ministry as they provide examples on how to live like Jesus.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ST NICHOLAS

Servant for All, One Mission
We are collecting stories! This will be a chance for you to hear about the work of other ministers and get connected. If you wish to be featured in this section, send us an email and we will meeting you for an interview! Click below to email Qwayne our Local Engagement Leader!

GET CONNECTED

Prayer
Prayer is an essential part of your meetings. In this section we suggest a prayer or a creative way to engage in prayer to encourage young people to deepen their prayer lives. This may include songs, guided prayers or meditations. The link is a video prayer that you may wish to start or end your gathering. It could also be used as part of a reflection on Christmas.

A CHRISTMAS PRAYER VIDEO

Get Involved or Take Action!

This month we highlight ACYF. For those who will not be there, here is a link to the live streaming of ACYF by Xt3.

LIVE STREAM ACYF HERE

Get Your Game On: White Elephant Gift Exchange Game

If you haven't already thought about ways to give presents to your young people, here is a good idea to get you started. Set the limit to $10 to $15 and have your group bring wrapped gifts that suits everyone and gifts that other would want to take! It's all good fun!

For details of the rules, check this site out!
https://www.whiteelephantrules.com/

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Catholic Youth Parramatta – 51-59 Allawah Street, Blacktown NSW 2148

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Catholic Youth Parramatta - Agency for Youth - Catholic Diocese of Parramatta · 51-59 Allawah Street · Blacktown, NSW 2148 · Australia

Introducing Catholic Youth Parramatta's ELEMENTS

A Season of Waiting Joyfully

Get Your Game On: White Elephant Gift Exchange Game

Introducing Catholic Youth Parramatta's
ELEMENTS