January/February Parent Newsletter

Get the scoop on what's happening with our teens at OLV by reading our January/February Parent Newsletter.

Click here to read.

Being Pro-Life as Told by the Avengers

“We ARE the Pro-Life Generation!”

That is the battle cry of this generation’s army of pro-life awesomeness.

This generation is battling for the dignity of life in a culture of death.

There is an assembled group of people who knows what it takes to battle an army: The Avengers.

Believe it or not, The Avengers know what it means to be pro-life.

Don’t believe me?

I’ll let The Avengers tell you how it feels being pro-life.

1. When you tell someone you’re pro-life:

#sorrynotsorry

2. How you feel when you rationally talk to someone about their views on pro-life issues, but they’re having none of it.

 

Don’t want to hear scientific facts?… Well okay then!

3. When friends who aren’t pro-life want to fight about it. EVERY. TIME. THEY. SEE. YOU.

Please, tell me again how I need to “get with the times.”

To continue reading, click here.

You're a Great Man: 29 Catholic Girls Explain Why

Sometimes I hear girls complain about the fact that they can’t find any good guys.

I don’t know what they’re talking about.

They are everywhere and I am blessed to have the privilege to know so many of them. I see great men in my grandfathers, my father, brothers, uncles, cousins, friends, co-workers, boyfriends, and neighbors.

These men inspire me to be a better woman. So thank you. Thank you for being a great man when you hold your temper… when you tell me I’m beautiful… when you’re okay with not being the center of my universe because you know Jesus deserves and holds that place… when you’re not afraid to call me out, to let me know the areas I need to grow in no matter how awkward it may be. You’re a great man when you refuse to let me be stubborn about my independence when it’s obvious I need a more skilled, helping hand.

If any man were to question whether or not his life has meaning, whether he has “made it” as a man, I’m here to tell you that I asked your sisters in Christ to affirm the great men that they know and I got over 6 pages of responses. We see your efforts. And we appreciate you. Keep striving to be the best version of yourself; and if you’re ever unsure if it makes a difference… read this again.

YOU’RE A GREAT MAN WHEN…
“You’re a great man when you make bold sacrifices.” – Leah M.

“You’re a great man when you remember to greet my friends and family members when we’re out together. That simple hello says a lot about your character!” – Erin H.

“You’re a great man when you inspire me to be a better person by the way you live each day. When you work out not for vanity’s sake, but so you can be the strength I lean on. And after all, what’s the point of triceps if you’re not using them to lift the old woman’s suitcase into the overhead compartment on the airplane? I want you to know that more than any compliments or courtesy’s you show to me, I watch the way you treat the cashier, the waitress, your little sister. The little moments of you being an authentic man of God in the small everyday ways, those are the ones that count.” – Maureen M.

“You are a great man when you show love for the Blessed Mother.” – Casey O.

Click here to continue reading.

My Marriage Wasn't Meant to Be

This is an excerpt from a blog by Matt Walsh on TheBlaze.com. It's not meant to endorse any political views from the site.

"I didn’t marry my wife because she’s *The One*, she’s The One because I married her. Until we were married, she was one, I was one, and we were both one of many. I didn’t marry The One, I married this one, and the two of us became one. I didn’t marry her because I was “meant to be with her,” I married her because that was my choice, and it was her choice, and the Sacrament of marriage is that choice. I married her because I love her — I chose to love her — and I chose to live the rest of my life in service to her. We were not following a script, we chose to write our own, and it’s a story that contains more love and happiness than any romantic fable ever conjured up by Hollywood."

Click here to continue reading.

ICYC 2015: Consumed

Are you coming?! Get signed up for ICYC today!

First Communion and Confirmation Worksheets Posted

Have you missed a couple of OLV Teen Nights? Do you need to make up for your absences? There are now worksheets available on this blog for teens preparing to receive the Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation. Look at the right column for the links, print the worksheet, complete it with the help of your book, and return it at the registration table during the next OLV Teen Night. Questions? Contact Daniel at dmiller at olvcaldwell.org or 208-459-3653, ext. 3009.

How Great We Aren't: The Catholic Church in America Today

 

By Eric Sammons, OnePeterFive.com

Those who follow baseball know that the past decade has seen what is called the “Moneyball” revolution in how players are evaluated. In the past, players were gauged using popular, preconceived narratives: Who knocks in the most runs? Who gets the most hits? However, it has been shown in recent years that these questions are not actually predictive of which players truly help their teams win games. For years the experts were analyzing the situation with a preconceived narrative in place, and were therefore prone to ignore the data that didn’t jibe with that narrative. Now, however, new advanced statistical tools have been deployed to discover exactly how much each player contributes to team wins. Moneyball advocates stress that the correct data, looked at dispassionately, is the best way to analyze a situation and come to accurate conclusions.

Nowhere is a preconceived narrative more entrenched than in the Catholic Church in America today. Imagine your own Catholic parish. Can you think of any time that the pastor got up and said, “Listen, things are not good – the school is failing to educate kids in the Faith, people are leaving in droves, and no one believes Catholic doctrine anymore”? Of course not; usually we are told how great the school is, how great the parish is and that we are great, great, great – surely one day we will reword the classic hymn to “How Great We Art”. The message is that we should just keep doing everything as we have done it for the past generation: catechesis, marriage preparation, liturgy, and so on.

But will an objective look at the numbers show that everything is in fact fine? In recent years several studies have been conducted that give an in-depth look at the practices (and non-practices) of Catholics in America.

A major study done by Pew Research in 2009 found that over 30% of Americans who were raised Catholic no longer consider themselves Catholic. This is a well-known figure, but what about those who do still self-identify as Catholic? These are the people who still have some attachment to the Church, at least enough to call themselves “Catholic.” According to one study, less than 30% of them attend Mass once a week, and according to another study, only 25% go to Confession at least once a year. Furthermore, only 62% of those who attend Mass weekly also go to Confession at least once a year.

Putting all these numbers together, we find that less than 10% of baptized Catholics in this country both attend Mass on Sundays and go to Confession at least once a year. In other words, less than 1 in 10 baptized Catholics actually follow the two most measurable precepts of the Church, which all Catholics are obliged to follow.

Click here to continue reading.