A time of transistion for OLV Youth Program

Well, the time has come for me to bid OLV farewell. I am honored to have been a part of this parish for the last 20 months.  This is a wonderful parish and unlike any I have ever been a part of.
As I move on to Alamosa know that you have made an impact on my life and the life of my family. I will miss OLV and the youth who I have had the privilege to work with. I will continue to maintain my parish e-mail address until the end of December but can be reached via e-mail at pittmanmandy@gmail.com or find me on Facebook (under Mandy Schneider Pittman). I don’t have a phone number as of yet but I will sometime soon. Also, we keep up a family blog and that address is http://rbpittman.blogspot.com.

That being said, there are still opportunities for the youth at OLV at least until the end of the year.

The High School will still be meeting at 7 pm on Wednesday 11/10, 11/17, and 12/1.

Middle School students wishing to take part in the Mountain Madness Youth Rally (February 18-20 at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park) you can contact one of the surrounding parishes to go with them.  Approximate cost is $180 per person and you need to contact one of the following parishes’ youth ministers by December 10 if interested: St. Mary’s in Greeley (970-352-1724), St. John’s in Loveland (970-635-5800), or St. Joe’s in Fort Collins (970-482-4148).

Once again, thank you for your support and prayers!
Peace, Mandy Pittman

PS Pray for a new youth minister to join the parish staff soon!

Fall is upon us

Well we are officially in the fall season.  Just a reminder that we are going to play paintball on October 23 at 9 am with St. Joseph's youth group.  Permission forms are available at the church or by e-mailing Mandy at mandy@ourladyofthevalley.net.  Forms and $10 are due by Wednesday, October 20.

Fall Calendar

Below is our fall youth calendar.  Click on it to see a larger version.  As with everything in life, this is subject to change.  See the parish bulletin, this blog, and the youth e-mail (contact mandy@ourladyofthevalley.net to get on the list) for more information.

Schools back!

There are always mixed feelings about the new school year. Sometimes we are excited to see new friends and begin new adventures but there is also that longing for the "lazy days" of summer.

We have a great year planned for the OLV youth program.  We started our regular Wednesday night meetings for the high school students yesterday and are eager to get the new year rolling.

Fall schedules are availabe in the back of the church on the youth bulletin board and the parish bulletin has information about upcoming programs.

If you would like to be added to our e-mail or text list, please contact me at mandy@ourladyofthevalley.net with your name, grade level, and contact information.

Peace and have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!
Mandy

Summer fun!

This summer has started like a rocket!  We had a great turnout for the youth kick-off on the 9th, Elitch Gardens on the 12th, and the first week of youth group last week.  The youth have been enthusiastic and excited for each event and to see each other.  This is a sign of a great summer.

We will continue to have youth group each Wednesday this summer (June 23, 30, July 14 and 21) as well as other youth events like the Summer OLV-ympics for Middle Schoolers on June 27 from 3-5 pm and Rosary Making in July.  If there are local events that you think the youth would be interested in, please drop me a line.

I hope that you are all enjoying your summer!  If you would like to meet little baby Simon (1 month old today) be sure to come to a youth event; he's the new's youth group member and is very consistent about coming to events!
Peace, Mandy

PS I thought that I should include at least one picture of the new baby!

Upcoming Youth Events

The Summer Youth calendars are now available.  If you didn't get one already, they are available on the youth bulletin board in the back of the church.  Please keep checking the blog and the bulletin for all the current info.

May is a light month for the youth program; this allows everyone time to finish up the school year and get geared up for the summer.  We have a great summer planned and are adding more events as they come up.  My due date is 2 weeks from today (May 12) so I may be a little disconnected for the month of May but will be back and ready to go in June.

Have a great end of the school year and see you in June!
Mandy

Sunday events for Middle and High School

This Sunday, April 18, the OLV youth program will be hosting Jenny and Dave Uebbing for our youth groups.  Middle school will begin at 4 pm and High school at 5:30 pm @ OLV.  Dinner will be served to both groups.  Here is a brief description of their talk:
Dave and Jenny Uebbing, married FOCUS missionaries from Denver, will speak on some of the practical applications of the Church's teachings on chastity, human love, and sexuality through the lens of John Paul II's Theology of the Body. Their presentation will use humor, personal testimonies and a gender-segregated Q & A session at the end of the presentation. The middle and high school sessions will be tailored to age-appropriate audiences.

Parents are always welcomed to attend any youth event but please keep in mind that this event is for the youth.  If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact Mandy.

This will be our last Middle School Youth Group of the School year and the last Sunday Night High School Youth Group.

A Colorado Spring

Last week the ground was covered with snow and yesterday we got into the 70's.  I have to chuckle at spring in Colorado. The unexpected change from sunny to snowy days is a reminder that though winter is still upon us spring is on the way.  Lent also is on its way out and Easter will soon be upon us.  No matter if you have been faithfully praying everyday and have given up your favorite treat or have put Lent on the back burner there is still time to remind ourselves about the importance of this holy time of year. There are a variety of activities for us to get an idea of Jesus’ sacrifice for us:

*You can read your Little Black Books or do the Rice Bowl donations and readings.

*Below is the schedule for the Parish events for Holy Week:

Thursday, April 1 Mass of the Lord’s Supper 8:00 p.m. (Followed by Eucharistic Adoration)
Friday, April 2 The Lord’s Passion 3:00 p.m. and Stations of the Cross 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 3 Decorating the Church 10:00 a.m.; Easter Food Blessing 12:00 noon; Easter Vigil 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 4 Easter Masses 7:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 11:30 a.m.
Easter Egg Hunt 12:30 p.m.

Take the time to go to as many days of Holy Week as you can and talk about the experiences with your family. This is a great opportunity to experience our faith through all of our senses!

February 2010

February has been a full month for the OLV youth program. We started the month out with an extremely successful bake sale! The following weekend, a group of 14 of us attended the Archdiocesan Middle School youth rally, Mountain Madness. The middle school students were able to experience their faith in new and exciting ways and really came out of their shells throughout the weekend. Pictures from the event will soon be on the blog.


This Sunday, (Feb. 21) we will be having our Middle School Winter OLV-ympics: fun winter inspired games that will give the youth a chance to engage in friendly competition and get to know each other better. If you have never been to a youth event before, this is a great one to try out. We will be having snacks similar to what you would get at a fair or carnival.

Next weekend we are offering two activities for 7-12 graders. The first is our OLV/St. Joe’s ski trip (Feb. 27). We are taking a bus to this event and have a few seats left so if you would like to sign up as a participant or a chaperone, please let me know by 2/22. The second event is the “Ain’t Misbehavin’ Purity Rally” at St. Thomas More Parish. We are still accepting individuals until 2/24 for this event (Feb. 28). To attend all you need is to fill out a permission form (in the back of church) and return it with $15 to Mandy in the Youth Office.

I hope that you are all spending some time this Lent strengthening your relationship with Christ either by sacrificing something that you really love or by giving of your time to engage in something new.
Peace, Mandy

Youth Reminders and Thanks

Thanks so much to all of the families who donated time and food for our soup dinner (1/17) and high school youth group (1/24) this month. The youth program relies on help from the parish and you have been great in giving of what you have to our 6-12 grade students.

We have our next fundraiser on the horizon. We will be holding our second (and most likely last) bake sale of the year on February 6 & 7 after all masses. We are in need of all kinds of baked goods and snacks. If you are interested in helping sell or donate items, please contact Mandy asap.

February is a busy month for the youth program. We have Mountain Madness on the 12-14 and are taking a group of almost 20 middle school students to this amazing event. We are also taking a combined parish ski trip to Eldora on the 27 for all 7-12 graders. Parents are needed for this event. Sign up by returning a permission form and money (varies by age and needs) to Mandy by February 14.

Finally, we have a great opportunity to attend the Ain't Misbehavin' Purity Rally in Denver on February 28. This event is open to high school students with a limited number of spots for 7-8 grade students. Cost is $15 per person and permission forms and money are due to Mandy by February 14.

We have a great winter and spring planned for our youth. If you haven't volunteered for a youth event, I urge you to do so. We have amazing young people in this parish and it is important that we have lots of adult involvement so that this program can serve as many youth as possible.

Stay warm,
Mandy

Calendars are almost ready

The spring semester calendars are going out at youth group this week (at both middle and high school) as well as to all the 6-9 graders in RE next Wednesday.  If you aren't attending either youth group or RE look for them in the back of church or contact Mandy to get your copy!  The blog will have the most updated information asap.