The World of QR Codes

Today we want information fast. Perhaps too fast?!... Since typing in web addresses, especially long ones, can be tiresome for people - and may result in people not finding our websites. In an age of mobile devices, it can be difficult to type in all the characters in a long URL. So now we enter a world of QR codes - those bar-code-looking boxes that link people directly to a website.

Wanting to make sure that young adults don't forget about the diocesan young adult ministry opportunities awaiting them, we have developed the following.

Click the link below now (and anytime you want) and you'll immediately access the diocesan website for young adult ministry - and then from there, you can link to our calendar, upcoming events, list of opportunities for collegians, singles, and couples, parish workshops options, and more.

Joliet Young Adults Travel to Madrid

21 pilgrims from the Diocese of Joliet travel to Madrid, Spain, for the celebration of World Youth Day with the Holy Father. There are also quite a number of young adults traveling with the various youth groups from the diocese. the week ahead looks to be a promising experience for all of them.

We are praying for all of you back home. Please pray for them as well. We will all be united in our prayers.

World Youth Day Madrid 2011

Follow the Joliet Young Adult Pilgrim Delegation!

Hundreds of thousands of young adults will descend on Madrid, Spain, for the international celebration of World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain, this coming week. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will take part in the festivities as well - and will encourage the young people present (and those connecting virtually) to be witnesses of their faith to their generation.

If you would like to follow the pilgrims... check out the following:

The International World Youth Day Website:
http://www.madrid11.com/en

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops WYD Website:
http://new.usccb.org/about/world-youth-day/index.cfm

The Virtual World Youth Day Pilgrimage Journey:
http://www.virtualworldyouthday.org/
(and on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VirtualWorldYouthDay)

The Diocese of Joliet Young Adult Ministry Social Media Pages:
(on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yamjoliet)
(on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/yamjoliet)

We hope you will be able to follow along with us on our journey with the Holy Father in Madrid. Remember that the Pope speaks to you as much as he speaks to those making the physical journey overseas. Let us all pray for the rejuvenation of the Catholic Church among those in their 20s and 30s, in the United States and across the globe. See you around... online!

Ash Wednesday: Why Do We Go?

Each year on Ash Wednesday, our pews are more full than any given Sunday. Studies show that while 15% of adults under 45 attend Mass weekly, a whopping 50% of that same group will receive ashes on the first day of Lent. That leads me to wonder: why?!

What's so special about Ash Wednesday that it commands our attention? Adults who are religiously inactive the rest of the year seem to make it a point to receive ashes. Because of this, our churches swell in attendance all day long. We cannot keep people away if we tried.

Some have speculated that people return out of a sense of subconscious Catholic identity: it was ingrained in them as children, so they reenact that spiritual experience as adults. Others believe it is a form of peer pressure brought on by co-workers, neighbors, friends, media personalities, and strangers on the street - they are reminded of this special day by others' already-received ashes on their foreheads (not to mention the day appears on most secular calendars too). Or perhaps it is because Lent gives people a second chance at a New Year's resolution - and the ashes signify a public admission that they need to try harder this time around.

But why do YOU go? Whether you're inactive or a frequent churchgoer, why will you receive ashes this year? What's so special about this day to you?

Feel free to respond, reply, or comment. We would love to hear from you.

Advent Candelight Vespers - 2010

The Diocese of Joliet Young Adult Ministry's annual Advent Candlelight Vespers Service is a great respite for those needing a little peace in their otherwise hectic lives. Check out the invitation below. This event is open to all young adults, 18 to 39 (and those young adult at heart) and their families. Who doesn't need a little break?

The service takes place on the darkest night of the year - so that we remember that the light of Christ's light and everlasting peace always vanquishes the darkness of war, stress, anxiety, polarization, apathy, and bitterness. Check it out...

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Advent-Candlelight-Vespers--You-re-Invited-.html?soid=1102273236541&aid=92uCqwVQZ58

Tell your friends, too. Happy Advent.

World Youth Day Madrid: 365 Days & Counting

Only one year to go to WYD 2011 in Madrid, Spain!

Twenty-two young adults from the Diocese of Joliet will depart for Madrid, Spain, in one year's time. The international celebration of World Youth Day will take place August 13-22, 2011 on the Iberian penninsula - and we'll be there to experience the big event!

This past week, WYD pilgrims from the diocese have celebrated their one-year pre-anniversary by gathering and sharing their thoughts on the notion of pilgrimage - and why this trip will be different than any vacation they have had or will ever have. As we look one year into the future, we can expect a journey of faith - both interior and exterior - that will transform their lives.

World Youth Day, begun at Pope John Paul II's suggestion in 1984, is now an international phenomenon. The audience for this event are young people ages 16 to 35 (the word "youth" in Europe is more indicitive of young adults than teenagers) - and the Diocese of Joliet is bringing a big contingent of those people to Spain next August.

In addition to the 22 young adults, the diocese will also send along older teens, chaperones, and young adult seminarians and priests - as well as Bishop J. Peter Sartain, who will accompany the pilgrimage overseas. Several diocesan agencies are working together to make this trip a reality: the youth ministry office, the campus ministry office, the vocations office, the Hispanic affairs office, and of course, the young adult ministry office for the Diocese of Joliet.

The young adult pilgrims include men and women from around the Chicagoland area: Joliet, Naperville, Morris, Clarendon Hills, Schaumburg, Buffalo Grove, Plainfield, Elmhurst, Lockport, Lisle, Frankfort, and Chicago. They are college students, recent grads, married couples, and singles - and they are open to the Holy Spirit as they make their way towards Madrid this year.

The coming year will feature retreats, days of reflection, catechesis, spiritual renewal, social opportunities, travel preparation, and other activities for these pilgrims. One major difference between a vacation and a pilgrimage is that the pilgrim's route is just as important as the destination. And this year, as we journey with these men and women, that route is full of great things.

Please pray for our pilgrims this year.

Summer Finale Celebration with Bishop Sartain

This Saturday, August 7th, 2010 - Finale Mass on the Grass

The summer is almost over - and what a better way to send off the season by being a part of a great Mass on the Grass with Joliet Bishop J. Peter Sartain and a crowd of your peers?

This Saturday, the Diocese of Joliet hosts its finale event at the St. Charles Borromeo Pastoral Center in Romeoville (specifically at 101 W. Airport Road, Romeoville, IL 60446, just north of Lewis University on Rt. 53). Mass begins at 5:00 p.m., followed by a picnic dinner at 6:00 p.m.

The cost is only $5.00 per person in advance (call Nancy for tickets to be held at will call: 815-834-4048) or $10.00 if you buy them at the door. All young adults are welcome to attend, whether they came to Theology-on-Tap or not. We'd love to have you!