Being an Informed Catholic Teen

     I'd say about 85% of the Catholic teens I know are not informed about Catholicism as much as they could be. I'm not saying I'm well-informed either, just that we all can take time and resources to improve our knowledge on Catholicism. The majority of Catholic teens probably cannot quote scripture and cite it, or be intellectually aware of the differences between the Novus Ordo mass and the Tridentine mass.
     At this point, you're probably wondering, "Well, why aren't they aware?" If you're also a teen yourself, maybe question how acknowledgeable you are of the Catholic faith. The importance in being an informed Catholic teen especially in the 21st century is crucial for the world. If the amount of informed Catholic teens in the world decrease rapidly or slowly, it can still cause damage to the Church. When issues such as the sex abuse scandal or the topic homosexuality appear, Catholic teens need to be able to firmly respond correctly and in accordance with the Catholic teachings. For example, many people have an inaccurate view of Catholicism possibly because the Catholics they have met are misinformed and have misspoken about the faith.
     Many teens might not even understand the seven sacraments or be able to accurately state why all human life is sacred. This is concerning. This isn't the fault of a certain person or group of people. The reason is partly due to religion seen as a "negative" in the media, and that other things are more important. This whole idea takes away from the true discovery and education of Catholicism. If only more people understood what the Catholic Church stood for and taught instead of the misconceptions, then Catholicism would definitely take another step in the journey to save as many souls as possible. We're all at fault here, I would personally say that I'm accountable for someone being a less informed Catholic teen.
     In my opinion, I don't think we lack any resources, especially in first-world countries. We have TV channels and radio stations, films/media, books, music, etc. It's unlimited! But it comes down to the individual teen, many are lacking that push to actually find out resources about the faith. It's to the point when we see Catholic teens supporting Planned Parenthood, some even posting IG pictures of products of companies (largely Starbucks) that support Planned Parenthood. We also see many claiming to be "Catholic," but then not understanding the Catholic teaching on homosexuality and marriage between one man and a woman.
     The big question is how can this be fixed? I honestly have no idea, I'm still trying to become an informed Catholic teen myself. But that's the first step, to understand that we lack knowledge in at least one aspect of the Catholic faith, and to change that by taking the initiative to expand our wisdom. If every Catholic teen would take fifteen minutes everyday or more to learn something new about the Catholic faith that they didn't know before, it would not only benefit them, but the entire Catholic Church.
     So other Catholic teens out there, are you an informed Catholic teen? What other things can you do to improve your current position? There's many questions you may have, but there's definitely answers out there.

Good luck to all of you, and please keep me in your prayers as well.

VibrantCatholic

St. James Coffee: Catholic Coffeehouse

     If you happen to follow me on any of my social media, it'd be very likely you've heard about St. James Coffee. But if you haven't heard of St. James Coffee, let me tell you about it! Who doesn't love coffee? Well, I suppose some people don't, which is why I'm here to tell you St. James Coffee also offers others drinks such as teas or smoothies. And you don't have to be Catholic, everyone that goes there is respected and welcomed! Conversations about faith are always welcomed, though!

     How about a little history on this lovely coffeehouse, shall we? It was an idea by a priest when he was still in the seminary, and the idea came to fulfillment in the summer of 2012. It is now a non-profit Catholic coffeeshop in Rochester, MN in the Diocese of Winona. Something really awesome about this place, is about 90% of the hours are covered by volunteers, me (VibrantCatholic) being one, too! How could I have forgotten?! There's a chapel there, too! Although it's not fancy or intricate, it's simple and has Jesus, which I think is more important than anything else.
   
     Now for a little testimony, I just wanted to say that this place has absolutely transformed me to become a better person. Not just because of the physical surroundings in the coffeeshop, but the people I've met there. At St. James Coffee, I've spoken with people who have helped me to grow in my faith and to also see my vocation a little bit more clearly. During this summer, I was going through some personal difficulties and didn't have much hope, but I was also started volunteering around that time, and working there and interacting with those there gave me more hope. I was also able to spend more time in the presence of Jesus and that has definitely been a plus!

Here's the website if you'd like to see it: stjamescoffee.com
Also, please give St. James Coffee's Instagram account a follow! (It may or may not be that I'm one of the people managing it) St. James Coffee Instagram

Things Every Catholic Teen Should Do

     Hello! I'd like to say that of course this list can't hold everything that everyone thinks a Catholic teen should do. This is just my own personal take, I would even say it's sort of a bucket list for me. Well I probably shouldn't keep you waiting too long. On with the list!

-Come and see a religious order. (There's many to choose from!)

http://vocations-syracuse.org/ 

-Pray the Morning Offering every morning

http://www.catholicspringtime.com/large-size-cards/morning-offering-prayer-card-LARGE.html 

-Make at least one holy hour every week

http://www.stbrendansatl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/adoration.jpg 

-Try to attend daily mass whenever you are able to. (And every Sunday no matter what).

http://daybreaktv.org/RegularProgramming/TheDailyMass.aspx 

-Spend at least 15-30 minutes everyday to learn something new about the Catholic faith.

http://www.aboutcatholics.com/beliefs/the-role-of-the-catechism-of-the-catholic-church/

-Attend the March for Life wherever you are able to, whether it be in Washington D.C. or your state capitol. 

http://www.olmcumberland.org/right-to-life-2014/

-Use every opportunity that you have to share and stand up for your faith.

http://www.stpeterslist.com/3834/i-stand-with-the-catholic-church-10-pictures-in-defense-of-the-church/ 

Our Lady of La Vang/ Marian Days Mobile Background

I took many pictures at Marian Days! And my devotion to the Blessed Mother has increased daily. So I wanted to share the photo I edited to have an Our Lady of La Vang and Marian Days phone background. Feel free to download and use for your person use, and I hope you like it!

Marian Days

     Maybe you've heard of Marian Days, maybe you haven't. Either way, this blog post will give you a little bit more knowledge on this lovely event. To start off, it's held in Carthage, Missouri every year around the first week of August. It takes place on the grounds of the Congregation of the Mother Co - Redemptrix. Thousand and thousands of Vietnamese Catholics gather at Marian Days every year for this event.
     Usually it starts on a Thursday an opening mass, but if you're unable to make it to that one on time, there's another mass for souls later at night. There's been about 80,000 people at the recent years, but I'm sure that the amount will increase over time. There's multiple masses throughout the next few days of the event which lasts until Sunday morning. Throughout the week there are speakers for families, adults, and youth. I can't even begin to count how many religious orders are there, to even participate or to showcase their order. Wherever you go, you'll see people excited about not only the Vietnamese culture, but also about their Catholic faith. For many, they were refugees or first-generation immigrants. This event brings many Vietnamese Catholics together to celebrate who they are as Vietnamese Catholic.
     Of course this doesn't mean that others who aren't in the two general groups cannot attend. Anyone can come!! The local Knights of Colombus have a stand where they sell food. And I almost forgot, there's plenty of places to enjoy authentic Vietnamese food and cuisune. Before I forget to mention, there's also plenty of places where you can get smoothies and other wonderful cold drinks for the hot weather. There's also many talks given both in Vietnamese and English for everyone there. Another great thing is that there's usually always confession avaliable, either outside or near the adoration chapel avaliable in English and Vietnamese! Also, there are wonderful spaces to visit such as the area for the stations of the cross, or the garden with names of deceased ones. Usually on Saturday night, there's a concert from either of the two Vietnamese entertainment companies, Paris by Night or Asia. 

     I personally enjoy the shops that are avaliable. They range from religious books to tiny keychains, to fans or to personalized mugs. My personal favorite is all the t-shirts avaliable! There's so much to be done at Marian Days and so much to learn more about the Catholic faith and Vietnamese culture. I'd say one huge negative is the bathroom lines. Usually you wouldn't see bathroom lines of thirty or forty people for both men and women. But it's alright since it's a time to be more spiritually aware than anything else.

     Overall, these couple of days are a time for renewal and appreciation. Many first-generation immigrants will be thankful for the opportunity that we have given to us by our parents and grandparents' sacrifice. We learn more about the Vietnamese culture, and another reminder to look back at ourselves to see if we're the best that we can be. It's time spent with family and friends, for some, it may even be a time to discern. Whatever a person's purpose is of being at Marian Days, everyone's invited!

Reflection on "Son of God" movie (past assignment of mine)

I was looking through my homework from my sophomore year and I found this assignment which was to reflect on the movie "Son of God" that we watched in class. Hope you enjoy my reflection.

     I really enjoyed the movie Son of God and I think it did a good job of portraying the ministry and life of Jesus. After watching most of the movie, I felt guilty for my sins being one of main causes of Jesus’ death. I went to Stations of the Cross later one of the days and being able to connect the stations with the gospels and some scenes from the movie created really gave me a better understanding of Jesus’ love for us that he would suffer in order to save us from sin. The parts with the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas were interesting because we were able to see what they could’ve talked about. While watching the movie, I was able to reflect on some feelings that Jesus must’ve had while going through his last years on Earth. I didn’t like the actors and actresses very much, especially the person who portrayed the Virgin Mary.
     I don’t think this movie was exactly accurate and some lines from the gospels were adjusted, but I was still able to enjoy the movie. I felt that the first half had scenes with transitions that didn’t work very well, but during the second half, it seemed to get better. I think that the overall movie was a beautiful production and it seemed to be somewhat accurate with the gospels. Some things were put together such as the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector was when Jesus was calling Matthew to follow him. One thing I found intriguing was the fact that Jesus’ mother Mary had not followed him everywhere, but the second time we see her in the movie is when she is told that Jesus has returned.  I really liked the beauty of the film and especially the portrayal of the power of Jesus such as when Jesus met Barabbas.
     This movie made me appreciate the great sacrifice the Father made by sending his only Son for us. I think that everytime I consider doing something not right, I should remember that my sins cause a heavier cross for Jesus and they cause Jesus’ crucifixion. I enjoyed watching an interesting portrayal of Jesus’ life and the important parables and moments in the gospels. It was a great film that powerfully shows Jesus’ life and especially during his years of ministry. This film is one that I would want to watch again, and I think it’s great for the Lenten season!

Female Altar Servers? Women Being "Ordained"?

Certainly, there have been numerous debates among the Catholic community everywhere on different topics. The one topic I’d like to discuss today is the topic of female altar servers. I’d like to first say that this could be very controversial and each person may have their own opinions, but in this blog post, I’d like to talk about my own experience as one and my views. Thank you, and I hope you will read this blog post in its entirety.

    I grew up in a parish in the Diocese of Winona, and female altar servers were very normal to me. My older female and male cousins were at one point servers, so it just seemed like a very normal ministry in my church that I could do. After receiving my First Holy Communion at age seven in second grade, I had to wait until I was in 3rd grade in order to be trained as a server. I remember the first time I was being taught how to serve and how anxious and nervous I was on the first mass I was to serve at. My parents constantly reminded me that the altar was very sacred and I had to be extremely respectful and reverent.

    My experience as an altar server was not only limited to Sunday masses, but I started attending daily mass in which I participated in serving everyday. The congregation who attended mass never said anything about how females shouldn’t serve, so I still found females altar serving to be very normal. I expanded my daily mass ministry by playing piano or organ for a communion reflection, and then returning to serve afterwards. I was surrounded by people who never said a thing about why females shouldn’t serve at mass.

    When I was a freshman in high school, I attended a High School Immersion at a religious sisters’ house of formation. It was in a different diocese than my own and there was no one else from my diocese there. It was there that I learned so many other young females my age had the thought that females shouldn’t be serving at mass. It was very eye-opening and all though the view on the subject was very different from mine, I still appreciated and tried to understand their view.

After that retreat, I spent time looking up the topic and reasons why females shouldn't be altar servers. Among those reasons, one that stood out to me was that altar serving was to try and inspire vocations to the priesthood to males. There's concern that females might interfere with that vocation, or that they themselves might think it's possible for females to become priests. I didn't quite agree with the thought since I myself had never had the intentions or belief that females can be ordained in the Catholic Church. My cousin is a seminarian in our diocese, so I've gotten to know some seminarians quite well...and let me tell you, I support the priesthood more and more everyday. I pray for those in the seminary, and I take any opportunity to explain to people why women shouldn't be ordained.

I do understand that female altar servers are still a topic of discussion within and outside the Catholic Church. I think the main point is the difference of the diocese. If a girl grows up in an environment where female altar servers are the norm, there is a very small percentage that the girl will think that females altar serving is wrong. I personally have decreased my time altar serving and have instead played piano/organ during daily mass for communion, or accompanying on Sundays.

The few points I wanted to make was that not all female altar servers think that women should be ordained. I think that altar serving was something that brought me closer to God and a clearer understanding of my vocation. Because of the close proximity to the Eucharist, I've found myself more conscious of the actions, thoughts, and things that I say. In a way, I could say that altar serving has brought me to be more open about becoming a religious sister. Although, there's still a lot of time and prayer before I know what God is truly calling me to be, I and many other female altar servers know that ordination to the priesthood is not one of them.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments :)

~VibrantCatholic