St. Peter's Youth Ministry Blog

Christpower 2008

2008-01-14T18:05:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

I know it's been a while since I posted anything. Sorry about that. But, hey...the Christpower Application and information are finally here!

If you don't know, Christpower is a week long service/retreat experience that happens annually in Russellville, MO in July. This year it will be held during the week of July 13-19.

Christpower is open to any high school student and is a tremendous opportunity to deepen your faith. Due to the popularity of the program, I expect the week to fill up fast. I would recommend that you read the cover letter, fill out the application, take care of the pastor referral letter, and send it in with the deposit right away.

Here are the links: (please download all of these)

Cover letter: http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/11/974826/Christpower%20Cover%20Letter.doc

Application:http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/11/974826/Christpower%20Teen%20Application.doc

Pastor Referral:http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/11/974826/Christpower%20Applicant%20Referral%20Letter%20from%20Pastor.doc

Hope to see you there!

Shannon

Just Because You Can

2007-08-30T12:08:00.001-05:00

Here's a little bit of fun to liven up your day!

Upcoming Events

2007-08-20T08:34:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone,

Here is a short list of some things coming up in the coming weeks:

Sunday, August 26 - Confirmation Large Group Session - Cafeteria, 9:30am
Monday, August 27 - Prayer, Praise, and Taquitos - Haven, 7pm
Sunday, September 9 – Confirmation Large Group Session - Cafeteria, 9:30am
Monday, September 10 - Youth Bible Study - Parish Life Center, 6pm
Monday, September 10 - Prayer, Praise, and ___________(random food item) - Haven, 7pm
Sunday, September 16 – Confirmation Small Group Session - Time and Location TBA
Diocesan Youth Rally - Helias High School, 10am-6pm
Sunday, September 23 – High School World Youth Day
Monday, September 24 - Youth Bible Study - Parish Life Center, 6pm
Monday, September 10 - Prayer, Praise, and ___________(random food item) - Haven, 7pm
Sunday, September 30 – Confirmation Small Group Session - Time and Location TBA

I'll update this soon. Let me know if there's something here you'd like to participate in.

-Shannon

Prayer, Praise, and Roly Poly

2007-07-31T08:43:00.001-05:00

Join us on Monday, August 13th for another installment of Prayer, Praise, and some random food item. This time around, we'll munch on some delicious Roly Poly sandwiches. This will take place in the Haven (above Selinger Centre) from 7:00-8:30pm.

This will be a fun evening of offering our prayers to God, singing our praise to God, and eating sandwiches made from ingredients that were created by God. It's a stretch, but just go with me on it.

Be sure to bring your friends. All high school students are welcome!

Prayer, Praise, and Chicken Wings!

2007-07-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

Come spend some time with us this coming Monday night, July 30, for "Prayer, Praise, and Chicken Wings". We'll meet up in the Haven (above Selinger Centre) from 7-8:30pm. Come and eat all the chicken wings you can handle. Other snacks and drinks will be provided.

This is just a chance to come, hang out and spend some time offering your prayers and your praise to God. This activity features a pretty laid back environment, AND it can be your first opportunity to see the newly-furnished Haven.

Any and all high school students (including those going to be freshmen this year) are welcome to come.

Float Trip RESCHEDULED

2007-06-20T10:07:00.000-05:00

Due to the fact that there was only one person signed up for original float trip, we have rescheduled it for July 23-24.

This trip, which will cost only $40, will take us to Eminence, MO. We will leave around noon on Monday, July 23rd, stay overnight at Shady Lane Cabins, and float 12 miles on the Current River the next day. Once the float is complete, we'll travel back home. We plan to arrive at approximately 8pm.

Here is a link for the permission slip: PERMISSION SLIP

Here is a link for the flyer: FLYER

The deadline to sign up for this trip will be Sunday, July 15th.

If you have any further questions, contact Shannon by e-mail or by phone at 636-7002.

Canoe Trip

2007-05-30T22:52:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

This year's canoe trip is swiftly approaching. The dates will be June 26-28. The trip will cost $75. That includes everything but your meal on the way there and the way home.

We'll be floating ten miles each day for two days on the Current River. Once again, we'll be staying at Timber Lodge, which features air conditioning, bunk beds, a game room, a campfire ring, and a lot of room outside to play whatever game you choose.

If you would like to go, please send a check for $75 (made out to St. Peter Church) and a completely filled out permission slip in to the parish office (216 Broadway, Jefferson City, MO 65101) by Sunday, June 17th. To see a permission slip, click here.

To see the flyer, click here.

If you have any questions, contact Shannon either by e-mail at scerneka@stpeterjc.org or by phone at 573-636-7002.

NCYC information, forms, and video

2007-05-10T16:17:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone,

Here is the necessary information about the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Columbus, OH. Again, the dates are November 8-11th, 2007. Your forms (Participant and Medical Application) plus your $200 payment are due in to St. Peter parish offices no later than Sunday, May 20th. If you have any questions in the next week, please call me at 573-220-8424. Here you go:

NECESSARY FORMS:

Participant Application

Medical Application

IMPORTANT PAPERS:

Promotional Letter

Itinerary and Cost Breakdown

WEB LINKS:

Promotional Video

Main NCYC Website

Let me know if you need anything else,

Shannon

P-O-P-P-L-E Promo Video

2007-04-17T15:57:00.001-05:00

Go with us to Columbia for a Popple concert on Wednesday, April 18th. The show starts at 7pm and goes until 8:30pm. We'll probably leave at around 5pm from St. Peters, get dinner in Columbia, and go to the show.

Permission Slip: http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/11/974826/Popple%20Concert%20-%20High%20School.doc

1...2...3...DODGEBALL!!!

2007-03-28T08:52:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone,

We had a great time playing dodgeball last night. About 15 teens showed up and got a decent workout. Some got bored and ended up trying to get locked into the freezer (see picture below).

Be sure to join us for our next Youth Group gathering on Tuesday, April 24th. We'll be putting on our "poker" faces for an evening of "Texas Hold 'Em".

Here are some pictures from last night:

DODGEBALL!

2007-03-26T14:13:00.000-05:00

Join us on Tuesday, March 27th for DODGEBALL! We'll play starting at 6pm in the Selinger Centre Gym (212 Broadway in Jeff). Pizza and drinks will be provided and we'll be done at around 8pm. Be sure to bring your friends. Contact Shannon if you have any questions.

2007 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC)

2007-02-08T08:52:00.001-06:00

Join us over the dates of November 8-11, 2007 for this exciting event for Catholic teens!

Matt Maher Live at CCHS - Just Like You

2007-01-19T20:06:00.005-06:00

Come see Matt Maher at the Newman Center in Columbia on Friday, January 26th at 7:30pm! Tickets are $10 at the door. See Shannon for details.

Chris Padgett and Jesse Manibusan dance off

2006-12-07T13:48:00.001-06:00

This video comes from the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry, held in Las Vegas, Nevada November 30-December 3rd of this year. Chris Padgett and Jesse Manibusan are both Spirit and Song artists, have keynoted many youth rallies and conferences, and are among the most popular Catholic performers in the country. The singer is Joia Farmer, performing "Live 4 You" from her latest CD, Before and Afterlife. Enjoy!

The Loss of a Friend

2006-12-05T22:30:00.000-06:00

When I was in high school, the youth ministry programming for the Belleville Diocese (where I lived) was organized asthe Catholic Youth Organization or C.Y.O. Our diocese did a great job of offering faith-building opportunities for high school students.

One of the things that made our diocese great was that each deanery had it's own youth ministry organizational structure as well. It's like a state and it's counties. These deaneries provided additional youth ministry events to help us get closer to God and connect with the life of the Church.

The lay person in charge of our diocese was Mary Hirl. Mary was a lively woman who cared deeply for the teens and their faith. She worked very hard and is partly responsible for my entry into the world of youth ministry.

Mary Hirl passed away today. I don't have more details than that, but the news makes me very sad. Please keep Mary and her family in your prayers this week.

-Shannon

Make a Difference

2006-11-28T07:27:00.000-06:00

In the Gospels, Jesus calls us to look after the poor and marginalized members of our society. The problems in our world, however, can be so overwhelming, that we can often feel like there isn't anything we can do. Using the gifts God gave us, though, is how we are called to serve God and the Church. Teenagers can help to create a better world simply by saying yes to God's call. Click here for stories of teens making a difference in their communities. The link and the stories come to us courtesy of Disciples Now.com.

Preparing for Mass?!?!

2006-11-15T09:10:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone!

Did you know that there's a rhyme and reason to what readings you hear at Mass?

The First Reading always come from the Old Testament. The exception to that is during the Easter Season when those readings always come from the Acts of the Apostles.

The Responsorial Psalm is always done in response to the First Reading. For instance: If the First Reading is about how God saved the Israelites from some sort of peril, the Responsorial Psalm will probably be a song of praise and thanks to God for getting them out of trouble.

The Second Reading always comes from the Epistles (letters).

The Gospel Reading always comes from one of the Four Gospels (thanks Captain Obvious!) It will often reference the First Reading. For instance: Let's say the First Reading comes from Isaiah 61: 1-2:

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners,
To announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God,
to comfort all who mourn;

If that's the case, you're likely to hear Luke 4: 17-21:

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,

and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day.

He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.

He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,

and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

There is a beauty and an interconnectedness to the readings at Mass and, as Catholics, we believe that Jesus is present in The Word. Truly, Jesus IS the Word.

If you would like the readings for an upcoming Mass, you can find them on the U.S Bishop's website. All you need to do is bookmark:

http://www.usccb.org/nab/index.shtml

Doing this will help you to be more prepared to participate in the most important thing we do as Catholics, the Mass!

The Great High Street SCAVENGER HUNT!

2006-11-03T13:25:00.000-06:00

Join us on Wednesday, November 15th for a fun evening filled with great detective work, cool prizes, food, music, and prayer. The Great High Street Scavenger Hunt will commence at 6pm at the St. Peter Parish Life Center. The hunt will take us up and down High Street looking for clues, competing against other teams of youth, and collecting great prizes.

Once we're finished, we'll head back to the Parish Life Center for food, music, and prayer.

Although this event is being planned as the once-a-month Youth Group activity for St. Peter Parish teens, any and all high school students are welcome to join us.

For more information, contact KellyBezler at 584-6701 or kbezler@stpeterjc.org You can also contact Shannon Cerneka at 636-7002 or scerneka@stpeterjc.org

Unrealistic Lifestyle or Sainthood

2006-10-16T13:23:00.000-05:00

St. Dominic Savio...lived in Italy...followed the teachings of Christ and the Church with unbelievable dedication...died at at 15 from tuberculosis...15 YEARS OLD!!

Click here to read more...could this be you?

Senior High Youth Rally!!

2006-09-26T15:39:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Be sure to get signed up for the Jefferson City Diocesan Youth Rally on Sunday, October 15th. The Youth Rally, which will feature Andrew Hoyt from Notre Dame, is an exciting day where teens from all over the diocese gather to grow in their faith, meet new friends, worship God, and have fun. If you want to go, call me at 636-7002 or e-mail me at scerneka@stpeterjc.org. The information is listed below:

FUN!!!!!!!!!

2006-09-20T08:03:00.000-05:00

Next week, we're doing a couple of things just for fun. The first will be a hayride.

For the hayride, we'll meet at the Binder Park Pavilion (the one that's hard to find) at 5:45pm. The wagons will leave at 6pm. We'll return to the pavilion at 8pm. The night will include games, food, music, and fun. ALL high school students are welcome to attend.

The other event is our trip to Six Flags on Saturday, September 30th.

There isn't much to describe here. It's just Six Flags. You can click here to find a flier and permission slip for the trip.

If you have any questions, let me know. Be sure to bring your friends.

-Shannon

Did you make it to Lifeteen on Sunday?

2006-09-17T22:57:00.000-05:00

If not...Noah has something he wants to show you:

The next Lifeteen Mass will be in two weeks on Sunday, October 1st at I.C. Church starting at 5pm. Be there or face the wrath of Noah.

-Shannon

A Christian "How-To"

2006-09-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

Here is a simple way to focus on God at various moments of our life. It comes from the end of an reflection written by Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life":

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments,WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.

This Week

2006-09-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that the deadline for signing up for World Youth Day is Tuesday, September 12th, although I will take them up until Friday. For more information about World Youth Day, click here.

Also, the first Lifeteen Mass and Life Night of the 2006-2007 school year will be this Sunday night from 5-8pm at I.C. Lifeteen, which will generally be held on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, is an excellent opportunity to worship God, meet new friends, and deepen your faith in Christ. For more information about Lifeteen, click here.

-Shannon

Remembering September 11th - 5 years later

2006-09-10T14:23:00.000-05:00

Hello,

The events of September 11th, 2001 are already a horrible part of our history as Americans. As tomorrow passes, I encourage you to take time to pray for all of those who have been affected directly by this tragedy. Those people include World Trade Center workers, firefighers, police officers, EMTs, Pentagon employees, airplane crews, and passengers, widowed spouses, and parentless children. From that day on, many political and military events were born. There are many more people who are now wrapped up in a world filled with violence, fear, hatred, religious extremism than ever before. Those people include members of the armed forces, their families, and the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq.

With so much negative in the world, it's hard to look through and see peace, see God. Therefore, we have to always return to the one place we know we can find God...prayer. Please pray for peace in our world. Please, also, pray for peace in the hearts of peoples of the world. Here is a prayer that can help:

Five years have passed, O Lord,
five years of mourning and of tears,
of struggling to make sense and to go on.
Five years since crashing planes, collapsing building,
rivers of smoke and ash and fear brought death and fear.

Give us the courage to hope again, Father.
To pray even for our enemies, and for ourselves.
Give us the grace to be freed from hate
and unbound from the paralysis of fear.
Give us the freedom of the children of God.

Awaken in our hearts a firm resolve
“to reject the ways of violence,
to combat everything that sows hatred and division
within the human family,
and to work for the dawn of a new era
of solidarity, justice and peace.”

We ask this through the Prince of Peace,
our Way, our Truth, and our Life,
Christ the Lord. Amen.
(Closing Prayer from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops prayer Remembering 9/11)
http://www.usccb.org/vocations/rememberanceprayers.shtml

-Shannon

Open Gym This Sunday

2006-09-07T06:05:00.000-05:00

All high school students are welcome to come to the Selinger Centre gym this Sunday from 11:30am-1:00pm for an "Open Gym". What is an "Open Gym"? Basically, we have reserved the gym on several dates for teens to come in and play basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, or whatever they want. It's just a time to come and hang out and be with friends. If we get enough teens who want to order lunch (pizza, subs, etc.), we'll do that too. It's just meant to be fun.

If you have any questions, let me know. You should come and check it out, though.

-Shannon

Respect For Your Parents...Seriously

2006-09-05T07:22:00.000-05:00

Click here for a light-hearted reminder about the role our parents play in our lives and what God thinks of them.

-Shannon

P.S. My parents drive me crazy sometimes, but they are my parents and I love them.

Happy Labor Day

2006-09-04T11:49:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of things to help you celebrate Labor Day. The first is more thought-provoking and the second is just fun:

Oddblog

Homestar Runner

-Shannon

More World Youth Day Info!

2006-09-01T11:53:00.000-05:00

Hello All!

If you are looking for information about World Youth Day at the Shrine, you can click here and be taken to the "Upcoming Events" page on our parish youth ministry website. There, you will find links for the World Youth Day fliers and permission slips. Be sure to check out the Shrine's Youth Ministry website for information about the day.

-Shannon

More Noah!

2006-08-31T07:37:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Yesterday was a pretty long day, but it was our first with Noah. When you have your baby at a "teaching" hospital, you not only get visits from lots of doctors and nurses, but you get visits from all of their students as well. We had a really good day, though. Noah slept most of the day and only cried a couple of times. It's honestly a little strange to have a baby that small. We've always seen Madeleine as our "baby", but that changed in an instant when she came to visit yesterday. SHE'S HUGE! Neither of us realized how big she had gotten until we saw her next to Noah. She was pretty good with him, though.

Today we go home. We will be discharged this afternoon and will spend our first evening at home as a whole family. That's pretty cool. Here's a rare picture with his eyes open:

If you would like to see more pictures of Noah, you can eventually go to this website:

http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/default.asp

When you get there, it will ask you to enter some information. The last name is Cerneka, the state is Missouri, and the date is August 29. They told us yesterday that it would be up within 24 hours. That was at noon, so there were still a few hours left as of this blog posting.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. Erin, I, and our family are truly blessed to be surrounded by so many great family members and friends.

-Shannon

P.S. I apologize if you have already been to the Oddwalk blog today. This is the exact same post.

Announcing: Noah Matthew Cerneka

2006-08-30T07:38:00.000-05:00

Last night at 9:32pm, my wife Erin gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Noah Matthew:

The baby weighed in at 7lbs. 11oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. To see more, go to the Oddwalk Blog.

Oddwalk Blog.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. I promise to write more later, but I need to get back to the hospital.

-Shannon

Jammin' or Rockin'?

2006-08-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

Tonight we had a kickoff party and jam session for this year's Lifeteen musicians. It was great. We started off by eating, got to know each other a little, learned a bit about being liturgical musicians, and played some music. We went through some of the songs we'll be doing at Lifeteen this year. These included songs like Bless the Lord, Blessed Be Your Name, and Rain Down. We then jammed a little with a Natalie Eickhoff-led Lean On Me and then went into some blues riffs. It was awesome. If you want to sing with us, play an instrument, or if you know someone who does, let me know. Our next practice will be on Monday, September 11th from 7-8pm in the Haven.

Lifeteen starts on Sunday, September 17th. The Mass will be at 5pm with the Life Night to follow until 8pm. For the Life Night, we're planning on some field games and a bar-b-que. All high school students are welcome and enouraged to come. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me or call me at 573-220-8424.

-Shannon

World Youth Day keynote - Jesse Manibusan

2006-08-25T09:24:00.000-05:00

For those of you thinking about going to World Youth Day at the Shrine, here's a little bit about one of the keynote speakers, Jesse Manibusan:

Just for fun, enter “JESSE MANIBUSAN” in Google. You will be amazed at the results: Page after page of websites featuring Jesse, reviews of his CDs, newspaper interviews, publicity for upcoming appearances, photos and personal blogs by young people who have enjoyed his concerts, etc. For more fun, try entering “Jesse Manibusan Spam.” You’ll get at least 21 websites about our friendly neighborhood Spam Man. Jesse has definitely made his mark on God’s earth, bringing his unique message of Spirit, Peace And Mercy (SPAM) to countless audiences who are hungry for Good News.

Jesse has the special gift of being able to engage and reach out to any individual -- either one on one at a confirmation retreat, or within a large group of teens at a youth rally, or with a crowd of 500,000 people at World Youth Day. It doesn’t matter how small or large the audience is. This dynamic performer will touch your soul and have you praising God with him.

Jesse calls himself a Catholic lay evangelist who uses music, comedy and stories to connect with people. Very much in demand around the country as a motivational speaker, Jesse’s uplifting message touches all generations. “God gives us life. We may have disappointments, we may be really angry or depressed,” said the singer. “It’s good we can have a moment to say to God, ‘Thank you for life.’”

Although he now resides in Grapevine, Texas with his wife Jodi and their two daughters, Jesse has lived most of his life in Alameda, California, serving as a music minister and youth minister in various parishes in the Diocese of Oakland. That diverse community was the inspiration for his popular multicultural collection Misa del Mundo, as well as the CDs Power of Peace, and Love Never Fails. The latter CD, a collaboration with Ken Canedo, contains the Unity Award-winning Rap/Hip Hop Song for 2003, “MC God.”

All his recordings showcase Jesse’s amazingly versatile singing voice. He is equally at home crooning ballads like “Open My Eyes” and “Fly Like a Bird,” belting out rockers like “Power of Peace” and “Fish With Me,” and rapping out hip hop tunes like “Another Day” and “What’s the Word.” No wonder he was named Artist of the Year by the United Catholic Music and Video Association.
Awards and recognition aside, Jesse puts everything in perspective. “It’s not about me,” he said. “It’s about God. And it’s not an issue of whether we believe. It’s an issue that we know God believes. Every time we mess up God says, ‘Get up. I believe in you. Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Get over it. Know who I am. Look to me and see a reflection of yourself.’ This is about God believing in us.”
As all those Google connections will testify, Jesse’s message and ministry have reached around the globe.
(taken from Spirit and Song.com)

Click here for a sample of Jesse's music.

Prayer for the New School Year

2006-08-24T09:06:00.000-05:00

Spirit of God,
fill our hearts with a desire to seek truth and rejoice in beauty.
Help us to know what is pleasing to you
and to understand what is right and good in your sight.
Give us the spirit of learning
that we may please you by our thoughts
and love you in your creation.
Give all teachers your constant encouragement
and guide them in their good work.

Spirit of God, make us effective witnesses of your truth
to all whose lives we touch.

We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

Taken from youthapostles.com

Two Updates

2006-08-21T13:30:00.000-05:00

Hello! If you click here, you'll be magically transported to the Oddwalk blog where you can see two new posts. The first is my first 70/30 update. It was an uninspiring first week. The second is an update about my friends Brad and Joia's adoption of a little girl from China.

I would have posted them here, but I thought it would be too redundant.

-Shannon

WorshipTogether.com

2006-08-21T06:45:00.000-05:00

Looking for a little Jesus in your music? Worship Together might be just the thing for you. Each week, this site offers a free song to download, and free sheet music as well. There's all kinds of cool stuff. You should go check it out.

This week, the site is featuring "Made to Worship" by Chris Tomlin.

If you're looking for music that is specifically Catholic, but still sounds cool, you can also check out Spirit and Song.

Some of this music will be featured at our Lifeteen Masses and Life Nights which kick off at I.C. Churh at 5pm on Sunday, September 17th. I hope to see you there.

-Shannon

Upcoming Events

2006-08-18T14:52:00.000-05:00

Check out the new links in the right hand column. You'll find a new one for World Youth Day in Australia, and one for Upcoming Youth Events. There are a lot of great things being planned in the next few months. Don't miss your chance to be a part of the fun!

Got a Minute?

2006-08-17T07:25:00.000-05:00

Click here to find a great way to take just a minute-a-day to focus on your relationship with God.

70/30

2006-08-14T07:10:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Steve Allgeyer came to Jefferson City to provide training for our Lifeteen Core Team. Steve works for Lifeteen nationally, and did an excellent job. To learn more about Lifeteen, click on the link in the right-hand column.

In addition to providing tools and resources for our work with Lifeteen, Steve talked with us about personal spirituality. His point was that if we were going to lead young people into a deeper relationship with Christ and His church, we had better take care of ourselves first. After listening to him, and participating in a personal spiritual inventory, I realized that there were two areas of my life that I needed to work on: creating a strong, consistent prayer life, and taking care of my body.

The first is prayer.

I dont' want to give the impression that I don't pray, because I do. What I lack is a significant chunk of time during my day that belongs to God alone. I pray to God throughout the day, at meals, and certainly at Church. There isn't any time, though, that I can just focus on God and center myself. I would very much like to change this. Here's what I would like to work towards:

I would like to get to the point that I spend 30 minutes a day in prayer. To be truthful, I would like that to be a full hour, but I need to start with a goal that seems attainable. My schedule is such that trying to find the same time every day will be somewhat impossible. I plan to start with just five minutes, then work my way to ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, then on to thirty minutes. I know this won't be easy, but I need to make my actions reflect my belief that God is in charge of my life, not me.

The second is weight loss.

This is not something I can hide from anyone. This morning, I stepped on the scale and it read: 249 lbs. I wish I could say that I was shocked and saddened to be at that weight, but that would not be truthful. Six months before I married Erin, I she and I started doing Weight Watchers, with unbelievable results. I ended up dropping 50 lbs! I looked and felt better than I had in years. Since getting married, however, I have reverted back to my old habits of eating too much of the wrong things, and not exercising at all. I want that to be different.

I want to lose 70 lbs. That may seem like a lofty goal, but after losing 50 lbs. at one point, 70 doesn't seem like that much more. I am partly inspired by my mother who has lost almost that much since she started eating better and exercising a few months ago. I still remember the things I learned in my Weight Watchers experience. I know how to eat right, I just don't do it. I know how to stay active, I've just been lazy.

I'm calling this effort: 70/30: Seventy for weight, thirty for prayer. That may seem like a lot to take on all at once, but I think I can do it. I don't think the two are exclusive from one another. What I'm trying to do is be a healthier all-around person. I believe that by doing that, I will be a better husband, father, youth minister, musician, and speaker. I'm going to need your help, though.

As I start this effort, which begins today, I am going to need the people around me to not only pray for me, but help me make good choices as well. I am weak when it comes to fast food, portion sizes, and snacking. It would also be good for you to ask me how my prayer life is going. That will help keep me honest. I will post a weekly update to this blog letting you know how it's going.

Thanks for reading this long post. Since we are supposed to all help each other be healthier and live as Christians, if I can help you in your jouney, please don't hesitate to ask.

-Shannon

World Youth Day 2006

2006-08-09T07:50:00.000-05:00

Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 24th (or Saturday, September 23rd if you are in 7th or 8th Grade). That is the date of this year's World Youth Day at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, IL. World Youth Day is a youth rally featuring great music, dynamic keynote speakers, an energetic mass, and one heck of a dance!

This year, my friend Orin and I (Oddwalk Ministries) will serve as the house band and the emcees for the day. World Youth Day will also feature two of the best Catholic keynote speakers around, Mike Patin and Jesse Manibusan.

Mike Patin is a unique blend of humor, holiness, and cajun wit. Mike has a very energetic style and is very challenging. Some of you might remember Mike as the keynote speaker from World Youth Day 2005.

Jesse Manibusan is one of the most well-known Catholic musicians around. Jesse's fun-loving style and love for God makes him a crowd favorite no matter where he goes. Jesse has written some outstanding music, including "Open My Eyes", a song most of us are familiar with.

While I know that this event is only six weeks away, it's not to early to let me know whether or not you are interested in attending. The cost of the day will be $25 ($30 for Jr. High). The deadline for registration is Sunday, August 27th. Don't delay!

-Shannon

The "Roman Collar" Comedy Tour

2006-08-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

Looking for something funny? Try this.

A couple of National Lifeteen people, Judy McDonald and Mark Hart, have formed a comedy duo and have been perfoming at rallies and conferences around the country. They are very funny and unmistakably Catholic.

Enjoy!

Fun in the Sun!

2006-08-04T16:06:00.000-05:00

Tired of being hot? So are our friends at homestarrunner.com As I've mentioned before, this is one of the funniest websites you'll ever visit. Click here for a bit of summer fun!

Shannon Yokley Featured in the News Tribune

2006-08-03T09:42:00.000-05:00

Shannon Yokley, an eighth-grade student at St. Peter School, was featured on the News Tribune website today for her work with heifers, cows, and steers. to read the article, click here. Congratulations Shannon!

The Height of Boredom

2006-08-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

A new way to tell your friends that their cars need washing:

For more pictures like this, click here.

Four More Weeks!

2006-08-01T09:56:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, the Cerneka family took a trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama for a much needed vacation. As you can see, Madeleine thought there was too much sand on the beach.

In a few weeks, our family will change forever with the arrival of Noah Matthew. On Sunday, Erin marked her 36th week of pregnancy. Our official due date is Sunday, August 27th. Neither Erin, nor her mother, think the baby will wait that long.

Please keep us in your prayers. We'll let you know as soon as the baby is here.

-Shannon

Looking For a New Way to Pray?

2006-07-29T21:53:00.000-05:00

The handsome man you see here is St. Ignatius of Loyola. WHO!?! St. Ignatius (the original namesake of St. Peter Church by the way) led an amazing life and founded the Jesuit Religious Order. You can read more about him by clicking here.

The Jesuit order has a unique prayer style called Ignatian, after the founder of the order. By clicking here, you will find directions on how to do this particular style. It's different than the usual "talking to God" or "memorized" prayers. It involves a lot more time and commitment. If you are serious about prayer, it's worth a try. If you need help with it, let me know.

-Shannon

Good Things on MySpace.com

2006-07-28T15:03:00.000-05:00

A lot has been made about the phenomenon of MySpace.com. Many people see it as a great way to connect with friends and family. Others see it as an open door to internet predators. Since it doesn't look like MySpace is going away anytime soon, here are a few links for people who do really dynamic Catholic ministry with teenagers:

Joia Farmer, Catholic Singer/Songwriter:
http://myspace.com/joiafarmer

Gene Monterastelli of Apex Ministries:
http://myspace.com/genedavid

Matt Maher, Catholic Singer/Songwriter:
http://www.myspace.com/mattmahermusic

Danielle Rose, Catholic Singer/Songwriter:
http://www.myspace.com/daniellerosemusic

Chris Padgett, Catholic Singer/Songwriter:
http://www.myspace.com/chrispadgett

Righteous B, Catholic Rapper:
http://www.myspace.com/righteousb

Enjoy!
Shannon

International World Youth Day in Australia

2006-07-25T14:18:00.000-05:00

Last year, four youth and three adults from this parish traveled to Cologne, Germany for the International World Youth Day (IWYD) celebration, highlighted by a vigil and closing Mass by Pope Benedict XVI. It was an incredible experience. You can read all about it here.

The next IWYD is being held in Sydney, Australia over the dates of July 15-20 in 2008. There will be travel days on either end of those dates, so it will probably be something like July 12-22. While that probably seems like a long way off, it is actually right around the corner. The trip will probably cost over $3,000 per person. That is a lot of money. A good chunk of it will be raised through fund-raising, but there will be some out of pocket expenses. We have to start planning now.

If you're interested in attending, let me know. I'm not asking for a commitment right now, but I would like to start getting an idea of who might want to go. The pilgrimage will be open to any youth who is at least 16. The international committee considers youth as being anyone from 16-32. If you're older than 32, you can be a chaperone. Basically, anyone who is older that 16 is welcome to attend.

There is a five-minute promotional video you can watch, that talks about what World Youth Day is and shows some amazing footage from past events. You can find that video by clicking here.

Think about it. This can be a life-changning experience.

-Shannon

Six Flags Cancelled

2006-07-24T10:08:00.000-05:00

The High School trip to Six Flags on Wednesday, July 26th has been cancelled. The event is tentatively re-scheduled for Saturday, September 30th. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

-Shannon

Movie Reviews

2006-07-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

If you click on the title link above, you'll be taken to the national Lifeteen website review of "Superman Returns". This is a great place to see current movie reviews. All of the articles are written by Catholic young adults. It might seem a little corny to check with the Church to see what movies you should watch. As always, the Church serves as a guide, a way to deepen your faith in Jesus. Why not let the Church guide you in what you watch and listen to? Just a thought.

-Shannon

For All You Music Lovers

2006-07-21T08:41:00.000-05:00

"It's nine-o-clock on a Saturday, the regular crowd shuffles in":

Lazy on the Beach

2006-07-19T07:42:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the lack of blog posts lately. I'm currently on vacation with my family in Gulf Shores, Alabama. This is a picture of the house we're staying in. It's called "West Palm Peach". The deck you're looking at overlooks the ocean. The water is just a short walk from our deck. It's very relaxing.

I get back on Sunday, and return to work on Monday. I'm sure I have a ton of Confirmation work to do. WOO HOO!

-Shannon

Update on Samantha Wilson

2006-07-13T13:49:00.000-05:00

I received this today from Lucy LePage, Samantha Wilson's mom:

Hello everyone! First of all, thank you so much for your notes of thoughts and prayers. That helps get both of us through this.

Samantha had the ERCP done on Monday. The valve and bile ducts looked good and they did not have to cut any scar tissue out. However, they did put a stent in and the pancreas is contracting 2 times faster than the bile ducts (they can't keep up). So he put some dye in the gall bladder and said that it looked distented (full and she had nothing in it from Saturday on). They took an x-ray of the gall bladder this morning (Thursday) and said that since the dye is still showing up (4 days later) in the gall bladder that means it is definitely not working. So, she was released from MO Baptist this morning and she has an appointment with the gall bladder surgeon on Monday.

It has been a terrible week for Sammy. She had severe pain that they couldn't get under control and then of course nausea and vomiting every time she tried to eat. They finally got her on some medicine that helps control the nausea and she can take those medications orally now. So they released her. She is in a lot of pain, more than usual as the stent is still in there. It will come out on it's own in a week or so. She is very frustrated and at times discouraged but her friends keep her spirits up.

Thank you again for your prayers. We definitely need them!

Shower for Patrick Pollock

2006-07-13T13:32:00.001-05:00

I received this e-mail today from Glenda Blattel:

Shower for Patrick Pollock

Due to the disastrous home fire the Pollock Family encountered Patrick has lost all his personal items. To help Patrick recover from the loss a shower will be held for him.

Tuesday, July 25th, 6:00-8:00 pm
Father Ahrens Room, St. Peter’s Parish Life Center

Patrick lost all of his music, including his cherished show tunes and his stereo. To help Patrick recover we are suggesting a donation to a money tree or gift cards to Target or Wal-Mart.

Also, all his pictures from grade school were lost. If you have pictures of school events, school plays, boy scouts outing, etc., we know Patrick would appreciate receiving a copy.

Questions call:

Prayers for the Tichelkamps

2006-07-10T11:27:00.001-05:00

Kristen Tichelkamp e-mailed me today and asked me for prayers because her father, Paul, has been notified that he will be deployed to Iraq in September. The assignment is scheduled through January, which means he will miss Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Let's keep the Tichelkamps in our prayers, as well as all families whose lives have been disrupted due to the ongoing conflict in Iraq.

-Shannon

Power Outage at St. Peters

2006-07-09T07:27:00.000-05:00

All this week the power will be out in the St. Peter Parish buildings. That means that unless you call me on my cell phone (573-220-8424), I will be nearly impossible to reach. Christpower begins this week, and I will be working with that program through Saturday.

Have a good week!
Shannon

Prayers for Samantha Wilson

2006-07-08T15:14:00.000-05:00

Hello,

Below you'll find a copy of an e-mail I received from Lucy LePage. Apparently her daughter Samantha Wilson (a parisioner and Freshman at Helias) has been in a lot of pain for quite some time now. As you can read in the message, she'll be receiving treatment for that very soon. I would ask that you pray for her that this procedure takes care of the pain.

If you would like, you can click here and go to the website for the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, run by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. By going to that website, you can have priests from around the world praying for Samantha in their daily Masses. She will certainly be in our prayers.

Here is the message from her mother:

Hi all...just wanted to give you an update on Samantha.

She will be admitted into MO Baptist Hospital on Monday and they will be doing an ERCP. I'm not sure what this stands for and if I told you, you wouldn't understand it either, but here's the scoop:

In our search for curing her continued pain we found ourselves sitting in a waiting room full of people from all over the world yesterday (Indiana, Hawaii, South Carolina). Everyone of them with very similar situations...often being told that it might be their gall bladder, might be in their head, might be stress etc. etc. Only to find themselves at Dr. Aliperti's office in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Aliperti specializes in the ERCP, a procedure for a condition called "sphincter of Oddi." The tract to the gall bladder has a tract to the pancreas. At the opening of this tract (the sphincter), scar tissue forms. The ERCP is the procedure he will do that cuts out the scar tissue and then he will put stints in to hold it open. After a few days he will go back in and take the stints out. They have no idea why scar tissue forms but 75% of the time this is the cure for the pain. The procedure has risks and the bad news for Samantha is that because she is so young, the odds of recurrence (2 to 20 years) are very high but at least she will know where to go for help.

Dr. Aliperti got called for an emergency surgery while we waited with 15 others. So for about 3 hours a small support group formed right before our eyes. As always, Samantha's admirer's grew. Every person in that room was over 50 except for her. They all took a liking to her and I watched God's magic go to work. You could see her give hope and encouragement to some very sick people as she shared her history and offered prayers to all. (Her e-mail buddy list grew!)

We decided to stay the weekend and because I have the best boss in the whole world...we have a place to rest in Chesterfield. We are going to swim today and probably tomorrow. She will have to start a special diet at noon tomorrow and then to the hospital bright and early on Monday.

She will be in the hospital at least 3 days but no longer than a week (hopefully). She has a 5-6 week recovery time. Hopefully we won't have to drive up to St. Louis again until she turns 15 and has her permit (August 8th)...lordy lordy...

Samantha was encouraged yesterday to learn that there was a solution. She had resorted to living with pain and thought the docs were all nuts. She was ready to go yesterday. She said, "I wish we were going to the hospital now." She is a brave little soul - it's taking it's toll on me but if she can handle it...I can too!

Thank you for your continued prayers of healing and strength.

-Lucy LePage

Joia Farmer

2006-07-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

WIth Oddwalk Ministries (my other job), I get a chance to meet some fascinating people. A lot of them are parish and diocesan youth ministers and many of them are incredible teens. Some of them, however, are what we call Itinerant Ministers. These are people whose full-time job is to travel the country sharing their faith and their talent with young people. One of those itinerant ministers is a wonderful woman named Joia Farmer.

In the six years I've known Joia, I have found her to be an outstanding Christian witness, and a great singer. My wife and I are big fans of hers, and often listen to her first CD (released in 2003). Joia is coming out with a new CD this fall, and the songs I've heard sound great. You can listen to a few tracks by going to her My Space account.

Joia and her husband Brad (of Apex Ministries), have recently seen a significant growth in their family. They have a four year-old by named Jack, a four month-old named Caedmon, and they have recently adopted a little girl from China named Ava Therese FuBin Farmer.

While I know that you don't know Joia and her family, I would offer them to you as an excellent model of a Christian family. In addition to their tremendous talent, they are wonderful people and good friends to my wife and I.

Enjoy!

A New Priest for the Jefferson City Diocese

2006-07-07T09:28:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, Joseph Shetler will be ordained into the priesthood at St. Joseph Cathedral in Jefferson City. Joe, who was ordained a transitional deacon in October of last year, is originally from Houston, Texas. He came to Jefferson City as a seminarian in 1999 at the request of Fr. Bill Peckman.

He will be ordained tomorrow at 11am with a reception to follow in the undercroft. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. This would be a great way to witness an amazing sacrament in our church, while also supporting Joe as he begins his new life in the priesthood.

To read more about ordination, click here.

Our Teens in the Outdoors

2006-07-06T06:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning, seventeen youth and five adults left for the 2006 Float Trip on the Current River. While I haven't had a chance to check in yet, the plan was for them to drop their stuff at Timber Lodge, and get right on the river. They canoed about ten miles yesterday and they plan to canoe ten miles today. I'll have more on this when they return.

-Shannon

A Fun Science Experiment

2006-07-04T13:26:00.000-05:00

Check out the Oddblog to find an exciting activity to try with soda and Mentos candies!

More About the Waveland Trip

2006-07-02T10:24:00.000-05:00

When the youth group traveled to Waveland, the ended up working with young people from St. Bartholomew Parish from Columbus, Indiana. This parish has posted a number of pictures from their trip including some of our group. You can find those pictures by clicking here.

-Shannon

Continued adventures in St. Louis

2006-06-28T09:14:00.000-05:00

Hello,

I hope things are going well in Jefferson City. My crazy travels continue this week in St. Louis as I'm helping with a program called Young Neighbors In Action (http://youngneighbors.org)

I'll write more about this when I return. In the mean time...BE GOOD!

Shannon

Shannon's Adventures in Houston!

2006-06-22T23:43:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have noticed that I am not around this week. That's because I was invited to speak and perform at the Youth Convention for the Diocese of Beaumont in Texas. I'm having a great time, and wrote about it on my other blog. If you're interested, go to the Oddblog and check it out.

-Shannon

No Youth Group Tomorrow

2006-06-20T10:41:00.000-05:00

Just to let you know, there will be no Youth Group tomorrow. Most of the group is still recovering from their experience in Mississippi. This means, though, that there won't be another meeting until Wednesday, July 19th.

-Shannon

Our Teens at Youth Sing Praise

2006-06-19T10:14:00.000-05:00

Hello!

We want to send out Congratulations to Marianne Cline and Natalie Eickhoff for being chosen to participate in the 2006 Youth Sing Praise presentation of “Magdalena”. Also participating is, Julia Tolksdorf from St. Joseph Cathedral parish. The performance will take place at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, IL this Saturday, June 24th at 7pm. This week, which started on Saturday for Marianne, Natalie, and Julia, will be filled with lots of rehearsals, community building, small group time, and prayer. The teens are surrounded by an experienced staff of theatrical and music directors, youth ministers, and volunteers. As I mentioned earlier, the week culminates with a performance on Saturday. This performance annually draws three to four thousand people.

You can see pictures of the teens (which are updated daily) by clicking here. You can contact them via e-mail by following directions:

1. write a message and put "youthsingpraise@snows.org" in the "TO" box.
2. Put the name of the person your are writing to in the subject line. If you don't, your e-mail will be read by a staff member to determine who the recipient is.

Lastly, I would like to encourage you to see their performance on Saturday. It's a little bit out of the way, but I know that they really appreciate the effort. If you need directions to the Shrine, click here.

-Shannon

Waveland - Day 6

2006-06-17T21:48:00.000-05:00

This morning, most of the Youth Group work up and got moving. I say most, because one couldn't answer the bell. As soon as they (mostly) got up, Aaron and Kevin headed to the work site to get working on the bathroom, while Susan, Laura, Megan, and Danielle, went to Sonic to get a bite to eat. Once at Sonic, our women quickly realized that Josh wasn't with them. Apparently, Josh had missed all the commotion of waking up and was still sleeping in the tent. The girls went back to St. Clare's, woke Josh up and started their day.

The day involved mostly touch up work. They fixed a screen door, and grouted the tile in the bathroom ( I hope I said that right). Then Kathy, the homeowner, bought their lunch, and they all said goodbye. Apparently it was a very emotional farewell. Kathy presented them all with gifts. Susan and Laura each received an antique teacup and saucer that had survived the storm inside a curio cabinet. Everyone else received a DVD of the storm. They then went back to St. Clare's, cleaned up their sleeping areas, packed, and headed for home.

It's currently 9:53pm on Saturday, and the group is on the road somewhere between Waveland and Jefferson City. They plan to arrive home sometime tomorrow (Sunday) morning, attend one of the Masses at St. Peter's, and head home.

I cannot say enough how proud we should all be of this group. They went to Mississippi with the idea that they would help people in need, but will return with so much more. If you see one of them around in the next few weeks or months, you should thank them for doing such a great job in representing this parish and our Catholic Church.

Waveland - Day 5

2006-06-16T19:08:00.000-05:00

The story of the Youth Group on Friday actually starts on Thursday. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the Youth Group went back to work after eating dinner last night. They worked until around 10:15pm, which gave them about 13 1/2 hours of work on the day. They fell into bed last night, got up this morning, and hit it again. An interesting aside involves Sophomore, Josh Thomas. After working all day yesterday, Josh went right to bed after working and got up this morning with everyone else. Because they went right to work, he didn't have a chance to shower. On the way to the site he asked (in all seriousness), "Does anyone smell that...it smells like a wet dog." Apparently, HE was the wet dog. Susan and Laura told him that if he didn't shower tonight, they would scrub him down with sand.

As for the work of the day, there was a lot to report on. The group spent the day putting glass in panes, painting, and fixing french doors. The teens were once again affirmed for their work ethic. The local work organizer said that she is going to have to re-configure her work schedule because of how much our group accomplished. That woman, who is in Mississippi on a three year contract, said that when our group comes back, they are welcome to stay at her place if they have no where else to stay. She really things a lot of them. It sounds like EVERYONE thinks a lot of them.

They also continued to build a relationship with the homeowner, Kathy Rhoads. All week long they have been hearing stories of how the hurricane affected, not only her, but her community as well. She has told them stories of how both of her neighbors drowned and about the many other horrifying things that she had to witness because of Hurricane Katrina. They have all been personally touched by all that they have heard and seen.

As I've mentioned before, there might be a return trip to Mississippi sometime in the Fall or Spring. This would be good, not only for us as a parish, but for the city of Waveland as well. It turns out that the Federal Government pays the city if Waveland $18.75 for every hour of volunteer work that they receive. Our group has worked more than forty hours this week, but lets suppose that that is it. That means that our group, at a minimum, has earned Waveland a total $5,250. That's awesome. If we can bring more young people next time, who knows what we can do.

The Youth Group is really making us proud. Please continue to pray for them, especially as they begin their journey home tomorrow.

Why Are There No Pictures?

2006-06-16T11:24:00.000-05:00

The parish has recently learned that there is a diocesan school policy which states that schools cannot place pictures of minors (those under the age of 18) on the internet, even with parental permission. We are working to get clarification as to whether or not this applies to the whole parish, or only to school. Until then, we have eliminated all pictures of youth from the site. We're very sorry for the inconvenience.

-Shannon

Waveland - Day 4

2006-06-15T21:44:00.000-05:00

Today provided another full day for your mission team. Again, spending the entire day at the home of Kathy Rhoads, the youth group painted rooms and put plywood down to provide the subflooring in two rooms. By week's end, they will replace the subflooring in the entire house. I talked with Aaron Dunn tonight at around 6pm. They were finishing with dinner and were planning to go back to Kathy's house to paint her bathroom and replace a door that cracked when it fell over last night.

Because they are sleeping in tents, they have to deal with the realities of nature, namely crickets. Apparently, because the crickets weren't helping them sleep, Josh and Kevin spent about twenty minutes last night killing crickets.

After spending some time looking for a place to eat tonight, they ended up at a restaurant called Chop Stick Buffet. When they sent Josh in to get a menu for pricing, a gentleman came out with him and invited them in. After learning why they were in Waveland, the man gave them a twenty percent discount on their food and didn't charge them any task. If you look back through the previous posts, it's not hard to pick up a spirit of gratefulness among the people of Mississippi.

The Youth Group is working very hard and having an amazing experience. They know that they will work tomorrow and think probably a little bit on Saturday. The talk right now is that they will head home starting Saturday night, arriving home sometime on Sunday. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue this important work.

Waveland - Day 3

2006-06-15T07:16:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, the youth group spent the entire day at Kathy's house. As you might remember, Kathy Rhoads is the woman who is living in a FEMA trailer while her father's house is refurbished. I talked with Laura Luebbert who gave me a little more of a background on Kathy.

Kathy was the 1st Grade teacher at Waveland Elementary, a school that has been washed away. After her home was destroyed by the hurricane, she went to collect her insurance claim. While she did receive money from her Homeowner's Insurance (enough to pay off the mortgage), she did have to haggle with Allstate Insurance, eventually losing out. Kathy had flood insurance, but the Allstate agent told her that her house had been destroyed by wind, therefore making her ineligible to collect any money. This is the reality for thousands of displaced Gulf Coast residents.

After the hurricane, she went to live with her brother, but found that his house had four feet of water in it. She lived there for two weeks, before moving in to her father's house, which had two feet of standing water in it when she arrived. They managed to pump the water out, allowing them to live in it for three months. While they lived there, the watched the development of the mold as it grew across their ceiling, changing colors every couple of weeks. After a while, volunteers from one of the area churches came by to clean up the mold. Incredible.

Prior to our group arriving, a (previously mentioned) group from St. Bart's in Indiana placed and sanded all of the sheet rock in Kathy's home. This allowed our group to start painting when they arrived. Yesterday, they painted the kitchen, dining room, and bedroom. Laura spent the entire day painting Kathy's ceiling. They also helped Kathy pick out paint colors for the rest of their house. Kathy ended up making lunch for the group and told them that she had prayed for angels to life her up, and she considers our kids to be the answer to those prayers.

At one point, they sent Aaron Dunn to Home Depot to get some much needed supplies. There IS a hardware store in Waveland, but apparently it's pretty lacking. Therefore they have to go to the Home Depot on Gulf Port, which is about twenty miles out of their way. Apparently on his way back to Waveland, he made a wrong turn and ended up driving completely out of his way. This prompted his calling Susan and asking "Am I supposed to be passing N.A.S.A?"

The teens ended their day by hanging out at the home of one of Aaron's wife Carrie's relatives. This family fed them a barbeque dinner and let them swim in their pool.

Please continue to pray for them, and remember to check back tomorrow for another update.

Waveland - Day 2

2006-06-13T21:07:00.000-05:00

The Youth Group is on a mission! According to Susan Bethards, the teens are working extremely hard and are as determined as ever to make a difference in Waveland.

Their morning began with Mass(in a tent) at St. Clare's. They, then, headed to the future home of Kathy Rhoads. When Katrina hit, Kathy's house was completely destroyed, leaving only the slab. Her father's house was hit as well, but it was deemed to be salvagable. Since the hurricane, Kathy has been living in a FEMA trailer in front of her house. In a couple of months, that tent will be taken away. Kathy is trying to refurbish her father's house so that she'll have a place to live in a couple of months. This is where the youth group comes in. Our youth group, along with a youth group from St. Bartholomew's Parish from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, will be exclusively focusing on Kathy's house for the rest of the week.

Today, the girls spent the day painting the inside and outside of Kathy's house. They also hung 11 doors and installed door knobs for all of them. The guys spent the day re-tiling 3/4's of the house.

For the rest of the week, the group intends to paint the ceiling, work on the kitchen, work on the adjoining dining room, and completely redo the bathroom.

It's interesting to note that some of the locals described our youth as handing themselves like "professionals". That's pretty cool.

As I've said before, please continue to pray for them, their efforts, and especially the residents of the Gulf Coast. Check back tomorrow for another update.

-Shannon

Waveland - Day 1

2006-06-12T17:34:00.000-05:00

Today the youth group got to work in a big way. The girls and guys all split up and did different tasks. The girls, who consist of Susan Bethards, Laura Luebbert, Megan Dampf, and Danielle Schepers, spent time painting a woman's house in muggy, 91 degree temperatures. The boys, who consist of Aaron Dunn, Kevin Krumm, and Josh Thomas, built a drain pipe and laid drain tile for a house that had taken on 5 1/2 feet of water.

I talked with Susan at around 5:30pm this evening. She reported that everyone was doing very well. They are all exhausted, hungry, and ready to jump back at it tomorrow. She also reported that, although they are not looking for praise of any kind, they have been showered with appreciation. Today, which is only day one, they were given TWO cakes! Things are going very well.

Come on back tomorrow for another update!

The Youth Group in Mississippi - Revised

2006-06-12T10:56:00.000-05:00

I just received a call from Susan Bethards who informed me that the Youth Group will not only be working in Waveland, Mississippi, but they will be staying there as well. You might all remember Waveland from an effort that St. Peter Church, along with other Jefferson City-area organizations, created to help re-build that community. That product of that effort is an organization called Jeff City Helps. That organization has raised a lot of money to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and has directed that money specifically to the community of Waveland.

Susan said that there's still a great deal of work to do, and the youth are very excited about getting in and helping. I've included a picture of St. Clare Church for you. the parish is now having Mass in a tent. Nearly all of the homes in the area were destroyed, forcing most families to stay in a FEMA tent in front of their house.

I'll give updates as often as I can. Please keep checking back.

Emily is Leaving the Hospital

2006-06-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

This was posted today on Emily Schepers' website:

MONDAY, JUNE 12, 2006 07:18 AM, CDT
These past two weeks have been so crazy. One minute I am healthy and the next I need a whole new liver. I don't remember much of the surgery weekend but I do remember hearing how there were prayer services and people were always praying and thinking about me and I really appreciate it. It has definetly been a life changing experience but my one true hope is that everything will just go back to normal. I don't feel and different except for a little pain. I still like, look, and feel the same as I did before the surgery. I am so thankful and eternally grateful to the doctors and organ donor because without them I wouldn't get to see the age of 16!

All the nurses have been extremely wonderful. But let me tell you something. I am tired of them. I want to sleep all night. I don't want them to pop in and check on me anymore. That can be my mom and dads job. But, they are truely wonderful people.

I must be one of the luckiest people in the world to have friends that care this much about me. I think some of you guys are even more excited about me coming home as I myself have been. I hope we have a blast the rest of the summer and have as many parties as possible.

My dad comes from a family of 12 kids and my mom from a family of 8. We didn't have to worry about anything which you would not believe how much stress that took off. I may only have one brother but it seems like I have many close family. I am so grateful to have such a large and loving family to count on.

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts, calls, prayer, and time. You really made my time in the hospital a lot easier. I appreciate all the website messages, e-mails, and cards. It was something I could look forward to reading everyday. This will be my last update to the website as I am ready to move on with my life. Thanks and see ya soon.

This is Bev, it looks like we will be released from the hospital some time today. We may even be able to come home by the end of the week. Thanks to all for the love, support, and prayers that we have received. We will see you in Jeff City!!

The Youth Group In Mississippi

2006-06-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

On Saturday evening, four youth and three adults from this parish traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi for a week of service to help in the rebuilding process in the Gulf Coast. While it wasn't exactly clear what type of work they would be doing for the week, the group was confident that they would be working in Waveland, a town being supported by an organization in Jefferson City called Jeff City Helps. The picture on the left shows part of the parish grounds at St. Clare Church in Waveland, MS. You can find more pictures and more opportunities to help by going to:

http://jeffcityhelps.org

Keep checking in on this blog for periodic updates on the work that the Youth Group is doing. We will also post pictures of their efforts here, and on the parish youth ministry website, when they return. Please keep the Youth Group, as well as the community that they are supporting, in your prayers during this week.

-Shannon

A Great Week

2006-06-10T06:35:00.000-05:00

This week, dozens of teens and adults led 160 children through Vacation Bible School at St. Peter's. The theme of the week was "Fiesta: Where Kids Are Fired Up About Jesus". As you might imagine, the week included a lot of singing, learning about bible points, making crafts, and eating snacks. The program went really well.

The teenagers who were involved included Cara Berhorst, Jennifer Lepper, Rachel Pattyson, Courtney Luebbert, Jessica Roberts, Ashley Lute, Dayla Gerstner, Hannah Nacy, Kara Hunton, Karli Hunton, and Mallory Keeney. They all did a great job. Thanks also should be extended to Becky Pfenenger, and all of the Station Leaders who made this Vacation Bible School one to remember.

If you would like to help with Vacation Bible School in the future, feel free to contact me with my information in the right hand column.

-Shannon

A Message from Emily Schepers

2006-06-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

This was posted on the "journal" page of the website that was set up for Emily Schepers:

FRIDAY, JUNE 09, 2006 08:41 AM, CDT
Today is Friday, June 9. The doctors aren't for sure but I might get out Monday. I am going to be staying in St. Louis a week to two weeks. Everything is really good. I feel a lot better! It was very wonderful to read all the letters and messages. I've been pretty busy so its not been too boring sitting in the room.
I have had lots of nurses and they are all very good and treat me good. I am not sure what we will do today. Still waiting on the doctor to come. He said a couple days ago that is was not a bad thing if we didn't see him much.
I will up-date again later if anything changes. Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts.
Emily!!

Thursday Fun

2006-06-08T09:45:00.000-05:00

Here's something that my friend Orin posted on our Oddwalk Oddblog a few weeks ago. It just a little bit of fun:

10 puns

1. Two vultures board an airplane; each is carrying two dead raccoons.The stewardess looks at them and says, "I'm sorry,gentlemen, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

2. Two boll weevils grew up in the deep South. One went to Hollywood and became a famous actor. The other stayed behind in the cotton fields and never amounted to much. The second one, naturally, became known as the lesser of two weevils.

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, but when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it, too.

4. A three-legged dog walks into a saloon in the Old West. He slides up to the bar and announces: "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw."

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a rootcanal? He wanted to transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?" they asked, as they moved off."Because," he said, "I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer."

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes toa family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan,you've seen Ahmal."

8. These friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close.They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close.Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd beback if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that Hugh, and only Hugh, can prevent florist friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time,which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He alsoate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him ... A super callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

10. The folks at the San Diego zoo heard about some immortal dolphins down in the Amazon, so they sent a guy down to bring some back for the zoo.After a difficult trip, he was able to find them, and brought them back. But soon after they got back to San Diego, they started to die. The zoo sent a team down to the Amazon, and determined that some enzymes in the feces of Mynah birds, which dropped into the water, was what kept the porpoises alive. So the team went hunting for some of the Mynah birds to bring back to the zoo. Meanwhile, up in San Diego, a lion had escaped from the state-run zoo, and was having a grand old time gallivanting around town, terrorizing everyone. He eventually got tired, and lay down to take a nap - right in front of the San Diego zoo entrance.The team lead got back from the Amazon with the Mynah birds, and had to step over the lion in order to get into the zoo. He was immediately arrested for transporting mynahs over state lions for immortal porpoises.

Youth Group Tomorrow!

2006-06-06T14:27:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that the St. Peter's High School Youth Group meets tomorrow, June 7th from 6-7:30pm in the Parish Life Center. Any High School student is welcome to attend. For more information on this or any youth ministry event or activity, follow this link below:

http://stpeterteens.blogspot.com/2006/05/leap-into-21st-century.html

-Shannon

An Update on Emily Schepers

2006-06-05T09:53:00.000-05:00

I talked today with an aunt of Emily Schepers. She confirmed that Emily's recovery continues to go well and that we should definitely keep up the prayers. She did say, however, that Emily would not be receiving any visitors (beyond immediate family) until further notice. There are a lot of very sick people in the ward where Emily is staying and they are trying to minimize the contact with anyone or anything that isn't sterile.

You can check periodically on Emily's website to find out when you may visit. When the time comes, they will post the information there. For now, please continue to pray. You may also go to that website and sign the guestbook. That sort of communication is strongly encouraged. I'll let you know more when I find out.

-Shannon

Emily Schepers

2006-06-03T12:02:00.000-05:00

Many of you already know about the fact that Emily Schepers, a sophomore in the parish, was found to have Wilson's Disease. Emily was taken from University Hospital in Columbia to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, and then on to St. Louis Children's Hospital, also in St. Louis. The disease required her to have a liver transplant within five to seven days. After only two or three days, four possible livers were found and tested. I am told that a liver was selected and Emily received her transplant last night. Everything appears to be alright this morning. Emily is resting and the medical staff is being very cautious. Therefore, they aren't accepting any visitors who aren't immediate family members. We can help her, however, by continuing to pray for her and her recovery.

There is a way, though, that you can communicate with her. St. Louis Children's Hospital has a website set up for her. You can find it at:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/emilyschepers

When you get there, click on "guestbook" towards the top and follow the instructions.

If you would like to "snail mail" her a card or letter, the address is:

Emily Schepers
c/o St. Louis Children's Hospital
1 Child Place
St. Louis, MO 63110

See ya,
Shannon

A House Fire

2006-05-30T14:12:00.000-05:00

This e-mail came from Mary Jo Hitz, RCIA Director for the parish:

In case you hadn't heard, Pat and Allen Pollock's house was struck by lightning during last night's storm and was badly damaged by fire. It occurred about 7:00 p.m. and the fire was finally put out at 12:30 a.m.Fr. Don and I went by around Noon today just to offer support and see ifthey needed anything else.Please keep Pat and Allen and their family in your prayers. We will keep you informed if any needs are identified. It is not recommended that you stop by at this point.

Thanks,
Mary Jo

Pat and Allen's son, Patrick, was also affected by the fire. Patrick is one of our parish youth as well as a Helias sophomore-to-be. As Mary Jo said, let's keep all of them in our prayers.

-Shannon

Music for Your Soul

2006-05-30T06:52:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for something to listen to this summer, and you're tired of what's on the radio, I have an idea. You might check out Spirit and Song. Spirit and Song is a great company that specializes in producing Contemporary Catholic Christian music. This website has all sorts of cool things. One of the best, though, is their streaming radio. They have four "radio stations" depending on taste. They are:

Spirit and Song Radio - "Our most expansive contemporary Catholic playlist, with styles ranging from acoustic, Celtic, calypso and pop to rock, rap and jazz." (spiritandsong.com)

Acoustic Soul - "Your favorite folk- and pop-style praise and worship tracks - more mellow and acoustic in flavor. " (spiritandsong.com)

The Edge - "Contemporary Catholic music that pushes the envelope with gritty, edgy, urban rock, rap and hip-hop styles." (spiritandsong.com)

Choose Christ - "A rotating playlist drawing from the more than 50 songs in the best-selling choose Christ collection." (spiritandsong.com)

Enjoy!
-Shannon

For all you crazy kids with your skateboards and whatnot

2006-05-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

Let's get something very clear. I am not cool now, I have never been cool, and I don't ever anticipate a time when I'll suddenly ascend the ladder of coolness. In my life, I have always either been a step behind the trend or I've missed it completely. Now at 30 years old, I don't really care about it anymore. That's why I don't really feel qualified to refer someone to a skateboarding website. I will, though, because that's what un-cool people do.

I found a great company called Freedom Skateboards. It's a ministry that, according to their website, 'exists to spread the Love and Good News of Jesus Christ. This is done by being a positive role model to skaters, by meeting the needs of hurting people, and by teaming up with churches and other organizations to reach the skateboarding and youth culture. Freedom's vision is to assist indivduals in finding freedom through Jesus Christ.'

It sounds like a great ministry. Enjoy!

-Shannon

Something Fun

2006-05-25T08:54:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Since school is officially out now, I figure you're dealing with a void. Since I'm sure you're not interested in filling that void with anything useful, I'll try and post something useless on this blog every other day or so. Today it's Homestar Runner (http://homestarrunner.com).

Homestar is a ridiculous (and very funny) website. It's also very hard to explain. You can go here and check it out. If you click here, you'll see an example of one of my favorite parts of the site, the Strongbad E-mails. Trust me, it's definitely worth seeing.

-Shannon

3 Years!

2006-05-24T13:54:00.000-05:00

Today is the third wedding anniversary for my wife, Erin, and I. I wrote a little about it on the blog for my side ministry, Oddwalk Ministries. You can find that entry by clicking here.

-Shannon

Prayer in a Time of Loss

2006-05-24T13:42:00.000-05:00

As some of you know, John F. Gassner passed away on Friday. John is the father of Sheila Gassner and Laura Dampf. He is the grandfather of David, Andrew, Megan, and Matthew Dampf, as well as Cory, Michelle, Melissa, and Jacob Gassner. You can click here to read the obituary from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Please keep Mr. Gassner and his entire family in your prayers during this difficult time.

-Shannon

Da Vinci Code Information

2006-05-22T15:56:00.000-05:00

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding The Da Vinci Code, a best-selling book by Dan Brown, and a hit movie by Ron Howard. While The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, there are still a lot of people up in arms about the book's (and the movie's) supposed attack on Christianity. While I think we should defend our faith at all times, I think the anger and bitterness created by opponents of The Da Vinci Code has ultimately led to even greater book sales for Dan Brown and box office receipts for the movie's producers.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has created a very helpful website designed to address some of the "allegations" made in this work. If you've had questions about the book or movie, you may find this website to be very helpful. You can find it by clicking on the link below:

http://www.jesusdecoded.com/

I hope this helps.
-Shannon

Youth Group This Week

2006-05-22T10:06:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder the High School Youth Group meets this week from 6-7:30 in the Parish Life Center. Come join us for a great evening of faith, food, and fun! If you've never checked it out, now would be a great time. The teens are getting ready for a very exciting summer. The next few months will include a mission trip to Biloxi, MS, a float trip, and a trip to Six Flags! Hope to see you there.

-Shannon

Congratulations Graduates

2006-05-19T11:44:00.000-05:00

Tonight is the graduation ceremony for St. Peter School. These next few weeks will see a lot of graduations, from grade school on through college. I want to take a moment to congratulate all of the graduates. May God be with you, guide you, and bless you as you move on through life.

-Shannon

Upcoming Events

2006-05-18T16:28:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Here's what's on the schedule in the next few weeks:

August 2 - High School Youth Group – 6-7:30pm, Parish Life Center
August 14 - Youth Scripture Study – 6:30pm-7:30pm – Parish Life Center
August 16 - High School Youth Group – 6-7:30pm, Parish Life Center
August 28 - Youth Scripture Study – 6:30pm-7:30pm – Parish Life Center
August 30 - High School Youth Group – 6-7:30pm, Parish Life Center

See Ya,
Shannon