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Helping Mothers in Need
In January, we collected blankets, diapers, bottles and other essential items for the Northwest Center, a non-profit organization that offers support to new mothers and pregnant women in need.
December Service Project Success!
Our December service project, a fundraiser for Project Hope, a global health and humanitarian relief organization, was a huge success! Kudos to our co-chairs, youth members Heidi Linnartz and Anna Ponchione and all who contributed. In less than two weeks, we raised more $3,000 to provide protective equipment for doctors, nurses and others on the frontline around the world in the fight against COVID-19.Father Emanuel Magro graciously agreed to play a key role in our fundraising effort by undergoing a challenge as voted on by our donors. After the ballots were cast, recording a dance video won by a landslide. Take a moment to watch it HERE!
Connecting with God through Nature
On a recent Sunday afternoon our youth group hiked through Rock Creek Forest, exploring its rustic and rugged landscape and feeling the presence of the God who created it.
Holiday Celebration
Our year came to a delightful close with a festive and faith-filled holidaygathering where we enjoyed each others company around a cozy fire pit.
Teen Mass Planning!
Under the guidance of Fr. Magro, we're creating a Mass that is designed especially for teens and pre-teens.
Winter Hike
Harvest Dinner
Youth Ministry students purchased produce at the Chevy Chase Farmer’s Market that they prepared and served at a youth group meeting to demonstrate how easy it can be to protect the environment by shopping locally.
S'mores on a Mild November Evening!
Pizza and the Haunted Forest
Our pre-Halloween visit to the famous Haunted Forest at Calleva Farm offered an opportunity to practice and learn more about our faith. As part of our ongoing effort to discover new ways to care for God’s creation and safeguard the environment, we had dinner on the farm that included dishes with ingredients that. were grown on the property and baked in ovens that were made with recycled materials. Fr. Magro paid us a virtual visit for discussion on All Hallow's Eve, All Saints’ Day and and All Souls’ Day.
Paddling the Potomac
Crisp fall weather, spectacular autumn hues and a brilliant sunset made for a perfect day to paddle the Potomac. Youth Ministry students got a firsthand look at water, both clean and polluted, and contemplated their role as Catholics in protecting it.
Our Environment Ministry Grant
Youth Ministry students spent a day at Calleva Farm this summer learning about some of the choices that we can make to reduce our personal impact on the environment. Leviticus 25:1-7 teaches us that land must be given a rest and not abused. During our visit, we learned about crop rotation and helped to harvest vegetables in the farm’s greenhouse and garden. We sampled grapes and pears that were grown on the farm and saw the importance of crop rotation and eating seasonal food, grown without fertilizers or pesticides.
By spending time with humanely raised farm animals like chickens, pigs, and sheep, we experienced a first hand example of God’s command, Genesis 2:15, that we are to care for God’s creation.
Our day ended at a stream on the farm where students searched for macroinvertebrates such as snails, worms, mollusks, leeches and crustaceans. This activity offered an observable and measureable indicator of stream health. The more organisms, the healthier the water.
Youth Ministry Students are Making a Difference
Youth Ministry students and their families are working to demonstrate the ways in which they’re incorporating the lessons from their trip to Calleva into their daily lives and showing how easy it is for others to do the same.
Here are the experiences of some of our eight grade students in their own words:
Patrick Knowles: “We are caring for God’s creation by cleaning up our street, alley, and nearby woods. We are especially mindful to pick up plastic, which could wash into our waterways."Conor O'Brien: “My family and I take it upon ourselves to make sure we recycle when possible. We do this in order to take care of Gods gift, Earth. We hope that our efforts help keep the environment cleaner.”
Hannah Howard and her family buy produce at the Chevy Chase Farmers’ Market (photo above)
Abby O’Brien: “We are answering Pope Francis’ call to care for God’s creation by growing many vegetables in our backyard garden. We eat some of the vegetables and share some with other friends and family members. By growing vegetables in our backyard, we are able to fulfill a duty as Catholics, by caring for God’s creation in a way we are able to!”
Anna Ponchione: "Growing a backyard garden reduces the amount of miles that a truck has to travel to pick up your fruits and veggies and bring them back to your house, which will cause pollution. Growing a garden in your backyard doesn’t cause any pollution from trucks. In my backyard, we grow tomatoes and cucumbers. My family uses tomatoes to put in salads. It’s super easy to grow a garden at home.Lindsay Derrick: Pope Francis asked all people to care for the Earth and all its creations that were given to us by God...
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish in the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” Genesis 1:26
My family shops at the local Farmers’ Market whenever we can. Buying food from our neighborhood Farmers’ Market helps to reduce the amount of waste that goes into the environment. Buying organic foods also helps to reduce the number of chemicals released into our land, waters and air.It is very easy to shop at our local Farmers’ Market. It makes me happy to be supporting the farmers who are there to sell the food they have grown. I hope that more families will take the time to buy from a local Farmers’ Market each week too.