Youth Group - Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

Here all the events happening in September!! 🗓️

Come celebrate with us to kick off the school year on Sunday at 3:15!!🥳

Come celebrate with us!! Sunday at 3:15 🥳

Here are all the events happening in August!

Open house today! Hope to see you there 🙌🏽

We are searching for new volunteers for our catechesis programs! Please share this with anyone who might be interested in helping this year. For more information feel free to contact us!

These past weeks in youth group; everyone survived and some people even laughed

Confirmation sun 1:30-3

Edge(middle school) sun 3:15-4:45

Lifeteen (high school) wed 7-8:30

CCE, confirmation, youth group, and young adult registration available after the 8:30 and 11:00 mass every weekend now- the end of august!! Come sign up!

Make heaven crowded

Steubenville of the Rockies 23:Refuge

Join us for family night this weekend!

Trunk or Treat is coming up this Sunday!

EDGE class tonight & competition!

Whichever small group donates the most candy bags wins a dinner party next week!

See y'all tonight at 7!

Come join us playing co****le here at Our Lady of Grace!

Come join us this weekend to support our youth and play co****le with a chance to win 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cash prizes!!

Mondays we like to take a look back at the weekend and previous week.

This week in our edge class we discussed sacraments and how to see grace👀 this week we will continue to look at Gods grace.

In our lifeteen class we discussed social justice, in the world, in the church, and how it affects us. This upcoming weekend we will start to look at the dignity of all human life.

Thank you to our catechist who taught this week and to our students who attended.

Another successful week in our youth group with our highschool and middleschool classes. 😎

We had a great time this week!

Both our edge class in Wednesday and our lifeteen class on Sunday went great. We spoke about safe environment things and got to know one another.

We hope to see everyone next week!

We would like to welcome Paul Luna to our middle school edge core team !

Wanting to give back to his community Paul is very excited for this upcoming year. Paul is a land surveyor in training, he’s originally from San Antonio but moved to Lubbock to study at Texas Tech where he met his wife Kimberly Luna ( who is also volunteering). They enjoy going camping when they have a chance.

Paul lives his life by three simple sayings

“Be the change you want to see in the world”
“Leave places ( and people) better than you found them”
“Lead by example”

We would like to welcome Liza Alonzo to our lifeteen team!

Liza is wanting to set a great example for her kids and advocating for continued growth and learning after confirmation this year. She loves going, helping and participating in ACTS Retreats. She wishes to share her life experiences and help guide others in their spiritual journey.

“Our hearts were made for you, o Lord and they are restless until they rest in you”
-St. Augustine

Back again for another year to spread their contagious spirit and love for God are Bryan and Jannie Wilkerson. Last year, they joined our group and were a hit with the kids! We are happy and blessed to have them come back again this year in our Edge group!
Here is what they had to say:
Hello Youth Group peeps!
It’s Jannie and Bryan here! We want to share a bit about Us. We will be 38 in September, the 22nd and 24th to be exact! We have 5 awesome children and soon we’ll have a daughter-in-law and a grandbaby to make our family a fine 9!
We are here because God has been calling and we are finally listening! We had no balance and lacked full commitment to our church because we often used the words, “we’re too BUSY” and we became tired of Being Under Satan’s Yolk (BUSY – an acronym shared by our very own, Father Rudy). We when we heard God calling once again, we finally said YES and God took care of our busy scheduled and showed us our reason and our purpose. It is for our children and yours!
Bryan and I have a sincere passion for our youth and have had it all our lives. He’s always spread inspiration and a smile as a youth league coach and I have always wanted to be an educator. I have had the opportunity to assist in the classroom for over 10 years, where I too get to spread God’s love! Our teenagers have been our most favorite part of life these days, it has been the very toughest but most beautiful experience to be their parents! We see them grow daily and we see God working in them! We’ve also seen HIM in the youth of our church! They are full of spirit, hope and life. Bryan and I could not be more excited to be a part of Edge and Our Lady of Grace!

We survive on prayer, hope, faith and love. Of course, we can’t forget Bryan’s favorite saying, “Everything is small to a giant!” When WE BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, and all of HIS promises, we are giants! We are able to live the life God intended on earth so that we can live an eternity with HIM in Heaven!
Edge Family, staff, parents, and students – thank you for another opportunity!
Sincerely,
Bryan and Jannie Wilkerson

And that is why you will want to register your kids in our youth program!
Sign up today!
https://olgracelubbock.org/youth-registration-elementary-through-high-school

Great turn out for our open house tonight!

Classes start Sept 7th for Edge and Sept 11 for Lifeteen!

If you haven’t registered, be sure to register below

https://olgracelubbock.org/youth-registration-elementary-through-high-school

Be sure to come to our open house at 6 pm today!

We are excited to announce that Joebryan has decided to take on a leadership role in our Edge group. While Mark Esparza will continue to run the Youth program, Joebryan will be leading Edge nights with our youth!

Welcome back Joebryan for another year with our youth group! We are blessed to have you volunteer with us!

This evening is open house at 6 pm. You can register in person or online still if you haven't already!

https://olgracelubbock.org/youth-registration-elementary-through-high-school

Our church continues to need young adults to lead our youth...we are thankful and blessed that Alexia Sifuentes (20 years old) has chosen to be a volunteer for another year. This year, she will continue to help out in our Edge group and Lifeteen group as well as help our in elementary CCE.

Here is what she has to say on why she is continuing to be a catechist / volunteer:

"I think it's important for the youth to see young adults involved with the church, and I enjoy getting to watch the kids build a sense of community with their peers throughout the year. "

A little more information about her:
"Right now, I'm finishing up my last year of undergrad at Texas Tech as a HDFS (Human Development and Family Studies) major, and with God's will, I'm going to continue at the TTUHSC next fall to work towards becoming a Speech Pathologist. During my free time, I play indoor soccer and listen to podcasts."

My favorite words of inspiration right now are:

"If you can be anything, be kind." - Caroline Flack

There is no time like the present to register your kids!
Open house is this Sunday!
https://olgracelubbock.org/youth-registration-elementary-through-high-school

We are pleased to welcome Jerimiah Vasquez into our Youth Group! He is a 20 year old young man and is eager to help our with our Edge kids!

Here is what he had to say on why he has chosen to continue to be a catechist/volunteer:
"I grew up going to Our Lady of Grace and wanted to help the youth navigate through life."

Tell us more about you:
"I am currently a biology major and have aspirations to go to medical school. I am a new dog dad with a Rottweiler named Uzui who is 10 weeks old. I also help coach a youth football team on my free time."

A quote or saying that has some meaning to him:
"I wish I could throw off the thoughts which poison my happiness, and yet I take a kind of pleasure in indulging them." - Frédéric Chopin

"You're only given a little spark of madness, if you lose that you're nothing." - Robin Williams

Don't forget to join us for Open house is this weekend...Let's get your child registered TODAY by going online! https://olgracelubbock.org/youth-registration-elementary-through-high-school

We must be doing something right! God is continuing to bless us and send new volunteers. Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Kimberly Luna! She is a 26 year old young woman who has a desire to make an impact in our youth group and hopefully make it COOL for the kids to be apart of! This year, she will be helping in the Edge group with her husband, Paul!

Here is what he had to say on why he has chosen to continue to be a catechist/volunteer:
"I wanted to volunteer with the youth group because I remember the impact that the leaders of my youth group had on myself and all the kids around me. The young people are the future of our church and I want to be a part of making sure they have the tools and the support to become the people that God created them to be - and also to get to watch them grown into those people! I still keep up with the youth group leaders I had. Furthermore, I think being a strong member of your faith has somehow become "not cool" ...which is in itself not cool. But youth group leaders are who showed me that being a leader in your church IS cool and that genuine and down to earth people can be found here."

Tell us more about you:
"I am a pharmacist by day and an aspiring baker/knitter/gardener by night. Since I jsut finished 8 years of school, I haven't really decided what my hobbies will be so I've been trying a little bit of everything! My husband and I LOVE to camp and hike and just be in nature - it truly makes us feel connected with God's creation.

I also have 8 nieces and nephews, which keeps us on our toes making it to baptisms, birthday parties, soccer games, recitals...the lists gets longer each year but we love it."

A quote or saying that has some meaning to him:
Mother Teresa: "Do small things with great love."

Open house is this weekend...is your child registered? There is no time like the present!

https://olgracelubbock.org/youth-registration-elementary-through-high-school

It is always a blessing when a volunteer decides to return for another year to help out. Diego Rielo helped with our initial year in our Edge group and led our 8th graders in small group discussions.
Diego is a 30 year old young man who is currently in medical school. This year he will be returning to our youth group to help with our Lifeteen group!

Here is what he had to say on why he has chosen to continue to be a catechist/volunteer:
"I became drawn to Our lord and His teachings transmitted through His Church since 2019. I experienced a Love and Truth that changed my entire life since then. It is my goal in life to spread His Kingdom on this Eart, and I believe that if I can help even one person see Jesus for who He is and what He is, and then choose Him above all things, it will have been well worth the time spent volunteering for our parish.

I love jokes, history, theology, and exercising. At the moment, I am a 3rd year medical student for TTUHSC, and although it occupies most of my time, it does not stop me from thanking God, being in prayer, and finding ways to fulfill our Christian duty."

A quote or saying that has some meaning to him:
"And what does ridiculous mean? Isn't every one constantly being or seeming ridiculous? Besides, nearly all clever people not are fearfully afraid of being ridiculous, and that makes them unhappy." (Alyosha speaking to Kolya, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky)

Open house is this weekend...so be sure to register your youth for edge or lifeteen
https://olgracelubbock.org/youth-registration-elementary-through-high-school

I am pleased to announced we have another new volunteer that we are welcoming to our Lifeteen group. Christina C is a young woman who is ready to make a difference with our youth and their faith. She will be moving from Pennsylvania to Lubbock soon and we are blessed that she is ready to join in!

Here is what she has to say about why she chose to become a volunteer/catechist:
"I want to help youth become fervent followers of Christ!"

A little more about her:
"I am (or will be) a transplant from Pennsylvania for work as a biotstatistician. I love baking cakes, cooking, learning foreign languages, painting and singing sacred chant and polyphony with my church choir."

A quote that means something special to her:
"I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament. There you will find romance, glory honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth." - J.R.R. Tolkein.

Welcome to the Youth Group team Christina, we cannot wait to work with you!

Have you registered your youth in our youth group! https://olgracelubbock.org/youth-registration-elementary-through-high-school

This year, we are welcoming another new volunteer to our Lifeteen group. Veronica Contreras is a 20 year old young adult who wishes to share her faith and love of God with our youth. We are blessed to have someone who can be very relatable to our youth and help be a role model for our young teens at our church.

Here is what she has to say about why she chose to become a volunteer/catechist:
"Since I was in high school, I have volunteerered to help the youth in my parish. In 2020, when Covid shut things down, I took a step back from volunteering. Now, 2 years later, I have had the pull to begin volunteering again, especially with youth! I lvoe teaching young people about the truth of Jesus Christ and his extravagant love for each and every one of them." j

I currently work at the Nurturing Center in Lubbock, which is a pregnancy resource center. I just got accepted to Midland College's Sonography program which I will begin in January. I am also working on my degree in Social work at SPC. I am passionately prolife and love to support women in the Lubbock community. Inbetween work and school, I dance! Dancing is my therapy and motivation to better myself.

As a young person myself, I know it can be hard to go to church and learn about Jesus while the world is telling you something totally different. I am blesssed to have very strong faith leaders in high school and middle school that continually showed me the truth. My hope is to be a leader for the youth in that same way."

Please join us in welcoming Veronica to our team!

Don't forget to register your youth in our youth group! https://olgracelubbock.org/youth-registration-elementary-through-high-school