All Saints Roman Catholic Parish
All Saints Roman Catholic Parish
  • Home
    • Church Locations
    • Sunday Reflection
    • Parish Staff
  • Bulletins
  • Fr. Kevin's Homilies 2021
    • Fr. Kevin's Homilies 2020 >
      • Fr. Kevin's Homilies 2019 >
        • We Are the Body of Christ Workshop
        • Fr. Kevin's Homilies 2018 Archive >
          • Fr. Kevin's Homilies - 2017 Archive
  • Stories
    • Papa Panov
    • Fred the Christmas Donkey
  • Sacraments
    • Sacramental Preparation
    • Baptism
    • Marriage
    • Funerals
  • Youth & Young Adults
  • Community Photos
    • Christmas Concert 2019
    • Our Lady of Guadalupe 2019
    • St. Nicholas Party 2019
    • Naming Ceremony
  • Upcoming Events
  • Ministries
    • Volunteer Screening & Training Process
  • Ask Father Kevin
  • Help Wanted
  • Videos
  • Pastoral Advisory Council
  • CWL
  • Live Music, TV, and Links
  • Lodge & Nursing Homes
  • Blog
  • Salt&Light

God works in mysterious ways

Story by Amy Gruninger (Youth Ministry Coordinator)
Edited by Alice Matisz
Picture
​ 
At the beginning of this year, I started a special activity/lesson with the Holy Spirit elementary schools in Lethbridge. I got the idea from a Catholic conference I attended called Rise Up. This is how it works. There are a bunch of random words, phrases or gifts of the Holy Spirit written on slips of paper and placed in a box. You have to pull a slip of paper and the words on it are either a gift from God or something that you need to work on for the year.
 
When I pulled my first one I was stunned! The word was “candour”, which I interpreted as a call to be more open with my thoughts and feelings. I realised that my natural reticence might be perceived as distancing in relationships.  Clearly God was working in mysterious ways in my life. I decided right then, “This is something I HAVE to do with the youth.”
 
Fast forward to the classrooms and it was awesome seeing the kids pull out their words. I watched as their faces seemed to ask, “God WHY?” A little while later, and with some explanation, I could see them beginning to understand how God was speaking to them.
 
One day, when I was in a Grade 6 class, one particular student received the phrase, “Share your Faith.” He immediately came up to me and demanded, “Amy, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? I don’t even believe in God or go to church!” All I said to him was, “Just you wait and see.” His classmates told me he wasn’t going to change because he was stubborn in his ways. But I advised them to have faith. “God is mysterious,” I said.
 
About a month later I was back in the same class. The boy who had pulled that challenging phrase came up to me, gave me a big hug and exclaimed, “Guess what? I’ve started going to church with my grandparents! And I want to get baptized next year.”
The same week, he joined Pulse, our youth group for Grades 6-8. Ever since, it has been such a joy to get to know him better and to see his relationship with God flourish. He has even brought three friends from his class to the youth group.
 
It’s amazing what God can do – what God IS doing – in the lives of our youth!

Site Proudly powered by the Holy Spirit