Summer is Here - Good Shepherd Youth Ministry

Summer is Here
by Veronica Murray, Editor
Well it’s
that me of
year yet
again! The
end of the school year this
means it’s me for prom,
grad night, senior awards and
ac vi es, gradua on and
then finally SUMMER! This is
a long awaited me for all of
the seniors who are gradua ng this year and reflec ng
back I hope everyone has
found their me in the Good
Shepherd youth program a
posi ve and strengthening
building block for the founda on of their lives. I know
that being involved in this
program has helped shape
my life, the way I make
decisions and the way I
look at my faith. It has
been a very great experience for me and I hope anyone who is hesita ng on entering it does! On a different
note to the seniors: I hope
that a er we graduate high
school and we all disperse to
college that you keep in
touch but most importantly
keep in touch with your faith.
Faith is what connects us all
together; it’s the reason we
met each other, and when
you go to Sunday mass know
that we are all going together
as one family in Christ. Here
is a li le prayer I found that I
hope you keep in mind for
gradua on: Lord, on this
"commencement" day, let
there be a beginning of my
life. In the days of darkness,
be my Light, so that in turn I
can radiate your truth and
your message of love, hope,
and joy. In the days of blandness and of blahs, Lord, be
my salt, so that in turn I can
fend off the corrup on, the
staleness, the mediocrity
around me. In the days when
I am flat on my back or fall
to a catholic school or a public school where we are majoring in poli cal science or
music it doesn’t ma er! We
are all children of God and
nothing can break that connec on and kinship and we
MUST go out and do what
God intended us to do. Well
as the year and ar cle winds
down I would just like to
thank everyone who has influenced my life here. To Pat
Clasby, our coordinator of
youth ministry, who could
not be any be er at his
job than he already is.
To Lyn Diosa, the volunteer who puts every
single newsle er together for us on her
own me. And to all
my staff of writers,
thank you for pu ng
in all the me and effort that
flat on my face, Lord, be my
Leaven, so that not only can I goes into Newsle er! And for
making my senior a most
rise again, but also raise the
downhearted to the celebra- memorable one! You ALL will
forever be in my heart and
on of your Love. And Lord,
prayers! And lastly thank you
thank You, for the school
for anyone who takes the
years, for the talents I reme to read these newsceived. Amen. When I read
le ers, is involved or supthis I am inspired to know
that no ma er where I go or ports the youth community!
We put a lot of hard work
what I do in my college life
that God will always be there into everything we do and
just having the support of our
for me and also that it is our
church is such a wonderful
duty to go out and inspire
other people with God’s great feeling! Thank you all and
love. No ma er if we’re going God Bless! :D
June 2/3, 2012
Volume 7, Issue 4
Inside this issue:
Mass of Blessing
2
Synergy
2
Camp Emmaus
2012
3
Confirmation
3
Senior Spotlights 4-7
End of Year Reflection
8
Dance ‘til You
Drop
8
Summer Events
9
Missouri Trip
9
Farewell to the
Class of 2012
10
Mass of Blessing
by Monique Breillatt, Writer
On Sunday, June
10, 2012, at
12:15pm, Good
Shepherd is having
a Mass of Blessing
for the gradua ng Class of 2012.
This is a way to congratulate and
give blessings over the graduates.
Any high school senior or graduate
is welcome to partake in this
event. All seniors are to arrive at
the church by 12pm and will be
seated with their peers. This mass
is for the Class of 2012 as they
graduate on the following Tuesday, June 12. Anyone is more than
welcome to join the graduates and
give their blessings and prayers as
they have closure with their senior
year and say hello towards their
future. There is a small recep on
following mass in the Parish Hall.
We would love for all of you to join
us on this special event!
Synergy
by Austin Ledesma, Writer
Synergy is an annual
event in which Good
Shepherd Youth
a ends. It is a rally
to keep teens on the
righteous path with
God. This year synergy was held on
April 14, 2012. Our very own Isidro
Pagdanganan and Paulo Pampolina
were 2 of the 4 emcees. The theme
was Reach Out. It challenged the
youth to reach out to other people in
certain situa ons when they normally
wouldn't. The speakers that Good
Shepherd had the pleasure of listening
to were the Apex Brothers and Emmaus Boulevard. The experience was
unlike any other. With good vibes and
the word of God being spread everywhere. The day started off early. At
around 10 am, everyone gathered in
the gymnasium to sing and dance
along with some ice breakers. Then
the Apex Brothers gave an amazing
show with crazy juggling stunts as well
as teaching us what it's like
to listen to others. A erwards everyone split up in
to their own separate
workshops. Good Shepherd got to see the Apex
Brothers once again where
they presented a skit about
how to not fall off the path
that God has set before us.
Following that, Good Shepherd moved
back into the gymnasium to listen to
Emmaus Boulevard talk about their
lives and what they have experienced
alongside with God. Our very own
Patrick Clasby talked about what the
Ten Commandments were there for,
what their purpose was in our life, and
how God only set them there to protect us from harm. Jed Banayat also
talked about what it was like for him
growing up in a strict Catholic family.
Then it was dinner me, when we all
got to eat hot dogs and chips. The DJ
played some great music that every-
one could dance to! It really brought
everyone closer. Emmaus Boulevard
closed the night with a blowout performance of many of their own original songs, and many covers as well.
Unfortunately one of the members
had to leave abruptly due to a family
emergency, so everyone at Synergy
bowed their heads to pray and at the
end of the night we got news that
everything was fine. Overall that day
was full of fun loving people who
share our same faith in the Lord.
Jed Banayat, Fr. Jacob, and Mark Jacob at Synergy.
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GS Youth United
Camp Emmaus 2012
by Stephanie Bucao, Writer
This upcoming
August 2012, a
select group of
high school
youth will be
a ending an annual event
called Camp Emmaus. Good
Shepherd Youth Ministry’s own
core team will join with other
groups from around the diocese
in the youth leadership camp.
The camp is designed to help
the young individuals to become respectable leaders in
their parish communi es. While
on the week long trip, the youth
are mixed with other parishes
in small groups to not only get
to know one another, but also
help each other throughout the
camp.
Although the youth are
hard at work, learning and helping each other to become
be er leaders, the camp provides them with many opportuni es to have fun. Throughout
each day, the large group
mee ngs incorporate fun ac vies for the youth to par cipate
in that e in with the day’s
theme/lesson. There are also
mul ple opportuni es for the
youth to meet and interact with
other parishes and make new
friends. At the end of the camp,
the youth return home with a
whole new experience leaving
them with greater insight on
how to become be er leaders,
as well as broader connec ons
throughout the diocese.
Confirmation
by Franz Manalansan, Writer
On Friday, May
11, over 100
Good Shepherd
Confirma on
youth, along with
other adults, received the sacrament of Confirma on. A er
years of catechism school for
the youth, and classes for the
adults, they were Confirmed. To
be Confirmed is to be accepted
as a full member of the Catholic
Church. The candidates withstood hours of classes, a quiz,
and an interview, all to determine if they were indeed ready
and willing to be Confirmed.
They went on retreats to develop a stronger bond with God
and experience the spiritual
Volume 7, Issue 4
high that comes from being
close with God. During the Confirma on mass, the diocese’s
Travis Castro, the only
sophomore core team member
this year, receiving the
sacrament of Confirmation.
bishop came and led mass, all
the while blessing the candidates, as well as renewing their
Bap smal promises and being
blessed with the sacred chrism
oil. The sacrament of Confirmaon is when the Holy Spirit descends upon the candidates. As
a Confirmed member of the
church, it was a blessing to experience this mass on the other
side, as a sponsor. As a sponsor
and a friend, it was such a blessing to see all these young people grow in their faith, as well
as accept it with open arms by
accep ng to receive this beau ful sacrament.
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GS Youth United
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GS Youth United
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End of Year Reflection
by Arin Pena, Writer
It's that me of
year again. Finals,
AP exams, senior
ac vi es, last
minutes projects,
and so much more
are going on. The school year is
winding down. Soon it'll be summer and everyone will be sleeping
in ‘ l twelve. All of the teenagers
will be out and about with no worries about homework or grades.
Seniors will be enjoying their sum-
mer before heading off to college.
Summer vaca on is that me of
year that everyone loves a er going through a whole year of school.
The end of the year is arriving faster than most people
think. We have the same thought
in mind: summer, summer, summer. Even though we all want to
get away from the teachers and
the homework, it's always sad. We
do not get to see our friends every
day and seniors have to graduate
and leave. But I'm sure everyone is
s ll excited about summer.
Once all the classes are
over and grades get se led, school
will be over. Even though it's almost over, we should all s ll connue to learn what we can and not
catch seniori s. We've got to finish
the year out strong. I know we all
want to get out of our classes and
just catch some summer fun. It's
me for the end of the year. Let's
get ready for summer!
Dance ‘til You Drop
by Stephanie Bucao, Writer
This past April, a
special dance event
was held in the
Good Shepherd Parish Hall called Swing
Night: Dance ‘ l You
Drop. The event was held by Good
Shepherd’s own Jasmine Rodriguez
who raised money for an organiza on
called The Invisible Children. The organiza on’s current project was to
help end, as well as raise awareness
of, the reign of the Lord’s Resistance
Learning to Swing
Page 8
Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony in the
African country of Uganda.
event such as Chick-fil-A and Yogurtland.
As an advocate
for Invisible Children, parcipa ng in other events,
such as Cover the Night,
Jasmine decided to hold a
dance event to help further support the organizaon. However, the dance
was like no other as it had
a specific theme and
dance style, 1930’s swing
Mira Mesa High’s Jazz Band
dancing. As stated before,
the event was held in the Good ShepMany of those who a ended
herd Parish Hall, where many a endthe event had a fantas c me and le
ed and par cipated in the event.
mul ple comments about how much
A endants were recommended to
fun they had that night. They especialwear 1930’s clothing to match the
ly praised Jasmine for holding such an
theme’s me period & be able to
event, leaving comments such as, “It
swing dance. Although many were
was the best dance I ever went to!”
unaware of how to perform such an
and “Jasmine should organize all of
old style of dance, Mira Mesa High
our school dances!” and so much
School’s own dance team volunteered
more! Overall, the night le everyone
their me to help teach many of the
in high spirits and it raised a great deal
par cipants the basic steps and move- of money that was all donated directly
ments. In addi on, the night was filled to The Invisible Children.
with great music performed live by
mul ple jazz bands, including Mira
Mesa High School’s own jazz band. To
help refuel, food was provided at the
GS Youth United
Summer Events
by Franz Manalansan, Writer
We’re slowly
reaching the end
of school, and
while some of us
are going to be
busy with work, vaca ons, and
hanging out with friends, some
of us are going to be homebodies. Need something to do?
Come out and support our
youth group by par cipa ng in
some of our summer ac vi es!
The longest and closest youth
ac vity we have coming up is
our Missouri trip. A group of
volunteers, both kids and adults
will be going to Missouri from
July 1-8 to help out those in
need. Pre Confirma on and
Confirma on students, this
counts as a Jus ce and Service
project, so even more of a reason to go. July 25 is the next
scheduled date for a summer
ac vity which could be another
Water Olympics or a movie
night! And possibly the week
a er on July 31, Emmaus Blvd.,
featuring our very own Pat Clasby on drums, might be hos ng a
concert here at Good Shepherd.
And lastly, on August 25, there
will be an end of the summer
bonfire. So come out to all of
these events! They’re guaranteed to be tons of fun.
Missouri Trip
by Austin Ledesma, Writer
Every year Good
Shepherd Youth
Ministry tries to
do a relief event
in other states.
This year around 20 or so teens
and adults will be traveling to
Joplin, Missouri to help rebuild/clean the destruc on that
was le behind a er the March
2011 tornadoes that shocked
the town. Many people’s
homes were destroyed and
lives changed dras cally. From
June 30-July 8th we will be dedica ng our me to doing what
we can to put their town back
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together. It can never be the
same, but we would like to give
a helping hand. Trips like these
are a great way to show the
youth how great they really
may have it. The people going
tend to usually grow a stronger
bond with each other as well. It
makes people realize what they
have and what they shouldn't
be taking advantage of. In the
past every person who has gone
on a trip like this one with Good
Shepherd has come back with
new knowledge of what is out
there in the world other than
Mira Mesa. Teens see a great
dosage of their country in a way
most people don't ever get the
chance to. The Hight family as
well as many others have spent
a lot of me and effort to make
this trip a possibility. It is always
touching to see youth want to
actually do things that include
helping others. In this generaon, teens are losing sight of
what really ma ers in life, and
things like the Missouri trip help
put us back on track. Doing
something for other people out
of pure kindness is the best reward anyone can receive.
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For information regarding upcoming events, go to
www.goodshepherdyouth.net/events.htm
Please note that all off-site activities need a signed permission slip.
Pat Clasby
Coordinator of Youth Ministry
8200 Gold Coast Drive
San Diego, CA 92126
Phone: (858) 271-4128
Email: [email protected]
UPCOMING EVENTS
DATE (S)
Mass of Blessing
Missouri Trip
Water Olympics
Emmaus Blvd. Concert
Camp Emmaus Leadership Camp
End of Summer Bonfire
June 10
July 1-8
July 25
July 31
August 5-9
August 25
Farewell to the Class of 2012
by Monique Breillatt, Writer
By the me you all
read this newsle er,
it will probably be a
week un l the Class
of 2012 graduates. It
is a bi ersweet moment for all of us seniors as we say
farewell to another chapter in our
lives. For most of us, on June 12, 2012
when we step on the stage, receive
our high school diploma, and move
our tassels to the le side of our cap;
it marks an ending as seniors but a
new beginning as we go to college. A
majority of seniors say they cannot
wait to graduate but as the days draw
closer to gradua on everyone starts
to reminisce about their four years in
high school, once we graduate we all
go our different ways whether it is to
a community college, university, an
out of state school, and maybe
even the military. It is me for us
to start our future. Although it
will be easy to leave high school,
it will be hard to say goodbye. It
is our me to show the world
what we are made of; it is our
me to shine and make a change
in the world.
Gradua ng from high
school is a huge accomplishment
and we must thank everyone for
guiding us through this journey.
We must thank our parents,
teachers, counselors, family,
friends, and most of all God. It is
such a blessing to know we have
so many people in our lives who
want us to have a bright future
and want us to succeed in life.
However, as we look toward the future, we must become leaders. It is
our me to show the world that we
can make it through anything.
As our senior year comes to
an end, it is not me to say, “goodbye,
farewell, or I’ll miss you,” but simply,
“I’ll see you later.” Just because our
high school career has come to a close
does not mean our friendships are
over as well. It is me to just live in
the moment and be with the ones we
love and make the best memories
while we can.
On behalf of the newsle er
group and Good Shepherd Parish, we
would like to say Congratula ons to
the Class of 2012 and good luck to
everyone! God is good, all the me!
All the me, God is good!