Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Hello All, Starting this month all new information and pictures about CYO (including Members of the Month) will be displayed on our facebook page first. The facebook page is easier to manage and gets out important information much sooner than we can here. This page will soon change and become more of an archieve page.
So who are our April Members of the month?...go directly to our facebook page and find out. You can use the link on our opening page or search for St. Michael's/Holy SPirit CYO/Youth Ministry. If you havent already be sure to like us!
Thursday, March 3rd, 2011
Yowza! This month's members of the month are 2 of our extremely active and awesome Seniors Dana Bartone and Evan Moulton! . Both are 4 year veterans who continue to give their all to CYO. Both gave speeches this year on our Connected Retreat as well as Confirmation speeches to our Candidates. Both participate regularly at Service Projects and are Mentors. Evan has been a Core Team member since freshman year and Dana is a lector at Holy Spirit. Congrats to them both and many thanks for all they do.
God Bless-Phil
Friday, February 4th, 2011
Congratulations to Kassie Kampanado and Tom Cavino! our awesome February members of the month. Tom has been an active CYO regular for 4 solid years. He has done Service projects, Festival of Lights, retreats and all our activitites. Kassie as a Sophomore is getting more involved in CYO retreats and service projects. She really took charge at last week’s sandwich making project and impressed us greatly. God Bless them both for all they do!
God Bless-Phil
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
We are starting of the new year with two awesome new members of the month Raquel Pinto and Kenneth Vivor! Raquel was just our Angel in the Festival of Lights, was a table leader on Retreat, and a Bible School Group Leader this past summer. She has also volunteered for many service projects. Kenneth is one of those members who makes Tuesday Topic Nights as interesting as they are. He always has an insightful and mature answer for all questions asked and always participates fully. They both also bring Christian kindness and a smile to all they deal with. Congratulations!
Have you seen us on facebook yet? Go to the mainpage and click the link and friend us!
God Bless-Phil
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
Lots going on this month as Christmas approaches. Be sure to get your dance tickets from any Core Team member and volunteer for one of our Christmas Service Projects.
Our December Members of the month are 2 very special Seniors Brian Belford and Molly Collins! Congrats to both of these very active members. Over the last 4 years Brian and Molly have done pretty much every CYO service project and activity there is. They both also ran very meaningful discussion groups on our November retreat “Connected!”
Have you seen us on facebook yet? Go to the mainpage and click the link and friend us!
Check back soon for more goings on
God Bless-Phil
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Please support our efforts this weekend at the CYO Grave Covers and Christmas Wreath Sale. Sale will be held after all Masses at St. Michael's Church. Go to downloads below for all information and prices! Thanks!
Thursday, November 4th, 2010
Congratulations to our November Members of the Month: Gina August (Junior)and Matthew Hayes (Senior). Both Gina and Matthew do it all and have been involved all their High School years. . Both are at CYO every week and are regular participants at our service projects. They are great examples and always make us Proud!
God Bless-Phil
Thursday, October 7th, 2010
Sorry this is late folks but our server has been down all week. We are off to a great start with our CYO year with over 300 teens involved and our service projects up and running. Be sure to sign up this month for service as we have over 10 different projects to choose from. You can sign up at CYO.
We are very proud of our 2 October members of the Month Alexi Laraway (Sophomore) and Dan Leno! (Senior) Both are at CYO every week and really know the meaning of community service. Alexi volunteered 3 straight days at the Italian Feast and Dan volunteered at Bible School and regularly at monthly service projects. We can learn a lot from them and we are proud to have them as CYO members. Congratulations!
God Bless-Phil
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
Back as promised…. Let’s start off with our amazing September members of the month Rebecca Tripet (UHS Junior) and Christian Barbosa (Union Catholic Sophomore). Rebecca and Christian were chosen for all the extra effort they put into being Vacation Bible School Leaders. They interacted positively with the children in their care, came early and helped out, and always showed their Christian spirit. They also served as an inspiration to all our members to get more involved in community service. So let’s start the new CYO year off right and volunteer for service.
The Core Team and I look very much forward to seeing you all back at CYO this Tuesday 9/14. Don’t forget that we will now be starting at 7pm and ending at 8:30. Don’t be late…
God Bless-Phil
Monday, September 6th, 2010
Hello ALL, The website will be updated tomorrow, September 7th so please check back then. I am very much looking forward to seeing you all next Tuesday 9/14 for our first meeting of the new schoo year. All meetings this year will start at 7pm and end at 8:30pm. God Bless-Phil
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
For August we honor Victoria Cook and Nick Helmstetter as our Members of the Month They both have been on Core Team for the last 4 years and have done it all from Service Projects, Retreat Speeches, Bible School to being our 2 Co-Presidents this past year.
Tori and Nick were awesome Christ-Like leaders who never let us down and always went the extra mile. They were selfless leaders who put in a tremendous amount of time, effort and FAITH into all they did. They set the example for all our member and are leaving a beautiful legacy of what can be done when you work with the Lord!
Our prayers go with them and all our Seniors as they move on to College, new opportunities and new experiences. Let us keep all of them in our Prayers!
God Bless-Phil
Monday, July 12, 2010
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far and sorry this is so late. I Just got back from Wildwood and things have been very hectic….so here goes…
We continue to celebrate our awesome graduates with July’s members of the month Heather Baumann and Nelson Felix! Again Heather and Nelson are Seniors who have done it all over the years from Service Projects to Speeches, to Bible School to Festival of Lights and Stations of the Cross. (Heather has also been a Core Team member since freshman year) They have made a difference and will not be forgotten. Congrats!!!
God Bless-Phil
Monday, June 7, 2010
Let’s Celebrate our awesome Graduating Seniors with our members of the month Lauren Stapleton (from Holy Spirit) and Nick Telle (from St. Michael’s)! Both have been Core Team officers since Freshman Year, have done a countless 4 yrs worth of service projects, have been in the Festival of Lights and Stations of the Cross, been Bible School counselors , gave speeches this year on retreat and much, much more.
They along with all our Seniors are leaving behind a positive faith filled legacy and have raised the bar for our younger members. Congratulations to both Lauren and Nick. God Bless!
God Bless-Phil
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Congratulations to Christine Cruz and Steve DeLos Rios, our May members of the month! They are both awesome Seniors who will truly leave their mark on CYO. Christine has done everything in the last 4 years and Steve (who only joined as a Senior) has wowed us with his participation and enthusiasm. Christine and Steve also both gave Jesus Presentations this month to our entire group. God Bless the both of them!
I am hoping to see all our CYO Parents (and members) at Parent Night on Tuesday, May 25th! It will mean a lot to all of us so please make every effort to be there! Our PowerPoint Presentation of the years events is guaranteed to please. Refreshments will also be served.
God Bless-Phil
Thursday, April 2 , 2010
Let’s be sure to spend time with our Lord Jesus this most Holy of Weeks. A good place to be on Good Friday is at our Living Stations of the Cross. Be sure to encourage your family and friends to come with you. The Stations begin at 7:30 in St. Michael’s Church.
Our April Members of the Month are our much admired Peris Kooro (Junior from Holy Spirit) and Louis Tripodi (Senior from St. Michael’s) ! Both are very active members who do it all. Peris is one of our very vocal Topic Night speakers and Louis volunteers for every service project he can. Both have given so much to our group and our congratulations go out to both of them!
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the Blog page. There are new pics, videos and a new survey (be sure to vote!). Thanks.
God Bless-Phil
Monday, March 1st , 2010
Congrats to our March Members of the Month Jessica Torr and Jimmy Lee! These are Juniors who have done it all for the last 3 years straight. This year alone they have both participated in the Festival of Lights, are Mentors, volunteered at Vacation Bible School and are regulars at meetings and service projects. God Bless them!
There is a lot going on this month (Hard As Nails Ministry, Bring a Friend Night, UHS Play, Food Drive & more) so be sure to check back and often for information on these events.
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
You Make Us Proud!! Last week we raised over $3000.00 at our Charity basketball game for Haitian Relief! Donations are still coming in and 100% of the money raised will be sent to Catholic Charities to aid our Haitian brothers and sisters. Please be sure to keep the prayers coming also!
This month we are very proud to have our Core Team represented in our new Member of the Month. Congratulations to Megan Bohse from St. Michael’s and Brendan Silva from Holy Spirit.
Megan has been a Core Team member since Freshman year and has more than proved herself with countless hours of service and dedication to the group. Brendan was just appointed to the Core Team after proving himself with the great number of community service projects he continues to participate in. Both Megan and Brendan are great examples to look up to for anyone who would like to be on Core Team as well as be a good Christian person.
God Bless-Phil
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Haitian Relief! In response to the recent tragedy in Haiti, CYO wants to do its part to help out in any way we can. Our Core Team has decided that next Tuesday (January 26th) we will replace our general meeting with a Charity Basketball Game in order to raise to money for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
As of today over 72,000 deaths have been reported and over 3 million people are in need of medical aid, food, water and shelter. Other than Prayers the best thing we can do to help is to raise money to be sent immediately.
Our goal is to have each CYO family donate $25.00 but any donation will be gratefully accepted. If you are sending a check please make it out to St. Michael’s/Holy Spirit CYO. We will then send one large donation. 100 percent of all money collected will be sent to Haiti.
Keep the Prayers coming and thank you for your help.
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
Happy New Year All! And what better way to start our new CYO year than with our January 2010 Members of the Month!
Scott Bashford and Kaitlyn LaZaro! Congratulations!
Both are seniors who have been extremely active for the last 4 years. In the last few months alone both have been Table Leaders on retreat, have done community service, were both Bible School group leaders and were Joseph and Cousin Elizabeth respectively in our Christmas Festival of Lights! (Both also looked very snappy at our Christmas Dance!)
All our members can learn a lot from their tireless dedication to their faith and our group. Scott and Kaitlyn are respectful and trustworthy good Christians and we appreciate them and all they do!
Lots of new stuff this month so be sure to scroll to the end of this page. This month we are all about the music so take our new survey and listen to some CYO greats!
We have a lot going on in the new year and I look forward to seeing you all at CYO! I would like to see all of you sign up for a January service project and start the new year of right by thinking about those around you. Remember…ours is a Faith of Action!
God Bless-Phil
BIG>Monday, December 14th, 2009
This Tuesday, December 15th. Don’t miss it! Festival of Lights!
7:30pm St. Michael's Church
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Is it December already?! Let’s start off with our 2 new awesome members of the month Sophomore, Jessica Dragone and Freshman, John McTernan.
Since our new CYO year began both Jessica and John have done it all. Both volunteered at the Italian Feast/Dunk Tank, have done numerous service projects, are Confirmation Mentors and attended the Retreat. They have also done much behind the scenes helping out and are good CYO recruiters. They are extremely dependable, trustworthy and good Christian examples for our whole group!
I would also like to personally thank our 2 Young Adult assistants TJ Conneely and Allison O’Neill. They are truly gifts from God and their help before and during our retreat was crucial to its success. They are at CYO every week, at my office preparing CYO events and working during the week and are great examples for all our members. We are so blessed to have them. Be sure to scroll down to CYO facts for more….
Lots of Christmas going on at this page so be sure to take a look. Dates for Christmas events are on our opening page and downloads will be available soon. We also hope to see you at our family presentation the Festival of Lights on Tuesday December 15th.
May God Bless all of you and your loved ones this very Blessed Christmas Season-Phil
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
I just received this information from Julie Anselmini. I know many of you are interested in helping the Invisible Children. See if there is anything you can do and contact Julie.-Thanks, Phil
"On November 18th, 2009, people will gather nationwide at local congressional offices to discuss the landmark LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. This bill, if passed, will require the Obama administration to strategize a rescue mission for 3,000 children who have been kidnapped in east Africa by a rebel leader named Joseph Kony, as well as fund recovery efforts for regions affected by his tyranny for the past 23 years.
Our local Congressman, Rep. Donald Payne, is a key House leader whose support is vital and will easily lead to several congressmen following in his footsteps. Constituents from all over New Jersey will be gathering at his Newark office on November 18th at 4 pm, and your attendance is crucial to help save thousands of children's lives. Contact Julianna Anselimini (juliana.anselmini@gmail.com) or visit www.invisiblechildren.com for more information.
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
Lots going on right now with the big retreat next week so I will keep this short. Even as I write this I have Core Team members here making Name Tags, Palonca Bags and Table Cards. Please keep all of us going on the Retreat in your prayers.
Congratulations to our October members of the month Amanda Brando from St. Michael’s and Josh Burgos from Holy Spirit! Aside from being Tuesday Night regulars these 2 were chosen for their selfless dedication to the handicapped and needy. Both Amanda and Josh are service project regulars who do every service project they can. Most months 2, 3 or more! They are an inspiration to us all.
God Bless-Phil
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
We have a very special group of Guest Speakers coming to CYO this Tuesday. Our Program will be about the “Innocent Children of Africa” and will explain the horrific plight affecting the children of Uganda. These children are both victims and weapons and need to be freed from a life of Violence. We will also have information about a Service Project we will be doing for these children. Do not miss it!
God Bless-Phil
Saturday, October 3rd , 2009
Our new CYO year is off to a great start with packed meetings and lots of community service. Mentoring for our new Confirmation Candidates is underway and our Senior speech-writers are hard at work for our November Retreat. (Be sure to keep them in your prayers!)
Picking our September members of the month was easy . We have chosen 2 awesome Seniors who have been here since Freshman year. So congratulations to Austin LaPilusa from Holy Spirit and Victoria Rella from St. Michael’s. ! Both have done the gamete of CYO activities from Service Projects, Bible School, Mentoring to retreats. They are great role-models for our new members and always willing to lend a helping hand. Austin is also our Religious Chairman and has been on Core Team since Freshman year. Tori has been one of our biggest Bible School supporters and is always there with a smile and kind word. This honor for them both is well deserved.
There is lots of new stuff on this page so be sure to check it all out . Scroll down to the bottom to see it all. (Be sure to vote in our T-Shirt survey.)
Check back very soon for more information on our Food Drive and Retreat Registration.
God Bless-Phil
Thursday, September 10th , 2009
Monday, August 31st , 2009
As we end the summer what 2 better choices do we have for Augusts’ members of the month than our 08-09 Co-Presidents Laura Durning and Kerven Moon. Laura and Kerven were truly Christ-Like Leaders who showed their Jesus in everything they did. They were especially welcoming to our younger members and always treated their position with maturity, responsibility and faith
As Laura, Kerven , our other Senior Officers (Nicole Aroujo, Luke Bobbins, Michael Dziedzic, Samantha Medina, Veronica Pogorzelski, Carla Silva, Luis Sousa & Brian Zappulla) and all our Graduates begin the next phase of life we ask all of you to keep them in your prayers.
And Grads…know that you are always welcome to join our young adult ministry and still participate in all we do. Know that you all made a Difference!
Be sure to check the Blog again in a few days for all our CYO Start-up Info.
God Bless-Phil
Wednesday, July 8th , 2009
Hey Everyone, Hope you’re all enjoying your summer vacation!
Again this month we want to celebrate 2 of our Seniors who have given so much over the years to CYO. So Congratulations to our members of the month Melissa Oakley and Victor Garcia! Both Melissa and Victor have been here for 4 years and have done it all. They are 2 of our most dependable members and always put others and the group first. Aside from participating in everything (especially our service projects) both have been Altar Servers for CYO Masses and gave speeches this year on Retreat. We have been blessed to have them both so involved and our prayers are with Melissa and Victor!
CYO had a great time at 6 Flags last week. Special thanks to all the Parents who chaperoned. Bible School preparation is going great and I look forward to working with those of you signed up as Group Leaders.
Be sure to check out all the updates on this page and vote in our summer survey. And if you were wondering who Kerven ended up with at the Prom be sure to take a look at “Go Figure” below…..…..
God Bless-Phil
Tuesday, June 16th , 2009
Congratulations to Michael Dzeidzic and Veronica Pogorzelski, June’s members of the month. There is not enough space here to mention all the great Christian works these 2 have done over the last 4 years. Both have been Core Team members since Freshman year, gave speeches on Retreats, have been mentors, worked Bible School, been in the Festival of Lights, Stations of the Cross and pretty much every service project and activity we have had over the last 4 years. Michael, (this year’s Religious Chairman) and Veronica (this year’s Social Chairwoman) have given their heart and soul to the group and are excellent Christian Role Models! They have made a huge difference for the Lord!
We also congratulate all our Seniors who are graduating. We love you all and know that this is in no way good-bye. All our CYO grads are always welcome to participate as young adults and to stop by whenever around. We send you our Prayers and Christ-Like lessons learned.
Be sure to check out CYO FACTS to see who our newly elected Co-Presidents are! Then vote in our new survey, check out our Dad Song and more…..
God Bless-Phil
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Don’t Miss For Any Reason….
I am hoping to see all our CYO Parents (and members) at Parent Night this week. It will mean a lot to all of us so please make every effort to be there! Our PowerPoint Presentation of the years events is guaranteed to please. Refreshments will also be served.
This month’s members of the month are 2 of our Awesome Seniors Nicole Aroujo and Luis Sousa! Nicole and Luis are both Executive Core Team members and this year’s Co-Membership Chairpersons. Over the years both have given speeches and volunteered regularly at our Service Projects including the ARC, Nursing Home, Quadriplegic Center, Homeless Shelter and Vacation Bible School.
I am sure you all saw Nicole as our beautiful Angel in the Festival of Lights and Luis as one of our Soldiers in the Stations of the Cross. Nicole and Luis also ran “Bring a Friend Night” this year at CYO. The hours these 2 have put into CYO and our activities would be too high to count!
We would also like to Congratulate Luis who was Confirmed this month and Nicole who read at our Confirmation Celebration. We are very proud of Nicole and Luis!
God Bless-Phil
Friday, May 1, 2009
Hello all, Please take the time to look at the dates for our May and June events. We had to make some changes due to activities going on at Union High as well as their Graduation date change. You can see all changes on the opening page under Upcoming Events.
Now the rundown…
This month’s members of the month are Jenna Massarelli from St. Michael’s and Michael Winnicki from Holy Spirit. Both are every-weekers who do regular community service and participate in everything that we do. Both have also recently given self-written, heartfelt presentations to their peers at CYO. Jenna recently gave a “Many Faces of Jesus” speech and Michael spoke at last month’s Bring a Friend Night. Both are members we treasure for all they have done.
Many of you were touched by Julie Anselmini’s presentation about her world travels and the many situations she encountered. If you are interested in learning more about the plight of the children of Uganda please go to Invisiblechildren .com. or cut and paste http://therescue.invisiblechildren.com/en/#/watch/ There you can read more about this sad situation and the many innocent children effected by it. Be sure to watch the video offered. Please keep this situation and especially these children in your prayers and look for our response to all this very soon...Get ready to help!
Parents!!! Please be sure to join us on Parent Night ,Tuesday May 26th. It will mean so much to us to share our Youth Ministry year with you. (Do not let your children talk you out of coming!!...lol) All other family members are invited also!
Now relax and enjoy all the new posts here on the blog page. Be sure to take a look at our new “Whatever Video” just for all you Mom’s. Happy Mother’s Day! And thanks for all the love!!!
God Bless-Phil
Wednesday, April 7, 2009
CHRIST HAS RISEN!
There is no time more important in the Catholic Church, than that of Easter. It is a time when all Christians should remember the supreme sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us personally. The Sacrifice of dying on the Cross in payment for our Sins.
Sometimes our lives are so hectic that we don’t take the time needed to pray on this Sacrifice and what it means to our Salvation.
As Christians we need to think about our lives, where they’re going and where Jesus fits in. For some of us, it may have been a long time since we’ve spent any quality time with our Lord in prayer or thanksgiving. Members of our CYO/Youth Ministry would like to help give you that opportunity.
We would like to invite all parents, family and friends of our members to our Presentation of the Living Stations of the Cross, on Good Friday Evening. Our presentation begins at 7:30, Friday April 10th, in St. Michael’s Church.
This Presentation is one of the most beautiful activities run by our Teenagers. It is a night where our members reenact the final hours and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a night filled with Music, Prayer and Reflection.
Please make every effort to attend this special night. Don’t let the Easter Season pass without giving God thanks for the Sacrifice of His Son.
Peace In Christ,
Phil
Friday, March 27, 2009
Congratulations to 2 of our Awesome Seniors for being chosen March’s Members of the Month. Both have been members since Freshman year and have added greatly to our group by pretty much doing it all! And doing it for God’s Glory!
So congrats toCathy Esteves from Holy Spirit and Brian Tababa from St. Michael’s!
Both Cathy and Brain have done a tremendous amount of service projects over the years, been in our Stations and Festival, volunteered at Vacation Bible School, been small group Leaders , Mentors and more. Cathy gave the Family Presentation this year on Retreat and Brian gave a Faith in Jesus Presentation. I am very proud of the great Christian Example Cathy and Brian have set for all our members.
God Bless-Phil
Friday, March, 11th 2009
This Tuesday March 17th
“Bring A Friend Night!”
7:30-9pm
Do not miss this awesome opportunity to introduce a friend to Jesus!
So who should you invite to Bring a Friend Night?
• The friend that CYO is so hard to explain to.
• That friend who has never come before.
• A friend who is going through a difficult time.
• A friend that you know who needs Jesus in their life.
• Your high school aged brother, sister or cousin.
• Your Parent’s friend’s kids.
• Someone you really care about!!!!!!
You can only come to this meeting if you bring a Friend. You must also register your friends by sending Phil an email with your name and your friends name to Pmatraleym@aol.com
God Bless-Phil
Friday, March, 6th 2009
This Tuesday March 10th at CYO! Justin Fatica & Hard As Nails!!!
A New Challenge!!!
Doors open at 7pm. Meeting ends at 9pm.
All teens you know are invited!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wow! Lots going on as usual. We just got back from a very enjoyable Ski Trip with no incidents or injuries. Everyone had a great time and my thanks go to all the Parents and Young Adults who chaperoned, drove and helped out..
We are very proud to announce that Louise Berardi and Peter McTernan have been named our February members of the month.
Louise Berardi from St. Michael’s is one of our dye-hard do everything members. She can be found cooking at the Homeless Shelter, being a group leader at Bible School as well as being a Confirmation Mentor. (These are just to name a few) But most importantly Louise is someone I can count on every week at CYO to answer my questions to the group and to contribute honest and thought provoking responses at our Tuesday Night discussions.
Peter McTernan from Holy Spirit is also a great member who has upped his game this year by becoming involved in even more CYO activities. You might have seen Peter as a Shepherd in our Christmas Festival of Lights or volunteering at our Handicapped Children projects. Peter is also a Confirmation Mentor and participates on Retreats. God Bless both Peter and Louise! 2 great examples for the whole group.
Coming up at CYO we have Bring a Friend Night, Justin Fatica & Hard As Nails, our Coffee House, our first ever CYO Flee Market and more! Be sure to check the website front page for dates and times for these activities. There will also be downloads and more information coming soon. Don’t miss any of them!
Also thanks to Veronica Pogorzelski for sending in a picture of her and her pet Panda…see below. And while you are down there looking at the picture be sure to vote in our survey!
God Bless-Phil
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Today is all about the website. If you take a close look at the Blog page here you will see lots of new pictures, and other things of interest. I have been having a lot of fun with this page and now I would like you to have your shot.
Video Contest! If you look below you will see that my really cool (no comments..lol) Star Wars video has returned. I originally just wanted to fill this space with something a little different till you all got a chance to fill it. So here goes…..I am challenging you creative members out there to make your own appropriate Lip-Sync or spoof. The winners will get their video posted here for the world to see as well as $50.00 of CYO money.
The winner of our last Survey saw Vacation Bible School as your favorite CYO service project with 36% of the votes. Charity Basketball came in 2nd with the ARC/Handicapped kids taking 3rd. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to vote at our newest survey.
Another challenge I have for you is at our “You Sent It” spot. This is reserved for pictures that you CYO members send me. So far we have posted pics sent by Ally O’Neil and Amanda Ruhl. So send me a picture already!!! How about one of you and some other CYOers ….how about you and your family…your pet…you doing something interesting…or something you took a picture of. I’ll be checking my email everyday!
Also checkout our new “Think About It”, “Go Figure”, “Picture of the Week” and latest video of a CYO favorite.
Now get working on those videos and pictures
God Bless, -Phil
Thursday, January, 29, 2009
CYO Celebrates Catholic School’s Week with our choices of January’s CYO Members of the Month. This month we have chosen graduates of both St. Michael’s and Holy Spirit Grammar Schools.
From St. Michael’s our winner is Melissa Puschak! Melissa graduated St. Michael’s Grammar School in 2005 and now attends Union Catholic High School. Melissa has been a Confirmation Mentor and Vacation Bible School volunteer for the last 3 years. She has also attended our Parish Retreats and has been involved with working with both the handicapped children and the elderly.
From Holy Spirit we have Joey Giambusso! Joey graduated Holy Spirit Grammar School in 2006 and now attends Union High School. Joey pretty much does it all as our first Core Team member to win this award. Joey attends all retreats, (and has given speeches on his faith.) is a Mentor, participates in all activities and is a regular at service projects.
Both are awesome examples of what our Catholic Grammar Schools have produced. Both are leaders and positive role models for all our members.
Congratulations Melissa and Joey!
Thursday, January 7, 2009
I am always impressed by how talented some of you are......
Congratulations to Jackie Perina and Kevin Santos, our 2 December members of the month! This month we have chosen 2 extremely involved and awesome Seniors who have done pretty much the entire CYO gamut.
Jackie Perina (from Holy Spirit) has been involved in CYO activities since her Freshman year . All 4 of those years she has brought enthusiasm, lots of smiles and of course…. High Fashion to the group! Jackie has participated regularly at service projects and has really shown her spirit at her visits to the Quadriplegic Center, participation at Vacation Bible School and serving at Pasta Dinners. Jackie has been on every retreat since her Freshman year. This year Jackie was a Table Leader and gave a self-written introduction for one of our speech-givers.
Kevin Santos (from St. Michael’s) has added his own uniqueness to CYO since his freshman year. Kevin has participated on Service Projects, Fund-Raisers and has added greatly as one of our CYO Basketball team players. Kevin has been on ever retreat since Freshman year and this year was a table leader and Morning Prayer Presenter. One of the most amazing things about Kevin though is that he has come down to Union for CYO pretty much ever Tuesday night for the last 4 years. Kevin (originally a union resident) has lived in Bridgewater since the end of his 8th grade year and made his Faith and CYO involvement a priority. Now that’s dedication!
Both Jackie and Kevin are CYO originals and have added greatly to our Youth Ministry!
Thursday December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Wishing you a Christmas that’s filled with joy and a year that’s bright with blessings! May the Christ Child bless you all and your families.
On Christmas day I am very proud of all the good works our teens have done for the Season. We had Christmas parties for the handicapped, (both children and adults) cooked dinner for the Quadriplegic Center and served dinner to the Elderly. We also presented our Christmas Advent Presentation, The Festival of Lights, to a packed house for our families and friends.
So let the true meaning of Christmas continue on our days off with our families and friends. Let each one of us be a LIGHT to those around us! I look forward to seeing you all soon.
From my family to yours-Merry Christmas! -Phil
Thursday December 14, 2008
I hope to see all our members and their families/friends at the Festival Of Lights this Tuesday, December 16th. Our Family Presentation will be at 7:30pm in St. Michael's Church. Be open to experience the true meaning of Christmas!
Thursday December 4, 2008
Congratulations are in order! Our members of the month are both Freshman who have really made an impact on CYO already.
Nicole Vendola (from St. Michael’s) was the only Freshman on our Retreat who gave any type of presentation in front of the whole group. Nicole introduced one of our Senior Speech-givers with a self-written Introduction. She included Scripture sharing and personal sharing in her presentation.
Tim Watson (from Holy Spirit) has been involved in CYO activities since he was in Junior High when his older brother Nick would bring him around. For the last 3 years Tim has been an extremely dedicated volunteer at our Vacation Bible School program who really enjoyed helping the kids. This summer he can do it as an actual member!
Both Nicole and Tim attend meetings regularly and are an inspiration to our other freshman. They have made a difference.
Take a look at all the new stuff on this page. Boy have I been having fun…lol. Aside from new “Pictures of the Week” and “Think About it” we now have other things of interest. Our new
“Whatever” will be any crazy thing that you might find on the internet. Hopefully it will make you laugh. Be sure to check out the internet’s biggest Star Wars fan with too much time on his hands
“Go Figure!” will be something that will make you scratch your head and wonder. Like the time Clayton (Evan and Brian) wanted to see how the Pin Imprinter on my desk worked and broke it! Pins everywhere…..go figure.
Lastly I want to post pictures or videos that you send me in
“You Sent It”. Take a look at Ministry Assistant Ally O’Neill and Miley Cyrus. Send me something appropriate!!!!!
So when you come to the Blog be sure to scroll al the way down. We also have up a link to our Ski Trip information. See you all soon.
God Bless-Phil
Wednesday November 26, 2008
Enough rest!..lol. The Holidays are beginning and there is a lot going on. With Thanksgiving this week I hope we all can see how much we have to be Thankful for. We should especially be thankful for God’s Gift of life, for health, for loving family, good friends and for our faith in Jesus.
Our Youth Ministry Program is extremely blessed and has so many reasons to give thanks. Dedicated Co-Presidents, an awesome Core Team of Officers, giving young adult and adult helpers and an active and very involved membership. And of course we are thankful for our recent retreat “Shine On!”
The Spiritual Success of our Retreat and those responsible for bringing Jesus so close to so many were our 12 Senior Speech-givers. Michael Dziedzic, Laura Durning, Cathy Esteves, Victor Garcia, Samantha Medina, Kerven Moon, Melissa Oakley, Peter Paulsen, Veronica Pogorzelski, Carla Silva, Luis Sousa & Brian Zappulla…… we are all so thankful for all of them, their courage, willingness to risk and for sharing their personal Faith in Jesus. They made all the difference!
God Bless,
- Phil
Monday November 17, 2008
Our Retreat “Shine On!” was awesome! I have a lot of people to thank and lots to say. I will be very busy for the next few days (See Below) so check back soon-God Bless-Phil
Tuesday November 6, 2008
Wow!!! Over 5000 hits in 3 weeks. I guess the website was a good idea...lol. Knowing that so many people have visited our site is very inspiring. In fact it has been a great experience hearing from so many CYO graduates and their families who have visited. I have also received emails from all around the country from people who have come upon our site. Their responses have been pretty much the same. They too have been inspired by seeing the pictures of our teens in Christian action.
Now that we are up and running Brian Kip and I have been working hard to improve the site by making it more functional and interesting to visit. You can now go to Links and Downloads for all the information you need for our current activities. This month you can get all the Retreat Final Information, the Palonca List for retreat and all the information you need for our Christmas Dance. (Ski Trip information will also be up soon.) All you need to do is download.
New pictures will also be added every weekto my Blog page. Our Picture of the Week should give you a smile and our “Think about It !” picture will hopefully make you think. Also be sure to check out the links to St. Michael’s, Holy Spirit and other interesting sites.
Once a month we will continue to post a picture of our Members of the Month. This month we would like to Congratulate Lauren Lodato and Jimmy Ellmer. Two very excellent members who deserve to be recognized for their continuous participation on our Service Projects and at weekly meetings. Both can be counted on to take positive risks when needed and are truly Christian by their example. Both always have a smile, a good word and a helping hand ready.
On a personal note I want to congratulate my daughter Lauren
who 2 weeks ago received the Fullness of the Spirit through
the Sacrament of Confirmation. Our family is very proud
of her.
You will notice Lauren is wearing a red robe which all
Confirmation Candidates wear in the Metuchen Diocese where
we live. It is interesting how Confirmation Traditions differ from
Church to Church.
All the teens wore them as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Red is
the liturgical color for Confirmation because it represents the
fire of the Holy Spirit descending upon the Apostles at Pentecost.
Let’s remember to keep all those preparing for Confirmation
at St. Michael’s and Holy Spirit in our Prayers as well.
God Bless,
- Phil
Tuesday, October 14 2008
Finally! After years of people asking and months of planning, choosing words and pictures we finally (by the Grace of God) have a Website….and it is awesome! Next to the CYO Helicopter, a website has been the most requested CYO must have and I am so glad it’s up for all to see……..
I want to give credit where credit is due and we owe it all to CYO Graduate and Young Adult Helper, Brian Kip. Brian has been working non-stop since the spring designing and inputting all you see here. IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT HIS INCREDIBLE TALENTS! So from the bottom of my heart…Thank You Brian and God Bless! (If anyone is looking for a great web designer Brian can be reached at
kip.brian@gmail.com
)
It has always been my desire to have our member’s parents, families, friends and even the curious see for themselves what CYO is all about. I know after all these years there are still some people who just don’t get it. “Why do they come week after week?” “What do they do at CYO?” “How do you get so many teens to stay active?” “Are teens really interested in Religion?” are the most asked questions.
Well they say a picture is worth a thousand words so take a look for yourself. The power and messages of Jesus Christ are taking root with our teens and have been for years. They are hungry for the word of God and when they open their hearts to Him they rise to the occasion and can do the Lord’s work.
I personally have learned a lot from them and I can see how they make a difference with their families, their friends and in their schools and communities. Please keep them in your prayers. They are good and brave young people who are taking a stand for their Faith.
In the weeks to come we will be adding more to our site. Hopefully we will have more pictures up in the Memories Section and of our Adult and Young Adult helpers.
I also hope to add many pictures from before the year 2000. (when I got my first digital camera) I have tons of slides from the early years and haven’t forgotten about all those grads and the groundwork they laid for our current group. I have thousands of slides in boxes and in my spare time (lol) I will start to go through them and scan them in when possible.
Other features we plan to add are a download section for flyers and permission slips as well as some links. I also hope to Blog on a regular basis as time permits.
Before I sign off today I want to mention our brand new CYO Members of the Month Awards. This too has been a longtime in coming.
Each month we will be choosing 2 CYO members who have made that extra effort or have proven themselves with their Christian good works. Now this will be difficult with over 300 members so each month the Core Team will discuss and vote on the winners. Nominations can also be made by the membership.
Septembers Winners are Steve Alvino and Janelle Rebuses.
Janelle is a Senior at Union High and a parishioner at St. Michael’s. Janelle is one of those unsung heroes at CYO. She has been a member since Freshman year, has attended all retreats and is always doing community Service. This summer Janelle worked at Bible School, is a Confirmation Mentor and volunteered at 3 Service Projects in September.
Steve is a Junior at Union High and a parishioner of Holy Spirit. Steve is also a Mentor and volunteers for every Service Project he hears about. (And he usually is the first one to sign up) Steve is there to say something positive when needed and shows his Christianity in how he treats other people.
Congratulations and Prayers for both Janelle and Steve! You both have made a difference!
Come back soon, check for updates and be sure to share this website with everyone you’d like to.
Tuesday November 6, 2008
On a personal note I want to congratulate my daughter Lauren
who 2 weeks ago received the Fullness of the Spirit through
the Sacrament of Confirmation. Our family is very proud
of her. 
Tuesday, December 29, 2008