Recent Blog Posts - Reap Team Members

The most recent blog posts from Reap Team Bloggers. Visit the Reap Team website.

A Lot Can Change in a Year

This past year has been both the most challenging and amazing of my life (so far ;) Mimi has been an incredible blessing and our family overflows with joy. While we’ve made lots of memories here, something has been missing. So after nearly 10 years in St. Louis, 7 working for the REAP Team, we have decided to move to Arizona to be near our family. We are planning to leave at the end of July, although we don’t have an exact date yet. Read more »

Submitted by Gretchen Pacheco on May 20, 2012 - 10:22am

Gretchen Pacheco's blog

It's So Messy!

Life, in general, is messy.

I’ll readily confess to you that my life is a mess. And I suspect yours is, too. Now, I'm not going to give you all of the details of the messiness of my life, and I don't need to know yours either. After all, there are some things that are best shared with only our closest friends and family members and don't need to be published in blogs, tweets, and status updates (no, my friend, all of the Internet doesn’t need to see a close-up photo of the tonsils you are having removed later today, but thanks anyway??).

Since much of life can be quite messy, why should we be surprised when ministry gets messy, too? When bunches of messy people get together anywhere – including parishes and in youth ministry programs - things can get messy real quick. Read more »

Submitted by Paul Masek on May 10, 2012 - 10:28am

Paul Masek's blog

Happy Easter!

That’s right, I said it: Happy Easter! Weird title for a blog post in May? Maybe, if you’re not Catholic. But I am… so, Happy Easter!

I’m sure that by now your stash of Easter candy is long gone – and if it’s not… keep those Peeps far, far, far away from me. They’re probably so stale that they could be used as weapons in an emergency situation. And yes, Easter Sunday was over a month ago, so for most of the world, Easter is a distant memory. They’re ready for the next holiday. There are surely some retailers already plotting for next Christmas.

But for us – Easter is still in full swing. It seems hard to believe, but today is Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter in the liturgical year. That means that we’ve still got some time left to celebrate, to feast, to bask in the joy of the Resurrection before we officially move into Ordinary Time after Pentecost at the end of the month. Read more »

Submitted by Rachel Allen on May 7, 2012 - 3:58pm

Rachel Allen's blog

Inviting Sponsors to Confirmation Retreats (a new trend)

There is a new trend developing in the retreat ministry of the REAP Team, and some church leaders are pretty enthusiastic about it.

More and more, whenever possible, parishes are inviting sponsors to attend Confirmation retreats with their students - and if the sponsor cannot attend, a “sponsor substitute” like a parent or older sibling is asked to attend in their stead.

There are several reasons why many of us think this is a great idea: Read more »

Submitted by Paul Masek on February 1, 2012 - 11:25am

Paul Masek's blog

Pro-life? Pro-Grey's Anatomy!

It’s March for Life weekend. Hundreds of thousands pilgrims are flooding into Washington, D.C. right now, traveling by bus, plane, car – whatever it takes, however long it takes, for the 39^th annual march protesting Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States. While it’s hard to get a concrete number, last year’s March had an estimated 400,000 participants. And some reports believe that half those marchers are under the age of 30. Our own Office of Youth Ministry’s The Way, The Truth, and The Life pilgrimage is taking around 500 people. Read more »

Submitted by Rachel Allen on January 20, 2012 - 6:56pm

Rachel Allen's blog

I'm Sorry Albert . . .

I’m Sorry, Albert…

Thanks to Joy FM and Deidre Pujols for taking the time to share her family’s point of view on her husband signing with the Anaheim Angels. She did not owe that to our community, nor did we deserve it – especially considering how many people have been spewing hatefulness lately… Read more »

Submitted by Gretchen Pacheco on December 12, 2011 - 3:20pm

Gretchen Pacheco's blog

Top REAP Retreat Tweet Retweets of 2011

Try to say the title of this blog three times fast. If you can, email me an audio file of your tongue-twisting excellence, and I will send you a sticker! (To enjoy my tongue-twisting prowess, by the way, you just gotta see this). But I have digressed quite enough already, even for me.

I am a big fan of social media – not only because it can be so fun, but also because of the impact it can make for God. My favorite social media quote of all time is from our current Pope, who has told the church (that’s you & me, folks!) to evangelize the “digital continent.” If you don’t believe me, you can check it out yourself, here. Read more »

Submitted by Paul Masek on December 12, 2011 - 3:05pm

Paul Masek's blog

What in the Word?!

We are just about ten days away from the implementation of the revised Roman Missal – but you already knew that, didn’t you? I’m sure that you, along with the rest of the English-speaking Church, have been eagerly learning everything you can about what words are changing, and why, right?

Oh…just me, then? Read more »

Submitted by Rachel Allen on November 16, 2011 - 4:16pm

Rachel Allen's blog

Not Just Another Long Car Ride

It happened last month. Four of us on our ministry team settled into my vehicle for a long car ride to a destination over three hours away. And we were all surprised – and blessed – by what ended up happening. I’m sharing it with you in the hope that you might have a comparable experience some day. Read more »

Submitted by Paul Masek on October 28, 2011 - 3:24pm