Fall Retreat

A month has already gone by since our retreat and yet it seems like we were just at the Sierra Club Foster Lodge in Mt. Laguna. I guess when something is that fun you remember it like it was yesterday.

We journeyed up the mountain on Friday night in various cars, giving us the opportunity to get to know the people in our car a little bit better. As people arrived we began to eat dinner and then came the icebreaker. We learned a little bit about everyone, discovering that the YAGS are a diverse group of people with many talents, such as wine making, hair cutting, and creating online dating profiles. The evening stretched on into various games and then we stretched out all over the cabin to go to sleep.

The original plan for Saturday morning was to take a couple of hiking trips, however as we woke we discovered that not only was it cold, it was also very wet. So the morning began with talks by Daniel Heineck and Huy Nguyen about the histories of the Nicene and Apostle’s Creeds. Following their talks the brave ones of us decided to take on the weather and went out hiking, getting quite wet along the way.

The day continued with Andrea Grim speaking on the meaning of the line “we believe in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church” that is embedded in the Nicene Creed. We took a break for lunch and more socializing. Fr. Joseph Sergott graciously led us in mass later in the afternoon, and Danny Blessing taught us all about the differences between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

Following dinner Fr. Joseph gave us an opportunity to learn about the wording changes that are being made in the Nicene Creed that will begin next Advent. We rounded out the evening’s spiritual activities with taize prayer, and then it was time for more games, including some very heated rounds of mafia, and lots of laughter (my stomach was seriously hurting from laughing too much).

Sunday morning came with a light snow. We ate breakfast, celebrated mass, said our goodbyes and drove on home. Everyone walked away with great memories of community, new friendships, and a better understanding of our faith and how we profess it.

Many, many, many thanks to Ben Horne, our fearless leader, without whom none of this would have been possible. He’s the YAG equivalent of a rock star!

We’ve already booked the lodge for next fall, so get ready for another amazing retreat, I hope many of you can come!

- Andrea Grim

The rest of the pix are here!

December Second Sunday Supper Recap

I had the privilege of being invited this past Sunday, December 12, to give a talk for the December Second Sunday Supper event.   I decided to talk about Our Lady of Guadalupe. Around 15 YAGS participated in the discussion and we also had delicious deep-dish pizza brought by Andrea from Regents Pizzeria! 

Here are some recaps of the talk:

Who is she?

Our Lady of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary and Mexico’s most popular religious and cultural image. 

Why did I choose her?

Her feast day, December 12^th was the day of the YAG event. 

The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe

According to tradition, Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, saw a vision of a young girl of fifteen, surrounded by light, on the slopes of Tepeyac, near Mexico City. Speaking in the local language, Nahuatl, the Lady asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor, and from her words Juan Diego recognized her as the Virgin Mary.  Diego told his story to the Spanish bishop, Fray Zumárraga, who instructed him to return and ask the Lady for a miraculous sign to prove her claim. The Virgin told Juan Diego to gather some flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill.  It was winter and no flowers bloomed, but on the hilltop Diego found flowers of every sort, and the Virgin herself arranged them in his tilma, or peasant cloak. When Juan Diego opened the cloak before Zumárraga on December 12, the flowers fell to the floor, and in their place was the Virgin of Guadalupe, miraculously imprinted on the fabric.

How the story applies our lives?

There are two important lessons as we reflect on Our Lady of Guadalupe.  One is of faith, and the other of understanding.

The first lesson is that God has chosen Mary to lead us to Jesus. No matter what critics may say of the devotion of Mexicans (and Mexican descendants) to Our Lady of Guadalupe, they owe their Christianity to her influence. If it were not for her, they would not know her son, and so they are eternally grateful.

The second lesson we take from Mary herself. Mary appeared to Juan Diego not as a European madonna but as a beautiful Aztec princess speaking to him in his own Aztec language. If we want to help someone appreciate the gospel we bring, we must appreciate the culture and the mentality in which they live their lives. By understanding them, we can help them to understand and know Christ. 

Discussion Topics

Why did the Virgin Mary choose Juan Diego and insist that he speaks to the Bishop on her behalf?

What symbolic testimony does the apparition serve for the Mexican people, especially the indigenous people?

How has Mary been part of your faith life and helped you to grow spiritually?

Have you had any interactions with Catholics in other parts of the world and how they’ve integrated their cultural traditions into their spiritual lives?

Thank you

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to express my grateful appreciation to the people of Newman Center, especially the young adult community.   My first event was the YAG retreat and it was very welcoming, engaging, and spiritually uplifting experience.  I also had the opportunity to attend the Thanksgiving Dinner at Ben’s place and it was wonderful to meet all the folks there.  Finally, the YAG Sunday Dinner was awesome and gave me the opportunity to learn more about Mary and her strong connection with the Mexican people.  As I head out to Japan this upcoming Sunday, I will be thinking and praying for all of you in the YAG community. Thank you for your friendship, hospitality, and the grace of fellowship.  God bless you and have a joyful Advent!

- Todd Chen

YAG Thanksgiving Recap

Dave with a turkey leg.

A sizable contingent of YAG-ers descended at Ben Horne's establishment at La Jolla Shores on Tuesday the 23rd of November for the annual YAG Thanksgiving feast.

Dave using the electric turkey carver. Fancy.

Although there was no flag football (much to Huy's dismay), everyone brought enough food to feed the 47 people who took part in this event. We ended up covering every essential staple for a suitable Thanksgiving feast. Some non-traditional (but still very yummy!) food was also provided, clearly indicative of the great diversity of our YAG corps. After all the bowls, pans, and plates of food were set, Fr. Joseph gave a short blessing over the food and the group...and then we were off!

Tara made the beautiful (and yummy) bird.

In addition to good food, the night was punctuated with great conversation and fellowship with familiar faces and some new friends. It was a great celebration of the holiday and a fantastic precursor to the season of Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year!

- Sean Rogers

Link to the rest of the pictures here.

YAG Thanksgiving (11/23)

YAG Thanksgiving Dinner

Tue, November 23, 6pm – 9pm
Where: Ben Horne's (8493 La Jolla Shores Dr, La Jolla, CA)

---
Top 10 Reasons Why You Can't Miss YAG Thanksgiving

1) There will be turkey (and veggie equivalent, I hope) made by Tara Almazan who took the day off of work for you. Blood, sweat, and tears (all in your turkey).

2) You get to show off all your cooking skills and be the buzz of the party. Some possible things you might hear about your dish:

"Who made these sweet potatoes? I want to be their friend."
"These green beans are so fresh! I want to go produce shopping with you."
"These rolls are so warm and gooey on the inside, just like you!"
"Mashed potatoes and gravy are my favorite. I am so thankful for you." (It's really my favorite. Someone make it for me.)

3) Your parents already turned your room into their storage area, or guest room, or gym, or art gallery. Who knows? Point is: they have moved on, and so should you. (Seriously, it's on a Tuesday, you should go see your family still if they're close).

4) There will be no traffic, baggage checks, taking your shoes off and forgetting to wear socks, random security searches, or weather delays on your way to Ben's pad.

5) All your friends will be there. (Well, at least Ben, Tara, and I will be there there. That should be enough for you.)

6) Ben's house can fit about 100 people. We want the Fire Marshall to come give us a warning.

7) Dessert!

8) Wine!

9) Flag football! (If enough people say the want to do it. Email me.)

10) Give thanks for all our blessings, especially the people God has allowed us to spend our time on Earth with. (One serious one)

---

Email me if you'd like to bring something and can't think of anything. I can suggest something for you as the date draws closer. If you plan to bring something, please let us know by clicking here. There will be plenty of food, so a small dish is appropriate (you don't have to have enough for everyone). Otherwise, just show up and enjoy yourself. Bring a friend.

- Huy

November Second Sunday Supper Recap

About 25 of YAGs gathered for Second Sunday Supper for November that was actually on the First Sunday. We had some good Mediterranean food from Cafe Athena brought by Andrea, and then I led a discussion on the life of Saint Stephen, the first martyr, and my patron saint. Here are the notes that I took in preparation for leading the discussion.

Who is he?
Saint Stephen is the first Christian martyr and one of the first deacons. He was stoned and ironically the patron saint of stonemasons and headaches (in Medieval times).

Why did i choose him?
He's my patron saint and I wanted to learn more about him.

The Story of Saint Stephen (Acts Chapter 6-7):
There was a division between Hellenist (Greek-speaking Jews) and Hebrews (Aramaic and Hebrew speaking Jews). The widows of the Hellenist were being neglected during the daily distribution.

The twelve asked the community to select seven men who would take on this task so that they may continue to "pray and minister the word". One of the men selected was Saint Stephen who quickly became a very charismatic preacher.

He was killed because he preached that Jesus superseded Mosaic Law and that the hearts of his people were God's dwelling place, not the Temple. His betrayal, trial, death, and even his last words were similar to Jesus:
"Lord Jesus receive my spirit. Do not hold this sin against them."

What his life tells me about how I should live my life:
Being a Christian in the early church was dangerous. People died so that one day someone like me wouldn't have to. His life tells me to live a life worthy of their sacrifice. Live a life with the same conviction and faith that he had.

Discussion topics:
In the early church the community selected the deacons (and presumably other religious leaders), do you think this could work now?

Why do people have to die before we appreciate them and their message? Does their death (usually violent) make their message stronger or is it some weakness on our part that we don't appreciate people until they are gone?

I believe martyrs can sometimes be created and used for political/personal gain (e.g. Pat Tillman). Can you think of other examples? Discuss.

- Huy

November YAG Events

There are many Young Adult and Graduate Student Events for November. Please take 2 minutes of your time to read through and see if anything appeals to you. We would love to see you at any/all.

Second Sunday Supper

Sun, November 7, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Where: Roetter Hall

We will be having Second Sunday Supper (SSS) a week early this month. I will be leading a discussion on Saint Stephen and martyrdom. Dinner will be provided (suggested donation $5). Please RSVP here so we can properly plan dinner for you. The next email you will get is a form for you to fill out if you plan on attending. Or you can click on this link and fill out the information.

Reconciliation Service

Wed, November 10, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Where: Good Samaritan's

The Catholic Community at UCSD will have a Reconciliation Service on Wednesday, November 10th. I have heard there are FIVE priests. I know many of you, so that might not be enough to get the job done.

Third Tuesday Taize

Tue, November 16, 7pm – 8pm
Where: Good Samaritan's

Third Tuesday Taize (TTT) will be held at it's normal time and place for the month. Please join us for an hour of prayer and singing Taize style. We've been doing this for a year now, and it's gotten progressively better with live instruments and talented singers. Help us keep the momentum going.

YAG Retreat

Fri, November 19 – Sun, November 21
Where: Cuyamaca Mountains

Ben is organizing the YAG retreat this Fall. He has had a Sierra Club cabin booked since the summer time in preparation for a relaxing, prayerful, and faithful getaway. We will be hiking and dissecting the Creed together. Father Joseph will do masses for us both days. Cost is $20-30 based on food and lodging. Please email Ben (reasonableben@gmail.com) if you are interested, and he will hook you up with the details as the date draws closer.

YAG Thanksgiving Dinner

Tue, November 23
Where: Ben Horne's (8493 La Jolla Shores Dr, La Jolla, CA)

Ben will also host YAG Thanksgiving. If you haven't made your travel arrangements for the holidays (and even if you have), please come for an early Thanksgiving Dinner. Turkey is already on the menu. We just need to have sides, dessert, and drinks.

- Huy

Welcome BBQ Recap

On Thursday night, a few old-timer YAGs (young adult and graduate students) welcomed a few new YAGs by hosting a BBQ at Ben's beach party house. I think the final attendance was somewhere around 20-25 people. As typical of our events, there were plenty of food, drink, and conversation to be shared.

Also a special thanks to our guest of honor, Father Joseph Sergott, our chaplain.

 
Enjoy the rest of the pictures.

 

Second Sunday Supper (10/10)

YAG Welcome BBQ/Bonfire

Thu, October 7, 6pm – 10pm
Where: Ben's House (8493 La Jolla Shores Dr, La Jolla, CA)

Second Sunday Supper

Sun, October 10, 6:30pm – 8:00pm (after 5:30PM mass)
Where: Roetter Hall, Good Samaritan Church

Help us welcome new Young Adults and Graduate Students this Thursday, 6PM at Ben Horne's house. There will be burgers (meaty and veggie) provided. Drinks, sides, snacks, etc are welcome. If enough people come, our chaplain (Father Joseph) might make an appearance :). He is susceptible to peer pressure.

Second Sunday Supper will continue after 5:30PM mass this Sunday. Danny Richter will be leading a discussion on Saint Francis. We will have Indian food again since it's been very popular (Punjabi Tandoor) in the past. Suggested donation, $7. Help us order enough food for everyone by RSVPing here.

All YAG events (and more) are also posted on the blog/calendar at http://ucsdyags.blogspot.com. Check it out.

- Huy
3109515347

YAG Welcome BBQ/Bonfire (10/7) - Fall Quarter YAG Events

Ministry Fair

Sun, October 3

YAG Welcome BBQ/Bonfire

Thu, October 7, 6pm – 9pm
Where: Ben's (8493 La Jolla Shores Dr, La Jolla, CA)

The Young Adult Group Annual Welcome BBQ/Bonfire will be on Thursday, October 7 at Ben's house. Please bring something small to share (food or drink). There will be a grill. I'll bring wood so we can head down to the beach later in the evening for a bonfire. Let us welcome new young adults and graduate students to our community.

We will also be at all three masses this Sunday for the Ministry fair. Please stop by our table and say hi especially if you've been gone all summer. Welcome back! See you soon.

Other dates to keep on your calendar:

YAG Retreat

Fri, November 19 – Sun, November 21
Where: Cuyumaca

Spend a weekend outdoors while studying the basic tenets of our faith: The Creed

YAG Thanksgiving Dinner

Tues, November 23
If you won't be with family this Thanksgiving, you can still have a full Thanksgiving dinner! We'll gather at someone's home for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, maybe play some touch football. Better yet, delay your trip home and have two Thanksgiving dinners.

- Huy

Second Sunday Supper Recap (9/12)

St. Ignatius of Loyola

A good sized group of YAGS gathered on a Sunday night for some good company and good food. When the eating was over, we switched into a mode of talking about St. Ignatius of Loyola. I spoke of Ignatius' early life and what led to his conversion. St. Ignatius realized, while he was convalescing from a battle wound, that vanity and riches would not lead to happiness, but that fighting for God would.

After a discussion of St. Ignatius' discernment process, we went on to speak of the way we personally discern how to live our lives. St. Ignatius taught that when you find God's will for your life you will be full of spiritual joy, while when you are not on God's path you will be full of distress. A good number of us YAGS agreed with this statement. It's always good to reexamine your decision making process and to ensure that you are seeking God in the decisions you make.

Stay tuned for next months Second Sunday Supper with Danny Richter as our speaker. We will be in for a treat!

-Andrea Grim

Padre's Game Recap (9/9)

The YAGS headed downtown to watch the Padres baseball game. It was off to a great start when someone offered all 8 of us seats looking over first base. So instead of our $5 seats we were given $58 seats. Nice!

The game didn't go so well for the Padres, which made Brian happy as he was sporting his San Francisco Giants hat. We did however get to witness six home runs! All in all it was a lot of fun and we can't wait to go again next year!

- Andrea Grim

World Cup 2010 - YAG Style

The World Cup was very exciting this year. The US gave us all heart attacks, and it seemed like everyone was very interested thanks to ABC/ESPN televising every game. The UCSD Newman Center Young Adult Group was no exception. We have a lot of avid football fans, and a gang of us got together to watch the finale featuring Spain vs Netherlands on two TVs. Gourmet food was provided by the guests.

Most people present wanted the Dutch, but I was all for the predominantly Catholic nation. The Spanish played beautifully and beat the cheap-shot Dutch in the final minutes of regulation.

There was good food, drink, and company. More pictures here.

Weezer and Store Front

Weezer Concert and Beer Fest

Sat, August 21, 5pm - 9pm
Where: Del Mar Fair Grounds

Store Front

Sun, September 5, 5pm – 8pm

The Young Adult Group (or at least me) will be going to watch Weezer at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Saturday, August 21st. Admission into the races is $6. Weezer is supposed to come on after the last horse race at 6:30PM. If you are interested, please fill out this form, and then I will email just those who reply later this week (probably Thursday) about arranging carpools, etc. If you'd like to come without responding, just gimme a call or text on Saturday, and I'll let you know how to find us.

Also, Our USCD Catholic Center Catholic Community has been cooking and delivering food for homeless teenagers the first Sunday of the month for the past several years. This upcoming month (September 5, 2010), our Social Justice Coordinator, Maureen Sterk, has asked for the Young Adult Group's help in this ongoing effort. She will be organizing, but if you can spare 2-3 hours of your time to help cook and deliver a meal for Store Front, please fill out this form. We will contact you as the time draws near to give you more details.

God bless everyone! See you soon.

- Huy Nguyen
phone: (three one zero) nine five one - five three four seven

Joshua Tree Camping Trip

So this post is basically three months late, but like history, if it is not written (or in a blog post), it did not happen. But this trip did happen, and it was amazing.

A gang of us from the UCSD Newman Center Young Adult Group went camping, but the main attraction was to climb in Joshua Tree, probably one of the most beautiful places you'll ever see.

Six of us left early on Friday, April 22nd to climb and scout out the routes for the bigger group on Saturday.

Later on, the rest of the group got to our three camp sites in Joshua Tree National Park. We had dinner, set up our tents and sleeping bags, and went to bed after a night of campfire mayhem.

The next day, almost all of us went to climb, attempt to climb, or just watch people climb (which was harrowing on it's own). We set up and had at least 3-4 routes going all at once. Ben led all of the climbs, set anchors at the top so we could all top-rope.

Almost everyone who wanted to took a crack (pun intended!) at finishing a climb. By the end of the day, our fingers were raw and forearms were burning. We all collected a few extra bruises and left some skin somewhere on the rock as well.

Thank God for creation, good friends, and good health. Amen.

More pictures here (Andrea's) and here (Martin's) and here (Kristy's) and here (Dana's) and here (Daniel's).

Switchfoot Concert! (6/24)

Switchfoot is playing at the San Diego County fair this Thursday, June 24th at 7:30pm! YAG talked about doing a couple of music watching outings as a group so if you are interested in heading up to see Switchfoot please indicate your interest in this form. Depending on how many people want to come we can try to arrange rides or perhaps bus up on the 101. Whatever is most convenient for everyone. The concert is free with paid admission to the fair ($13) so head up for fancy fried foods, great music, and great company! Hope to see you there!

- Tara

Second Sunday Supper Recap (6/20)

The topic for discussion for the Second Sunday Supper on 6/20 was Saint Joseph.  Because it was Father's Day, we spent some time talking about Joseph's call to become one of the guardian's of God's greatest gift to us.  While not the paternal father of Jesus, Joseph was given the enormous responsibility of raising him and teaching him useful skills (such as the manual labor of carpentry).  It was not by chance that this was the environment chosen for Jesus to experience as an adolescent. 

We remember the enormous calls our own father's, or father-like figures, undertook when they took the responsibility to care for us throughout our young lives and into adulthood.  We took the time to remember what we remember most about our father's and how they have impacted our lives.

To learn more about Saint Joseph's call, read the material reviewed for this discussion at the following link.

- Jeff Tippman

Second Sunday Supper (6/20)

We are having Second Sunday Supper on the Third Sunday this month (because we are non-conformists) after 5:30PM Mass in Roetter Hall.

Jeff Tippman will lead a discussion on Saint Joseph and Fatherhood (since it's Father's Day) following catered dinner from Punjabi Tandoor (suggested donation $7).

Please RSVP by filling out this form.

Thank you Jeff for leading the discussion. SSS happens every month because one of us (Young Adults) is inspired to speak about a topic that is important to them. If you have a favorite saint or topic and would like to share it with your community, please let us know.

Third Tuesday Taize on the Sand (6/15)

Third Tuesday Taize, same time, 7pm on the third Tuesday (June 15) but this time there are 2 changes:

1) The location will be La Jolla Shores Beach - the same spot as last fall, and near where the welcome event was last fall. Park in the La Jolla Shores Beach parking lot at the very right-hand side (as you face the beach), by the showers. Walk straight toward the beach 50 feet. You will see us!

2) It will be BEFORE Second Sunday Supper this month!

Come and join in melodic reflection and prayer! Pray for your favorite soccer team! Or anything else...

Ben

YAG Beach Camping Trip (7/16-7/17)

Do you like suntanning, swimming, surfing, sleeping, smores or sand castles? In celebration of our SoCal roots, the YAGS group will be doing all of the above. We're organizing a beach camping trip this summer. It's Friday-Saturday July 16-17 (Friday night only) at San Onofre State Beach- north of Oceanside. We have 16 spots available. Let me know if you're in and I will reserve you a place. I will send an email out later in the month with more details, but costs will be about $10 total for camping and food.

-Ben
reasonableben@gmail.com

Welcome to YAG New Graduates

New Graduates,

Congratulations on completing your studies at UCSD. Your presence at the Baccalaureate Mass here is an indication that you have balanced your growth in faith, spirituality and worship along with your academic studies.

The Young Adult and Graduate Students (YAG) would like to invite you to continue your faith journey with us as you transition into life after college. Here are ways to get involved:

1. Check out our blog (http://ucsdyags.blogspot.com). Here you'll find an updated calendar of events, contact information, recaps of past events, volunteer opportunities, etc.
2. Join our mailing list. Subscribe by sending an email to ucsd-yag-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and introducing yourself. This is the primary means of event planning and communication.
3. Join a Young Adult Small Church Community (SCC) - A small church community is a great way to share and grow in your Catholic faith with other folks navigating through life as young adults. There are currently three YAG SCCs. If you are interested in joining one of them or starting your own, send an email to yagscoreteam@googlegroups.com. We can help you get started.

Recurring Monthly Events

Second Sunday Supper - The 2nd Sunday of every month, Young Adults and Grad Students gather for dinner and a discussion. Discussion topics for 2010 will center around saints or encyclicals.

Third Tuesday Taize - Every 3rd Tuesday of the month, the Young Adults invite the entire community for an hour of prayer and reflection Taize-style.

Upcoming Summer Events

June
San Diego Fair to watch Switchfoot (6/24)

July
World Cup Final Viewing Party (7/11)
San Onofre Beach Camping Trip (7/16 - 7/17)

August
Del Mar Races for Brew Festival and WEEZER (8/21)

September
Padres Game (9/9)

God bless all of you, and congratulations again,
UCSD Newman Center YAG

Your Summer With The YAG

We just had a meeting last week to discuss events for this summer. Here are the meeting notes.

Some highlights:

Monthly Recurring:
Second Sunday Suppers - These will continue during summer
Third Taize Tuesday - Ditto

June
San Diego Fair to watch Switchfoot (6/24)

July
World Cup Final Viewing Party (7/11)
San Onofre Beach Camping Trip (7/16 - 7/17)

August
Del Mar Races for Brew Festival and WEEZER (8/21)

September
Padres Game (9/9)

Please go to the blog and check up with the emails for more detailed information as events get closer. If you have an idea for an event and would like to coordinate please feel free. It's your community. We can make it whatever we want.

God bless you all,
Huy

Second Sunday Supper (5/9)

The YAG group will be having our next Second Sunday Supper after the 5:30pm mass on May 9th. The cost of dinner (pizza & salad) is only $7. Please sign up on this form to help us have an idea of how many people to get food for!

Volunteers needed! If you are interested in taking up the torch and giving a talk + leading a discussion on your favorite saint for an upcoming Second Sunday Supper (May 9, July 10 or beyond), please contact Danny (darichter@gmail.com) with your topic/preferred date. If you are interested in bringing food for an upcoming supper, contact Stephanie (stephanie.nissen@gmail.com)!

Easter Sunday 2010 recap: Earthquakes and Other Divine Intervention

The lily that Kelcie brought. (Thank you for reminding me of my Grandmother & old Easter traditions!)

So I have a confession to make: One of the best Easters I ever experienced was spent up at a beachfront house with 4 people who didn't do the whole Catholicism thing. Or the whole Christianity thing, for that matter. We spent the day enjoying God's amazing sand and sky, just taking our time. We made risotto (the stir-forever Italian way), marinated spareribs & portobellos, drank mimosas and used the sun-filled hours as an opportunity to be grateful for the chance to get to know each other better. Every year when Easter rolls around, I'm reminded that our celebration should be one we share with the rest of the world, and not just by the music streaming out of our church doors. It is so wonderfully amazing to me how much the YAG (and friends) community really took that to heart this year.

It all started when Jeff (re)offered his home as a location this year. He and his roommate had done a major overhaul to the backyard, and it proved a great place for people to gather as they flowed in and out of the house. Also, a it provided the opportunity for old hats and newbies to get acquainted using a universal language (that would be futbol!).

Kristina shows our newcomer (John) the ropes.

The backyard was also a great intermittent escape for those who spent the afternoon in the kitchen. I don't want to bore everyone with a minute list of each thing that was prepared (and the symbolism behind each dish), but I did want to mention one thing-- pumpkin kibbe. According to the Aussie-based Lebanese guy I co-opted the base recipe from, it's a very popular Lenten dish where he grew up as almost everybody there gives up meat for the entire duration of Lent. That said, have you ever tried to find a pumpkin (or even non-pie-spiced canned pumpkin) in San Diego in April?? I have. And you can imagine my surprise/Snoopy dance of joy when Daniel mentioned he just happened to have one in cold storage! God provides in sometimes the most obscure ways. =) The kibbe were small things, but deep-fried with great love.

Brian and Anne hard at work.

When you're trying to feed 30 people, though, kibbe only goes so far. Here are a few pics of our wonderful cook crew, who all pitched in to create a wonderful feast. Brian, Anne, Jake, Suz, Jeff, Kristy, David, Dre, Aaron, Anna, Daniel, Andrea (aka Priscilla-- confirmed this year!), Jen & Jenny all had a hand in prep, and I'm not sure if there was a single dish we prepped at Jeff's that was entirely the work of one person. They were joined by an equally stellar clean-up crew: Steph, Tony, Sean & Tara... *after* the earthquake. It was actually the first earthquake for a number of people there, and I'm glad that they didn't have to experience it alone. Interestingly enough, Dre ran across a reference to Revelations a few days later that said earthquakes used to be interpreted as a sign of God's physical presence. Sounds good to me. ;^)

Who'd have thought pumpkin goop would be so much fun (and so tasty!)

One last note about God's presence-- we placed a jar at the door so people could donate towards food costs, and actually ran over a bit. So a donation has been made ($35) to Mama's Kitchen, which delivers meals to people with AIDS or cancer. It's not 12 baskets full, but I'm glad that there was a tangible benefit to the rest of our SD community as a result of our celebration. You know, we sing in church that God is Love-- but love requires us to be in relationship to each other, in community. In the words of a good friend, it's something you "have to seek out and create." Looks to me like the YAGs (and friends) have started off the Easter season very creatively indeed.

- Shannon

This recap post and pictures were contributed by Shannon, our organizer extraordinare for the YAG Easter Dinner. Many thanks to all the effort she made to put together an amazing evening of tasty fare and great company!

Second Sunday Supper - April 13

Last Sunday, Anne gave a great talk introducing the life of Sr. Dorothy Stang and provided 3 rounds of discussion questions small groups gathered to talk about. More information about the life and martyrdom of Sr. Dot can be found in the following podcasts from Provoke Radio:

"Modern Day Saints and Martyrs: The Life and Death of Sister Dorothy Stang" Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

It was a great start to our discussion topic for this year's Second Sunday Suppers on the lives of saints / holy people who inspire us! If you are interested in taking up the torch and giving a talk + leading a discussion on your favorite saint for an upcoming Second Sunday Supper (May 9, June 20 - a "Third Sunday", July 10 or beyond), please contact Danny (darichter@gmail.com) with your topic/preferred date. If you are interested in bringing food for an upcoming supper, contact Stephanie (stephanie.nissen@gmail.com)!

Feeding America volunteer opportunity

This spring, the YAG group will be volunteering two weekday evenings with the local organization Feeding America (feedingamericasd.org). The projects there are geared around sorting, boxing and bagging more than 1,000,000 pounds of food a month as part of their mission to feed the hungry families of San Diego.

The evenings we have committed to are:

Wednesday April 28, 6-8pm

Thursday May 13, 6-8pm

Feeding America's address is 9151 Rehco Road, San Diego, CA. Since the warehouse is not far from Good Sam's, those who want to carpool can meet at Good Sam's at 5:45pm that evening.

Sign up on this form to give us an idea of how many people might be coming, who might need to carpool, and what times might be good for future volunteer events. The volunteer information sheet for Feeding America San Diego can be viewed here. Please remember to wear closed toe shoes!

Questions? Contact Stephanie (stephanie.nissen@gmail.com).

Mountain Getaway Recap

The YAGS mountain getaway was a huge success. The weather seemed to turn to spring just as we arrived on March 12 so sunny moderate mountain weather shone down for two days of slopes, fellowship and excellent eats...those who missed it can only wait until next year, training for the mountains by sharpening their snowboarding skills on “practice” trips.

Tiffany provided the housing hookup in scenic Big Bear at a discount price due to her many high-placed connections. Laura was all over the food and designed gourmet meals, highlighted by four huge lasagnas on Saturday night. Sean provided critical beverages. Father Joseph said Saturday and Sunday masses so we could get our spiritual fix. Jake provided the soundtrack.

In the hills, Steph and Tony led a crew on a hike of a trail that turned out to be half mud, half snow. Tony also built a snow cave and went for a run, completing the tri-fecta of mountain activities.

On the slopes of the Big Bear resorts Huy led the pack of snowboarders with Andrew, only in his first season, not far behind. Tara, Christina and Ben rounded out the experienced boardercrew, with the lowlight being Ben landing on his head after catching too much air on a jump...only to be saved from injury by the helmet Huy had recently given to him...

Mark was an ace on skis on the double diamonds and inspired 5 beginners making their ski debut, led by Martin, the natural, who didn't even fall once on his first day, except at the end just to check how it was done.  Anisha, Srikanth, Ewa and John also started their addiction to downhill sports. Tina probably would have been the downhill queen but elected to read objectivist propaganda rather than embrace the perfect weather on the slopes. To give her credit, she made the trip on extreme sleep deprivation and it was surprising she made it through the weekend awake.

At night, Tara and Jake were the pros of the evening game with probably as many points as the entire other team. Other late night shenannigans included snowball fights and snowman building. In the morning, Ewa cooked some tremendous pizzas, and the eggs and pancakes rounded out the perfect brunch with John and Andrew slaving over the stovetop. Ben and Christina closed out the weekend with a jump into big bear lake for a brief 33 degree swim.

In short, the weekend was the best YAGS overnight of the year...until next month, at Joshua Tree... 

Pictures:

Ben's

Christina's

Martin's

- BenJammin'

Second Sunday Supper - March 14th

This Sunday, March 14th, the YAG group will be having our next Second Sunday Supper after the 5:30pm mass! Come for good food, great discussion, and fabulous company. This month's speaker is Fr. Joseph; he'll lead a discussion on a parable. The cost of dinner is only $7.

Please sign up on this form to help us have an idea of how many people to get food for! Other questions? Contact Stephanie (stephanie.nissen@gmail.com).

Taize Prayer and Adoration (Mar 3, 7-10PM)

It's not the Third Tuesday of the month yet, but its Lent, so there is extra Taize. Taize Prayer and Adoration is this First Friday, at 7pm. It's open to the whole church community, but we (YAGgermeisters) are in charge. We will have Julie to play piano so the music should be a real treat. Taize will go till 8, then Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will continue until 10 PM. Come for all or part for a special Lenten Friday!

 - Ben

YAG Lenten Walk Recap

Over 20 YAGs came together Feb 20th for the Lenten Walk. This day retreat began at 11am with introductions, lunch, and a talk on discernment by Fr. Joseph followed with discussion.

The Examen prayer is a Jesuit way of praying that helps us examine our exercises of faith in daily life. It is generally divided into 5 steps, and discussion of these steps formed the remainder of our day retreat. (For more info on the Examen prayer, see below or visit this website.) YAGs Stephanie, Ben, and Tony gave talks introducing various aspects of the Examen prayer. We spent half the day in Torrey Pines State Park enjoying the great weather and beautiful setting and spending time in discussion and reflection.

We came back to Roetter Hall for a closing Mass at 3:30pm with Fr. Joseph. It was a great way to end our day retreat and continue on our Lenten journey.

Check out pictures from the retreat:

Steph's Pictures
Eric's Pictures
Huy's Pictures

Thanks to all who could attend and participate! And a very special thanks to those that met throughout the past month to help plan the Lenten retreat or that volunteered to help lead a talk or prayer during the retreat - Jennie, Shannon, Edwin, Tony, Stephanie, Ben & Tara!

The Examen Prayer:

Transition: I become aware of the love with which God looks upon me as I begin this Examen

Step 1: Gratitude. I note the gifts that God's love has given me this day, and I give thanks to God for them.

Step 2: Petition. I ask God for an insight and a strength that will make this Examen a work of grace, fruitful beyond my human capacity alone.

Step 3: Review. With my God, I review the day. I look for the stirrings in my heart and the thoughts that God has given me this day. I look also for those that have not been of God. I review my choices in response to both, and throughout the day in general.

Where was God in all of this today?

Toward what was the Lord calling me in the day?

How did I respond to this call?

Were there inclinations and thoughts this day that were not of God?

If there were, was I able to discern and resist them?

Was the use of my freedom in accord with God's loving desire for me today?

Step 4: Forgiveness. I ask for the healing touch of the forgiving God who, with love and respect for me, removes my heart's burdens.

Step 5: Renewal. I look to the following day and, with God, plan concretely how to live it in accord with God's loving desire for my life.

Transition: Aware of God's presence with me, I prayerfully conclude the Examen.