2015 Edge SPG Church

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SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE
CHURCH

CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION 03
STEP BY STEP 05
STEP BY STEP WORKSHEET 07
WHAT'S NEW 08
ONE BODY 10
SEEN AND UNSEEN 20
PUZZLE PIECES 30
WHOLLY YOURS 40
TEAM ROME 50
GO PREACH IT! 60
PPK 70
THE MASTERPIECE OF LIFE 82
INTRODUCTION
THE HEART OF CATECHESIS be haphazard and improvised. Our catechesis
From the very beginning, the Church’s missionary must also be complete. We must never leave out
mandate has been to make disciples of all nations. parts of the faith out of fear, laziness, or lack of
This mandate was given to the Apostles directly knowledge. It is the sacred duty of all catechists to
from Christ. This same mission continues today to pass on every part of the faith, not just those parts
be the most central task of the Church. In Evangelii that are comfortable or straightforward. Simply,
nuntiandi Pope Paul VI says, “Evangelizing is in fact catechesis must make sense, and gradually, one
the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her step at a time, lead the youth into full knowledge
deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize” of the faith and a deeper relationship with Christ.
(#14). Within this great vocation of evangelization,
we find the sacred task of catechesis. CATECHESIS AND CULTURE
Discovering new ways to instruct the youth in
In his very first apostolic exhortation, Catechesi the faith is critical in today’s culture. Effective
tradendae, St. John Paul II gave the Church a very catechesis, especially to youth, engages their
clear instruction on the task of catechesis in our culture. It is important for catechists to be
time. The heart of catechesis is to lead and guide familiar with current cultural trends and events
the youth not only in instruction of the faith, but to help make the Gospel message accessible to
also, and most importantly, into a deep, personal the youth. The goal of catechesis and culture is
relationship with Jesus Christ. Saint John Paul II not only to engage culture, but also to ultimately
teaches us “the definitive aim of catechesis is to transform it.
put people not only in touch but in communion,
in intimacy with Jesus Christ” (#5). Although the truths of the faith are unchanging,
the culture in which the youth live is constantly
The whole goal of youth ministry is not to help changing. This rapid change presents a challenge
youth “like going to church.” The whole goal is to to those who work with youth to continually find
lead youth into a life-long, personal relationship new ways to communicate the Gospel message.
with a real person – Jesus Christ. Every task Engaging culture, specifically in the form of
of youth ministry should have as its center technology, allows for the youth to translate
Jesus Christ. Every retreat, trip, activity, and the faith into a language they understand. It is
conversation should point to and flow from the important to remember that the integrity of the
heart of Jesus. faith must never be compromised in order to
engage culture.
SYSTEMATIC AND
COMPLETE CATECHESIS CATECHESIS AND EDGE
To serve the goal of leading youth into a Edge resources aim to present the truths of the
relationship with Jesus Christ, we must present Catholic faith in a hands-on and relevant format.
the faith in a systematic way. We take as our The format of the Edge resources are designed
model of teaching the model Jesus used in his to meet the spiritual, physical, emotional,
own ministry. He did not reveal the truth all at educational, and social needs of middle school
once, as to overwhelm his disciples and those he youth. The catechetical plan set by the suggested
encountered along His journey, rather He taught Edge curriculum is designed to provide a
gradually and in stages by methodically revealing complete and systematic approach to instructing
the truth over time. middle school youth in the faith. Edge resources
also engage current middle school culture and
As Christ taught, so should we. Our catechesis provide the youth tools to grow in holiness and
must be systematic. Systematic catechesis their relationship with Jesus Christ.
requires a structured plan and a goal. It must never
EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 3

EDGE CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
We are introducing a brand new three-year cycle
of Edge semesters! This will allow you to not only
continue to cover the full deposit of faith, but it
will also give you more variety with our all new
bonus boxes. Here is what is coming in your new
three-year cycle of Edge Curriculums.
August 2015 – Church

November 2015 – Sacraments
March 2016 – Gifts of
the Holy Spirit
Summer 2016 – Yearly renewal!
August 2016 – Morality/10

Commandments
November 2016 – Catholic
Social Teaching
March 2017 – BONUS BOX!
GO, MAKE DISCIPLES

Today, more than any other time in the Church,
it is imperative that those called to pass on the
truths of the faith, especially to the youth, renew
his or her own commitment to the mission of
making disciples. The task of catechesis requires
both humility and boldness. We at Life Teen are
committed to praying for you and offering our
support. It is an honor to serve in the vineyard
of youth ministry with you. We pray that this
resource allows you to more effectively reach and
form middle school youth into disciples of Christ.
Now go, and make disciples!
4 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

STEP-BY-STEP
1. EVALUATE YOUR YOUTH: ⃞⃞ Where we will hold our Edge meetings?
There is no one way to use the Edge curriculum.
It is designed to come alive as you use it “outside ⃞⃞ How long will our Edge meetings be?
the box” to impact your youth specifically.
When it comes to deciding what curriculum ⃞⃞ How often will Edge meet? Once a week?
topic to start with the first thing to remember Every other week? Once a month?
is there is no designated “starting point”, it is
up to you to evaluate your youth and see what it ⃞⃞ When are the major holidays? Will we
is they need most to learn this semester. Here meet on or near these days?
are some questions to ask yourself:
⃞⃞ When are the major breaks for schools?
⃞⃞ What have they already learned? (in RE Will we meet during breaks?
and/or Edge)
⃞⃞ What major events are going on at the
⃞⃞ What topics need more explanation or parish that may conflict with an Edge
reinforcement? night? Are there any major parish events
that we can go to together as an Edge
⃞⃞ Where are my youth spiritually and what program?
topic will help them understand their
faith more this semester? ⃞⃞ Are we going to have a retreat? If so when?
Will it be one day or a weekend?
Once you have determined the general need
of your youth, pick your semester topic 3. PLUG IN EDGE NIGHTS:
accordingly. We recommend that you stick Now that you have the dates set for your entire
to one topic per semester (i.e. focusing on Edge semester and your semester topic picked
Sacraments rather than trying to teach out, this is where you get to have some fun!
Sacraments, Morality, and Church in one For each night start plugging in which specific
semester). Then, each semester cover a Edge Night you want to do, and start looking at
different topic so that by the time your 6th all the different Edge retreat outlines for your
grader heads out of Edge to Life Teen you have semester retreat. Don’t forget to go online and
covered all the topics provided. This way you search our full database of Edge Nights for
can assure that you are passing on the fullness each semester topic. When you are looking at
of the deposit of faith. your dates we suggest that you split up some
of the catechetical teaching nights with Issue
2. LOOK AT A CALENDAR: and Social Nights. Here are suggestions on
Now that you have determined which topic how to plan out your Catechetical, Issue, and
you are going to cover this semester, look at Social Nights.
a few different calendars and determine the
dates and times that you are going to meet ⃞⃞ Catechetical Night, Catechetical Night,
this semester. You should look at your parish Issue Night, Social Night
events calendar as well as a few of the school
calendars for your youth. Here are a few ⃞⃞ Catechetical Night, Issue Night,
questions to ask: Catechetical Night, Social Night

Here is a sample for the first few weeks of a
semester on Church following the first cycle
above.
⃞⃞ January 7th: Catechetical Night (One Body)
⃞⃞ January 21st: Catechetical Night (Seen and

Unseen)
⃞⃞ February 3rd: Issue Night (Refreshed)
⃞⃞ February 13th: Social Night (Do-Si-Do)
⃞⃞ February 28th: Catechetical Night (Puzzle

Pieces)
When picking out your Issue and Social Nights

keep these things in mind.
⃞⃞ What are the major social, emotional, and

cultural issues my youth are facing? (pick
Issue Nights accordingly)
⃞⃞ What resources – space, time, money,

volunteers – do I have for Social Nights?
4. FINALIZE AND PRINT!:

There is nothing a parish secretary and the
parents of middle school youth love more than
a calendar. This way they can plan ahead and
be prepared for everything you have planned
out for the whole semester! So print the
calendar, mail it, email it, and post it around
the church. Now that you have a structure and
a plan for your semester, sit back, relax, and go
evangelize!

STEP-BY-STEP
SEMESTER TOPIC:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
EDGE MEETING LOCATION:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
EDGE MEETING TIME:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
DATE CATECHETICAL, EDGE NIGHT

ISSUE OR SOCIAL NAME

WHAT’S NEW IN YOUR
Welcome to our new Edge Semester Planning PROCLAIM FORMATTING
Guide! Be sure to look through the whole book You will quickly notice that the Proclaim is
and check out all the new things. Whether you formatted in an entirely new way. This is so
are a veteran to Edge or this is your first semester, that you have the Scripture, CCC, and YouCat
we wanted to take some time to explain some of references at your fingertips where they are
the new sections in your curriculum guides, why referenced as you go through the teaching for the
we included them, and how you can use them. night. This will also allow you to print off the talk
separately to give to your speaker, or you can also
KEY WORDS send it to your Core Team before the night for
This section provides for you a small list of some them to familiarize themselves with the content.
of the key words that will be used during the
Proclaim that your youth may not be familiar TAKING IT DEEPER: ADAPTATIONS
with. These key words will be defined before the
talk and incorporated throughout the teaching.
FOR 8TH GRADERS
This section is intended for those 8th graders who
You can put up these key words during the Edge
need to be challenged more in their faith, or have
Night with their definitions so that the youth can
gotten bored/used to the typical Edge Night. This
begin to learn them, or you can use them for a
section will focus on more in depth conversations
game or challenge to see which youth know
and more challenging activities. This is a time to
what the words mean. The reason why we have
call your 8th graders on to greater leadership and
included these is to bring attention to some of
ownership of their faith, and to also prepare them
the big Catholic words or ideas that are central to
to enter into Life Teen the next year.
our faith that your youth should start being more
familiar with in their formation of faith.
CORE TEAM FORMATION

This section is included in efforts to help you
continue to form and inform your Core Team.
This section will be filled with more in depth
information for your Core Members in regards to
the topic of the night along with some discussion
questions you can use during a Core Team meeting
or just give to them to provide further thought. It
is important that you keep feeding your Core and
giving them opportunities in the midst of their
busy schedules to continue to grow in their own
faith, and in doing so they will be able to help your
youth more in their faith journeys. You can bring
this information to Core Team meetings, use it
for a Core retreat, or simply email it to your Core
Team before each night.

ONE BODY
AN EDGE NIGHT ON
THE CHURCH
SCRIPTURE KEY WORDS MEDIA
Matthew 16:18 Church SUGGESTIONS
Matthew 28:18-20 Body of Christ • Edge Video Support: “Why
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 Be Catholic?” (EVS 10)
SUPPLIES NEEDED • Edge Video Support:
CCC • Slips of paper “Catholathon” (EVS 7)
777 • Pens
778 • Tape
780 • “Prayer of St. Francis”
787-795 handout page 16
YOUCAT
121
126
EDGE NIGHT GOAL represent the Church such as one, holy, catholic,
The goal of this Edge Night is to help the youth apostolic, family, community, faith, teaching
come to a deeper understanding of the universal sacraments, etc. on poster boards and put them
Catholic Church. up around the space.
EDGE NIGHT AT A GLANCE CORE TEAM FORMATION

The Edge Night begins with a time of praise and The Church is very complex, and there are many
worship and a fun video. The Proclaim teaches ways to describe the Church and why she is so
the youth about what the Church is and why it is important in our lives. This Edge Night will focus
important. During the Break, the youth will learn mainly on the Church as the Body of Christ and
about St. Francis of Assisi and how God called show how the Church is our guide and means of
OUTLINE
him to rebuild the Church. The youth will have an salvation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church
opportunity to build their own churches and the states, “the comparison of the Church with the
Edge Night will end with a prayer to St. Francis of body casts light on the intimate bond between
Assisi. Christ and His Church. Not only is she gathered
around Him; but she is also united in Him, in His
body” (CCC 789). The beauty of the Church comes
ONE BODY
ENVIRONMENT from its unity in Christ and His love for us. Take
Put up different pictures of Catholic churches
time to reflect on your feelings towards the
from around the world, or make a slide show
Church and pray about how you can grow more
of the pictures. Also, write different words that

in your understanding of the Catholic Church TO THE PARENTS
and its teachings. Use the following questions for This week at Edge we discussed what the Church
reflection or discussion: is and why it is so important. We discussed both
the universal Catholic Church as well as the
• What comes to mind when you think of the importance of our local parish church. We also
word church? discussed that we are all part of the one Body of
Christ and that we each play a significant role in
• How does the opinion of society affect your the Church. We ended with the story of St. Francis
feelings or thoughts towards the Church? who was called to build the up the Church. Here
are some questions to ask your son or daughter
• What are some ways that the Church is this week:
misrepresented? What can you do to stand up
for your faith in these areas? • What is the Church?
• Do you truly believe that the Catholic Church is • Why is the Church so important?
our means to salvation? How can you grow in
faith to believe this? • What does it mean that we are one body in
Christ?
• How can we help the youth understand the
Catholic Church? • What was the story of St. Francis of Assisi?
GATHER PROCLAIM
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION VIDEO
(5 min) (5 min)
Gather in all the youth, introduce any youth who Play one of the videos from the Media Suggestions.
are there for the first time, and recognize any
birthdays. Give a brief introduction to the night "ONE BODY" TEACHING
and begin in prayer. (10 min)
CORE INTRO AND PRAISE AND This teaching can be found on page 14 to 15. Here
WORSHIP are the main points from the teaching.
(10 min)
• The word church refers to the universal Catholic
If this is the first night of your semester, spend a Church, and our local church.
few minutes to introduce the youth to the Core
OUTLINE
Members and have them each give a few fun • We are all a part of the Body of Christ, and we
facts about themselves. After that have your each make up an essential part of that body.
music minister lead a time of praise and worship
beginning with a brief explanation of praise and • The Church is important. It is our means of
worship and how we can pray through music. salvation and where we experience Christ in the
sacraments.
ONE BODY
Make sure to have either a handout of song lyrics

or the lyrics projected on a screen so that all of
the youth can participate and sing with the music
minister.

BREAK
At that time, the universal Church was struggling in
many different ways and people were not following
Christ and His teachings as they should. St. Francis
was never a preacher, but he began to teach others
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION about returning to the love of God and faithfulness
(10 min) to the teachings of the Church. This eventually led
to St. Francis forming one of the most well known
Break the youth into small groups, begin in prayer, religious orders - the Franciscans. His order went
and use the following questions for discussion: out preaching and spreading the love of God and the
teachings of the Catholic Church.
• What do you think of when you hear the word
church? St. Francis of Assisi did, in fact, end up helping Christ
to rebuild His Church – not just the stone building –
• Do you think that you play a significant role in but the universal Church. He did so by going out to
the Church? the people and bringing them into the community
of the Body of Christ and by sharing the Good News
• Re-read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Which part of of salvation and love of Christ for all, especially the
the Body of Christ do you think you would be? poor.
Why?
BUILD MY CHURCH
• What are some ways you can spread the Good
(15 min)
News of Jesus this week?
Supplies:
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI • Paper
(15 min) • Pens
• Tape
Bring all of the youth back into the large group
and give a brief explanation of the life of St. Begin this activity by explaining to the youth
Francis of Assisi. The following is an example of a how they are all called like St. Francis to build the
short explanation of his life: Church. Here is an example of an explanation:
St. Francis was a man who was born into great wealth. Just like Jesus called St. Francis to build His Church,
He grew up very rich and was liked by everyone. we are all called to build up the Church. We may not
Even though he had everything he wanted, Francis be called in the way that St. Francis was, but Jesus
became unsatisfied with a life where all he chased asks all of us to go out to those around us and to
was money, fame, and glory. Knowing Francis’s tell them the about His love and salvation through
heart, God broke into his life in radical ways. Francis the Church and the sacraments. It may be scary at
found that in having nothing, he had everything, and times, and cause us to go outside of our comfort
life with God was more fulfilling than all the riches zone, but we are all given the grace we need to love
and glory he desired. those around us and to share the love of Christ with
them. If we each do this with a few people in our
As he continually searched for God and prayed, he lives, we will be helping to build up the Church.
found himself one day in a Church in San Damiano.
While he was praying there, he heard Christ on the Break the youth back into their small groups. Give
OUTLINE
crucifix speak to him and say the words “rebuild my each youth five slips of paper and a pen. Instruct
church.” St. Francis assumed that Christ meant the them to write on each slip of paper one person
physical church building he was in, which was very who is a part of their lives and how they can share
old and in need of many repairs. So, he began to the love of Christ with that person. For example:
beg for money and stones to repair the crumbling Sam: my best friend, I will pray with him at lunch,
ONE BODY
church of San Damiano. But, God had something or Tom: my elderly next-door neighbor, I will ask
much bigger in mind; he wanted St. Francis to repair my parents if we can cook a meal to bring to him.
the Church – meaning the universal Catholic Church.

Then have the small groups gather together their Instruct each small group to come up to the front
slips of paper and using all of the slips of paper of the room and place their church at the foot of
and tape, instruct them to build a church building the cross. After all of the youth have brought up
(show a completed church as an example). After their churches, close in a prayer by praying for all
each small group has completed their church of the people that the youth placed at the foot of
building, have the small group Core Member the cross, as well as the whole church community.
hang onto the church for the Send activity. End the Edge Night by praying the "St. Francis
Prayer of Peace" found on page 16.
TAKING IT DEEPER: SMALL GROUP
ADAPTATIONS FOR 8TH GRADE FURTHER ADAPTATION IDEAS
For the 8th grade youth who are looking to go • If you have a small Edge group, build one large
deeper, instead of building a church out of slips church building all together rather than in small
of paper, discuss the different people who play groups.
a significant role in the youths’ lives and how
they can bring them into the community of the
Church. Use the following questions to further
the discussion:
• Who are the five most important people in your

life?
• How can you bring them into the Church?
• If the Church is our means to salvation, what

should your attitude be towards going to
church?
• What can you do in your life to reflect that you

are a member of the Body of Christ?
SEND
PRAYERS FOR OUR CHURCH
(15 min)
Supplies:
• "St. Francis Prayer of Peace" handout page 16
Have a cross at the front of the room and gather all

of the youth back into the large group. Give a brief
explanation about how each of these churches
OUTLINE
we made represents our communities and the

different people in our lives. Tell the youth that
we can pray for all of the people whose names
are on their slips of paper and bring them into the
larger community of the Church by inviting them
ONE BODY
to Mass and sharing with them the Good News of

Jesus.

ONE BODY
TEACHING
KEY WORD Body of Christ - The

gathering of the people of
DEFINITIONS God both universally and at
the local parish.
Church - A metaphor used
to describe the Church whose
Head is Christ and whose
body is the faithful members
of the Church. (CCC 787)
WHAT IS CHURCH?
What makes up the human body? There are many different parts
that all have to work together in order for us to function and live.
Our brains have to send signals to our lungs to breath, our hearts
have to work with our veins and pump blood through our bodies,
and our feet have to work with our legs in order for us to walk. There
are many body parts that make up the human body, no one part
is better than another, and each one is essential to the whole. In YouCat 126
the same way we can describe the Church as the Body of Christ Key Word
with Jesus as the head and each one of us as a part of that body.
That means that we each have a specific role to play in the Church,
and that the Church as a whole works together under the guidance
of Christ. This semester we will be learning a lot about the Church
because it is important that we understand its purpose as well as
our own roles within it.
When we hear the word church, we often think of a building, perhaps

our local parish or the many different churches we see around our
community. We think too of people saying that they, “go to church”
TEACHING
or they “are a part of a church”. As Catholics, church means two CCC 777
different things for us. First of all the Catholic Church is universal, Key Word
and all Catholics around the whole world believe and practice the
same thing. Church with a capital “C” refers to the universal Church.
Secondly, church with a lower case “c” refers to our particular church
or parish that we are a part of.
ONE BODY

THE BODY OF CHRIST
When we refer to the Church as the Body of Christ this also means
that we all come together to partake in the Body of Christ in the
Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we are united to Christ, who is the Head
of the body, and brought into a deeper communion with each other.
CCC 787-795 Referring to the Church as the Body of Christ reveals that we each
YouCat 121 have a specific role to play to bring Christ into our world, into our
families, into our schools, and into our friendships. We hear in
Scripture that no part of the body is more important than another.
You may think that as middle school youth you are not as important
as say, the Pope. While you do have different roles and different
responsibilities – Christ’s body needs everyone.
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
He has a specific plan for each of us in His Body. Just like we talked
about before, whether we are to be a hand, a knee or a pinky toe we
are all important. He gives us strength through the sacraments and
the Church to do what He asks of us so that we can bring His love to
all those around us.
WHY IS THE CHURCH IMPORTANT

The Church and being a part of the Church is so important because
CCC 778 it is the means and the goal of God’s plan of salvation. So what does
that mean?
From the beginning of time, from Adam and Eve, God had a plan to
bring us back into unity with Him. He had a plan to save us from our
Matthew 16:18 sins and to bring us into eternal happiness with Him. God sent His
Matthew 28:18-20 Son Jesus to earth and coming and dying for our sins was the climax
of this plan, and it is through the Church that we are all brought into
this plan of salvation. Jesus Christ established the Church as a way
to bring the Good News of our salvation to all the ends of the earth,
and as the way to attain this salvation.
So how does the Church do this? Primarily through the sacraments.

Through the sacraments, we are brought into the life of Christ, and
we are given the grace we need to overcome sin, to be in union with
Jesus, and to live holy lives. We become a part of this plan of God
when we go to church, when we go to Mass, and when we go to
CCC 780 the sacraments. Not only are we working on our own salvation and
journey to heaven, but also we are journeying with those around us
in the community of our local church. When we bring friends with us TEACHING
to Mass, to Edge, or simply talk to them about Jesus, we are fulfilling
God’s command to bring the Good News of salvation to the entire
world.
The Church is much bigger than you and me and our parish, but
we each play a significant role in God’s plan for the Church and
ONE BODY
the salvation of the whole world. So we must continue to strive for

holiness and to be an active member in the Body of Christ.

ONE BODY HANDOUT
ST. FRANCIS PRAYER OF PEACE

HANDOUT
ONE BODY

Notes
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NOTES
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ONE BODY
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ONE BODY CHECKLIST
EDGE NIGHT CHECKLIST
EDGE NIGHT DATE: WEEK PRIOR TO EDGE NIGHT:
____________________________________________ ⃞⃞ Hand out/email the Edge Night to the Core

Members
EDGE NIGHT TOPIC:
⃞⃞ Assign duties to the Core Team
____________________________________________
⃞⃞ Pick videos and/or songs
CORE TEAM ASSIGNMENTS: ⃞⃞ Gather all the supplies
Environment ________________________________ ⃞⃞ Email Core Team the Edge Night Core Formation
Opening Prayer ______________________________

WEEK OF THE EDGE NIGHT:
Games _____________________________________
⃞⃞ Prep for games and the environment
Proclaim ____________________________________
⃞⃞ Meet with the Core Member doing the Proclaim
Closing Prayer _______________________________ (if applicable)
Videos: ____________________________________ DAY OF THE EDGE NIGHT:

____________________________________________ ⃞⃞ Email parents the information about the Night
and any announcements
____________________________________________
⃞⃞ Gather and set-up for the night
Songs: ____________________________________
⃞⃞ Pray!
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Notes
CHECKLIST
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ONE BODY
______________________________________________________________________________________

ONE BODY EVALUATION
EDGE NIGHT EVALUATION

INSTRUCTIONS:
Evaluation is a key to successful ministry. Use the following questions to discuss
and evaluate your Edge Night.
What is going well at our Edge Nights? What can Would you be interested in leading prayer,
we improve? explaining games, or giving a Proclaim teaching?
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
Was there one particular part of this Edge Night Are our Core meetings effective? How can I
you did not think was necessary? What and better serve you as a youth minister? What can
Why? we do to better serve our youth?
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________ EVALUATION
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
ONE BODY
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________

SEEN AND
UNSEEN
AN EDGE NIGHT ON THE CHURCH
AS VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE

Mark 9:23-24 Magisterium SUGGESTIONS
John 14:9 Laity • Song: “Help My Unbelief”
John 20:24-29 Angels by Audrey Assad (Fortunate
Hebrews 12:1-3 Heaven Fall)
Colossians 1:16 • Song: “Lord, I Need You” by
SUPPLIES NEEDED Matt Maher (All the People
CCC • Poster board Said Amen, Provident)
153-163 • Markers • Song: “Open the Eyes of
326 My Heart” by Chris Tomlin
(Worshiptogether.com)
YOUCAT • Edge Video Support: Beyond
5 Illusion (EVS 17)
9
52
54
EDGE NIGHT GOAL The youth will then return to their small groups
The goal of this Edge Night is to help the youth for a time of discussion and creating a skit about
OUTLINE
understand that the Church is made up of both the role of their guardian angel. The night will end
visible and invisible aspects and that both aspects with a time of prayer asking God to give the youth
make up a whole Church community. eyes of faith and help their unbelief.
ENVIRONMENT
SEEN AND UNSEEN
EDGE NIGHT AT A GLANCE

The Edge Night begins with small groups Divide the room in half. On one side of the room
brainstorming the visible and invisible items they have physical symbols or elements of the faith.
encounter on a daily basis and writing or drawing Have items like a crucifix, rosary, Stations of the
the items on a poster board. After groups share Cross, elements from the sacraments like water
their poster boards, the teaching for the night and oil, have images of priests and families
will help the youth understand that the Church praying. Be as creative as possible. Use whatever
is made up of both visible and invisible aspects. you can find around the parish. Do not use

statues of angels or saints. The other side of the • What impact will this topic have on the lives of
room will be empty. This side will represent the the youth?
invisible elements of the Church.
• Spend 20-30 minutes in Adoration sharing with
CORE TEAM FORMATION Christ your doubts and asking Him to help your
As adults who are living out their faith, we can unbelief.
easily take for granted all that God has done for
us. We can get caught up in going through the TO THE PARENTS
motions that we stop seeing God’s grandeur This week at Edge, we talked about the visible and
and majesty. We can forget that our Church invisible aspects of our faith. We discussed how
community is bigger than the people we minister the Church is made up of both of these aspects
with or attend Mass with. The Creed tells us that and how the Church is bigger than just our parish
God created both the visible and the invisible. community. Here are a few questions to discuss
Our Church has both elements – those parts we with your son or daughter this week:
can see and those parts we cannot see. Use the
following questions for a group discussion or • What are some visible elements of our Church?
personal reflection:
• What are some invisible elements of our Church?
• How often do you think about the Church
being a community of both invisible and visible • What do you think Christ meant when He said,
realities? If not often, why? “Blessed are those who believe but have not
seen?”
• What role do the saints and angels play in your
faith journey?’ • How can we as a family we increase our faith in
Christ?
• Read John 20:24-29. Share or journal about a
time in your faith that you were like Thomas.
How did Christ call you to increase your trust
and faith in Him?
GATHER
friends, etc.) that they interact with on a daily
basis. Have them draw pictures of or write
the words out of the items they have most in
common. On the other side of the poster board
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION have the youth brainstorm all the invisible items
(5 min) they interact with on a daily basis (wind, internet,
emotions, etc.). Like with the visible items, have
OUTLINE
Gather in all the youth, introduce any youth who the youth draw pictures that represent or write
are there for the first time, and recognize any the words of the invisible items. This will be more
birthdays. Give a brief introduction to the night challenging for the youth, but that is intentional.
and begin in prayer.
Once all the groups are finished, have two youth
SEEN AND UNSEEN
VISIBLE/INVISIBLE BRAINSTORM from each group share two or three items from
(15 min) each side of their poster board with the whole
group. Use this as a transition into the teaching
Break the youth into small groups and give each for the Edge Night.
group a poster board and markers. On the front
of the poster board have the youth brainstorm
all the visible items (bed, parents, school bus,

PROCLAIM THANK YOU, GUARDIAN ANGEL
(15 min)
Often we take for granted the protection our

“SEEN AND UNSEEN” TEACHING guardian angel gives us. Have the group create
(10 min) a ten second skit that shows one way a guardian
angel protects us during the day—specifically
This teaching can be found on page 24 to 26. Here keeps us away from sin. Each member of the
are the main points from the teaching: group must be part of the skit. Once all the groups
have created and practiced their skit, have each
• The Church is made up of parts that are both group present to the large group.
visible and invisible
• The Church is one community made up of both
the community on earth and the community in ADAPTATIONS FOR 8TH GRADE
heaven For the 8th grade youth looking to go deeper,
have a casual discussion about doubting faith
• The Eucharist is a visible reality that physically and the struggle to believe what we cannot see.
puts us face-to-face with Christ. Along with the questions above, use the following
questions to foster a discussion. Use your own
questions as the discussion progresses.
BREAK • Have you ever doubted your faith? What made

you doubt your faith? Do you still have doubt?
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION • What are some practical ways to help increase
(15 min) your trust in God?
Break the youth back into their small groups, • What role can the saints and angels play in
begin in prayer, and use the following questions helping us grow in trust of God?
for discussion:
SEND
• What are one or two things that you learned
from the teaching?
• What are some more examples of visible parts

of our Church? RECAP AND CLOSING PRAYER
(10 min)
• What are some more examples of invisible
parts of our Church? Gather all the youth back together. If possible,
close the Edge Night in the church or chapel—
whichever space will fit the whole group. Have the
OUTLINE
• Why do you think people struggle to believe in

the parts of our faith that they cannot see? environment set for a time of prayer. Invite the
music minister to be present to lead a few songs.
• What is one invisible aspect of the Church that
you have a hard time believing? Why do you The youth minister should recap the Edge
SEEN AND UNSEEN
struggle with believing that part? Night and remind the youth that as they gather
together saints and angels surround them. The
• Keeping all of what we talked about in mind, youth minister should open the time of prayer by
what is one way you can grow in your faith this reading John 20:24-29. Explain to the youth the
week? story of Thomas the following is an example.
After Christ had risen from the dead He appeared to

some of His disciples. One of His disciples, Thomas,

was told that Christ had risen but would not believe YM: We look forward to one day seeing You face-
unless he saw Him. When Jesus finally appeared to to-face in heaven.
all of the disciples Thomas was able to touch Him
and see Him and he believed. But, Christ said to Youth: Lord, help my unbelief.
Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and
yet believe.” Many of us can relate to Thomas. We YM: Thank You Jesus for everything you have
think that until we see Christ or we see those invisible done for us.
parts of our faith we will not believe them. But Christ
calls us to have faith and to trust in what He promises Youth: Lord, help my unbelief.
us.
YM: Increase our faith.
Close the night in a simple prayer inviting the
youth to ask God to help their unbelief. Read one Youth: Lord, help my unbelief.
petition at a time and have the youth respond,
“Lord, help my unbelief.” YM: We pray this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Youth Minister (YM): Heavenly Father, thank You Youth: Amen.

for all you have done for us. We know that You
have created all things, visible and invisible. We After the prayer, have the music minister play one
pray that You would open our hearts and eyes to song and close the time of prayer thanking God
see You and all You have created. for the visible and invisible parts of the Church.
Youth: Lord, help my unbelief. FURTHER ADAPTATION IDEAS

• If your group of youth enjoy drawing and
YM: Lord, many times we doubt You because we creating images, after the time of small group
cannot see You. questions, have them draw the inside of a
church and include all the visible and invisible
Youth: Lord, help my unbelief. elements that would be present at Mass.
Discuss each element and how the youth can
YM: We, like Thomas, want to see You with our be more mindful of them throughout the week.
own eyes to believe that what you say and teach
is real. • Have the small groups all write one petition for
the closing prayer.
Youth: Lord, help my unbelief.
• Invite a high school teen to give the teaching for
YM: We pray that You would give us eyes of faith the night or give a short witness about how he
to see we are never alone. or she is mindful of the heavenly reality of the
Mass. This witness can be about how the Mass
Youth: Lord, help my unbelief. went from “boring” to “beautiful.”
YM: We pray You would help us keep in our mind
OUTLINE
and heart that your angels and saints surround
us always.

SEEN AND UNSEEN
YM: We pray that even though we may not see You

or hear You all the time we have faith and trust
that You are with us always like You promised.

SEEN AND
UNSEEN
TEACHING
KEY WORD Laity - Men and women in Angels - Spiritual beings that
the Church that do not have are servants and messengers
DEFINITIONS a vocation to the priesthood, of God.
deaconate, or religious life.
Magisterium - The teaching
Heaven - The dwelling place
authority of the Church.
of God, angels, and the saints.
DAILY ENCOUNTERS
Everyday we encounter many things – things that are visible and
invisible. (Recap some of the items brainstormed by the groups). We
may not think about how many things we actually see or do not see
because they have become so common to us. This might also be
true when we talk about the Church.
Ask the youth to name things in the room. They will most likely name
physical items and leave out the “invisible”/spiritual realities. This will be
addressed at the end of the teaching.
Our Creed tells us that the Father is the Maker of all things visible
and invisible. What do you think that means? (Have a few youth
answer the question).
TEACHING
The Church is made up of parts that are visible – things we can

see and parts that are invisible – things we cannot see. Let’s take a
deeper look at each part of our Church
VISIBLE
SEEN AND UNSEEN
The Church is made up of many visible parts. These parts help us

experience our faith in a tangible way and help us understand parts 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
of our faith that are difficult.
The first major aspect of the visible Church is simple – the people!
The Church is not just the physical places, but the Church is made
up of God’s people. When we gather on Sundays, we are the Church.

We are a family coming together to worship God. One specific
group of people that makes up the Church is the Magisterium. The
magisterium is the teaching authority of the whole Church – typically
CCC 85-87 made up of priests and theologians who study and interpret the
Key Word teachings of the Church. Other groups of people in the Church are
the priests, religious sisters, deacons, and the laity, or those who do
not have a religious vocation.
Another important visible aspect of our Church is the sacraments.

The sacraments help make visible a spiritual reality that can be
invisible. For example, in the Anointing of the Sick, a person is
CCC 1127 anointed with holy oil that represents the healing of Christ. The oil
CCC 1667-76 in the sacrament helps us see God’s healing and love. The same is
true for the water of Baptism. The water washes away our sin and
makes us sons and daughters of God. We also have sacramentals
like the rosary, crucifix, or the Stations of the Cross that are visible
tools to help us reflect on Christ and His love for us.
Our Church has one very important visible aspect—in fact, it is the
most important aspect of our faith. (Ask the youth to guess what they
think it might be).
The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. That means
that everything we do and believe is connected to the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is the real physical presence of Christ on Earth. He
CCC 1324-1327 gave us the Eucharist so that when He went up to heaven, He could
CCC 1419 physically be with us even when we could not see Him anymore.
So, even though we may not be able to see what His face physically
looks like, when we go to Mass or pray in Adoration, we come face-
to-face with Christ in the Eucharist.
INVISIBLE
The Church is also made up of parts that we cannot see. Often we
think that if we cannot see, touch, or experience something, then
it is not real or true. If we were honest, we would say this was true
of our faith. It is hard for us to believe in the Holy Spirit because we
have not seen Him. But, our Church is not just a physical place or
limited to what we can see. Our Church also has an invisible reality.
Let’s talk about a few invisible aspects of our faith. First of all we
TEACHING
have the angels. Angels are real spiritual beings that dwell in heaven
with God. There are different classes of angels that have different
CCC 328-336 purposes like worshiping God or protecting humanity. The classes
Key Word of angels we are most familiar with are archangels, like St. Michael,
and guardian angels. God assigns a guardian angel to every human
person who is conceived. Our angel is always with us, protecting us,
SEEN AND UNSEEN
and fighting a spiritual battle on our behalf.

Another invisible reality of our Church is heaven. Although we might
think that a beautiful beach or the mountains or another place is
“heaven” or “paradise,” we would not be exactly right. Heaven is the
dwelling place of God, the angels, and the saints. Heaven is not a CCC 326
physical place but a spiritual “house” where our souls go when we Key Word
die. Though we may not physically see it, we experience a glimpse
of heaven when we participate in Mass. At Mass the saints and
angels join in our celebration of Christ – this is the closest we come
to heaven on earth.
COMMUNITY
All of the visible and invisible aspects of our faith make up the
Church. The Church is not just what we have physically on earth. The
Church includes both parts. The saints in heaven are just as much
a part of the Church as those of us who are together now. When we
gather together to pray, they are with us. When we named what was
in the room, did we forget about the saints and angels? Even though
we cannot see them, they are here too! We are a community. We are
God’s family.
As we continue talking about the visible and invisible parts of our

Church, let us ask God help us see with the eyes of faith and open
our hearts to believe what we cannot see.
TEACHING
SEEN AND UNSEEN

Notes
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SEEN AND UNSEEN
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SEEN AND UNSEEN CHECKLIST

Members
EDGE NIGHT TOPIC:
____________________________________________
Opening Prayer ______________________________

Games _____________________________________
Proclaim ____________________________________

____________________________________________
Songs: ____________________________________
⃞⃞ Pray!
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
CHECKLIST
Notes
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SEEN AND UNSEEN
______________________________________________________________________________________
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SEEN AND UNSEEN EVALUATION

INSTRUCTIONS:
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EVALUATION
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SEEN AND UNSEEN
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PUZZLE
PIECES
AN EDGE NIGHT ON THE
CHURCH AS ONE
SCRIPTURE SUPPLIES NEEDED • YouTube: “C4: Ignite Your
Matthew 28:18-20 • 8 ½ x 11 in. pieces of Catholic Faith – What are
John 17:21-23 cardboard the Four Marks of the
1 Corinthians 12:12-31 • Markers Church?” By Archdiocese of
• Scissors Milwaukee
• Paper bags • YouTube: “The Church: One,
CCC Holy, Catholic, Apostolic” by
811-816 • Tape
• Pens TheCatholicguy777
820
• Paper • Song: “Spirit and the Bride”
866
• String by Matt Maher
• Puzzles • Song: “We are One Body” by
YOUCAT Dana Scallon
129 • Song: “All the People Say
131 MEDIA Amen” by Matt Maher
134 SUGGESTIONS
• Life Teen Video: “Four
KEY WORDS Marks” (Life Teen Video
One Support 4)
Unity
EDGE NIGHT GOAL talk, and the Edge Night will end with a time of
OUTLINE
The goal of this Edge Night is for the youth to reflective prayer.
come to a greater understanding of what it
means when we profess that the Church is One. ENVIRONMENT
Use old boxes or poster board to cut out large
EDGE NIGHT AT A GLANCE shaped puzzle pieces. Punch a small hole in the
PUZZLE PIECES
This Edge Night will begin with a game that top of the cardboard and use string to hang them
allows the youth to make puzzles. This will then from the ceiling of the main room. Ask the Core
transition into the Proclaim where they will learn Team to bring in any puzzles they may have or go
about the unity of the Church as One. After the to a thrift store and purchase a few puzzles to put
talk, the youth will have a chance to discuss the at the front of the room.

CORE TEAM FORMATION • Why was the Holy Spirit sent?
Before the Edge Night have your Core Team read
the following excerpt from Lumen Gentium and • According to this document what role does the
use the questions for discussion or personal Holy Spirit play in the Church?
reflection.
• After reading this excerpt, what do you think it
When the work which the Father gave the Son to means that the Church is One?
do on earth was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was
sent on the day of Pentecost in order that He might • How can we relate the importance of the Church
continually sanctify the Church, and thus, all those as One to the youth?
who believe would have access through Christ in one
Spirit to the Father. He is the Spirit of Life, a fountain TO THE PARENTS
of water springing up to life eternal. To men, dead in This week at Edge, we learned about the Church
sin, the Father gives life through Him, until, in Christ, as One, which is the first of four marks of the
He brings to life their mortal bodies. The Spirit dwells Church. Jesus desires for us all to be in unity with
in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful, as God the Father as one. Thus, we believe that
in a temple. In them He prays on their behalf and there is one Church united under Christ through
bears witness to the fact that they are adopted the Holy Spirit and that this Church is the Catholic
sons. The Church, which the Spirit guides in way of Church. While the Church is One, your son and
all truth and which He unified in communion and in daughter also learned about the great diversity
works of ministry, He both equips and directs with of the people who make up the Church and that
hierarchical and charismatic gifts and adorns with those differences and gifts should be celebrated.
His fruits. By the power of the Gospel He makes the Here are a few questions to ask your son or
Church keep the freshness of youth. Uninterruptedly daughter this week:
He renews it and leads it to perfect union with its
Spouse. The Spirit and the Bride both say to Jesus, • What does it mean that the Church is One?
the Lord, "Come!" Thus, the Church has been seen as
"a people made one with the unity of the Father, the • Why do you think Jesus wanted one Church?
Son and the Holy Spirit”. (Lumen Gentium, 4)
• What was one thing you learned at Edge that
you did not know already?
GATHER PUZZLE MAKERS

(20 min)
Supplies:
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION • 8 ½ x 11 in. pieces of cardboard
(10 min) • Markers
• Scissors
Gather in all the youth, introduce any youth who OUTLINE
• Paper bags
are there for the first time, and recognize any • Tape
birthdays. Give a brief introduction to the night
and start with a prayer. Break the youth into small groups. Give each group
an 8 ½ x 11 inch piece of cardboard, markers, and
PUZZLE PIECES
scissors. Instruct each small group to make their

own puzzle by first giving them five minutes to
draw a picture of the Holy Spirit. After they have
drawn a picture on one side of the cardboard,
have them flip it to the other side and draw the

outlines of puzzle pieces – make sure that they do • Do we have to live out our faith? Does what we
not make them too small. After they have drawn do in our daily lives affect the whole Church?
the outlines of the puzzle pieces, instruct them Why or why not?
to cut out the puzzle pieces and put them into a
brown paper bag. • What do you think you can do to help build up
one Church?
Once all the small groups have made their
puzzles, ask one member of each group to bring GETTING TO KNOW YOU
their paper bag to the front of the room, place it (10 min)
on a table, and take a different bag back to their
small group. Have each small group put together Keep the youth in their small groups and explain
the new puzzle, and once the group is finished, to them that a significant part of working towards
have them tape the puzzle together with a few the unity of the Church is to have unity with one
strips of clear tape. another. Explain to them that they will now take
time to get to know one another better and to pray
together. Use some of the following questions to
PROCLAIM help the youth get to know each other better,

make sure that all the youth in your group share.
• Do you have any siblings or pets?

“PUZZLE PIECES” TEACHING
(10 min)
• Do you play any instruments, sports, or have
any other interesting talents?
This teaching can be found on page 34 to 36. Here
are the main points from the teaching.
• What is your favorite subject in school and why?
• The Church is One.
• What do you like to do most in your free time?
Why?
• The Church is One because of the work of the
Holy Trinity.
• What is the best vacation you have been on and
why?
• We all play a role in the oneness of the Church
and are called to live out our faith in unity with
• What is your favorite part about being Catholic?
each other.
What is one teaching that is hard for you to
understand?
BREAK • Do you have a favorite saint? Who is it and why

do you like them?
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION • How do you live out your faith in your everyday
(15 min) life?
OUTLINE
Break the youth back into small groups, begin After spending some time getting to know
in prayer, and use the following questions for one another, end in a group prayer. Consider
discussion: having each youth share a prayer intention with
everyone.
• How does the analogy of a puzzle help us
PUZZLE PIECES
understand the mark of the Church as One?

How would you explain this to a friend?
• Why did Jesus make one Church and not many

different churches?

ADAPTATIONS FOR 8TH GRADE
(10 min)
SEND
CLOSING PRAYER
Supplies: (10 min)
• Pens
• Paper Gather together all the youth and have the youth
minister briefly recap the teaching about the
For your 8th graders who are looking to go Church as One and the role the youth play in that
deeper, instead of doing the “Getting to Know oneness. End the Edge Night by praying together
You” activity have them do the following. Read the Creed and, if time allows, close with a song.
together as a group John 17:21-23. After you have
read this passage, give the youth paper and a pen FURTHER ADAPTATION IDEAS
and instruct them to spread out and take some • Instead of having the youth make puzzles buy a
time to write a prayer for the Church to be one. few puzzles that do not have very many pieces
After they have written their prayers, bring them and have the youth put them together for the
back together and have a few youth share. End opening game.
the small group time by praying together for the
Church and each other’s intentions. • End the Edge Night by doing the closing prayer
in the church.
• If your youth have a lot of questions about the

different Christian churches, consider doing
the Edge Night United Way: Catholics and Other
Christians.
Notes
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OUTLINE
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PUZZLE PIECES
______________________________________________________________________________________
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PUZZLE
PIECES
TEACHING
KEY WORD One - The mark of the Church Unity - The bond that all
named because of its source, those in the Church share
DEFINITIONS soul, and founder as Jesus — because they have one faith
one Lord, one faith, one life in and worship God together.
the Spirit. This bond brings about
harmony in the Church.
PUZZLE PIECES
We started our Edge Night with making and putting together puzzles
– the image of a puzzle can help us understand what we will be
talking about which is the Church as One. (Have the speaker ask the
youth what they think the puzzles have to do with the topic for the night).
Have you ever noticed when we profess the Creed at Mass we say
that we believe in “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church”? These
four things are called the four marks of the Church, and each one Key Word
reveals something different about the Church. We are going to be
talking specifically about the Church as One.
Like a puzzle that has many pieces that come together to make one
picture, the Church is One but it is made up of many different people.
When you put together puzzles no two puzzle pieces are ever the
same, and if you lose one piece there will always be a noticeable
hole in your finished puzzle. Similarly, when we talk about the
TEACHING
Church as One, we are talking about many different people from CCC 814
many different backgrounds all coming together in unity brought Key Word
together through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. And just like CCC 813
our puzzle pieces, no two people are the same. God created us all
uniquely, and each of us serves a purpose and has a place in the
PUZZLE PIECES
whole picture of the puzzle. If you think that you are not important
or not a part of the oneness of the Church just think about a puzzle
missing a piece, the same goes if you were not a part of the Church.

WHAT MAKES IT ONE?
Jesus desired the Church to be one. During the Last Supper Jesus
prayed: “So that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I
in you.” The Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is the source
John 17:21-23 of our unity, and Jesus desires for us to know the perfect love of
CCC 820 the Trinity. Jesus Himself is also the source of our unity because
CCC 813 when He died on the cross for our sins, He brought us back into
1 Corinthians 12:12-31 right relationship and unity with God and each other. We can also
YouCat 131 find unity in the Church because of the Holy Spirit, who is in each
YouCat 134 and every one of us. The Holy Spirit is always at work to help us to
live in harmony and love with Jesus and each other.
We can see how the Trinity plays a huge role in the unity of the
Church, but it is also up to us to stay united to Christ and the Church.
This happens through us all having the same beliefs and following
the teaching of the Church. We can do this under the guide of one
YouCat 129 Pope and through learning about our faith, which has been passed
Lumen Gentium 4 down from Jesus Christ Himself. A good way to remember what we
are called to believe is to pray the Creed, which expresses all the
main beliefs of the Catholic faith. Also what we do as Catholics aids
in our unity; things like our different practices of prayer and when
we participate in the sacraments, specifically the Mass.
ONE CHURCH, ONE MISSION

When we understand how the Church is One, we then must
understand the mission of the Church. Why does it even matter if
the Church is one? Why did Jesus care so much?
Part of the mission of the Church is to bring all people into a

relationship with Christ. This has been her mission from the very
beginning. Jesus puts forth the image of the Church as One because
He knows the importance of His people being gathered in unity
CCC 816
around their one God and Creator. He wants us to know the love
YouCat 129
and happiness that comes from being in right relationship with God
CCC 820
and following all His commandments, which are safeguarded and
CCC 821
taught by the Church. Jesus did not want to leave us in confusion of
what we are supposed to believe or how we are supposed to live.
He gave us all the direction that we need through His one Church so
that we can know His love and His will for our lives.
There are many things that we can do to help build up the unity
TEACHING
of the Church. One main way to do this is to learn more about our
faith and to live it out in unity with the rest of the members of the
Church. We can do this by coming to Edge, by asking our parents or
other adults questions about the faith, and by participating in the
sacraments and going to Mass every Sunday.
PUZZLE PIECES

When Jesus spoke of the unity of the Church, He did not want unity
just for the people who were already members of His Church. He
wants this unity for everyone. We are called to go out and tell other
people about Jesus and our faith. We can do this by inviting our
non-Catholic friends to Edge or to Mass, or simply by talking about Matthew 28:18-20
our faith or praying before all our meals. Just like the puzzles we
made earlier, we all play a specific role and have a specific place in
the Church, just like a puzzle piece. You are important to the unity of
the Church and its oneness just like every puzzle piece is necessary
to complete the puzzle.
Notes
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TEACHING
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PUZZLE PIECES
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PUZZLE PIECES CHECKLIST

Members
EDGE NIGHT TOPIC:
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Opening Prayer ______________________________

Games _____________________________________
Proclaim ____________________________________

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Songs: ____________________________________
⃞⃞ Pray!
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CHECKLIST
Notes
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PUZZLE PIECES EVALUATION

INSTRUCTIONS:
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EVALUATION
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WHOLLY
YOURS
CHURCH AS HOLY
Mark 12:41-44 Holy SUGGESTIONS
Romans 3:23 • Video: “Wreck-It Ralph”
Ephesians 5:25-27 SUPPLIES NEEDED (Show clip from the
1 Timothy 1:15-16 • Coins (2 for each youth) beginning to 6:10).
1 Peter 1:14-16 • Bowl or chest • Song: “Almighty [Live]” by
• Cross Passion (Passion Take it All
CCC • Junk (see Gather for further [Live], sixstepsrecords)
823 instructions) • Song: “Overwhelm Me (Lost
827 • Prize for winning team in You) [Live]” by Riley Erin
1131 • Pens (All the Saints: Live from the
2809 CentricWorship Retreat No.
1, CentricWorship)
YOUCAT • Song: “Come As You Are”
132 by Crowder (Neon Steeple,
Sparrow)
EDGE NIGHT GOAL and an activity to teach the youth about various
The goal of this Edge Night is for the youth to gain saints who have exemplified profound holiness
in their lives. The Send will help make a tangible
OUTLINE
a better understanding of what it means when

we profess the Church as Holy. example of what it means to give everything to
Christ as we seek out holiness.
The Edge Night will begin with a Gather that can ENVIRONMENT
be used to show the youth that God can take the Put a crucifix towards the front of the room and
WHOLLY YOURS
“junk” in our lives and use it to make something line the outer walls with pictures and quotes of
new. The Proclaim will focus on the truth that the various saints or other items or images the youth
Church is Holy because its founder, Jesus Christ, perceive to be holy.
is holy. The youth will also come to understand
that through the Church God desires to make us
holy. The Break will include a time for discussion

CORE TEAM FORMATION • God desires to give you grace through the
Being in ministry, it can often be easy to begin sacraments. Are you taking advantage of this
to focus on another person’s holiness before our grace? Do you often seek His mercy in the
own. While it is obviously a good thing to desire Sacrament of Reconciliation?
that those you minister to are seeking holiness, it
should never come at the expense of our continual • What do you let get in the way of your holiness?
conversion and a healthy spiritual life. In fact, the
holier that we become, the more inspired others TO THE PARENTS
will be to seek a deep and intimate relationship This week at Edge your youth learned about the
with Christ in their lives. second mark of the Church - the Church is Holy.
We focused on the truth that although the Church
Take some time before this Edge Night to is made up of imperfect sinners, the Church is
reevaluate where you are personally in your holy because of the holiness of Christ. The youth
relationship with Christ. Use the following were challenged to answer God’s call of radical
questions in prayer and ask God for the grace to holiness by following His teaching and seeking
truly desire holiness in your life. His grace and mercy. Here are a few questions to
ask your son or daughter this week:
• Is prayer something that you make time for
every day? If not, what are those things that • What does it mean to be holy? Who do you know
keep you from praying? that you think is holy?
• Has the truth that God loves you become stale • What makes the Church holy?
or commonplace?
• How can we as a family grow in holiness?
GATHER
For this game, be sure to have collected enough
useable junk in order for each small group to play
–junk can include anything from empty cans to
small broken appliances, boxes, etc. Enlist some
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION help from the parish staff, parents of youth,
(5 min) and Core Team in order to get as much junk as
possible.
Gather in all the youth, introduce any youth who
are there for the first time, and recognize any Break the youth into small groups. Give each
birthdays. Give a brief introduction to the night small group an even amount of the junk that
and start with a prayer. was collected along with some duct tape. Give
each small group five minutes to create the most
OUTLINE
Consider using the Scripture from 1 Peter 1:14-16 unique, funny, and weird creation using the junk
in your opening prayer. that they have been given. Once the time is up,
have each small group come up and present their
INVENTION CONVENTION creation and give an explanation of what it is and
(15 min) what it does or what it can be used for. Have a
judge panel of Core Team Members select their
WHOLLY YOURS
Supplies: favorite creation and give the winning team a

• Junk (bowls, boxes, empty cans, small broken prize.
appliances, old cords, etc.)
• Duct tape
• Prizes

PROCLAIM
Keep the youth in their small groups and pass out
the “Holy Saints” handout found on page 46 to
47. Either read through the stories together as a
group or have the youth read through the lives of
“WHOLLY YOURS” TEACHING various saints silently on their own.
(10 min)
After they have read about the lives of the saints,
This teaching can be found on page 44 to 45. Here have each youth pick out one story that stood out
are the main points from the teaching: to them. Utilizing the second page of the handout,
instruct the youth to write their own prayer to
• God alone is the source of all holiness. that saint asking him or her to pray for them.
• The Church is Holy because God is holy and is TAKING IT DEEPER: SMALL GROUP
at work in Her.
ADAPTATIONS FOR 8TH GRADE
For the 8th graders looking to go deeper, instead
• We are all called to a life of holiness, and we
of doing the activity with the saints handout,
have been given the Church as a means to
have them read 1 Peter 1:13-16. Be sure the
become radically holy.
small group facilitator is familiar with the verse
beforehand. Instruct the youth to think of one
BREAK
word or phrase that stands out to them as you
read the verse. Then use the following questions
to foster discussion about this verse.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION • What word or phrase stood out to you from this
(10 min) verse? Why?
Break the youth back into small groups, begin • In the verse, it says to “not act in compliance
in prayer, and use the following questions for with the desires of your former ignorance.”
discussion: What do you think this means?
• What do you think it means to be holy? • The verse also says that we should “be holy
because I [am] holy.” Knowing that we are called
• Who do you know that exemplifies holiness in to be holy, what are some things that get in the
their life? How so? What about them stands out? way of growing in holiness?
• What does it mean when we say that the Church • Why do we sometimes avoid growing in
is Holy? holiness?
• How does our parish exemplify holiness?
• What could we do as an Edge group to make our SEND

OUTLINE
parish holier?
ALL I HAVE TO OFFER
• What is one specific way that you are going to
(15 min)
grow in holiness this week?
Supplies:
WHOLLY YOURS
HOLY SAINTS • Coins (2 per youth)

(15 min) • Bowl or chest
Supplies: Bring all of the youth back together in the large

• “Holy Saints” handout” page 46 to 47 group. Have either a Core Member or the youth
minister walk them through the story of the poor

widow’s contribution found in Mark 12:41-44 as There may be times in our lives where we feel like all
an example of holiness. Below is an example of we have to offer is something small, but sometimes
how to lead the youth through the story. those things are the most sincere gifts. During the
next 5-10 minutes, we ask that you think of two small
We may think that we do not have a lot to offer. Maybe things that you can offer to God this week to grow in
we think that we will never be as holy or as good as holiness. Maybe a few minutes of prayer each day
another person that we know. Maybe we think that before you go to bed. Maybe it is reading Scripture.
our sins are too great for God to consider us worthy Maybe it’s sitting next with the kid at lunch that has
of being in a relationship with Him. Wherever you no one to sit with. Whatever it is and whenever you
are at, the truth is that God wants you exactly as you are ready, prayerfully bring your two coins forward
are, even if you think you do not have a lot to offer. and drop them in the bowl as a representation of
In fact, those who feel like they do not have much to your commitment to God to give Him all of you.
offer are often the ones that God desires to use the
most. Instruct them to offer their two coins to God at
the bowl or chest in the front of the room near
Read Mark 12:41-44. the cross. Have music playing in the background
or a music minister playing prayerful music. End
The poor woman that we just read about only had with a short prayer thanking God for His Church
two coins to offer; yet Jesus said that she gave the and asking for the grace to grow in holiness.
most because she gave out of her poverty. Holiness
is pretty similar. We have so much to offer God, even FURTHER ADAPTATION IDEAS
when we feel like we do not. Even though we sin, God • Consider showing the clip from “Wreck it Ralph”
still desires us to give of ourselves. And holiness is during your talk. The suggested clip comes from
simply giving of ourselves to God. the very first 6 minutes of the movie. During this
scene, Ralph says that he “doesn’t want to be
Have Core Members pass out two coins to each the bad guy anymore.” This clip can be used to
youth. show how even if we feel like we are stuck in sin
Jesus can change us, and He desires to do so.
• If you have a larger group and are unable to get

enough coins for each youth, you can use some
other sort of small object. Consider too buying
plastic gold coins from a party store.
Notes
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WHOLLY
YOURS
TEACHING
KEY WORD
DEFINITIONS
Holy - To be set apart, to be
sacred. Christ is perfectly
holy, and so we are called to
imitate His holiness in our
own lives.
THE CHURCH IS HOLY

If someone asked you to describe your best friend, what would you
say? What kind of characteristics would you use to describe him or
her? (Have the speaker give an example or ask a few of the youth to
respond.) Whatever your answer would be, the things you say about
this person matter because it says something about who he or she is
and what makes him or her unique. While we can give characteristics
CCC 2809
to a person or a thing, there are also defining characteristics that we
Key Word
can give to the Catholic Church. In fact, there are four main words
that we use, and we call them the four marks of the Church. Today,
we are going to focus on the second mark: the Church is Holy. What
does it mean to be holy? It means to be set apart or sacred. So when
we say that God is holy, we are saying that He is unlike any other,
TEACHING
that He is set apart, and that He is worthy of our praise.
It might sound familiar to say the Church is Holy, because we say it

every time we profess the Nicene Creed at Mass (“I believe in One,
Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church”). So what does it mean to
say that the Church is Holy? This might be difficult to understand
WHOLLY YOURS
because it is probably no secret that there are plenty of sinners

at Mass on any given Sunday. In fact, each and every person that 1 Timothy 1:15-16
gathers at the church has some sin in his or her life. Even St. Paul in
his letter to Timothy describes himself as “the foremost” of sinners,
but what makes St. Paul different than many other sinners is that
he recognizes where the source of his strength comes from. He

recognizes that, even though he sins, God’s grace and mercy are far
greater. He knows that Jesus came into this world to save people like
him. He recognizes that his holiness can only come from God.
GOD IS OUR SOURCE

God is the source of all holiness and is perfectly holy. Through the
grace of God and the graces given to us through the Church in the
sacraments, we are given the opportunity to also be holy. We are
CCC 823 called to imitate Jesus and to utilize the graces we receive to live
holy lives. We are able to be holy because the One who created us
is perfectly holy.
The same is true for the Church. The Church is Holy simply because
it comes from God who is holy. The Church is a gift from God and He
instituted the Church out of love to be a means for all of us to achieve
holiness. In fact, Christ’s love for all of us is so strong that before He
died He created the Church and put it under the protection of St.
Peter. It was the plan of God all along to give us a way to know the
truth and to have all that we need to achieve holiness through His
one Church, which He makes holy.
We know that God is perfectly holy and the Church is Holy, so what
happens when the members of His Church are not necessarily
always holy? The good news is that the Church’s holiness does not
depend on how holy we are. Even if we sin, the Church does not
Romans 3:23 lose its holiness. Even if we as human beings mess up, that does not
CCC 1131 mean that the Church loses the truth of the teachings of Christ or
CCC 828 the source of graces through the sacraments. Because the Church’s
holiness comes from God it does not change based upon the people
in the Church. This is what the Church was made for: God made
the Church holy so that we may be made holy through all that the
Church offers.
HOLINESS IN OUR LIVES

It is through the Church that God desires to make us holy and bring
us into perfect union with Him one day in Heaven. This is why the
Church has things like the sacraments, where we are given the grace
to lead holier lives. We are also called to learn about the teachings of
the Church that show us truth and how to live our lives.
TEACHING
It is up to us to learn the truth of God and how we were created.
We can do this by coming to Edge each week and learning new
things, and we can also do this by attending Mass and listening
to the homilies. If you are really ambitious you can also read the
YouCat and learn more about the faith. We are also able to grow in
holiness by going to the sacraments. God gives us everything we
need to become holy through the holy Church. It is up to us to take
WHOLLY YOURS
advantage of all that is offered.

WHOLLY YOURS HANDOUT
HOLY SAINTS
The saints are men and women who have walked this earth and lived lives worthy to be in
heaven with Jesus. They are examples of holiness for us. We can ask them to pray for us to
Jesus like we would ask a friend to pray for us. Below are stories of a few saints. Read each of
them and pick out the one that stands out to you most.
St. John Paul II

St. John Paul II was a man who was loved by many. While he lost most of his family by
the age of 12, he was able to overcome this hardship and went on to eventually become
a priest and then even became the Pope in the year 1978. He was an athlete who loved
the outdoors, especially skiing and swimming. He often spoke about suffering in the
world, and he had a great love for young people and encouraged many to not be afraid
to be holy. St. John Paul II teaches us to not be afraid and to rely on God through all of
our hardships.
St. Maria Goretti

At a young age, a man named Alexander tried to take advantage of St. Maria. When
she refused him, he stabbed her multiple times. As she was lying on her deathbed,
she forgave Alexander. Although she lived a short life, she is remembered for her
courageous act of forgiveness towards the man who took her life. St. Maria Goretti is a
great example to us of forgiving those in our lives who have hurt us, and to pray for our
enemies.
St. Dominic Savio

St. Dominic was an ordinary boy with an extraordinary love for God. Although he died
at a young age, there are many stories of him bravely calling on his classmates to turn
away from sin and to follow the Gospel. One time, he saw a group of boys looking at
an inappropriate magazine, so he ripped up the magazine and encouraged them to not
give into sin. St. Dominic Savio is shows us how to be faithful to God, even if it means
HANDOUT
standing out in the crowd or being made fun of.
St. Teresa of Avila

Teresa loved attention (especially from boys), nice clothes, and jewelry. She was also
a dancer. However, as a teenager, her father made her go to the convent. While she
did not want to go at first, God eventually moved in her life while she was there. She
WHOLLY YOURS
decided that the material possessions and popularity were not going to make her
happy, but only God would. St. Teresa of Avila shows us that material possessions are
not the most important thing in our lives, but that we should focus first on God and
what He is calling us to.

WHOLLY YOURS HANDOUT
St. John Bosco

St. John spent much of his life working with boys who grew up in troubled areas. He
realized that many of these kids that he was working with had no way to hear about
Jesus, and many of them were not interested in listening. So he spent much of his time
just being with them, playing sports with them, and earning their respect. After doing
so, he would teach them about the Gospel and help them lead holy lives. St. John Bosco
shows us how to relate to our friends who may not be Catholic by first being a good
friend, and then by sharing our faith with them.
St. Therese of Lisieux

Therese lived a pretty simple life, but an extraordinarily holy one. She entered the
convent at a young age to become a nun. While there, she greatly desired to become
a saint but was not sure how she would become one. Her answer was pretty simple:
she would spend the rest of her life loving people in small ways. She realized that if she
can love God in not just the big things, but in all of the small details in life as well, then
she was following God’s will. St. Therese of Lisiuex shows us that we do not have to do
extraordinary things to become a saint, but that we can become holy simply by loving
God in all of the small things we do in our daily lives.
SAINTLY INTERCESSION
After reading about each of these saints, spend some time writing a prayer for the
intercession of a saint that stood out to you. The prayer does not have to be anything too
complicated, just a simple prayer to the saint asking for his or her prayers in your journey to
holiness.
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WHOLLY YOURS
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WHOLLY YOURS CHECKLIST

Members
EDGE NIGHT TOPIC:
____________________________________________
Opening Prayer ______________________________

Games _____________________________________
Proclaim ____________________________________

____________________________________________
Songs: ____________________________________
⃞⃞ Pray!
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
CHECKLIST
Notes
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WHOLLY YOURS
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WHOLLY YOURS EVALUATION

INSTRUCTIONS:
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EVALUATION
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WHOLLY YOURS
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TEAM ROME
CHURCH AS CATHOLIC
Genesis 1:27 Catholic SUGGESTIONS
Matthew 28:18-20 Salvation • YouTube: “A Pep-Talk from
John 3:16 Evangelization Kid President to You” by
SoulPancake
CCC SUPPLIES NEEDED • YouTube: “Minions
813-816 • Sports equipment -Teamwork :))” by Xoan Mit
830 • Sports team paraphernalia To
831-849 • Poster board/butcher paper • Song: “Hold Us Together”
836-838 • Markers by Matt Maher (Alive Again,
1257 • Adoration Supplies Provident)
• Bandanas/team identifiers • Song: “If We Are the Body”
YOUCAT by Casting Crowns (Casting
133-134 Crowns, Reunion Records)
EDGE NIGHT GOAL ENVIRONMENT

The goal of this Edge Night is to help the youth Decorate the room with flags or memorabilia
understand what it means when we proclaim the from your favorite sports teams and have
Church as Catholic. different sports equipment around the room.
Have the youth minister and Core Team wear
EDGE NIGHT AT A GLANCE sports jerseys.
This Edge Night begins with each small group
making a team banner to unite together in a large CORE TEAM FORMATION
group of team tag. After the game, the Proclaim Read the following excerpt from the Catechism of
teaches the youth more about the Church and the Catholic Church.
OUTLINE
what makes the Church Catholic. During the Break

the youth will have a chance to discuss the talk as The word “catholic” means “universal,” in the sense
well as to pray for one another as they strive to of “according to the totality” or “in keeping with the
live out their Catholic faith. The night ends with whole.” The Church is catholic in a double sense: First,
a time of Adoration that gives the youth a sense the Church is catholic because Christ is present in
TEAM ROME
of belonging to a larger Church and joining other her. “Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic
Catholics around the world in prayer. Church.” In her subsists the fullness of Christ’s body
united with its head; this implies that she receives
from him “the fullness of the means of salvation”
which he has willed: correct and complete confession

of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry TO THE PARENTS
in apostolic succession … Secondly, the Church is This week at Edge, we discussed what it means
catholic because she has been sent out by Christ on when we profess that the Church is Catholic. Your
a mission to the whole of the human race. (CCC 830- youth learned that the Church is Catholic in two
831) main ways. The first way is that Christ is fully
present in the Church and contains the fullness
After reading this excerpt use the following of truth and our means to salvation. The second
questions for personal reflection or discussion: way the Church is Catholic is that it is universal
– meaning it is meant for everyone and the
• What does it mean that the Church has the teachings and beliefs of the Church are consistent
fullness of salvation? Is this something you around the world. Here are some questions to
struggle to believe? How can you learn more ask your son or daughter this week:
about this?
• What does it mean when we say the Church is
• Do you participate fully in the sacraments? How Catholic?
can you grow in this area of your faith?
• Is Mass the same around the world? What do
• Have you ever been to Mass in a different you think about that?
country? What was this experience like for you?
• What are some ways you can live out your faith
• What can you do in your everyday life to in your everyday life?
participate in the Church’s mission to bring
Christ to the whole world?
GATHER
Break the youth into small groups and give them
each a large piece of butcher paper or poster
board and some markers. Instruct them to come
up with a team name, a team logo, and to decorate
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION their banner. Also give each youth an item to wear
(5 min) that will designate which small group they are a
part of such as a necklace or a bandana.
Gather in all the youth, introduce anyone who
is there for the first time, and recognize any EXTREME TEAM TAG
birthdays. Give a brief introduction to the night (15 min)
and begin with a prayer.
Supplies:
TEAM BANNER • Bandana/team identifier
(5 min)
Keep the youth in their small groups and instruct OUTLINE
Supplies: them to put on their identifying object that
• Poster board or butcher paper will help them identify the other small group
• Markers members. Then, instruct the youth that they will
• Bandanas/team identifier be playing a large game of team-tag.
TEAM ROME
The youth will have two to five minutes (depending

on how large your group is) to tag as many
people of other small groups as they can. Once
someone is tagged, they are frozen and cannot be

BREAK
unfrozen. At the end of the time, whichever team
has the least number of members frozen is the
winner. You can repeat this as many times as time
allows. To make the rounds more challenging, let
the youth unfreeze members of their group by SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION
tagging them once they are frozen. Groups could (10 min)
also have to stay together by linking arms or
holding hands and moving together to tag other Break the youth back into their small groups,
groups. begin in prayer, and use the following questions
for a discussion:
PROCLAIM
• What are the two ways that the Church is
Catholic?
• What does it mean when we say that the Church

THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH has the fullness of salvation?
TESTIMONY
(5 min) • What does evangelization mean?
Invite a Core Member or any member of your • What are three ways you can evangelize at
church community who has either traveled home or school?
or lived abroad. Have him or her give a brief
testimony about experiencing the Church, TEAM PRAYERS
especially the Mass, in a different country. Have (10 min)
him or her emphasize that even though it may be
in a different language the sacraments and Mass Supplies:
are the same in every single country. • Team Banner
• Markers
"TEAM ROME" TEACHING
(10 min) Keep the youth in their small groups and bring
out the team banner they made at the beginning
This teaching can be found on page 54 to 56. Here of the night. Explain to the youth that we are all
are the main points from the teaching. called to live out our faith but we do not have to
do it alone. We have a community, like the small
• The Catholic Church is a universal community. group, to share our faith journey with. Have the
youth pass around the banner and write down
• The Church is Catholic in that it contains the one way that they want to grow in their faith and
fullness of Christ’s presence and the means to evangelize others. For example: courage to pray
salvation, and that Christ sends Her out on a before meals at school, to go to confession more
mission to the whole world. often, to pray with their family, to share their faith
with their friends.
• We are all called to live out our Catholic faith in
our daily lives. Once all of the youth have written down the ways
OUTLINE
that they want to grow in their Catholic faith,

assign each youth one of the intentions to pray
for and make sure you do not assign them their
own. Challenge the youth to pray for this person
and their intention every day this week. Hold
TEAM ROME
onto the team banner so that you can follow up

at the next Edge Night or continue to pray for the
intentions throughout the rest of the semester.

Close the small group time in a prayer and ask Catholic Church and for all the youth present to
God for the grace to be more Catholic and to go grow in their faith and to share it with others.
out and evangelize.
FURTHER ADAPTATION IDEAS
TAKING IT DEEPER: SMALL GROUP • If you are not able to do Adoration, bring the
ADAPTATIONS FOR 8TH GRADE youth into the church and have them pray
For the 8th graders looking to go deeper, lead the before the tabernacle.
group in a time of prayer over and for each other
instead of doing the team prayer on the banner.
Have the youth take turns expressing what they
need prayer for and then have the other youth
extend their hands over that youth and pray for
him or her. Continue like this until you have prayed
with all the youth in the group. At the end of the
time of prayer have each youth pick a person,
or assign one, to be their prayer partner for the
week. Instruct them to pray for each other and
their intentions, and, if more prayer intentions
come up during the week, have them go to each
other and ask for prayer.
SEND
ADORATION
(15 min)
Bring the youth back into the large group. Explain

to them again that the Catholic Church is universal,
it includes all people, and it is the same all around
the world. Catholics in China believe the same
faith and have the same Mass and Adoration as
Catholics in Germany and in South Africa. The
whole Church is united under Christ. We are all a
part of the same team around the world.
Then, explain to them that they will have an

opportunity to encounter Christ in Eucharistic
Adoration where they join with other Catholics
around the world who are at this very moment
in Adoration praying. Share with them that it is
Christ in the Eucharist who unites us all together,
OUTLINE
and that we also experience this during Mass.

Help the youth to understand that as a Catholic,
they are a part of something much bigger than
just their local church community.
TEAM ROME
Lead the youth to the church or the designated

area for Adoration. If possible have your music
minister available to play a few songs. End the
time of Adoration with a prayer for the universal

TEAM ROME
TEACHING
KEY WORD
Salvation - “The forgiveness
DEFINITIONS of sins and restoration of
friendship with God, which
Catholic - “One of the four
can be done by God alone”
marks or notes of the Church,
(CCC 169).
taken from the Nicene Creed.
The Church is catholic or
Evangelization - “The
universal both because she
proclamation of Christ and
possesses the fullness of
his Gospel (Greek: evangelion)
Christ’s presence and the
by word and the testimony of
means of salvation, and
life, in fulfillment of Christ’s
because she has been sent
command” (CCC 905)
out by Christ on a mission to
the whole of the human race”
(CCC 830)
THE CHURCH COMMUNITY

There is something special about belonging. Just like you all belonged
to your teams during tag, we are all drawn to a community that
works together. The ability to hold up a banner and say, “I belong
to this team,” fills our hearts with pride. We also see this in sports,
when people rally behind their favorite team.
We all desire to belong to something and to be a part of something

that is greater than just us. God created us like this; He created us for
community and He created us to love and be loved. We are created
John 3:16
in the image and likeness of God, who is Himself a communion of
Genesis 1:27
love in the Trinity. God loves us so much that He did not leave us
Matthew 28:18-20
alone to figure out how to live our lives. Not only did He promise to
TEACHING
be with us to the end of the age, but He also has given us the gift of
the Catholic Church.
THE CHURCH IS CATHOLIC

When we profess in the Nicene Creed that the Church is Catholic, it
TEAM ROME
means more than just being a name we identify ourselves with. The Key Word
word “catholic” means “universal.” Being a Catholic means that you CCC 830
are part of, a community that is united under the teachings of Jesus YouCat 133
Christ that spans across the world. There are two main things that
make the Church Catholic.

The Church is Catholic because Jesus Christ is present in the
CCC 831 Church and, through the Church, He gives mankind the full means
Key Word of salvation. This means that the Church has everything needed
CCC 1257 to bring people to Christ. It is universal in the sense that it is for
CCC 836-838 everyone because Christ is for everyone. Christ, as a way to protect
YouCat 134 this gift of salvation and to pass it down through the ages, created
the Church. It is through the Church that we receive the gift of
salvation in the fullness of truth and the sacraments.
The Church is also Catholic because She has been sent out on a
mission from Christ to the whole human race. All men are called to
be a part of the Catholic Church, which has the fullness of truth and
Matthew 28:18-20 salvation. It does not matter your race, age, or gender – all people
CCC 831 are called to be a part of the Church. Jesus Christ desires for all men
Key Word to live in unity as one, and it is this unity among men that is present
in the Catholic Church. Evangelization calls us to bring the Good
News of Jesus Christ out to the world and to those who do not know
Him.
WHAT CAN WE DO?

There are many things that we can do to live out our Catholic faith,
and we are all called to participate in all that makes our Church
Catholic.
First, we are called to participate in all that the Church has to offer
us as means to our salvation. We are all a part of the Catholic
Church by the Sacrament of Baptism and because of that we can
participate in all the other sacraments in the Church. That means
that we should take advantage of what we have been given and go
to the Sacrament of Reconciliation frequently and go to Mass every
Sunday to receive the Eucharist. All of the seven sacraments are
given to us as a gift and help for us to grow more in a relationship
with Christ and to ultimately make it to heaven.
We can also learn more about our faith. The Catholic Church has
the fullness of truth that has been passed down from Jesus Christ
through the apostles to all the bishops and priests who came after
them. It is up to us to learn what our Church professes and believes,
to ask questions when we do not understand, and to continually
look for answers.
TEACHING
TEAM ROME

Finally, we are all also called to participate in evangelization. In
bringing the Good News of Christ to those who do not know Him.
This looks different for everyone. For some of you, your family
members may not believe in God. For others, you may have friends
that you can invite to church or Edge. Some of you may go on
mission trips with your family to different countries where people
have never even heard of Jesus. No matter where you are or what
you are doing, you always have the opportunity to bring the love, CCC 832-849
light, and hope of Christ to all those around you. You can do this CCC 851
by living out your faith in actions such as helping around the house
with out being asked, or reaching out to your friends when they
are in need. You can also share your faith with different people you
meet and tell them about Edge or different things you like about
your faith. Evangelization does not have to be complicated; you are
simply called to share the truth and love of Christ with those around
you.
Notes
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TEAM ROME
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TEAM ROME CHECKLIST

Members
EDGE NIGHT TOPIC:
____________________________________________
Opening Prayer ______________________________

Games _____________________________________
Proclaim ____________________________________

____________________________________________
Songs: ____________________________________
⃞⃞ Pray!
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
CHECKLIST
Notes
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TEAM ROME
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TEAM ROME EVALUATION

INSTRUCTIONS:
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TEAM ROME
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GO PREACH IT!
CHURCH AS APOSTOLIC
Matthew 28:18-20 Disciple SUGGESTIONS
John 13:34 Apostle • Song: “Start a Fire” by
1 Corinthians 16:14 Vicar of Christ Unspoken (Unspoken,
1 Peter 3:15 Centricity Music)
SUPPLIES NEEDED • Song: “Go Light Your World”
CCC • World map by Chris Rice (Short Term
77 • Destination pictures and Memories, Rocketown
857 posters Records)
864 • Poster board • YouTube: “C4 Ignite Your
880 • Markers Catholic Faith – What are the
888-894 • Pens Marks of the Church?” by
1122 • Paper Archdiocese of Milwaukee
1555 • Prizes • YouTube: “The Rock of
2565 • Thank You cards St. Peter” by Christopher
Stefanick
YOUCAT • YouTube: “The Great
137 Commission” by Dennis
Padul
• Edge Video Support:
Hold My Keys - Apostolic
Succession (EVS 17)
EDGE NIGHT GOAL youth will have the opportunity to reflect on how
The goal of this Edge Night is to help the youth they can bring the Good News of Christ to the
OUTLINE
understand what it means when we profess the world. Also in small groups, they will have the
Church as Apostolic. time to design thank you cards for the bishop of
your local diocese. The Edge Night will close with
a prayer for the all the leaders of the Church.
The Edge Night begins with the youth creating
GO PREACH IT!
advertisements for different travel destinations ENVIRONMENT

all around the world. The teaching will focus on Make the main meeting room look like a travel
what it means that the Church is Apostolic and agency. Put a large world map on the wall at the
how this belief involves all of us along with the front of the room, above the map put a large
leaders of the Church. During small groups, the banner with the name of your travel agency.

Off to one side of the front area set up a desk • What are some ways that you could be a better
to look like a office desk at a travel agency with witness to Christ’s love?
a computer, some brochures, and other papers.
Create advertising posters to put up highlighting • Do you feel that you are prepared enough to
great travel deals on specific destinations. If share in words Christ’s love for others? If not,
possible before the Edge Night, have the Core what are some ways that you could be better
Team create a video to advertise the travel agency prepared?
and to highlight one of the world destinations as
an example for the Gather activity. TO THE PARENTS
This week at Edge, the youth learned about why we
CORE TEAM FORMATION profess that the Church is Apostolic. In the Creed,
When we profess in the Creed that the Church which we profess every Sunday, we proclaim that
is Apostolic, we are professing a belief in both the Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.
apostolic succession and the mission of the We learned that the Church is Apostolic in three
Church. On October 16, 2013, for his weekly unique ways. First, the Church is founded upon
audience, Pope Francis spoke at length about the prayer and teaching of the apostles. Second,
the importance of being apostolic. Pope Francis the Church hands on the teachings that were
stated, “‘Apostle’, in fact, is a Greek word meaning given by Christ Jesus through the pope, bishops,
‘sent’, ‘dispatched’. An Apostle is a person who has and priests. Third, the Church’s task is to make
been given a mandate, he is sent to do something disciples of all nations. Here are some questions
and the Apostles were chosen, called and sent to ask your son or daughter this week:
out by Jesus to continue his work, that is to pray
— which is the primary job of an apostle — and, • What do we mean when we say that the Church
second, to proclaim the Gospel.” is Apostolic?
Just like the apostles, we have also been given • What are some things that we, as a family, are
the missionary mandate to “make disciples of all doing to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ?
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew • What are some ways that we, as a family, can
28:19-20). Pope Francis shows us that in order to start to help spread the love of Christ in the
properly preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we world?
must be people of prayer. We can only properly
and effectively preach the Good News if we
have a relationship with our heavenly Father; it
is through prayer that this communion with God
develops and deepens (CCC 2565).
Christ is inviting each of us to go out and

encounter others, and to share with them the joy
of the Gospel. We must be constant witnesses to
the love of Christ and always be ready to share
with anyone the reason for our hope and joy (1
Peter 3:15). OUTLINE
• Do you consider yourself an apostle for Christ?

Why or why not?
GO PREACH IT!
• How can you make prayer a more important

part of your life?

GATHER PROCLAIM
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION “GO PREACH IT!” TEACHING
(5 min) (10 min)
Gather in all of the youth, introduce any youth This teaching can be found on page 64 to 66. Here
that are there for the first time, and recognize any are the main points from the teaching.
and then open the night with prayer. • The Church is Apostolic which means that she
is sent by Jesus to preach the Good News of
TRAVEL DESTINATION DEALS Christ.
(20 min)
• Apostolic succession gives the pope, bishops,
Supplies and priests authority that stems from Christ
• Poster board Himself to teach and guide the Church.
• Markers
• Prizes • We are all called to be a part of the apostolic
mission of the church.
Before the Edge Night, have each Core Member
choose what their group’s travel destination will
be. Encourage them to pick a place that the youth
may not be familiar with. Have the Core Members
find a few basic facts about this destination and a
BREAK
few pictures that they can either print off for the MISSIONARY TESTIMONY
youth or have on their phones to show them. (10 min)
Break the youth into small groups. Have the Core At this time have a Core Member give a
Members explain to the group what their travel testimony about a time they purposely traveled
destination will be and share the brief facts and somewhere to preach the Good News of Jesus
pictures of this place. Then give each group a on a mission trip. Have him or her first tell
poster board and markers and instruct them to the youth where he or she went, and then
make an advertisement, tweet or Instagram post what he or she did while he or she was there.
for their destination to be utilized in the travel During his or her explanation have him or her
agency. Once the youth have completed their emphasize how this was living out the call to be
posters have them present to the whole group a part of the apostolic mission of the Church.
and explain what things they highlighted about
the destination and why.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION
OUTLINE
After all the groups have presented, have the (10 min)
youth vote for which place they want to travel to
and give that group a prize. Break the youth back into their small groups,
begin in prayer, and use the following questions
for discussion:
GO PREACH IT!
• In your own words, what does it mean to say

that the Church is Apostolic?

SEND
• Are there any teachings of the Church that you
have a hard time understanding or agreeing
with? If yes, what which ones?
• What are some ways that you tear down the CLOSING PRAYER
Church? (10 min)
• How can you be a better disciple of Christ? Gather all of the youth back to the large group. If
possible, invite your parish priest to be present
• How can you, in your every day life, help to at the end of the Edge Night. Give a brief re-cap
spread the Good News of Jesus Christ? of the teaching and that the call to be apostolic is
not just for bishops and priests but also for all of
us.
ADAPTATIONS FOR 8TH GRADE: Invite your parish priest(s) to come to the middle
For your 8th graders that are looking to go deeper, of the space and instruct the youth to gather
during small groups have them read 1 Peter 3:15- around him to pray over him. Have all of the
16 in their Bibles instead of doing the small group youth extend their hands over the priest(s) and
questions. lead them in a prayer asking God to bless your
priest(s) and to help him carry on his call to the
Give them some time to journal about these two apostolic mission of the Church. After, ask your
questions: priest(s) to pray over all the youth asking Christ
to help them to carry out their own missions to
1. How would you respond to a person who asks bring Christ to all people.
you about your faith?
End the Edge Night in a prayer all together for the
2. Why do you love your faith? pope and all bishops and the universal Catholic
Church to fulfill the great commission we have all
THANK YOU CARDS FOR OUR been given.
BISHOP
(10 min) FURTHER ADAPTATION IDEAS
• Have some small groups write thank you cards
Supplies to the bishops and have some of them write
• Blank thank you cards thank you letters to your parish priests.
• Pens
• Bring in your priest to do a Q & A and allow the
Keep the youth in their small groups and have youth to ask questions about what he does in
them direct their attention to the front of the his everyday life.
room. Put up a picture of your local bishop or
bishops and give the youth some fun facts about
them. Explain to them some of the tasks of their
local bishops and give them some context of what
to thank them for. OUTLINE
Give each youth a blank thank you card to write

a thank you note to your local bishop. Have the
Core Members collect the cards at the end of the
small group time and review them to make sure
GO PREACH IT!
that they are appropriate. After the Edge Night be

sure to mail the cards to your bishop.

GO PREACH IT!
TEACHING
KEY WORD Apostle - One who is sent Vicar of Christ - Title of the
with a mission; refers to office of pope implying his
DEFINITIONS the twelve men Jesus chose full, supreme and universal
to continue His mission to power over the whole Church
Disciple - Those who accept
preach the Gospel to the on Earth
Jesus’ message to follow Him
whole world of faith through
the Church” (CCC 75-82).
THE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC

So many people love to travel; if they could, they would spend their
whole lives exploring. Traveling is so appealing because you are
able to experience new places, new adventures, new traditions, and
meet new and interesting people. Jesus was no stranger to traveling.
Although He did not travel all over the world, He certainly did His
fair share of traveling, especially for someone whose only way of
transportation was walking.
Jesus, throughout His three years of public ministry, traveled to

many different areas of Israel. Throughout His travels He acquired
many disciples, however, He only chose twelve to be His apostles
and to travel with Him. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told
His apostles to go and travel, not for leisure and relaxation, but to Key Words
complete the mission He gave them. To be an apostle means to be
sent with a mission, and Christ had a very important mission for
them – to continue His own mission of telling people about God and
baptizing them.
TEACHING
Jesus commissioned His apostles when He said, “Go, therefore,

and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you Matthew 28: 19-20
always, until the end of the age.” Jesus tasked the apostles, under CCC 1122
the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to unite all peoples together in Christ
GO PREACH IT!
and one Church.

APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION
We profess in the Creed, that the Church is Apostolic, which is the
fourth mark of the Church. The Church is Apostolic because She is
built on the foundation of the apostles, and is under the guidance of
CCC 857
the Holy Spirit. The Church continues to be taught, sanctified, and
guided by the pope and the bishops who are the successors of the
apostles.
“In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved
in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors. They
gave them ‘their own position of teaching authority.’” This teaching
authority is passed on through the laying on of hands and “is
transmitted down to our day through episcopal consecration.”
This consecration happens when men become priests through
the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The authority that every priest and
bishop receives is the authority of Christ. No bishop, not even the
pope, has any power to act on his own authority; rather, it is Christ
who shares His own power with these men and enables them
preserve the faith of the Church.
When Christ instituted the Church, He also created a hierarchy and

order within the Church. Christ created the office of pope, who is
the Vicar of Christ, to shepherd the whole Church. Our Lord chose
CCC 77 Peter as the first pope and entrusted him with leading the apostles
CCC 1555 and the Church at it’s very beginning. The supreme authority that
Key Word Peter was given 2000 years ago has been passed on and is present
today with our current pope. Under the pope are the cardinals and
bishops who over see different groups of priests. Then the priests
oversee the specific churches they are assigned to.
THE WHOLE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC

CCC 888 - 894 The pope, together with the bishops of the Church have been tasked
CCC 880 with teaching, sanctifying, and governing the Church. Their duty to
teach is a call to preach the Gospel to all men.
We have talked a lot about apostolic succession and the roles that
the pope and bishops have in the Catholic Church, but what about
us? When we profess that the Church is Apostolic in the Creed,
we are also recognizing that we have a role as well. Just as Christ
commissioned St. Peter and the other apostles to make disciples
CCC 863 of all nations, we also share in this same mission. Apostle, in Greek
means, “sent,” so just as the apostles were sent out, we too are
called to be apostles of Christ, to be sent out into the world. We TEACHING
are called to help spread the Good News to everyone that we meet
- that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead, so that we
might have eternal life.
GO PREACH IT!
We can either work to build up or tear down the Church by our

actions and words. We build the Church up when we choose to love
John 13:34 God above all things, love ourselves, and love one another as Christ
1 Corinthians 16:14 has loved us. As St. Paul reminds us, “Your every act should be done
with love.” Christ challenges each of us to be His apostle and to do
all things with love.

What does this look like in everyday life? This might mean that you
tell your siblings about Jesus or you share with your parents all the
things you do at Edge. We might not be sent out to other nations
to share Christ, but we are sent out into our worlds of our families,
our friends, and our schools. You can be an apostle everyday in the
simple small things that you do. (At this time, share an experience of
being an apostle in every day life and how you have shared the Good
News of Christ with those around you.)
Notes
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TEACHING
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GO PREACH IT!
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Notes
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NOTES
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GO PREACH IT!
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GO PREACH IT! CHECKLIST


Members
EDGE NIGHT TOPIC:
____________________________________________
Opening Prayer ______________________________

Games _____________________________________
Proclaim ____________________________________

____________________________________________
Songs: ____________________________________
⃞⃞ Pray!
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
CHECKLIST
Notes
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
GO PREACH IT!
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

GO PREACH IT! EVALUATION

INSTRUCTIONS:
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________ EVALUATION
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
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GO PREACH IT!
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
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PPK
AN EDGE NIGHT ON PRIEST,
PROPHET, KING
SCRIPTURE 1268 SUPPLIES NEEDED
Matthew 3:1-6, 13-16 1547 • Stickers
Matthew 5:16 1818 • Blue painters tape
Matthew 10:32-33 1822 • Megaphone
John 3:16 • Crown
Philippians 2:15 YOUCAT • Bible
1 Peter 2:5-9 5
139 MEDIA
CCC 259
SUGGESTIONS
64 • YouTube: “That’s My King Dr.
166 KEY WORDS S.M. Lockridge (Official)” by
522 Priesthood Albert Martin
718-720 Anointed
783-786 Prophet
1142 Messiah
EDGE NIGHT GOAL room with the teaching on the priesthood display
The goal of this Edge Night is to help the youth some priestly vestments along with poster boards
understand how they share in Jesus’ threefold that have the words faith, hope, and love on them.
mission as priest, prophet, and king. In the room where the prophet teaching will be
given, have a table covered in burlap cloth with
a Bible displayed opened to the Old Testament.
EDGE NIGHT AT A GLANCE Also, have a picture of John the Baptist as well as
This Edge Night begins with a large group game
poster boards with the words Messiah, repent,
of capture the flag. The Proclaim is separated into
and salvation written on them. In the area for
three different teachings about being a priest,
the king teaching have it decorated like a royal
prophet, and king. The Break consists of a small
court with a chair up front with lush velvety cloth
group discussion and the Edge Night ends with a
draped over and around it, a red carpet leading
special blessing and a sending forth for the youth
up to it, and a crown on the chair. Also put up
to live out the call to be priests, prophets, and
poster boards with the words kingdom, chosen,
kings.
and sons and daughters.
OUTLINE
ENVIRONMENT CORE TEAM FORMATION

For this Edge Night there will be three different
By our Baptism, as the People of God, we are
areas/rooms to be set up for each teaching on the
called to share in the three unique offices of
PPK
specific topics of priest, prophet, and king. For the

Christ as priest, prophet, and king. In doing so we

share in Christ’s mission and imitate Him in the • What can you do to share more in the prophetic
way that He loved and served others (CCC 783). office of Christ? Who are some people in your
Every baptized person shares in the common life who need to hear the Good News?
priesthood of Christ. This priesthood is different
than the sacramental priesthood of Holy Orders. • What can you do to share more in the royal office
In this sharing, by the Holy Spirit, we are called of Christ? Who in your life is poor or suffering
to live lives of sacrifice and forgiveness and to be and how can you serve them more?
holy (CCC 784). We too share in Christ’s prophetic
office in that we are called to follow and uphold • What are some ways to make this relevant to
the faith as well as share it with those around the youth? What are some practical ideas we
us (CCC 785). Finally, we are made to share in can give them to live these out?
Christ’s kingly office as a people gathered to Him
by His Death and Resurrection. We are called to TO THE PARENTS
share in His royalty by serving those around us This week at Edge we discussed how by our
particularly the poor and suffering (CCC 786). Baptism we are all called to share in Jesus’ roles of
Read the following excerpt from a sermon of priest, prophet, and king. As lay people we share
St. Leo the Great and reflect on the following in the common priesthood (different from the
questions: priesthood of Holy Orders) by living lives of faith,
hope, and charity. We share in Christ’s prophetic
The sign of the cross makes kings of all those role by proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to all
reborn in Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit that we meet. Finally, we share in the kingly role of
consecrates them as priests, so that, apart from the Christ by imitating Christ the King in the way that
particular service of our ministry, all spiritual and He loved and served those who were poor. Here
rational Christians are recognized as members of are some questions to ask your son or daughter
this royal race and sharers in Christ’s priestly office. this week:
What, indeed, is as royal for a soul as to govern the
body in obedience to God? And what is as priestly • What does it mean to live out our role in the
as to dedicate a pure conscience to the Lord and to common priesthood?
offer the spotless offerings of devotion on the altar
of the heart? • What does it mean to live out our role as
prophets?
• What can you do in your life to share more in
the priestly office of Christ specifically through • What does it mean to live out our kingly role?
sacrifice and forgiveness?
• What did you like most about Edge this week?
GATHER
hand out the stickers and have the youth put the
stickers on their hands as they walk in. Try your
best to give out the same amount of each sticker.
Also assign Core Members to each of the three
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION groups and instruct them to stay with that group
(5 min) for the entire Edge Night.
Supplies Gather in all the youth, introduce any youth who

OUTLINE
• Stickers are there for the first time, and recognize any
As the youth walk in to the meeting space have and begin in prayer.
three different types of stickers, one that signifies
PPK
priest, one prophet, and one king. Randomly

MINI CAPTURE THE FLAG you will all have the opportunity to learn what these
(15 min) roles are and how to live them out in your life.
Supplies The youth minister should instruct all the youth

• Blue painters tape to go to their designated room for the teaching.
• Megaphone All the youth will begin at the teaching that
• Crown corresponds with the sticker on their hands.
• Rosary Then, after five minutes, they will rotate to the
next teaching.
Break the room into three even sections using
blue painters tape on the ground. Designate each “PRIEST” TEACHING
section to one team--the priests, the prophets, (5 min)
and the kings. In each section have a box taped
on the ground that will need to be guarded. In This teaching can be found on page 74 to 75. Here
the box of each section place a special item, for are the main points from the teaching:
example, a megaphone for the prophets, a crown
for the kings, and a rosary for the priests. Also • There are two different types of priesthood,
have another box in a separate corner of each that which is celebrated through the Sacrament
space to be the jail. of Holy Orders, and the common priesthood of
the people.
Begin by breaking the youth into their three teams
depending on their stickers. The goal of this game • All who are Baptized and Confirmed are called
is to be the first team to have all of the items in to live out the common priesthood.
their own box. If a player is tagged in the section
of another team trying to get the special item, • We live the common priesthood by building up
they must go to jail until someone on their own the Church and by living lives of faith, hope, and
team comes and tags them out. Once a team’s charity.
special item is taken; that whole team is out. For
example if the kings get the megaphone from the “PROPHET” TEACHING
prophets, then all the prophets are out and it is (5 min)
just between the kings and priests. Have a prize
for the winning team. This teaching can be found on page 76 to 77. Here
are the main points from the teaching:
PROCLAIM • A prophet is someone who proclaims the

coming of the Messiah and calls for repentance.
• There were many prophets in the Old Testament,

TEACHING INTRODUCTION and the last prophet was John the Baptist.
(5 min)
• We are all called to be prophets and to proclaim
During this time, the youth minister will give a
the Good News of Christ in our world today.
brief introduction to the teaching of the Church
on all of our roles as priests, prophets, and kings.
Here is an example of this teaching: “KING” TEACHING
(5 min)
Jesus Christ has a unique role of being a priest,
prophet, and king; these roles are given to Him This teaching can be found on page 78. Here are
OUTLINE
through God the Father and by the anointing of the main points from the teaching:
the Holy Spirit. When we are baptized, we too are
anointed by the Holy Spirit and called to live out • Jesus Christ came as our King not to be served
these three roles of priest, prophet, and king. We but to serve.
PPK
are now going to split up into our three groups, and

• We are called to participate in the kingly role of • What are some things that you can do to live
Christ by imitating Him in His love and service out the three-fold office of priest, prophet, and
to others. king?
• We live for the Kingdom of Heaven where we

will live in eternal happiness with the Great King.
SEND
BREAK VIDEO
(5 min)
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION Play the video “That’s My King” from the Media
(10 min) Suggestions.
Break the youth into small groups, begin in prayer, CLOSING PRAYER AND BLESSING
and use the following questions for discussion: (10 min)
• What does it mean to share in Christ’s Bring all the youth back in for a final prayer. Invite
priesthood? As a prophet? As a king? your parish priest to come and give a blessing to
all the youth for special grace to live out the call to
• What are ways that we live out these share with Christ in being priests, prophets, and
characteristics? kings.
• What is the difference between our parish priest

and how we share in the priesthood of Christ?
FURTHER ADAPTATION IDEAS
• If you are unable to play the large group capture
the flag, do a relay race with the three teams.
• What can we do in our everyday lives to be like
Have each team run to pick up an item that
prophets?
represents their team or a slip of paper with the
word priest, prophet, and king written on it.
• How was Jesus a King unlike any other?

ADAPTATIONS FOR 8TH GRADE:
For your 8th grade youth who are looking to go
deeper, utilize the following questions in place of
the ones above to foster a deeper conversation.
• What is the difference between the priesthood

of Holy Order and the common priesthood?
• Have you ever thought about or prayed for your

vocation?
• How can you share the Good News of Jesus

Christ at school? What are you afraid of when it
comes to evangelization?
OUTLINE
• Have you ever viewed Christ as a King? What

makes His kingdom different from the kingdoms
on earth?
PPK

PRIEST
TEACHING
KEY WORD Anointed – Anointing with oil

in the sacraments is a symbol
DEFINITIONS of the Holy Spirit filling a
person with the graces and
Priesthood – Referring to
gifts of the Holy Spirit. (CCC
both the priesthood conferred
695)
through Holy Orders and the
priesthood of the faithful
people conferred through
Baptism and Confirmation.
(CCC 784, 1547)
PRIESTHOOD THROUGH HOLY ORDERS

When many of us think of priesthood, we think of the pastors of
our church, the men who have given their lives to serve Christ and
to serve the Church. These men through the Sacrament of Holy
Key Word
Orders are given a specific role as the leaders of the Church and
CCC 1547
are called to live their lives building up the Church. Through the
CCC 1142
Sacrament of Holy Orders, they are given the authority of Christ to
confer or perform the Sacraments, and live their lives in imitation
of Christ.
It is important that we recognize the great role of our priests and

the sacrifices they make for us to help lead us to Christ. Be sure to
pray for our priests and thank them for all they do for us.
COMMON PRIESTHOOD
As we said earlier, when we are Baptized and Confirmed we are
anointed with the Holy Spirit and we too come to share in the
roles of Christ as priest, prophet, and king. To be clear this type Key Word
of priesthood is not the same as the priesthood we just talked YouCat 259
about. They are two very distinct things. So, how do we share in the
priesthood of Christ?
TEACHING
PPK

For us as Baptized believers in Christ we are called to live out the
CCC 1547 common priesthood by allowing the graces we received in our
CCC 1268 Baptism to work in our lives. This means that we live a life of faith,
CCC 784 hope, and charity. We are called both individually and together as
1 Peter 2:5 a community to grow together in love and service of God. We are
1 Peter 2:9 God’s chosen people, and we are called to bring Him honor and
praise in all that we do.
LIVING THE COMMON PRIESTHOOD

So, how do we live out our role in the common priesthood? As we
said before, when we are anointed in the Sacraments of Baptism
and Confirmation we are given the graces to live out this role. But
how do we live out these virtues of faith, hope, and charity in our
lives?
We can do this through prayer. We can pray and ask God to increase
these virtues in us. At the beginning of the rosary on the three
beads before the decades start, we ask for an increase in faith,
hope, and charity. We can also live these out by doing acts. We can
act in faith by choosing to believe in God and all that He has shown
CCC 166 us through Jesus Christ. We can do this by fully participating at Mass
Matthew 10:32-33 and actively listening and responding. We can read the Gospels and
CCC 1818 share what we learn about Christ with others. The virtue of hope
CCC 1822 gives us a desire for eternal life and the happiness of heaven. We can
act in hope by doing things in our lives that are worthy of heaven,
by avoiding sin, and frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In
charity, we love God above all else and love our neighbor. We can
live out this aspect of our common priesthood by loving God first,
then those around us, in our family and our community.
We have been given the grace and gift of the Holy Spirit to live out
our role of the common priesthood, all we have to do is trust in God
and seek to build up and love those around us.
TEACHING
PPK

PROPHET
TEACHING
KEY WORD Messiah– “A Hebrew word

meaning anointed.” This
DEFINITIONS is one of the titles of Jesus
who accomplished his divine
Prophet – One who is sent
mission of being priest,
by God to form people in the
prophet, and king. (CCC 436)
hope of salvation
WHAT IS A PROPHET?
A prophet is someone who is sent by God to preach the good news of
salvation. The place that we are most familiar with seeing prophets Key Word
is in the Old Testament. These prophets of the Old Testament – YouCat 5
people like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel – preached the coming of CCC 64
the Messiah and the salvation for all the People of God. They are Key Word
the ones who foresaw the coming of Jesus and called all the people CCC 522
to turn away from their sins and to turn to God the Father.
One of the last prophets, and one who is in the New Testament is
CCC 718-720
John the Baptist.
Read the account of John the Baptist from Matthew 3:1-6
John the Baptist is known for preparing the way for the Lord; he
preached the same message of repentance and preparation for the
coming of Jesus as many Old Testament prophets– but he lived to Matthew 3:13-16
see Jesus. John went out into the desert to baptize people, and he
baptized Jesus Christ Himself.
OUR ROLE AS PROPHETS

So, what does this mean for us? Are we supposed to go out into the
desert and eat bugs and only talk about Jesus?
As we are learning, we are called to share in Jesus’ role as a prophet.

This does not mean that we have to act like the prophets in the
TEACHING
Old Testament – but we are all called to proclaim the Good News
of Jesus. We are no longer preaching the coming of Jesus, like the CCC 785
prophets of old, but we are preaching the Good News that Jesus John 3:16
came and saved us from our sins. We are preaching the hope of
heaven and the call to live lives of greatness. We are called to be
PPK
witnesses to the love of God in our everyday lives.

How do we do this? How are we to be modern day prophets? We
can do this by talking to our friends and family about Jesus and what
Philippians 2:15 He has done in our lives. We can do this by inviting our friends to
Matthew 5:16 Mass and to Edge. We can also be prophets through our actions
by avoiding sin and putting our hope in Christ and not thing of this
world. Simply through loving others, treating them well, and being
kind to those around us we can shine the light of Christ into the
world around us.
Notes
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KING
TEACHING
CHRIST THE KING

What comes to mind when you think of a king? A crown? A castle?
(Let the youth respond with some ideas).
What are some examples of kings we see? In the movies, on television

shows, in books, etc. (Let the youth give some ideas).
When Jesus came, He was not like a king that the people were
expecting. Many of the Jewish people were looking for someone
much like the king we have described. The thought the king would
be someone who was famous, wealthy, and powerful, but Jesus
came with humility and lived a simple life. He did not have a fancy CCC 786
crown, and He did not have a big castle to live in. Rather, His type of
kingship was one of service and love. He is a King much greater than
any other king in the world because He is the King of the Universe,
yet He did not flaunt this. Rather, He spent His time with the poor,
the sick, and the suffering.
He is a King who did not come to the earth to condemn us, to boss
us around, and to make us slaves. He came to serve us and show
us His great love. This love is ultimately shown when He dies on the John 3:16-17
cross for all of us and for our sins so that we would one day be able Romans 5:8
to live in the Kingdom of Heaven with Him.
OUR KINGSHIP
We are all called to participate in the kingship of Jesus by imitating
Him in acts of charity. We exercise our kingly role by serving the
poor and the suffering around us. What are some practical ways we
can do this? We can help those who are physically poor by donating
clothes, food, or money to those in need. We can serve those who are CCC 786
spiritually poor by praying for them, praying with them, and inviting YouCat 139
them to Church. Are there people in your life who are suffering from
loneliness? You can be a friend to someone in need at school, you
can smile at someone who seems to be sad, or you can spend time
with an elderly relative who is lonely.
There are so many ways that we can participate in the kingship of

TEACHING
Christ. Even if it may not seem like the kingdoms we know, it is a

far greater kingdom to be a part of. This is a kingdom of eternal
happiness far greater and far more beautiful than any kingdom on
earth. It is a kingdom ruled over by our God who loves us more than
we could ever imagine.
PPK

Notes
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PPK CHECKLIST

Members
EDGE NIGHT TOPIC:
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Opening Prayer ______________________________

Games _____________________________________
Proclaim ____________________________________

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Songs: ____________________________________
⃞⃞ Pray!
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Notes
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CHECKLIST
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PPK EVALUATION

INSTRUCTIONS:
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EVALUATION
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THE
MASTERPIECE
OF LIFE
AN EDGE NIGHT ON OUR
IMPORTANCE IN THE CHURCH
SCRIPTURE SUPPLIES NEEDED MEDIA
Jeremiah 29:11 • Canvas SUGGESTIONS
Psalm 139:13-14 • Thumb tacks • Edge Video Support:
John 14:6 • Water balloons “Feeding the Hungry” (EVS
• Washable paint 13)
CCC • Water bottles • YouTube: “How To Do Water
898 Balloon Painting” by Mr.
Otter Art Studio
YOUCAT • YouTube: “How To Fill Water
123 Balloons with Paint (and
139 how not to)” by Mr. Otter Art
Studio
• Edge Video Support: Secret
Servers (EVS 17)
OUTLINE
EDGE NIGHT GOAL the Break the youth having a chance to discuss
THE MASTERPIECE OF LIFE
The goal of this Edge Night is to help the youth all the different ways they can follow God and
understand that they play an important, serve in the Church. At the end of the Edge Night,
irreplaceable role in the Church. the youth will have an opportunity to see all the
different ministries in the church that they can be
a part of.
The Edge Night begins with the youth making a
giant paint wall- this will take some time to set ENVIRONMENT
up so be sure to plan ahead. Then, using an There are two main analogies in this teaching
analogy of music, the Proclaim will show how the used to express how each youth is important to
youth play a pivotal role in the Church. During the Church, that of a painting and a song. Utilize

these two themes to decorate your meeting • What are some ways that you can improve in
space. Put up different paintings or pictures, have this?
various musical instruments around the room,
sheets of music, large posters of music notes, etc. • How do you think God is calling you to serve the
Church?
CORE TEAM FORMATION • What are you most afraid of when it comes to
As the People of God chosen through our Baptism
following God and the plans He has for your life?
as members of Christ’s one body, we play a very
important part in the Church. The Catechism of
• What are some concrete ways that you can
the Catholic Church states that “by reason of their
share with the youth the truth of Christ’s love
special vocation it belongs to the laity to seek the
for them and their importance to Him and the
kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs
Church?
and directing them according to God’s will.... It
pertains to them in a special way so to illuminate
and order all temporal things with which they TO THE PARENTS
are closely associated that these may always be This week at Edge, we discussed how we all
effected and grow according to Christ and may play important roles in the Church, not only by
be to the glory of the Creator and Redeemer” serving and being involved in the parish, but also
(CCC 898). Each of us has a role to play and while by following Christ and living out our faith. There
we will work hard to emphasize this to our youth were a lot of analogies drawn between music and
in this Edge Night, it is important too that we painting so be sure to ask your son or daughter
understand and believe that it matters that we all about the fun things that we created. Here are
are here and that we have an important part in a few questions to ask your son or daughter this
the grand plans of God. While we may not fully week.
understand the will of God in our lives and where
He is leading us, if we stay rooted in our faith and • What role do you play in the Church?
in the Church we are sure to find our way to all the
wonderful things He has in store for us (Jeremiah • Do you believe that if you were not a part of
29:11). Here are a few questions to reflect on or the Church there would be something missing?
discuss as we prepare for this Edge Night. Why or why not?
• What are some things you are already doing in • What are some things we can do as a family to
your life to live out your faith? be more involved in our faith and at our parish?
OUTLINE
GATHER
Get a large canvas and on the back of the canvas
poke through a few thumbtacks so that the pointy
side is sticking through to the front of the canvas.
This will help the paint filled water balloons to
WATER BALLOON PAINTING pop. Then fill up water balloons with paint. Do THE MASTERPIECE OF LIFE
(15 min) this by getting washable paint and putting it in a
water bottle that has a spout or small opening–
Supplies fill it half with paint and half with water. Then
• Canvas put the water bottle mouth over the spout of the
• Water balloons water balloon and squirt the paint in. Make sure
• Paint to have one water balloon for each youth in your
• Thumbtacks program. For a video explanation of how to do
this see the Media Suggestions.

Prop the canvas up outside and put some tarps out this role. Some examples could be living out a
around it as this activity gets very messy. As the role as an altar server at Mass, going on a mission
youth come to the Edge Night instruct them to trip, or discerning a vocation.
first go to the paint wall. Each youth gets to throw
a paint water balloon at the canvas before they SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS
go into the main meeting room. (10 min)
Make sure that there are Core Members to help Break the youth into small groups, begin in prayer,
with the water balloons as well as plenty of Core and use the following questions for discussion.
Members inside to socialize with the youth as you
wait for everyone to get a chance at the paint wall. • What is a unique trait or talent that you have?
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION • How can that trait play a part in your role in the
(5 min) Church?
Gather in all the youth, introduce any youth that • Do you really believe that it would make a
are there for the first time, and recognize any difference if you were not a part of the Church?
birthdays. Give a brief introduction to the night Why or why not?
and begin in prayers.
• What can you do to serve the Church?
PROCLAIM • What are tangible ways you can follow God?

“THE MASTERPIECE OF LIFE” ADAPTATIONS FOR 8TH GRADE:
For the 8th graders looking to go deeper, use the
TEACHING questions as a start and then go deeper into a
(10 min)
discussion about their roles in the Church. Have
them brainstorm their own testimony about
This teaching can be found on 86 to 88. Here are
discovering their role in the Church. If the youth
the main points from the teaching.
do not feel like they have a role, instruct them to
brainstorm different gifts and talents they have
• Each of us plays an essential role in the Church.
and ways that they could utilize them to build
up the Church. Make sure that they understand
• When we do not play our role, it is like an
that they do not have to have a defined role or
instrument missing in a band.
duty at Mass, but even things like their inviting
personality can build up the Church.
OUTLINE
• God has great plans for our lives, and we are

called to follow them.
SEND
BREAK
PARISH OPPORTUNITIES
(5 min)
FOLLOWING GOD TESTIMONY
(5 min)
Play the Secret Server video from the Media
Suggestions as an introduction to the many
Have a high school teen or a Core Member give ministries the youth can be involved in. Use this
a brief testimony about a time in his or her life time to promote different ministries around your
that he or she really understood his or her role in parish that the youth can get involved in: altar
the Church. Have him or her share what brought serving, ushering, handing out song sheets,
about this understanding and how he or she lived participating in different clothing or food drives,

etc. Make sure to give them lots of ideas of how FURTHER ADAPTATION IDEAS
they can serve the Church. If possible, have • If you are not able to do a paint wall have each
representatives from different ministries in your youth as they come in trace an outline of their
parish or your community present to talk more hand on a large piece of butcher paper. Use
about different opportunities for the youth. the same analogy that if one handprint were
missing it would not be complete.
CLOSING PRAYER
(5 min) • Make a flyer with all the different ministry
opportunities for the youth and send it home
End this time with a few upbeat praise and or email it to the parents.
worship songs. Close the night with a prayer for
the youth that they will truly believe that they are • Play the video “Feeding the Hungry” from the
important and unique and play an irreplaceable Media Suggestions as an example of a youth
role in the Church. serving in an outreach ministry.
Notes
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THE
MASTERPIECE
OF LIFE
TEACHING
WHERE DO I FIT IN?

As you all walked in you had the opportunity to help create a
beautiful masterpiece (bring in the paint canvas to show the youth).
Each one of you had an important role in making this, and if one
of you had not come to Edge to contribute to this painting it would
not be this magnificent, there would be color missing. I want you to
think of this painting as the Church and see that each one of you
had a part to play, each one of you added color to the canvas, and
each one of you made your mark on this painting. In the same way
you are each called to be a part of the masterpiece of the Church.
Throughout this semester, we have learned a lot about the Church.

We have learned that it is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. We
have learned too that Christ calls us to share in His role as priest, YouCat 139
prophet, and king. We know that the Church is important for our
salvation and our guidance through life – but did you know that you
are important to the Church?
TEACHING
THE SONG OF LIFE

How many of you like music? What is your favorite band? (Allow a
few youth to answer)
How many of you play an instrument? What instrument do you play?

(Allow a few youth to answer)
Just like every color of paint in a painting is important, when it

comes to music, every instrument is important, and it is important
for each instrument to play its part in order for the song to sound
good. Each instrument has a specific role in the band – and it would
be silly if the guitar tried to be a piano or vice versa. Each instrument
has a role that only it can fulfill and in order for the song to sound
amazing the right notes have to be played at the right time.

Just like instruments in a band, each one of you is essential to the
Church. Life is like one big amazing song, and in order for it to sound
right you need to play your part. Only you can be you, and there is
Psalm 139:13-14 no other you in the world! Do not waste your time trying to be like
Jeremiah 29:11 someone else or trying to play someone else’s part because then
there will be no one to play your part. God has amazing plans for
your life, but in order to discover them you need to start being the
person He created you to be.
Just like it is important for a musician to play the right notes and
to learn to play his or her instrument well. It is important that you
learn how to live in harmony with God and learn how to live your
John 14:6 life well. You do this by following Christ who is the “way, the truth,
and the life”, and by following the teachings of the Church which are
there to guide us and show us how to live in accord with how we
were created.
QUITTING THE BAND

At this time call up the people you have chosen as your band for the
demonstration. This can either be your band from Mass or a few talented
Core Members but make sure that you have four people. Make sure that
they each can play a different instrument and have a song prepared
ahead of time.
So we know that we are important, and that God has great plans for
us, and that we were created uniquely. But what if I just don’t want
to do this whole Church thing. Will it really matter?
At this time have the band start playing their song.
Would anyone really notice if I stopped coming to Edge?
Have one of the band member’s abruptly stop playing and walk off as
the rest of the band continues to play.
Would it really matter if I stopped going to Mass?
TEACHING
Have another person walk off.
What if one of my friends follows my example and stops coming to

Church too? Does it even matter?
Have another person walk off after playing a horribly wrong note. At this THE MASTERPIECE OF LIFE
time, there should only be one person left playing.
I don’t think any of this is that important, I am a good person and

won’t do bad things, but I just don’t think I need Jesus or the Church
any more.
Have the final person walk off ending the song completely.

You might think that you are not important, but you are wrong. You
have a role to play in the Church, and people will notice if you are CCC 898
not here. The Church will lose something great if you just give up on
it all.
We all need the Church to learn how to live our lives well and to
love God, and the Church needs us and all our gifts and talents.
The Church needs all our love, joy, and our commitment to carrying
out the plans of Christ in the world. The song that God is writing for
your life and the masterpiece painting He has in mind is intricate. YouCat 128
He needs you to follow the music He has written for you. He needs
you to add your color to the painting. It is up to each and every one
of us to help reveal the glory, majesty, and love of God to the whole
world.
Notes
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Notes
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NOTES
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THE MASTERPIECE OF LIFE CHECKLIST

Members
EDGE NIGHT TOPIC:
____________________________________________
Opening Prayer ______________________________

Games _____________________________________
Proclaim ____________________________________

____________________________________________
Songs: ____________________________________
⃞⃞ Pray!
____________________________________________
CHECKLIST
____________________________________________
Notes
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

THE MASTERPIECE OF LIFE EVALUATION

INSTRUCTIONS:
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
EVALUATION
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________ THE MASTERPIECE OF LIFE
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________

Notes
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©2015 Life Teen, Inc. All rights reserved.

SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 3

August 2015 – Church

Summer 2016 – Yearly renewal!

August 2016 – Morality/10

GO, MAKE DISCIPLES

4 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 5

⃞⃞ January 7th: Catechetical Night (One Body)

⃞⃞ January 21st: Catechetical Night (Seen and

⃞⃞ February 3rd: Issue Night (Refreshed)

⃞⃞ February 13th: Social Night (Do-Si-Do)

⃞⃞ February 28th: Catechetical Night (Puzzle

When picking out your Issue and Social Nights

⃞⃞ What are the major social, emotional, and

⃞⃞ What resources – space, time, money,

4. FINALIZE AND PRINT!:

6 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

EDGE MEETING LOCATION:

EDGE MEETING TIME:

DATE CATECHETICAL, EDGE NIGHT

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 7

CORE TEAM FORMATION

8 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

EDGE NIGHT AT A GLANCE CORE TEAM FORMATION

10 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

Make sure to have either a handout of song lyrics

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 11

12 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

• Who are the five most important people in your

• How can you bring them into the Church?

• If the Church is our means to salvation, what

• What can you do in your life to reflect that you

Have a cross at the front of the room and gather all

we made represents our communities and the

to Mass and sharing with them the Good News of

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 13

KEY WORD Body of Christ - The

When we hear the word church, we often think of a building, perhaps

14 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

WHY IS THE CHURCH IMPORTANT

So how does the Church do this? Primarily through the sacraments.

the salvation of the whole world. So we must continue to strive for

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 15

ST. FRANCIS PRAYER OF PEACE

16 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 17

EDGE NIGHT CHECKLIST

EDGE NIGHT DATE: WEEK PRIOR TO EDGE NIGHT:

____________________________________________ ⃞⃞ Hand out/email the Edge Night to the Core

CORE TEAM ASSIGNMENTS: ⃞⃞ Gather all the supplies

Opening Prayer ______________________________

Videos: ____________________________________ DAY OF THE EDGE NIGHT:

18 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

EDGE NIGHT EVALUATION

__________________________________________ __________________________________________ EVALUATION

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 19

SCRIPTURE KEY WORDS MEDIA

EDGE NIGHT AT A GLANCE

20 EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE

EDGE SEMESTER PLANNING GUIDE 21

EVALUATION