2010 Ski Trip

Please RSVP by January 1st!!!!!

Hurry, only 5 slots left!

All young adults are invited to attend the Young Adult ski trip set for Thursday, January 21st through Sunday, January 24th at Crested Butte Mountain in Colorado. We'll be staying at a cabin owned by the Arch Diocese, which will result in a significant savings on lodging expenses.

This is an excellent opportunity to get away from the daily grind and get to know other young adults in our church. We expect to have lots of laughs and create some priceless memories.

There isn't a set trip fee and all members will be responsible for paying as they go. However, a deposit will be necessary for the cabin rental. We are asking anyone wanting to attend the trip to make a deposit of $50 by the January 1, 2010 deadline.


Possible Estimated Expenses Include:
Lodging at cabin (depends on size of group) - $30 to $17.50 per night per person for 3 nights
Equipment Rental (ski and boot) - $29 to $40 per day depending on skill level
Lift Ticket - $87 for 1 day or $165 for 2 days if purchased online in advance
Transportation - we will be traveling caravan style by car and will share fuel expenses
Meals - there are many options in town and on the mountain but we can also prepare meals at the cabin to save money

You can find more information online at http://www.visitcrestedbutte.com/.

Please email me at cari.earley @ gmail.com if you have questions and to RSVP.

Game Night at the Family Center

We'll be getting together at the Family Center on Saturday, October 17th at 5:30pm to 8:00pm for games and finger foods. This will be a relaxed evening of fun and socializing. Bring your favorite game whether it be a deck of cards, darts, dominos, or Scattergories along with an appetizer to share.

Take note of the new time. This will be just for this activity only in order to accomodate the Oklahoma State football fans (me included). We don't want anyone to miss the kick off!

Babysitting will be available upon advance notice.

Please RSVP to www.nwokyam@gmail.com so that we know you are coming.

Potluck & Church Tour

Hope to see you a week from Saturday at our September get together. We'll be meeting at the rectory at 6pm for a tour of the church. Father Boeckman will be our guide and has promised that all who come will get a "once in a lifetime" chance to climb the bell tower. He said there is a ladder that goes all the way up and we can climb it!

After our tour, we'll share a potluck supper and fellowship over at the rectory. Please sign up to bring one of the following by leaving a comment here or by emailing NWOKYAM@gmail.com.

Sign Up List

main dish
main dish
vegetable
salad
bread
dessert
dessert

Please be watching your mail and email for RSVP instructions. As always, babysitting will be provided in Kennedy Hall upon advance notice.

No August Activity

Just wanted to drop a quick line to make sure everyone knows that we are NOT going to be having an activity this month. We'll be getting back together on Saturday, September 19th at the rectory. Check back in a couple of weeks for information on that.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Pool Party Pics

The weather was perfect. The burgers were missing their cheese but otherwise fabulous. The hot dogs hit the spot. And so did Phil!

The guys took turns acting like boys on the diving board and the slides. A couple of us girls were quite childish as well on the slides but there is a benefit to being the one behind the camera!

We had a great time and just wish that more of our group could have been there with us. We missed all those that couldn't make it. We did, however, welcome a new member. We enjoyed getting to know Veronica and hope to see her again soon. Here is the only picture she'd let me take of her (top).

Splish Splash We're Having a Bash!

We'll be getting together for burgers and hot dogs on July 18th at Boiling Springs pool. Swimming is optional but laughter and fun are not.

Date: Saturday, July 18th

Time: 6pm to 8:30pm

Cost: $8 per person

Locations: Boiling Springs State Park (pool)

Directions: 1 mile N of Oklahoma Ave. on Hwy 34 (9th street), then 4 miles E on Hwy 34C

No need to bring anything as all will be provided for the low cost of $8 per person to cover the food and pool fee. Babysitting will be provided at Kennedy Hall from 5:30pm to 8:45pm upon advance notice.

We hope to see you there. Postcards have gone out so please be looking for RSVP information in the mail. If you do not receive a postcard and would like to join us, please leave a comment here.

Reticular What?

As I'm thinking over what a great time we had Saturday night with Father Boeckman and Christopher the seminarian, I keep coming back to this new word/phrase that Father turned us onto. The problem is that I just can't remember the other 2 words!

While I can't quite remember how the words go, I still remember the meaning. Father and Christopher shared their vocations with us and reminded us of the importance of being on the look out for men with a talent for priesthood. They made us think about encouraging our own sons and nephews to follow their calling and to see the honor in having a child grow up and become a priest. I personally want my children to find the fullness in life that Father described and would welcome whatever that may be for them.

Okay, back to reticular whatever it is. If you were in mass on Sunday, you already heard this...three times now if you were at dinner Saturday. Father explained it this way. If you get a new car (say a red Toyota Corolla), you will begin to see that same type of car everywhere you go when you never noticed them before. I can vouch for that. We've been talking about and saving for a Honda Odyssey mini van for a year and I can't go anywhere without seeing them now...white ones! I look at them and try to imagine myself in one and try to imagine that I'll still look cool...mini vans are cool right???

Anyway, the point is Father (and the Pope of course) hopes that we'll start to see potential priests in our lives and in our parishes. From now until June 19th next year, we'll be observing the Year of the Priest and should use this time to pray for and encourage vocations to the priesthood as well as prayers for our already ordained priests and seminarians. With time, this may become a habit for you or reticular you know what at least.

Did I mention what a great time we had Saturday night by the way? We had a wonderful turn out and a delicious meal followed by great conversation. Father shared with us his path to becoming a priest and really shed some light on a way of living that is so "counter culture" to our society. If you couldn't make it Saturday, I'd really encourage you to take Father up on his offer to share his vocation. It is very interesting and he has some funny stories about meeting the Pope and even does a killer impression of Archbishop Beltran.



Thanks, Father B! Keep the pope...I'm mean Hope Alive!

Hello from the Seminarian

I just want to introduce myself. My name is Christopher Brashears. I am very happy to be here in Northwestern Oklahoma serving the Church and all its people. I am a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. I have just finished my first year of philosophy at Conception Seminary College in the far Northwest corner of Missouri. I am classified now as a Pre-Theology II student, meaning that I already have a degree from college and am getting ready to start my second year of philosophy. As long as God wills that I continue, I will have four years of theology after I finish this next year.
I know that I couldn't have chosen this path for myself. I openly refused it when I was younger. But since the first day that I arrived at Conception, I have known that there is no other place that I am supposed to be right now. I will and do daily pray for you all, please pray for me. And thank you for inviting me into your community.


View Conception Seminary College in a larger map
I have included this map of Conception. You can click on the icons for a little description. You can also use it just like a google map by click on the arrows and all the white tabs.

Dinner with Fr. Boeckman

The Pope has declared June 19th, 2009 through June 19, 2010 "The Year of the Priest". For our June activity, we'll be celebrating this declaration with a barbecue dinner at the rectory. Father Boeckman will be sharing the story of his vocation and we'll get a chance to meet the seminarian who will be spending the summer here at St. Peter's.

This will be a wonderful opportunity to find out how priests become priests and how they live etc... Bring your questions!

We'll be meeting at 6pm until 8:30pm at the rectory. Babysitting will be provided at Kennedy Hall but we do appreciate advance notice so we can be sure to have enough hands to take good care of our kids.

Here is a list of food items we need. Please let me know if you are able to provide any of the remaining items on the list.

- Pork ribs (Cari)
- Pulled pork (Lauren)
- Other BBQ meat
- Baked beans
- Potato salad (Kenny)
- Cole slaw
- Texas toast (Kenny)
- Dessert
- Dessert

If you are on our email list, you'll be receiving an email with RSVP information soon. If you know anyone that has not joined our fun, please encourage them to come as well. All young adults are welcome!

Night Out at Charlie's

Looks like everyone had a nice time at Charlie's in May. We had a great turn out and welcomed some first-timers too. Here are some pictures courtesy of Ann.

Our next get together will be Saturday, June 20th at the rectory with Fr. Boeckman. Check back later in the week for more details. Hope to see you all there!

Notre Dame Scandal

Many of you may be following the situation involving Notre Dame and President Obama. As May 17th approaches it is almost certain that Notre Dame (a catholic college) will present President Obama (firmly pro choice/pro abortion) with an honorary degree.

Many are outraged about this but are now being called upon to pray rather than protest. Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society, has suggested that we pray for the graduating seniors, Notre Dame and the renewal of faithful Catholic higher education in our country.

In the same spirit, Fr. John Corapi has taped the following message about what the scandal means for our faith and the importance to continue the fight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X89_XLYbpxU

Visit http://www.notredamescandal.com/ for more details, ongoing updates and to view the video if you are unable to here.

Saturday Night Out in Gage

Meet us at Charlie's Bar & Grill in Gage for a fun, relaxing night out and a chance to cut up with other young adult Catholics on Saturday, May 16th at 6pm.

Charlie's is a bar and a grill. They serve burgers, steaks and I think he said chicken among other things so plan on eating dinner there.

518 N Main St

Gage, OK 73843

(580) 923-7717

Meet up time is set for 6pm at Charlie's so just go straight there unless you need childcare. For those needing childcare, drop off will be at Kennedy Hall at 5:30pm and pick up will be at or before 9pm. If you need babysitting, please provide advanced notice so that we can make arrangements.

RSVP's are highly recommended. The manager requested that we call him the Wednesday before so he can make sure and order enough steaks if that is what we want. He also said he'd set up a special area for us if we wanted.

Please be looking for a postcard in the mail and/or an email with RSVP info.

Churches Prep for Virus

I was doing my usual scanning of the headlines this morning when I had to do a double take. You can imagine my momentary confusion when I thought I saw a picture of my old priest modeling bottles of hand sanitizer in the Saturday Oklahoman. So, I flipped back and sure enough it is Rev. Rick Stansberry of Oklahoma City. His parishioners will find hand sanitizer at every pew when they come to mass tomorrow. He said, "It's probably overkill, but I think things like that make people feel better."

The article headlined Preachers, teachers prepare for virus outlines steps being taken by churches in Oklahoma City (of several denominations) and schools as well. While the schools are prepared to close...even if they have heard of a single illness, the churches seem prepared to stay open and continue services. However, they are stressing that "consideration for others is crucial". They are urging people NOT to drink from the common cup if they feel ill and for people administering communion to wash their hands. They are also urging people to stay home if they feel sick. Shouldn't we always use this caution?

After calling my mother-in-law to share a quick laugh (Fr. Rick married us and will marry my husband's brother this summer), I started to think about what preparations we are making around our town if any to prevent or at least lessen the spread of this "pandemic" virus. Or, are we all just caught up in the fear mongering? Either way, it is always best to use good judgement any time we are ourselves sick or could be in contact with germs:

- WASH your hands and use sanitizer during cold/flu seasons,
- STAY HOME when you are sick -- you have a moral obligation to take care of yourself and not infect others,
-COVER your mouth and nose when you sneeze -- with a tissue not your hand,
-AVOID close contact with people you know are sick -- obviously this does not apply to your children (sorry).

Be well!

May Get Together

Just a little reminder that our May gathering is coming up on May 16th. As always, that is the 3rd Saturday so "Save the Date"!

We've got a few phone calls to make before we reveal the destination but plan on a fun night out and something a little different than our usual.

Have a great weekend!

Half Marathon

Just got back from participating in the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Marathon. It began Sunday at 6:30 am in downtown Oklahoma City, at the location of the 1995 bombing. The picture is of 12 family members and myself. Some of us ran, most of us walked the Half-Marathon (13.1 miles). This is my fourth year to participate. (Two years I have jogged, two I have walked.) We joined 15-20 thousand others. Being around that many people in a common pursuit is an incredible thing. The spirit is one of we are all in this thing together. It is fun to be part of something bigger than yourself.

A Whole New World

Each generation is called upon to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to all. And each generation must use the mediums that are at hand. So, I am very pleased to see that the Young Adult Group has started this blog. I hope it will prove to be a good way to share information, but more important than that, a way that we can stay connected and help remind one another that we are never really alone, that through Christ, we are all part of the same family. Fr. B

Bowling Night

The group had a great time in April at the bowling alley here in Woodward. Some of us had not been there in years and others never so we decided it would be fun to go check things out.

In attendance were Jarred and Anna Barnes and Tom and Cari Earley (myself). Somehow we managed to NOT get a group shot so here you go.

We agreed the chili dogs were delicious and definitely worth the calories... besides we planned on working it off while bowling right?


I will keep the actual scores a secret as not to embarrass anyone but I will say that I dominated the first round until Tom came back and stole it from me by 5 points...has he not learned anything yet as a husband? I think it is an unspoken rule that you should let your wife win (at least it should be). Maybe he was just being nice all the way to the end but just couldn't control his ego enough to let me beat him...hmm


Anna and Jarred brought it in the 2nd game!!! Where were they hiding those skills?

By the way she's grinning, this must have been after Anna bowled her 2nd or 3rd strike.
Here's Jarred showing us how it's done.

We all agreed that there were really no losers that night. We all had a blast and felt like winners and enjoyed the chance to get out and cut loose. We look forward to mixing in some more social nights out into our schedule of Young Adult activities as well. So, keep the 3rd Saturday of the month free and be ready to join us next time.