It was a Thursday night, and I remember sitting on my bathroom floor weeping, thinking to myself, “I wonder how long it will take them to notice?” I was 16, newly licensed, playing high school basketball and club volleyball, attending agility training twice a week, trying to maintain my grades ..read more

The extreme sacrifice she sealed with her life testifies that only those who have the courage to give of themselves totally to God and others are able to fulfill themselves." Gianna’s situation is perhaps pretty unusual; even so, she has important lessons to teach us. So here are three things to learn from St. Gianna Molla ..read more

I worked in church ministry for a long time, positioning my involvement in proximity to middle school youth ministry. (I have the evidence documented in retreat and camp T-shirts.) I was just close enough to develop a genuine appreciation for the youth ministers and core members but not close enough to commit to a year-round official association with Edge ..read more

The Thrill of the Fall As the leaves begin to change and the weather cools down, we embrace pumpkin spice season once again (!!) and the liturgical calendar carries us to the Solemnity of All Saints and the Memorial of All Souls. It is time to prepare for shorter days ..read more

“Whoever has God lacks nothing: God alone is enough.” Born: March 28, 1515 Died: October 4, 1582 Feast Day: October 15 Patron of headache sufferers and Spanish Catholic writers Background If you heard a teen guy describing a girl as “witty and beautiful, intelligent and charming, funny and deep,” you ..read more

As a former youth minister, I remember how my Edge core team dreaded small group time. At a point, it became such an obvious frustration that I decided to investigate the cause of this hatred by leading the small groups myself. One Edge Night, I donned my “Small Group Leader ..read more

Francis of Assisi had a deep love for God, people, animals, and the environment. Put simply, he saw God in everyone and everything. Above all, he cared for and loved the sick and poor in a way that few others ever have ..read more

Affirmation is one of the Life Teen Core Values. We need to affirm each other, especially those in our life which we couldn’t do ministry without- ie. Our core members ..read more

I always think about how Jesus would react to middle schoolers. Every time they misbehave, I imagine that Jesus would say to them, "You have no idea all that I have done and will continue to do for you." And so I aim to love them just as Christ does ..read more

This raises an important question: how does a teen like Kyle find a way to be committed to sports, academics, and his faith while so many other teens struggle? In Matthew 6:21 Jesus says, "Where your treasure is, there also your heart will be." If our Catholic faith and our relationship with God is something that is truly a treasure in our lives, we then place it at the center of our lives ..read more