Update

Hi, Region IV -
Our region met on March 11 at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Kelso. As I mentioned in my email just prior to the meeting, many of you were unable to attend for a variety of reasons, so it was a very small and informal gathering. We reviewed the revised approach to ACCY, the June 5th gathering, and the ACCY notes I had emailed prior to the meeting. I hope that everyone has been in conversation with their youth and their potential adult volunteer(s) who plan to participate in ACCY. As I mentioned in the meeting, we do have some region funding, so please do not let transportation issues prevent you or your youth from participating - please contact me if you are in need of assistance or ideas on how to make this work.

The June 5 gathering will be held in the Isaac Orr Conference Room at the Chancery at 910 Marion Street. The day will focus on discipleship and servant leadership and serve as an orientation and kick-off for the coming year. Please contact me if you did not receive the email with the attachment about ACCY and I will send it to you, again. Also, if you have any questions concerning any of this, please call or email. I am happy to go through all of this with you.

We also discussed Ascend and Ascend HD - required for diocesan delegates, encouraged for regional ACCY. Again, we have scholarships for youth from our Region and we discussed options for transportation, as well.

CMD Certificate in YM Studies Update: The next weekend of YM Certificate Program is coming up April 24-25. It is not too late to register and it is not too late to avail yourself or a volunteer of a partial or full scholarship to attend - please contact me if you are interested in a scholarship.

Upcoming in our Region: 2010 High School Retreat April 16-18, 2010 at Black Lake Camp and NET Middle School Retreat at St. Edward's in Shelton. Contact Dave Whitesell at dwhitesell@saintmichaelparish.org or Jill Foglesong at jill@wlpcatholic.org for more information about these and other South Sound Deanery Youth Events.

I hope you all have a great weekend and that you have a very blessed Holy Week.

Peace,
Frances

New Movie

Hi, Region IV -
It has been a long time since last I blogged! I have been sick - yuck! I hope you all have been staying healthy and that you have had the opportunity to spend time in reflection during this season of Lent. I am writing with some news of a new movie opening just after Easter. Please see below for more information.

Movie: Letters To God, Release April 9, 2010
Below is a letter from folks involved in the release and promotion of "Letters to God" an inspirational movie to be released in theatres on April 9.

Dear Friends,
It is not often that we see excitement build for a movie the way that we've seen the movie LETTERS TO GOD gain momentum. Unlike most Hollywood movies where the experience of a movie is what's anticipated, we’re finding that many are excited about LETTERS TO GOD because of the anticipation of the hope that the movie stirs inside our hearts.The release of LETTERS TO GOD is less than one month away. April 9th brings this emotionally gripping and spiritually uplifting movie to your neighborhood cinema. The movie chronicles letters written to God by a young boy who struggles with cancer. Please spread the word about the hope found in the movie to your circle of influence. Whether it's telling struggling families whom you know about the movie or blogging about it or emailing your friends, LETTERS TO GOD is a movie that so many suffering families need to hear about.

To access the official movie website, Facebook page or You Tube clips, go to the official website at http://www.letterstogodthemovie.com/

To see the discussion guides and other resources available for use in your parish or study groups you can go to www.worthawarenessmarketing.com.

God calls us to commend the good and this movie advances the good in our world. Please take a moment and spread hope by spreading the word about LETTERS TO GOD.

Thank you and God bless,
Tom Allen, Exec. Producer, Champions of Faith
Ted Baehr, Publisher, Movieguide

Region IV Meeting on Thursday!

Hi,
A quick reminder about our Region IV meeting this Thursday at 10:00 am at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Kelso. We will be discussing regional ACCY and will then open up the conversation for further region business. Please let me know if you have anything you would like to add to the agenda and please RSVP to me as soon as possible, so that we have an accurate count for lunch (yes, we will be serving lunch!) Looking forward to see you all there!

Peace,
Frances

Record Numbers Expected at Rally 2010!

Hello, Region IV!
I am just getting ready to head out the door to what will be our biggest Rally ever (well at least our biggest Rally in my memory/experience!) We will be over 860 people strong today. Exciting!!! If you are coming, don't forget to check out all the great booths in your free time - especially, I want to call your attention to the CYO Outdoor Ministry Photo Booth. This is your chance to have your picture taken with our seaworthy background! :-) Individuals, small groups, your whole group - whatever...we can capture your Rally experience on film with fun beach/diving themed props and backdrop. Cool, huh? We have a great line up of keynotes and an amazing MC, so get ready for an awesome day. Look for me and say, "hi" and I will be looking for all of you.

See you in a few short hours...

Frances

PS - I will be blogging about our upcoming adult meeting soon - in the meantime, PLEASE RSVP to me if you plan to be there or not.