We've had a lot of events in the last few months! All pictures are in "thumbnail" format, so just click on any one to bring up the full, bigger image.
More than 50 high school teens attended Peer Ministry II February 22-24, 2008 at the Miami Youth Center
7th and 8th graders from throughout the Archdiocese of Miami gathered February 16 & 17, 2008, at the Miami Youth Center for Kerygma. A closing liturgy was celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estevez Sunday morning.
Almost 20 youth and young adult teams participated in Hoop Heaven XI on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at Chaminade/Madonna High School. The first four photos show the teams competing in a 3-game series leading to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and then finals. In the fifth photo, St. Timothy, last year's winner, holds the 2nd place trophy. First place for Youth was won by Our Lady Queen of Heaven, sixth photo from left. That church also won first place in the Young Adult Division, far right.
Almost a dozen teens from St. Gregory, St. Augustine, St. Joachim, and Our Lady of Lourdes traveled to Columbus, Ohio for the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). More than 20,000 Catholic high school teens from all 50 states attended three days of workshops, liturgies, concerts, and games. Included in the photos above are the five teens who joined the special Encuentro track for Hispanic youth and Bishop Felipe Estévez, who spoke at the Encuentro and also celebrated a private liturgy for the Archdiocese of Miami group. Steve Angrisano, general emcee for the weekend Nov. 8-10, 2007, is pictured on the first row, seventh from left. The group also stayed an extra day Sunday, Nov. 11, to do some sightseeing in the city.
More than 500 teens from all over the Archdiocese of Miami gathered Saturday, October 6, 2007 for Built on Rock, a youth conference that kicked off a year of events celebrating the Golden Jubilee Anniversary of the Archdiocese of Miami. Guest speakers, teen skits, talent shows, and concerts all rounded out the day at Pace High School in Miami. Archbishop John Clement Favalora celebrated a trilingual closing mass with several concelebrating priests.
Top row, left to right: Wheelchair races at St. Elizabeth Gardens as the teens cheer up the elderly; bingo games at St. Elizabeth Gardens; teens spruce up the parking garage at Providence Place; youth sort 5,500 pounds of food at Daily Bread Food Bank; group shot at DBFB; during a break teens play football at Madonna Retreat Center, all during Youth Enjoying Service (Y.E.S.!) June 6-10, 2007
Bottom row, left to right: Paula Tibbetts of Covenant House speaks to teens; Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estevez offers a reflection on the Eucharist during an evening prayer; Sister Karina Conrad leads the teens in a special meditation in the chapel; 2007 Y.E.S.! teens and adults; Rev. Vivian Loughrey, visiting from Ireland, proclaims the gospel at the closing Y.E.S.! liturgy
From left to right: Two small groups meet during Peer Ministry II, February 23-25, 2007 at Miami Youth Center; the whole group with adult leaders; one of many skits performed by the teens during the workshop weekend; some time for prayer by the Reflections Pool; teens who completed both weekends of Peer Ministry proudly display their certificates
Dozens of middle school teens gathered at Madonna Pastoral Center Feb. 17 & 18, 2007, for the annual Kerygma retreat. They gathered in small groups and listened to high school teen speakers. The two priests pictured are Rev. Vivian Loughrey of Ireland (in black), who talked about the sacrament of reconciliation, and Rev. John Madigan of St. Philip Neri, who celebrated the closing liturgy
Top left, St. Timothy poses after winning first place in the tenth annual basketball tournament, Hoop Heaven, held November 18, 2006 at Chaminade/Madonna High School in Hollywood. Runner-up Holy Family, top right, took the second place trophy.
Teens from several different parishes learned about leadership in Peer Ministry Part 1, held November 3 to 5, 2006, at the Miami Youth Center.
About 250 teens attended a special Youth Day Saturday, October 28, 2006 at
the Miami Youth Center. Top row: Good Shepherd's band leads the
crowd in praise and worship; Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estévez offers
encouragement and a blessing; the crowd listens intently; Janelle Garcia gets
help from Susie and Katie in Holy Aerobics to get the crowd warmed up.
Middle row: St. Agatha performs a skit; Paul Otero gives keynote; teens
break into small groups for reflection; St. James puts on a nationally famous
gospel presentation.
Eighteen teens participated in the Youth Enjoying Service (YES!) program May 31 to June 4 at Madonna Pastoral Center. The teens visited the elderly at St. Elizabeth Gardens in Pompano Beach, helped clean up a soup kitchen for Community Development Organization in Oakland Park, and sorted more than four tons of donated food at Daily Bread Food Bank in Lauderdale Lakes. They also cooked their own meals, cleaned their own dishes, and led prayer services.
Once again a few dozen teens attended Peer Ministry II, held February 24-26, 2006, at the Miami Youth Center. Several received certificates in peer ministry after having successfully completed both weekends of training
Many middle school teens attended their first retreat at Kerygma, February 18 and 19, 2006, at the Miami Youth Center
Dozens of teens attended Peer Ministry I November 18-20 at the Miami Youth Center. At left, first photo, Sister Ondina Cortés, Director of the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry, stands next to Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estevez
Several teens from St. Gregory in Plantation and St. John Neumann in Miami joined Sister Ondina Cortés and tens of thousands of teens across the U.S. for the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) held October 27-29 in Atlanta, Georgia
More than 200 teens from various youth groups gathered at St. Bartholomew Church, Miramar, for the Mini-Olympics Youth Day on October 8. Top row, from left to right: Teens compete in three-legged race; girls attempt to finish the Plank Relay in the shortest possible amount of time; youths have fun with the Tug of War; Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estevez addresses the youths in the Parish Hall; third-place trophy winner All Saints, Sunrise; second-place trophy winner Visitation, Miami. Bottom row, from left: First-place trophy winner Holy Family, Miami; Rev. Jesus Bohórquez speaks to teens at the closing mass; members of St. Maximilian Kolbe Life Teen Band (two photos); Cathedral of St. Mary and Holy Family join for a meditation communion hymn in Creole.
Several teens attended the 2005 Y.E.S.! (Youth Enjoying Service) program July 6 to 10 at the Madonna Pastoral Center
Dozens of teens attended the Broward Eucharistic Celebration: We Come To Worship! on Saturday, May 23, at St. Andrew Church in Coral Springs. The two photos on the left show the teens on their feet as Cefas Ministries did a bilingual praise and worship concert. On the two right photos, teens worship silently during the Eucharistic Adoration in the church, where Rev. Mathew Thundathil elevated the host and the Lifeteen Band provided solemn worship music. Rev. Paul Kane (not pictured) delivered a keynote address earlier.
Teens gather in a prayer circle at the 6th Volleyball Tournament held Saturday, May 7, 2005 at Forzano Park in Miramar
St. Maurice of Fort Lauderdale and St. Catherine of Siena from Miami compete in one of several games played in this archdiocesan sports tournament
A St. Catherine of Siena player reaches for the ball as Prince of Peace prepares to return it
2005 Youth Division Champions Prince of Peace from Miami stand in the rear, while runner up St. John the Apostle from Hialeah sits in front (orange shirts)
At the Miami Eucharistic Celebration "We Come To Worship Him": Archbishop Favalora addresses the teens as emcee Chris Wills looks on; 1Body and Creation got the teens on their feet with praise and worship music; Rev. Michael Carruthers gave a keynote on the Eucharist; a special adoration and outdoor procession ended at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity April 23, 2005
Several teens attended the Peer Ministry II training workshop February 25-27 at the Miami Youth Center
Some teens share a hug and a laugh during the Peer Ministry weekend
Several dozen middle school teens attended the Kerygma retreat February 19
and 20 at the Madonna Retreat Center in Hollywood. Front row, from left to
right: Sister Ondina Cortés, Director; Julia Suárez, Miami-Dade/Monroe
Coordinator; Blanqui Martínez, Administrator; and Francis McGill, Broward
Coordinator.
The 2005 Kerygma team. Back row: Julia Suárez, Francisco Dueñas, Amanda Fox, Kujo Kiernan, Earl Azille. Front row: Martha López, Gabby Martínez, Francis McGill
Throughout the weekend the teens performed and viewed skits, held small discussions on topics such as family and friends, and used Scripture readings to learn more about their faith
Rev. Andrew Chan-A-Sue of Blessed Trinity celebrated the closing liturgy for Kerygma at Madonna
Teens from several parishes pause to pray before beginning Hoop Heaven IX,
the ninth annual basketball tournament held December 4 at Chaminade-Madonna High
School in Hollywood
First-time participants St. Juliana of the Diocese of Palm Beach won first place at this year's Hoop Heaven (leader Sister Olga Villar is in the center)
This year's runner up in second place was Visitation of Miami (leader Lester Kelly is at far left)
International Christian contemporary musician/speaker Sal Solo
delivers a keynote address at the Archdiocesan Youth Conference: You Have
A Call on Saturday, October 9, 2004 at Southwest Miami Senior High School in
Miami
Sara Torres, a contemporary Catholic singer from Miami, sang in both Spanish and English to the multicultural teens in attendance
Felicito Rodríguez portrayed a young man hooked on alcohol, who had not yet realized that God was calling him to turn away from sin in a skit based on The Matrix and the character of Neo
Three guests appeared on a panel to explain to the teens how God called each of them to build the kingdom of God through their careers or vocations. From left to right: Romney Behnam, firefighter; Vivian del Valle, school teacher; and Rev. Pedro Corces, priest and Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Miami
Rev. José Alvarez from St. John Vianney Seminary celebrated the closing liturgy, which featured music and multimedia images from Sal Solo's Anno Domini Mass
Some youth groups created banners noting the gifts that they bring to the Church and the ministry. The banners were brought to the altar during the procession of the Offertory and placed in front
Leo Penagos and Rebecca Louisdor served as emcees throughout the eight-hour Archdiocesan Youth Conference
From left to right: Arturo Caballero, Sound Assistant; Francis McGill, Conference Coordinator; Sister Ondina Cortés, Director of Youth Ministry; Sara Torres; Sal Solo
Sister Olga Villar, rmi, leads one of the workshops for adult youth ministers at Light for the Journey II: Illuminating the Vision of Catholic Youth Ministry, the second biennial statewide youth ministers conference that was held October 22-24, 2004 in Orlando and was sponsored by the Florida Catholic Conference of Diocesan Directors of Youth Ministry
Almost two dozen youth ministers from the Archdiocese of Miami attended the statewide conference in Orlando
Ines González-Llanos tutors a student at the Miami Rescue Mission Tuesday, June 22, during the 2004 YES! (Youth Enjoying Service) retreat program
At St. Elizabeth Gardens in Pompano Beach on Wednesday, June 23, Mariela Benítez patiently helps a senior citizen with some beads in an arts and crafts project
Mike Bourgault has his hands full as he plays with happy, excited migrant children at Centro Campesino in Florida City on Thursday, June 24
Ed Joseph, Jr., left, and Julia Suárez concentrate on painting a new home in Davie on Friday, June 25, as they volunteer with nationally known Habitat for Humanity
María González-Llanos and David Hernández help sort donated food on Saturday,
June 26 at the Daily Bread Food Bank in Miami
Victor Acosta proclaims a reading at a mass celebrated by Rev. Mark Reeves on Sunday, June 27, at Madonna Retreat Center in Hollywood
The entire YES! 2004 group poses in the chapel. Back row, from left:
Julia Suárez, Tere Gallarreta, Michekaard Lafontant, Brandon Bach, Clélia Douyon,
Francis McGill, David Hernández, Mike Bourgault, Ed Joseph, Rhonda Gonsalves,
Earl Azille, Nick Fagnoni. Front row, from left: María González-Llanos,
Kathy Sousa, Andrea Duran, Rafael Taveras, Zaydee Roman, Mariela Benítez, María
Garavito, Jason DiCastro
A few hundred teens took turns carrying the cross along a seven-mile route paralleling US 1 in Miami during the 2nd Annual Way to the Cross April 3, 2004. After opening mass at St. Augustine Church, the teens made the pilgrimage, stopping at 14 stations to pray, meditate, and sing, before arriving at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity for Benediction with Rev. Espino.
Young adults and teens from the Archdiocese of Miami attended a special conference for youth and young adults at St. Thomas University Saturday, March 6, 2004, featuring Bishop Felipe Estévez (second from left, above), eucharistic adoration, and Rev. Stan Fortuna as the keynote speaker.
Several proud teens hold their certificates in Peer Ministry. Those who had attended Part I in the fall as well as Part II this time were certified as peer ministers in the Archdiocese of Miami
More than fifty teens attended Peer Ministry Part II training on
February 27-29, 2004 at the Miami Youth Center
The teens listened to various presentations from young adults, many
of whom had attended Peer Ministry when they were teens
Sixty 7th and 8th grade teens attended the Kerygma retreat on February 21 and 22, 2004, at the Miami Youth Center, along with a dozen high school and adult team leaders
Humorous skits helped the middle school teens laugh as they learned
about friendship, family, and morality, among other topics, during the Kerygma
weekend
Teens formed small groups and created posters for their groups,
such as the two examples on the left
Throughout the weekend the youth discussed topics such as family and friendship on the peaceful grounds of the Miami Youth Center, such as the Moon Temple, shown here
The teens play a special plunger dolly race game under the blue tent during some free time on the retreat
Rhonda Gonsalves leads the adolescents in a special sung grace before meals as team member Bobby Espinoza holds up a poster with the words
Seven different groups created their own humorous skits on family situations and then presented them to the rest of the retreat participants
The team, top row from left: Brandon Bach, Kujo Kiernan, Bobby Espinoza, Francis McGill, Earl Azille, José Victoria, Andrew González. Front: Julia Suárez, Rhonda Gonsalves, Aracelys Bonachea, Anabel Martínez
Eddy Alvarez proclaims the second reading during the closing liturgy at Kerygma, with almost 200 teens and family members in attendance
Rev. Pedro Corces, Director of the Office of Vocations, proclaims the gospel for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Teens and their families fill up the room during the closing liturgy
for Kerygma at the Miami Youth Center
About two dozen teens from the Archdiocese of Miami joined up with more than 24,000 teens in Houston for the 2003 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC)
The huge crowd attended several events in Reliant Stadium in Houston November 13 through 16
Tens of thousands of teens from all over the USA attended the closing liturgy Sunday, November 16, at Reliant Stadium
Sister Ondina Cortés, Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of Miami, smiles at left along with the group of teens at the 2003 NCYC
This year's Youth Day celebration had a nautical theme as the banner
shows: "M/S Son Cruise" Several hundred teens gathered at the Miami Youth
Center Sunday, October 26, 2003
The day began with different parishes competing in Mini Olympics, including Dizzy Diamond, Plank Relay, Holy Drum, Obstacle Course, Fifty-Yard Relay, Fisherman's Net, Swedish Softball, and of course this favorite at right, Tug of War
Several groups participated in a Talent Show at lunch; at left, Emmanuel and Christopher along with another teen represent St. Martha in Miami with a song they wrote themselves, "Youth Crusaders."
Many teens lined up to try Sumo Wrestling; at right, from St. Andrew in Coral Springs, Kujo and Dale square off against each other
After lunch the teens visited several parish booths that featured games of chance, face painting, and card games. St. Edward of Pembroke Pines sponsored the Bean Bag Toss, shown at left
A special youth liturgy was held under the blue tent at the Miami Youth Center in a trilingual liturgy that featured English, Spanish, and Creole. At left, Regina of Holy Family proclaims the first reading in Creole
Retired Bishop Augustin Román celebrated the mass for the youth, with Rev. Jaime Acevedo of St. Louis in Pinecrest concelebrating and delivering a bilingual homily in English and Spanish
Covenant from St. Louis provided lively contemporary music throughout the liturgy under the leadership of director Scott Kaldahl
The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry honored several youth ministers who have five or more years of service; at left, Patrick Selby of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church receives a pin from Sister Ondina Cortés, Director
Julia Suárez, Miami-Dade/Monroe Coordinator, organized Youth Day and introduces one of the teens responsible for the morning's Mini Olympics
Peer Ministry I was held October 3-5, 2003 at the Miami Youth Center in Miami
More than 40 teens from Miami-Dade and Broward counties listened to speakers and engaged in activities to learn how to minister to other teens
The teen participants and the leaders gather for a group picture
Rev. Juan Carlos Paguaga celebrated the closing mass in the chapel at the Miami Youth Center
Fifteen high school teens on the YES! (Youth Enjoying Service) retreat
surround Esther, their Braille teacher and guide at the Lighthouse for the
Blind in Miami, where the teens helped out for a day
The teens had an opportunity to visit with the mentally challenged at the Marian Center, where they assisted with assembling headsets for an airline company
Barbara Groeber spoke to the YES! teens at the Respect Life Office on June 18. The teens brought supplies for expectant mothers with them and donated them to the office
All of the teens cooked their own meals and cleaned up afterwards during the week, splitting up into teams and taking turns. This team shows a special YES salad for dinner
At St. Elizabeth Gardens in Pompano Beach, the teens got the senior citizens up on their feet dancing and clapping to music
Several senior citizens joined with the teens in a huge conga line that went around the room at St. Elizabeth Gardens
Moving heavy objects between classrooms was the challenge of the day at St. Francis Xavier Church in Overtown June 20
Rev. Andrew Chan-A-Sue celebrated the closing liturgy on Sunday, June 22, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
Families of the teens on the YES! retreat also attended the closing liturgy in the beautiful chapel at Madonna
The YES! 2003 teens pose with leaders Francis McGill (back row, left), Julia Suárez (front row, left) and chaperone Rhonda Gonsalves (back row, right)
Hundreds of teens gather at one of the 14 stations on the Way to
the Cross Saturday, April 12, 2003 in Miami
Youth from Holy Redeemer Church read the meditati
on for one of the stations with assistance from a young adult from
St. Augustine Church
St. Philip Neri teens read prayers for another of the stations
The pilgrimage Saturday covered seven miles as the teens began walki
ng at St. Augustine Church in Coral Gables and finished at the Shrine
of Our Lady of Charity in Miami
The teens walked along US 1 for most of the stations, where many
cars honked in support, and also crossed over the road on the overpass
Sound of Life from St. Brendan's supplied the music for the afternoon
liturgy 
Bishop Thomas G. Wenski celebrated the closing liturgy at Our Lady
of Charity Shrine (La Ermita de la Caridad), where teens proclaimed the reading,
psalm, and intentions for the Prayer of the Faithful
Bishop Wenski led the congregation in an outdoor Procession with the
Holy Eucharist at the end of the mass
Teens listen during the Peer Ministry II weekend held April 4 to
6 at the Miami Youth Center
The teens learned about leadership skills and ways to share their faith
with other teens 
