Totus Tuus program brings Catholic teachings, faith to youth of diocese

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
August 9, 2007

Over 1,000 students throughout the Diocese of Sioux City attended the Totus Tuus program this summer.

Totus Tuus (Totally Yours) is a fun and energetic parish-based summer catechetical program for both grade school age children and junior and senior high school youth. This is the second year the program has been offered in the diocese.

"I have heard really good things," said Mark Thomason, director of catechesis, evangelization and RCIA for the diocese. "I have heard stories about kids telling parents they want to go to church again and parents getting excited about it again."

Totus Tuus was offered during seven weeks at 13 sites in the diocese including Blessed Sacrament, Immaculate Conception and Nativity in Sioux City, St. Michael in Kingsley, St. Joseph in Milford, Holy Name in Marcus, Holy Spirit in Carroll, Immaculate Conception in Cherokee, Sacred Heart in Spencer, Holy Family in Emmetsburg, St. Joseph in Wall Lake, Holy Trinity of Webster County in Fort Dodge, St. John in Onawa and St. Mary in Larchwood.

Thomason noted that because of the curriculum and depth of Totus Tuus "students get a lot out of it. Because of that you can see the fruits of it. There is already an instant knowing and consciousness of kids, parents and teachers. There is something different about it. It is really good."

He added that the diocese plans to continue the program in the future.

"If you go to Totus Tuus every year, grade school through high school, you will have a new perspective every year," said Thomason. "It is proven that it increases numbers of seminarians and religious vocations."

The two teams of Totus Tuus teachers included Joan Cinotto, Brian Feller, Kyle Fettig, Andrea Jenson, Justin McCarty, Alicia Morris, Junior Nwobodo and Sarah Stodden. Pat Behm was a two-week substitute.

Feller, a team leader from St. Andrew Parish in Sibley, decided to participate this summer because "I have received so much from God in my life through our diocese. I wanted to give back to the Diocese of Sioux City."

"I gained the satisfaction of helping others - seeing their joy and peace in encountering our Lord," said Feller. "I have learned a lot about myself. It has played a part in discerning my life's vocation and deepening my relationship with God."

Jenson, a parishioner from Resurrection of Our Lord Parish in Pocahontas, helped as a teacher as well as being the music leader for her team. In the past she has helped with Camp CAYOCA, Search and Discover retreats and CLI and wanted to participate in the new program that the diocese is offering. As a Morningside College student, she also received internship credit for being part of the program.

Alicia Morse from St. John's in Bancroft decided to participate in the Diocese of Sioux City after hearing about a friend's experience of Totus Tuus in another diocese. She will be a junior at Iowa State in the fall.

"I had been told that it would help me grow a lot. I love teaching so I thought it would be fun. I love my faith," said Morse.

The team served for a week in each parish by putting on a program Sunday through Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for junior and senior high school youth. The team also presented a grade school program (grades 1-6) that runs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

"A lot of the people go through the motions and don't really understand what the church believes. This program really gets down to the basics and teaches from the Bible and from the catechism, so it teaches exactly what the church believes," said Jenson.

During the evening session for the youth, the goal was to put the youth in contact with the Lord so that they could develop a deep personal relationship with him.

"Working with the high schoolers at night was one of my favorite things," said Morse. "You got to step up the difficulty of what you were talking about and get a little deeper."

There was a night of Adoration and the opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation, catechetical instruction on topics important to young people and a night of fellowship with the team members.

"I learned so much from teaching. There is so much about the church that I think we take for granted. To actually be teaching it and answering questions from middle school or high school students really helped me to grow and be more confident in what I believe," said Jenson.

The day session for the grade school students was spent on catechetical instruction, songs, games, daily Mass, the opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation, lunch, recess and more. The focus was on imparting an understanding and love of the Eucharist, devotion to Mary, catechetical instruction, vocational discernment and providing an enjoyable experience.

Morse enjoyed "seeing the faces of the little children, their love for God and their excitement for learning about the sacraments. It gives you a whole new perspective on the faith and how amazing and exciting it is."

"Totus Tuus is an excellent opportunity for the people of our diocese to have a Christ-centered catechesis program provided by the church," said Feller. "It hits the core of our Catholic faith. It takes us straight to the Eucharist - the source and summit of our faith. It is so important because it is centered on God and God's church."

Feller mentioned that participating in Totus Tuus was two of the best months of his life. He thanked all the people who welcomed him and his fellow teachers into their homes. He encourages other college students to consider participating in the future.

"Staying with the host families was one of my favorite parts of the experience because we got to meet so many interesting people," said Jenson.

Thomason mentioned that a few parishes have already signed up to host Totus Tuus next year. Other parishes interested in hosting can contact Thomason at the Chancery in Sioux City or check out Totus Tuus on the Diocese of Sioux City Web site at www.scdiocese.org.