Vision

Our vision is to reach out to young people with the Gospel in a dynamic, radical and accessible way and to enable them to explore various options of nurturing and deepening their Catholic faith.

Our main charism is evangelization, which in fact is also the mission of the whole Church.

As a Catholic Community we work under the authority of the Bishops of Ireland. We have therefore received permission from them to work with young people in Ireland both in the North and the Republic.

As part of our vision to make the Gospel accessible to all young people, we reach out to them both in Secondary Schools and the Parish.

We offer week-long missions and retreat days in the Secondary Schools. We work with the staff and the authorities of each school to design a suitable program from our suggested outlines and topics that would be relevant to the school conditions and needs. We are also open to suggestions and we will be willing to modify the program for the week/day long retreat.

During our time of mission we minister to young people through teaching and preaching, drama, sign language, music, personal testimonies, PowerPoint presentations and video clips, discussions and interaction with the students.

Our aim is to reach all young people of the parish with the Gospel. We also offer youth afternoons/ evenings, retreat days, youth weekends and youth liturgies for Parishes.

Before the Mission

When a request comes for a Parish Mission the Pre-Mission Co-ordinator visits the Parish and offers the Secondary School and the Primary School Mission in conjunction with the Preached Mission. He/she visits the schools, usually with the local priest and briefs the principal and staff on what is entailed.

Details are passed to the Leader of Céilí’s Secondary School Mission Team. About three/six months in advance of the Mission, Céilí’ Team Leader visits the schools to meet with the principal and staff to give further information on how we proceed, and to get details of class numbers, facilities and the general ethos of the school.

A Secondary School Mission may also be booked independently of the Parish Mission, in which case the Leader of the Secondary School Team will visit the school and initiate proceedings.

About one month before the commencement of the Mission detailed timetables are forwarded to the schools and to the RE Coordinators and Chaplains. The schools are requested to inform the parents by letter of the impending Mission and procedures, so that all concerned will be familiar with what will be taking place. Staff prayer is offered each morning and staff members and parents are invited to a weekend youth Mass in the local Church.

Programme

Setting Up

On arrival in the school the Céilí’ team set up equipment and decoratively prepares the room or hall to ensure a welcoming environment for the students on the first morning.

Daily Routine
The team begins the day with the Prayer of the Church – The Divine Office – to implore God’s blessings on their lives and work, the young people in the school, the staff, the parents and the whole parish.
Afterwards staff members gather for an introduction and prayer time with the team.

The team then speaks to different year groups every day and covers themes like Forgiveness, Self-worth, Eucharist & Prayer, Sex & Relationships, Friendship, Who is Jesus? God´s love, Sin & Salvation, Drugs & Alcohol, Bullying and the use of Media. The teachings are very interactive with a time for question and answers and the use of different PowerPoint presentations, dramas, sign language, songs and video clips. There will also be opportunities for confessions during the week.

All these different ways of presenting the Gospel help young people to experience God in a fun and educational way. In addition we also set aside a time of prayer with young people during the retreat day so that they may experience different ways of prayer and scripture meditations.

Youth Mass in the Parish Church, School Hall or Classroom settings:
During the course of the retreat day there will be a time set aside for Mass Practice. Young people will be asked to participate in the youth Mass on the weekends/ School Hall or in the classroom. Students will be leading the music and the liturgy. We see this as the highlight of our special day/week together.

Evaluation

Feedback forms are given out to the staff and students after each day. Results of these give us an indication of highlights and weaknesses and help us to keep up to date with school expectations and to prepare and adapt to changing circumstances and needs.

Available Follow Up

The Mission Team is available for Youth Retreat Days and Youth Weekends for pupils.

What are staff saying after they've had a mission?

What are pupils saying about their school missions?

Bookings

To make an enquiry about booking a mission you need to fill out the booking form available here.

Please feel free to call or email us regarding any query you may have. Details are on the contact page.

Thank you!