Posted by Sue Vogelman
On November 21, 2010 Trinity welcomed four youth into their Journey to Adulthood through the Rite 13 Ceremony.
The Rite-13 curriculum assists young people as they take the first steps of passage away from their families and into their own lives. It begins with a liturgical celebration of the gift of womanhood and manhood that each child celebrates around their 13th birthday. During the next two years, the community acknowledges the gift of gender, celebrates the amazing creative power and potential of these young people, and creates a safe haven to explore new ideas, new interests and new abilities.
“Nothing Goes Without Saying”
How often do we think things like, “She knows I love her – it goes without saying” or “He knows how much I appreciate all his hard work – it goes without saying”?
Words can be a powerful affirmation, and the absence of the right words can leave a void that really hurts. The truth is, very little goes without saying, and the important things should NEVER go without saying. There are things we know, but sometimes we still need to hear them loud and clear.
We have a chance to say some important things to some of our 6th and 7th Graders as they arrive at the milestone of their thirteenth birthday. A few times a year, we celebrate an important rite of passage called “Rite-13” or “The Celebration of Manhood and Womanhood” with our teenagers.
This ceremony gives us a way of saying to our young people things we have meant to convey all along – things like: “We stand with you as you make your way on the journey; we’re here if you need us; we think you are terrific; we love you.” We often assume that our teens feel appreciated and accepted as a vital part of our parish, but adolescence can be such a time of uncertainty, and some things just can’t be said often enough.
Please keep these teens and their families in your prayers as they participate in this significant event in their lives.
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