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Totus Tuus





WHAT IS TOTUS TUUS?

"Totus Tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt." Thus begins the episcopal motto of the late Holy Father, John Paul II: "I am totally yours, and all that I have is yours." With these words, John Paul II inspired and continues to inspire men and women from all over the world to entrust their lives completely to Jesus Christ through the Virgin Mary. Mary's total devotion to the will of the Father is the model for Totus Tuus, as it seeks to respond to John Paul II's urgent call for a "New Evangelization." We hope to instill these virtues in the young people.

The Mission of Totus Tuus is to inspire in young people a true longing for holiness, a deep desire for conversion, and a personal renewal within the context of a stronger prayer life. Through evangelization and catechesis, Totus Tuus seeks to foster openness to the sacrifices and blessings of the various Christian vocations.

The methodology, structure, content, and enthusiasm of Totus Tuus is concerned not only with teaching the faith, but also igniting the hearts of the team members and young people. The result has been the formation of young adults who continue to dedicate themselves to the Church's mission of evangelization.

Totus Tuus seeks to foster openness to vocations in the young people we serve as well as among the teachers. This is accomplished by placing special emphasis on the importance and necessity of prayer, Eucharistic devotion, and Marian devotion, in addition to catechetical instruction and formation in the Catholic faith.


The Five Pillars of Totus Tuus

1) The Eucharist has pride of place in the Totus Tuus schedule, for both team members and participants. Prayer-the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, the Angelus, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament-provides the structure, but the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the "source and summit" of the daily schedule.

2) Totus Tuus catechists and counselors will lead the young people to Jesus for a week; however, Mary will lead them to Jesus for a lifetime. Therefore, Totus Tuus promotes Marian devotion. Meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, we come to see how Mary always leads us to her Son. Praying with her and to her, we hear her say to us, "Do whatever He tells you" (John 2:5).

3) An authentic catechesis, rooted in an orderly and systematic explanation of God's revelation of Himself through the person of Jesus Christ, provides the foundation of the program's teaching. Totus Tuus instructs young people in the basic tenets of the Catholic faith to cultivate both a firm intellectual grounding and a solid relationship with Jesus. All of our teaching aims to help young people grow in the understanding of, strengthen their faith in, and, most importantly, develop an intimate friendship with Jesus Christ.

4) Totus Tuus strives to foster Christian vocations by encouraging young people to begin discerning God's call in their life to be married, a priest, a religious, or single. College-aged teachers sign a "covenant" in which they promise to be open to and actively discern God's will for them. Because they are striving to live an authentic Christian life and are actively discerning their vocation, they can better help the youth to do the same.

5) Finally, Totus Tuus demonstrates that one can be a faithful Catholic and still have fun. Morning "pump up," silly skits and songs, recess, and water fights at the parish infuse the element of fun in the program.


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