Totus Tuus missionaries, volunteers and participants at Sacred Heart Parish in Newton take a break from outdoor water games earlier this summer.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
During a lesson on the third Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, the Nativity of the Lord, Totus Tuus missionary Madison Meyer asked fifth- and sixth-graders to name their favorite holiday. Some said Easter, others the Fourth of July. Many said Christmas is the holiday they enjoy most. Christmas “is not really about gifts and trees,” the college student from Houghton explained to the youths gathered for Totus Tuus at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. “It’s about love! It’s about God’s love for you!”
Eleven faith communities in the Diocese of Davenport hosted Totus Tuus this summer. Totus Tuus, Latin for “totally yours,” is a weeklong Catholic youth program with an emphasis on sacraments and developing a friendship with Jesus and his mother Mary. A team of college-aged missionaries led a morning program for elementary-aged youths and an evening program for junior high- and high school-age youths. Participants also explored vocations in a broad sense.
Each year’s program emphasizes one of the four mysteries of the rosary. This year, students focused on one Joyful Mystery each day: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation and the Finding in the Temple. Missionaries gave participants a new yarn bracelet (covenant string) each day to help them remember the mysteries.
Evelyn Beals, a first-grader from Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, enjoyed learning about the Joyful Mysteries at the multi-parish session in Davenport. Her brother, Rowan, a fourth-grader, enjoyed the games and activities between classroom sessions.
Totus Tuus participants celebrated Mass each day before lunch. “I think it’s fun to go every day and to receive the body of Christ every day,” said fourth-grader Carter Baird of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport.
A few of last year’s missionaries, including Zulema Peinado of Ottumwa and Krystal Osorio of Mount Pleasant, returned to serve this year. “Serving as a Totus Tuus missionary is not easy and for young adults to ‘give up’ their summer is a big ask,” said Luke Gregory, director of faith formation and senior high youth ministry for Sacred Heart Parish in Newton. Seeing missionaries return for multiple summers “speaks volumes to the program and the impact that the children they serve have on the missionaries themselves,” added Gregory, whose parish was a Totus Tuus site this year.
Volunteers help make each week a success by hosting the missionaries in their homes or offering assistance during the program. While assisting with Totus Tuus at St. Ambrose, Father Dale Mallory, the university’s chaplain, helped a missionary answer a student’s question about whether Jesus was born on Dec. 25. While some evidence points to a winter birthday, the date of the Nativity is less important than the meaning behind it, he said. “You’d still be (you) even if your birthday was different.”
Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Parish in Clinton has hosted Totus Tuus every year since the diocese began offering the program. “What I look forward to each year with the Totus Tuus program is the knowledge of the Catholic faith that is shared and how it is retained by the children who attend,” said Brenda Bertram, director of Parish Life.
She also appreciates that the program brings together youths from different school districts, Mass times and parish programs. “By the end of Totus Tuus, the children who attend have formed a friendship through Christ. The parish is united as a larger Church.”
Sixth-grader Samantha Stanforth of Sacred Heart Cathedral, who attended the multi-parish Totus Tuus week in Davenport, said she enjoyed meeting new people and learning new things. Gregory said it is heartwarming to see children learning about the Catholic faith and having fun while doing so.
