Totus Tuus summer program offered at nearly two dozen locations in the archdiocese this summer
Children dove deeper into their Catholic faith and experienced some summer fun along the way at Totus Tuus at Ste. Genevieve Parish the week of July 7.
The name of the summer program, offered at nearly two dozen locations around the Archdiocese of St. Louis in June and July, translates from Latin to “totally yours” and was the motto of St. John Paul II.
Totus Tuus missionary team lead Morgan Tracy said the kids learned about the life of Jesus through the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, how to pray the Rosary and about the seven sacraments.
“My hope is that they retain some of the information about just how beautiful Jesus and the sacraments are,” Tracy said.
She said eight Totus Tuus missionaries were on site at Valle Catholic Schools where much of the program was held. Kids attended Mass at Ste. Genevieve Church across the street.
“It’s all about encountering Him and learning like what it means to live ‘totus tuus’ like totally His,” Totus Tuus missionary and Kenrick-Glennon seminarian Jack Nowak said. “I hope they can know that God has a plan for their life and He could be calling them to be a priest or a nun or like a holy married person, they have a mission in life given to them by God.”
The last day of the program featured religion classes and Mass as well as more playful activities such as covering two missionaries in ice cream sundae toppings and a water fight.
Renee Ellis, parish coordinator at Ste. Genevieve Parish, said 107 kids from first to sixth grades took part in the daytime Totus Tuus program. There is also an evening program for kids in the seventh to 12th grades.
“We’ve all been so encouraged by the kids’ love for Jesus and I hope that we can reciprocate that to them,” Tracy said about the Totus Tuus missionaries.
Totus Tuus missionary Lindsey Hazlip was covered in sundae toppings by children attending Totus Tuus on July 11 at Valle Catholic Schools in Ste. Genevieve.
