TOTUS TUUS (Latin for Totally Yours) named after St. John Paul II’s papal motto is a fun and energetic parish based summer catechetical program for both grade school age children and middle and high school youth.
TOTUS TUUS gathers together college students and seminarians from across the United States onto teaching teams of four in order to train them and send them out on the road to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in various participating parishes throughout the Diocese of Jefferson City.
The teachers’ youthfulness, energy, and ability to witness to the Faith make them particularly effective with children and young adults.
Grade School Program
The Totus Tuus Grade School Program is designed for children entering first through sixth grades in the upcoming school year. The Grade School Program runs Monday through Friday.
The students are encouraged to be clear and consistent in their faith. They are shown how to view their Lord as a good Father. This personal relationship gives them the confidence to be Christ’s witnesses in the world around them. Finally, Totus Tuus endeavors to show the youth that a humble and courageous desire to know God must be based upon a steadfast and disciplined life of prayer combined with the reception of the sacraments.
Junior and Senior High School Program
TOTUS TUUS offers an evening program for junior and senior high school youth. Junior High youth are those entering the 7th or 8th grades, and Senior High youth are those entering grades 9-12 for the upcoming school year. These grade levels meet Sunday through Thursday.
We have found that vibrant, faithful, college-aged teachers can effectively impact the youth at this age. This is a great opportunity for teens to see older peers on fire for their faith and insight into discerning their vocation.
The Totus Tuus Junior and Senior High School Program comprises instruction, small group discussions, quiet meditation, prayer, and fellowship. The team teaches in such a way as to offer a dialogue in which each person feels respected in his or her most basic dignity.
Each night there is time for fellowship, snacks, and presentations. Adoration and Reconciliation will also take place on one of the nights (usually Wednesday), and on Thursday there is an opportunity for a social night.