Like millions of young women in Australia, 17-year-old students Flo Munday and Amanda Hawkes say they feel the pressure of having to live up to unrealistic images of women in advertisements, magazines and photographs.

In the Denver Archdiocese, Jennifer Judge and other members of her youth group at the Church of the Risen Christ have spent nearly two years getting ready, with a large portion of that time spent raising funds, from setting up a baby-sitting service to helping put together a parish directory to selling pumpkins and wreaths.

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Ever wonder what happened to some of your peers in youth ministry? Over the past few years, I have talked with long term veterans who have maintained strong ministry for years, veterans who are no longer involved in ministry and a bunch of youth leaders in between. I have come to the conclusion that there is one main reason why a youth leader ends up off course.

Check out the blog and music from speaker/artist and songwriter Jackie Francois, this is a girl who is a great role model for young women.

Here is a copy of the draft "Order of the Mass" using the New Missal translation, which is due to be released in parishes later this year. The new translation links the Liturgy of the Holy Mass with Sacred Scripture and is excellent for catechesis. Download the full PDF here on Xt3!

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St Valentine may not longer be on the liturgical calendar, but the day is still a Catholic feast and a time for all of us to celebrate the values of love and marriage! The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has issued special resource kits to help us take a stand against the secularisation of St Valentine's Day. Click on "download this article" to access a PDF copy of the kit!

The new iPhone application allows you to examine your conscience and write down what you want to say in the confessional before you go in, but the Vatican has reminded all Catholics that the iPhone application is for preparation only. You still need to physically go to confession to be absolved.

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On Fridays during Lent, Xt3 is looking at different expressions of the Stations of the Cross. Today's feature is a flash narration of Jesus' passion and death, with illustrations and relevant prophetic verses from the Old and New Testaments. This presentation is perfect for parish and youth ministry events!

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A new study linking teen's excessive use of Facebook and texting to alcohol abuse and sexual activity has ignited discussion among Catholics as to whether or not the drastic rise in impersonal communication among young people can be seen as a good thing. But no matter one's stance on the issue, Catholics from the parish priest to the tech-savvy teen agree that parental involvement is crucial – and often, sadly lacking...

Click on "visit this article" to see all four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - laid out in easy to view parallel columns, making it a great Catholic bible study resource.