Totus Tuus 2022: Summer Fellowship and Formation for Our Youth

This July, Holy Family Cathedral is excited to offer Totus Tuus once again for the children of the parish! Open to students from first through 12th grade, Totus Tuus kicks off on Sunday, July 10. The program will be filled with opportunities for our youth to engage each other in a unique week of faith formation. Latin for “totally yours,” Totus Tuus was a term used frequently by St. John Paul II in reference to Marian devotions.

“Last year we welcomed back Totus Tuus after a couple-year hiatus,” says Alondra Griffith, Youth Coordinator at Holy Family Cathedral. “We had an overwhelmingly positive response from the parish with bringing Totus Tuus back and cannot wait for the missionaries to join us again this year.”

Unlike a traditional Vacation Bible School hosted by parish staff and volunteers, Totus Tuus is led by a group of missionaries, two boys and two girls. These teams go through strong catechetical training at the beginning of the summer, establish strong prayer lives, and bond over the course of the summer. They become experts in the themes for the year and teach the children fundamentals of the Rosary, the Mass, adoration, and more, which really makes aspects of the faith more realistic.

“I had the opportunity to attend Totus Tuus growing up and serve as a missionary in 2017 and 2018,” Alondra says. “As a participant, I was able to understand that missionaries were not this far-off concept. Missionaries can serve in our own neighborhoods. One of the greatest blessings of serving as a missionary was the full immersion of so many Catholic traditions on a weekly basis. We prayed Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, went to Mass daily, and adoration with the children a couple of times a week, and we really got to see the children realize how real our faith is.”

Totus Tuus is divided into two groups of children — the day program and the evening program. Children entering first through fifth grades attend the day session, and sixth through 12th grades attend the evening program. The day program includes Mass each day along with lessons, games, singing, dance parties, and a deeper understanding of the Rosary. Older students are immersed in the same topics and have an opportunity to end each night with evening prayer as a group. At the end of each week, there is a fun celebration. The evening program runs Sunday through Thursday night and culminates with a fun activity in the evening. The capstone of the day program is an epic water play day on Friday afternoon.

“Our parish is growing with young families and we want to engage these children year-round,” Alondra says. “The fellowship I saw last year among those in the evening program was incredible. Totus Tuus provides a great opportunity for the children to grow in their faith and really bond with the larger ‘family of the youth’ at our parish.”

Registration begins on June 2 and will be available through Flocknote. Be sure to secure your spot, as the program will fill up quickly! Volunteers are needed to help with the day and evening programs, as well as meals for the team. If you would like to volunteer, or if you have any questions, please contact Alondra Griffith at agriffith@tulsacathedral.com.