Totus Tuus “Totally Yours” is a fun and energetic program for both grade school-age children (those entering First through Sixth grade next fall) and junior and senior high school youth (those entering Seventh grade this fall through current Twelfth graders) dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, and Eucharistic worship. The methodology, structure, content, and enthusiasm of Totus Tuus are concerned not only with teaching the Catholic faith but also igniting the hearts of the young people who participate with the love of the Lord.
TOTUS TUUS is a Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through catechesis, evangelization, Christian witness, and Eucharistic worship. The goal of TOTUS TUUS is to help young people develop their relationship with Jesus Christ so that there is an intimate friendship whereby he may lead them to the Father in the Holy Spirit. To accomplish this, we emphasize devotion and love for our Lord in the Eucharist and for Mary, our mother. We strive to help young people understand their faith through catechesis so that they may live it in today’s world. We do this in a way that is fun for both teachers and young people. A TOTUS TUUS teacher helps make faith real to youth as a way of life and love, not simply a set of rules and obligations. The program calls upon college students and seminarians from across the United States to carry out this mission. Those hired are trained and assigned to teams of four (two men and two women) to go out into a parish for a week, leading a "parish mission" to teach the faith and inspire the young. They do this for six weeks. In addition to trying to communicate our faith and translate that into daily life, we also strive to foster Christian vocations. It is our firm belief that vocations, callings from God, can only be heard and responded to if one is living a Christian life. We strive to foster this, first and foremost, in our teachers by providing them with an understanding of the faith, a strong prayer life, and an opportunity to witness their faith. The teachers sign a “covenant” in which they promise to be open to God’s will and actively to discern it. Because the teachers are striving to live an authentic Christian life and actively discerning their vocation, they can better help youth do the same. MOTIVATIONS, PILLARS, & MARKS TOTUS TUUS is Latin for “Totally Yours” and was the motto of Saint Pope John Paul II. Taken from St. Louis de Montfort’s great work, True Devotion to Mary, it represents our desire to give ourselves entirely to Jesus Christ through the hands of His Immaculate Mother. TOTUS TUUS, then, reminds us of the tremendous and sometimes difficult call to spend ourselves for Christ while relying on the intercession of His Mother, and to preach the gospel to all nations. This challenge to be TOTUS TUUS is accepted with great joy! The teams come to know and love the vitality, faith, and courage of all the youth they encounter. The youth are seeking not just role models but HEROES who strive to live and proclaim, “Lord, I will be totally yours.” With joy and honor, TOTUS TUUS serves these youth and shares with them the blessings that God has given them. Therefore, the teachers dedicate their summers entirely to young people, leading them through the New Millennium. The Five Pillars of Totus Tuus 1. The Eucharist 2. Marian Devotion 3. Catechetical Instruction 4. Vocational Discernment 5. Fun! The Eucharist has pride of place in the TOTUS TUUS schedule, for both team members and youth. Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, the Angelus, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament provide the structure, but the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the “source and summit” of the daily schedule. TOTUS TUUS catechists and counselors will lead the young people to Jesus for a week; however, Mary will lead them to Jesus for a lifetime. Therefore, TOTUS TUUS promotes devotion to Mary. Meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, we come to see how Mary always leads us to her Son. Praying with her and to her, we hear her say to us, “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5). Authentic catechesis, rooted in an orderly and systematic explanation of God’s revelation of Himself through the person of Jesus Christ, provides the foundation for the program’s teaching. TOTUS TUUS instructs young people in the basic tenets of the Catholic Faith, helping them cultivate both a firm intellectual grounding and a solid relationship with Jesus. All our teaching aims to help young people grow in the understanding of, strengthen their Faith in, and, most importantly, develop an intimate friendship with Jesus Christ. TOTUS TUUS strives to foster Christian vocations by encouraging young people to begin discerning God’s call in their lives to be married, a priest, a religious, or a consecrated single. Team members sign a “covenant” in which they promise to be open to and actively discern God’s will for them. Because they are striving to live an authentic Christian life and actively discerning their vocation, they can better help youth do the same. Finally, TOTUS TUUS demonstrates that one can be a faithful Catholic and still have fun. Morning “pump up,” silly skits and songs, recess, water fights in the parishes, and the many TOTUS TUUS Olympic challenges at camp infuse the program with fun. The Five Marks of Totus Tuus 1. Proclamation of the Gospel: To arouse faith. 2. Explanation: Examination of the reasons for our beliefs. 3. Christian Witness: An experience of Christian living. 4. Celebration of the Sacraments: Especially, Holy Eucharist and Confession. 5. Active Witness: Participating in the Missionary Nature of the Catholic Church. TOTUS TUUS joins the Church in her proclamation of the Gospel to arouse faith in the youth of the Diocese of Crookston. TOTUS TUUS catechists expound upon the reasons for our beliefs and share their personal testimonies with the young people. Pope Paul VI wrote, "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 41). TOTUS TUUS team members are immersed in a life of prayer and give witness to the fruits of that experience of Christian living to the youth. Additionally, the daily schedule of the TOTUS TUUS catechist revolves around the Mass, the Sacraments, and prayer. A summer given entirely to God and the young people of the Diocese of Crookston would not be possible otherwise.