He is alive!!! We are reminded what an amazingly merciful God we have as we celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday this past weekend during the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy! God is good – all the time! All the time – God is good!
From its beginning, JTO Connect has been about finding ways to reconnect JTOers. With your blessing, the Planning Team is diligently preparing a weekend retreat that brings together many of the elements that made the convention experience of our youth so impactful and transformational – prayer, formation and fellowship. As I state in the video attached via the link below – through the intercession of St. Francis, God brought us together in our youth and He wants to bring us together again. Though we are excited about the program, we are most exhilarated about spending time with you.
For your convenience, the Registration Form is available via this link (Registration Form) and at the end of the letter. It’s easy to register. Simply complete the Registration Form, make your check payable to JTO Connect and then send both to:
Therese Zins 1010 North County Road 600E Greensburg, Indiana 47240
Our JTO Connect theme is: Francis Now! Celebrating the Journey, Living the Dream. We ask that you reflect a bit on the following questions in preparation for the JTO Connect Retreat:
- How is St Francis working in your life today?
- Is your journey challenging right now?
- What glimpses of the dream do you live every day?
Each month our plan is to ask someone to share their insight on JTO Connect via a brief video. Please click on the link below and hear my thoughts:
http://jtoconnect.org/jto-connect-minute-videos/ken-rasp-april-2016/
I truly have been blessed over these past months to hear from and reconnect with so many of you. Whether you are able to attend the JTO Connect Retreat or already have other plans that weekend, your comments indicate that you want to find ways to reconnect. We are going to spend some time as we close out the weekend on Sunday brainstorming reconnection avenues. I invite you to begin that process now; and please think outside of the box. Absolutely share your ideas with me – call me at 270.316.8774 or email me at kenrasp55@gmail.com. I will capture all thoughts in a database so that they can be shared and discussed. I can’t wait to hear from you. Any and all ideas are welcomed and valued.
Last month we started a Convention Quiz where we shared a picture from one of the Conventions from our youth. You were asked to name the convention by year, college, city and state. You were also asked to identify those pictured. The answers:
- Convention – Bradley University, Peoria, IL in 1980
- Pictured in the pyramid
- Top – Unknown, Bridget Doyle
- Next to top – Cheryl Hatzer, Judy Cassini
- Next to bottom – Fr. Greg Freidman, Dave Weinkam, Patrick Mosher, Unknown
- Bottom – Fr. Casper Gensler, Tom Muthig, Ken Rasp, Tom Rasp, Jim Kattenkamp
If you would like to see the picture again, click on this link (http://jtoconnect.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Patrick_Mosher_001.jpg). Also, please contact me if you can name the unknown figures in the picture.
My guess is that you are very much like me in that you love looking at pictures of JTO events, especially Convention pictures. Personally I love reminiscing and attempting to figure out who is in each of the pictures. Memories and “JTO feelings” come flooding back. How cool is that! Now we are trying to amass as many pictures as we can get our hands on so that we can get them on jtoconnect.org. Have some fun and click on this link (http://jtoconnect.org/gallery/) and view what we have collected to date.
We know that there are millions more that need to be shared. To do that we need your help. Your mission is Find Your Pictures. Send them to Mike Rasp (raspmw@gmail.com), me (kenrasp55@gmail.com) or to the JTO Connect email address (JTOConnect@jtoconnect.org) so that we can post them to the website for all to enjoy. If you cannot digitize them, call me at 270.316.8774 or email so that we can make arrangements to get them from you so that we can digitize them. All pictures will be returned to you. While you are looking for pictures, see what else you can find that has anything to do with JTO – t-shirts, Mass or Prayer Service program sheets, souvenirs collected, convention rosters or program sheets, etc. – literally anything that you saved. We encourage you to bring whatever you can find to the JTO Connect Retreat this summer.
Whether you commit to attend the JTO Connect Retreat this summer or you just want to virtually connect, please visit our JTO Reunion Group Facebook page and the JTO Connect web page (jtoconnect.org). If you are on Facebook and are not following the page, please join. Feel free to post pictures and comments.
Meet old friends. Make new friends. Come join us and rekindle your Franciscan Spirit in Dayton this summer.
May God bless you and keep you! May He shine His face upon you!
Ken (Kenners) Rasp
Links to Registration Materials
Link to view video from Patrick Mosher
http://jtoconnect.org/jto-connect-minute-videos/patrick-mosher-march-2016/
Link to Gallery of pictures on jtoconnect.org
