Totus Tuus: Totally Yours

Aaron Lofy, Director of Young Adult Ministry, alofy@dowr.org

Totus Tuus is a Catholic summer program that works to share the faith with the youth in the parishes and others in the community.

Totus Tuus is Latin for “Totally Yours,” which was the pontifical motto of Pope Saint John Paul II. There are five pillars of Totus Tuus:

• Eucharistic Devotion

• Marian Devotion

• Catechetical Instruction

• Vocational Discernment

• FUN!

Each of the pillars expresses a different part of the Catholic faith that is important to impart on the youth. Ultimately the mission of Totus Tuus is to transform hearts and lives by bringing the youth closer to Jesus Christ.

Each week, we send our teams out to new parishes for a total of seven weeks. While at the parish, there are two sessions: a day session for those in grades 1-6 and an evening session for those in grades 7-12. The Totus Tuus missionaries stay with host families and join those in the parish for meals throughout the week.

In order for the missionaries to fully give of themselves to the mission, they keep their prayer life central to their day including the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Mass, and parts of the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church.