WHAT IS TOTUS TUUS?

Pictured above, from left,
Andy Renier Seminarian and Totus Tuus Missionary,
Nancy Schulte Palacheck, Totus Tuus Manager and Outreach Coordinator and Kristina Berr, Totus Tuus Assistant and Alumni Missionary.

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 Spirit of the Catholic Church

Totus Tuus joins the Church in her proclamation of the Gospel to arouse faith in the youth of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Ready with “an explanation…for the reason for your hope” (1 Peter 3:15), 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). With this in mind, 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.

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 participants. 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 will lead the young people to Jesus for a week; however, Mary will lead them to Jesus for a lifetime. Therefore, Totus Tuus promotes Marian devotion. 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).
The team also enjoys getting to know the parish and its members. In order to do this, they stay with families of the parish, eat with different families throughout the week and invite the entire parish to a “potluck” dinner on Wednesday night.

TOTUS TUUS​​ (​Latin for Totally Yours) is a fun and energetic parish based summer catechetical program, for both grade school age children and junior and senior high school youth.

Totus Tuus reached thousands of young people for Christ every summer.  Hosted in as many as 50 arch/diocese across North America, it inspires active stewards, fruitful vocations and a lifelong love for the Church.  
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We gather together college students and seminarians onto teams of four in order to train them and send them out on the road to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in various parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Their youthfulness, energy, and ability to witness to the faith make our teachers particularly effective with children and young people.

​​The team serves for a week in each parish by putting on a program Sunday-Thursday from 7:30 p.m. – 9:40 p.m. for high school and junior high youth. Our goal is to put the youth in contact with the Lord so that they can develop a deep personal relationship with Him. To this end, we have a night of Adoration and the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, catechetical instruction on topics important to young people, and a night of fellowship with the team members.
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The teams also present a grade school program (grades 1-6) that runs Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Time is spent on catechetical instruction, songs, games, daily Mass, the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, lunch, recess and more! The week ends with a large water fight with the children or a human (team member) ice cream sundae in celebration for the week.

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What does a Totus Tuus Day Look Like?

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2023 Summer Missionaries
Saints in the Making!

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Seminarian Missionary Andy Renier
​Teaching about the Mass

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