What is Totus Tuus?

Totus Tuus (Latin for "Totally Yours") 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 grow in the understanding of, and strengthen their faith in, Jesus Christ.

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).

For additional information, or questions, contact John Sondag by email at [email protected] or by calling 612-275-0431.