New Year, Same Mission

Now that we're back at Mt. Tabor Center and learning our retreat sessions, I've been thinking about Mission: preparing for the mission, the meaning of mission, the importance of focusing on the mission... What is the mission?

During our opening retreat, Fr. Schuster (our team chaplain) asked us what our mission statement is. I'll confess that we had to look it up, but here it is: "The mission of SPIRITUS is to inspire young Catholics as disciples of Jesus so they will spread the Gospel and renew the Church!"

Let's break that down a little. SPIRITUS, of course, is us. The mission is what we do; it's our purpose. Young Catholics are those we meet on retreats: the youth of Wisconsin, ranging in age from 2nd-12th grade, whether they attend Catholic schools or are preparing for Sacraments of Initiation (mainly Confirmation, but also First Communion). We want to inspire them, or "set them on fire" by filling them with enthusiasm and excitement for their role as disciples. As a flame spreads from one candle to another, so our enthusiasm for our Faith should be contagious!

Disciples of Jesus are the followers, literally the students, of Christ Our Lord. We want the youth to learn from us to imitate Christ and put him at the center of their lives. But we also want these disciples to be true disciples, who not only live the way Jesus has shown them, but also pass it on to others. The Church is all of us who believe, and it is the youth who are the future of the Church. In fact, I once knew a priest who pointed out that the youth are really the present of the Church; they are here and now! In any case, twenty, thirty, forty years from now, the Church will only be vibrant if today's youth make it that way. They are the key to renewal!

Fr. Schuster also spoke to us a little bit about the importance of keeping the mission central to our ministry. Everything we do can either advance the mission or hinder it. Personally, I think our mission is a pretty important one, so I don't want to hinder it in any way! That means keeping the mission in mind and considering how everything I do might impact it, either positively or negatively.

It's also important to remember that "mission" comes from the Latin missio, which means "act of sending". We don't do this mission ourselves. We don't come up with it ourselves. It is something given to us, something we are literally "sent" on. God has called and sent us to be His messengers to the youth of Wisconsin. That's a big responsibility!

That's why it's so important to be prepared for our first retreat on September 8th. Please pray for SPIRITUS as we continue to train for this important mission with which God has entrusted us!