Franciscan University Career Fair (Part One)

Katie & I are at Franciscan University of Steubenville for the career fair this week! Please pray for us. For my part as an alumnus, I am thoroughly enjoying visiting my old stomping grounds. Seeing old friends is just what the doctor ordered! -Kevin

Missionaries and Storms!

Woooooo POW! That’s right, we totally did drive 91.4 miles in a crazy-icy-snowy-hail-lightning blizzard Tuesday night! And thanks be to God, we all made it back safe and sound! “Frost and chill, bless the Lord. Ice and snow, bless the Lord… Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord!” (Daniel 3:69-73) We have lots to praise and thank God for, and it was a great test of our trust in Him – and each other!

I know lots of you are praying for us, and we are soooo grateful for your love and support through prayer! Thank you! We have been giving several Mass appeals lately, where we get up in front of the entire congregation at Mass and give a schpeel about the amazing things God is doing through this ministry, and then ask them to join in our mission through prayers, spreading the word, food, and/or financial support!... =) I actually find it kinda invigorating to stand up at the ambo in front of all those people – slightly more formal than speaking on our retreats! I like to tell them about how Jesus commands all of us as His disciples to “proclaim the Gospel to all nations” (Mark 16:15), but that they don’t necessarily have to go to another country, or give retreats for nine months, or even give financially. We can all be missionaries in a very important way simply by praying! Praying for missionaries and evangelizers like Spiritus and for the young people we encounter and minister to and love through our retreats. I think that sometimes surprises people. Hey, YOU are a missionary too!

So keep ‘em comin’! =) Pray especially for inexhaustible and unrelenting zeal in these next two months! Your prayer is powerful – omnipotent – and cherished! There have been many bumps – and blizzards – along the way, but through these I continue to learn that I am weak, God is strong; that I want to have the answers and be in control, but God is all-knowing and all-powerful; that we must be open to His mercy, His grace, and keep trusting that He will lead us through the storms… slowly, surely, triumphantly!

Happy Solemnity of the Annunciation! Fiat!
~katie =)

Thoughts for Reflection

The SPIRITUS team has been very busy. The month of March is one of the busiest months as Confirmations are right around the corner in the Easter season. Then there is the "home stretch" in the month of May with a lot of SHINE retreats.

In my previous entry of March 7th, I wrote about listening, looking at one's self and the humility required for this.

Because of the vision of Faith, we can say with Job, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” That vision of Faith is deeply rooted in the doctrine of God as Father. Like any good father, the Eternal Father desires His children to be happy and be with Him. He has given us a lot of potential and to bring it out, we have to grow. Challenges are a necessary way for us to grow and so God puts us to the test. St. Paul likened this to “scourging” or "discipline" in his letter to the Hebrews.

During our NET training in August, Mark Berchem showed everyone a picture of his son as a little boy wearing a baseball uniform. He then showed another, more recent photo of his son now grown up at a baseball game. Mark said something to the effect of, “I loved my son as a child but now as an adult, I can do more with him. This can only happen if he grew up. God is the same way with us. He wants to do so much with us, but we have to grow up and mature first.” Mark’s statement hit me hard and it has formed the stuff of reflection these 7 months.

SPIRITUS has been very formative for me in the above regard of "growing up." If anyone is considering joining SPIRITUS, contact any of the team members for advice or information.

Happy Solemnity of the Transitus of St. Benedict!
-Kevin Symonds

Past Blog Entries

March 15th, 2011

"Oh Jesus, the storm was no longer raging, heaven was calm and serene. I believed, I felt there was a heaven and that this heaven is peopled with souls who actually love me, who consider me their child." -St. Therese of Lisieux "Story of a Soul"

I use the quote from St. Therese of Lisieux's autobiography because it reflects on what we talked about at our bi-monthly Teen Disciples gathering. We talked about the Saints and how they can impact our lives even when we might not see it right away. Do you have a favorite Saint? We gave the kids a challenge to look up a Saint, research them, and to reflect on how they lived. Personally, I have been reading St. Therese's story, along with tackling some of St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises, and I am just blown away, in particular with St. Therese, at how they came to know Christ and their Vocation, and how it can relate to the vocation in our ministry right NOW.

In our ministry, all of us sometimes experience the feeling of 'Did I say the right thing?' or 'How can I reach out to this kid?', which should be replaced by 'Did I love these kids today?'. St. Therese reflected on this throughout her time with the Carmelites, in particular, desiring the vocation of the WARRIOR, the PRIEST, the APOSTLE, the DOCTOR, the MARTYR, but she soon realized that there was a burning desire in her heart for only one thing: LOVE. LOVE comprised all these vocations and LOVE was everything. This is a good reminder, when witnessing to these kids on retreats, that my love towards them is the most important thing, and that all else will fall into place. I am also reminded of this by one of my teammates, Erin, who always gives us examples of her desire for this girl or this boy to know Christ. I believe last weekend there was a couple people she mentioned that were just ready to embrace His love. I hope she can give us an example of one of the kids I was referring to. :)

My hope for lent is to embrace these Saints God has placed before me, and try to instill some of the values and desires they held so deeply in their hearts, and I hope that you all can find someone that gives us the inspiration to believe that love is the real vocation for us all.

Mark

March 7th, 2011 A.D.--Sts. Perpetua & Felicity

Hello everyone, Kevin Symonds again with a new blog entry for you. In my time with SPIRITUS I have been thinking a lot about my life. St. Benedict begins his Holy Rule with the word "Ausculta," which means "Listen." I find myself doing a lot of "listening" because God chastises those whom He loves (cf Hebrews 12:6) and He does this through the trials of our everyday lives, SPIRITUS being no exception.

In a monastic novitiate, one is forced to do things he or she would not otherwise do (cf John 21:18-19), causing a lot of "gunk and sludge" to come to the surface. The monk is forced to take a long and hard look at himself. Eventually, he reaches a point where he realizes his utter dependence upon God. It is in this moment that the monk learns true humility. There is no turning back at this point and the person will either face his or her demons or run.

What will the SPIRITUS team do? Pray for us.

-Kevin Symonds

February 28th, 2011

I would like to share an experience that helped me realize, once again, the importance of the ministry of Spiritus. This past week the team went out on retreat, like we often do, for a "Faith on Fire" program which takes place during a religious education class period. I met a student there who has changed my perspective on a lot of things--especially on the power of the Gospel and God's grace.

Without revealing too much about this student, I would like to let you know that she was suffering greatly, having been teased her entire life, and lacking in loving relationships. Having been so miserable, she finally gave up believing in God when she was a child. This is how I met her last week. With one prompting of the Spirit to go talk to her, I ended up spending the entire hour-long retreat listening to her, asking her questions, praying with her... and she shared with me a poem she wrote.

I would like to share it here (not in the same grammatical style):

"Two roads: 1 leads to happiness and joy and the second leads to pain and suffering. As I walk down the second road I know what you're thinking. Why go there? I enjoy the pain and disappear into the fog. Who is going to know I'm gone?"

When I read this poem on her iphone, I asked if I could write a poem for her. This is the poem I later sent to her:

What is the fog?

a safe place for me to hide

or the way I avoid being seen?

--either way, it's convenient

and yet, the uncertainty of my steps follows and haunts me

in the fog I cannot see...

And beyond the fog there waits

the sun with brilliant rays--

blocked by the clouds but reaching out,

able to penetrate

with gentle touches I'm unable to feel to see

as I hide in the fog which protects me

I long for the caress of the sun

but I feel the damp and the cold

and can't help but wonder if the sun has died

or cried like me inside

And then the rain falls

and the fog begins to rise higher in the sky--

like a sigh, and I cannot tell if it is the fog,

or I, who cry out, like a breath

and I can no longer hide

but find myself soaked, all the way through

what do I do?

I'm standing there exposed

If there is no sun, I'll be chilled to the bone

But if I can just find its rays, a gentle caress,

the blinding blaze might actually help me see

I don't have to hide anymore

Somewhere, close to the sun,

an eagle watches everything below.

And though I know, we are both alone,

I know that he sees me.

And I am not ashamed.

-Emily

February 14th, 2011 A.D.--Sts. Cyril & Methodius

Hello everyone, this is Kevin Symonds. Today I would like to share with you a thought of mine on the work with SPIRITUS. When I came to this program, I really didn't know what to expect. Six months into it, my vision has changed a lot. Eden reminds the team occasionally that the work we do is so important. He also says that we will reap many rewards for doing this work. I think he is right. The rewards of the program are not temporal per se. Rather, they are spiritual lessons that last a lifetime.

There is a lot that can be said on the above but I will keep my words very simple: If we give, God will honor and give back more than what we gave. It is something so simple, and yet hard to do. This is the continual call for the SPIRITUS team members. Please pray for us.

-Kevin Symonds

February 9th, 2011

Hello Bloggers!!! This is the new member of the team, Mark aka Newbie, and I am extremely excited to share myself to you all and to all youth coming on our retreats.

First, a little tidbit about my journey to this team: I graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison in '06, and moved here to Appleton in October '09, in order to pursue a career as a sales manager with Furniture Row companies. In the back of my mind, however, I felt something else tugging at me, and often wrote about my desire to work in the Church or some other type of ministry. It was not until December '10, on the verge of another big, potential promotion, when I received this opportunity to join a ministry. I went on a Winter Expedition with Catholic Youth Expeditions, and I met four other members of the Spiritus team, who told me about this position they desired to fill, and encouraged me to think and pray about it. I encountered some rough times during my tenure here in Appleton thus far, and thought this could be God's next big step I so desperately needed, but I was filled with fear and a competitive attraction in my other position. After weeks of deliberation and prayer, I knew my heart longed for this more so than my other path, that my life needed a radical change, and I could see the effect not only on other members of the team but the effect on my own life and lives of the youth, and I couldnt pass up the opportunity. So, with great joy and eagerness, I applied, interviewed, and joined the team.

For the past couple weeks, I experienced a grace that I have never experienced before, and have received many blessings I never would have expected. It has been a real treat to be a part of this ministry so far, the transition has been smooth, and I am so thankful for my fellow teammates' encouragement and their acceptance of me thus far.

I hope to provide some of our experiences with the youth in the future and to give you a picture of fun times and captivating moments. Thank you for reading!

Peace out,

Mark Rose

February 7th, 2011

Ah, Jesus, You do have a sense of humor...

This past Saturday, we left for a retreat at 5:45 AM. Just before hopping in the car, I spilled my travel mug of coffee all over my pants. I feel the need to include this detail because it prefaces the day well.

The directions to get to this retreat took a bit of commitment to follow well--you had to be alert. We did very well following them...to a phantom church in the middle of nowhere. The directions took us ten miles away from our actual destination. As I called for actual directions, I found that all of a sudden the van wasn't moving anywhere. It wasn't moving anywhere because we were now stuck in a driveway, ten miles away from our retreat site. Father Dave, aka Life Saver, came and rescued us, and all of our retreat materials. No, that's not true, because turns out we forgot half of our retreat materials! The day was improvised in a big way, at several points. I also had to miss the beginning as I spent a nice 20 minutes getting to know the tow truck man.

God is great. We sometimes need a reminder that we are not in control. We have a practiced plan when we go on retreats, yes. But one can never know what will happen. Even if we think we know what's best, His plans are better. And I must say, that retreat was amazing. Not how I thought it would go, rather, much better. The teens were incredibly open with us, and open to God. Plus, we got to experience some awesome, Christ-like generosity from everyone. All the materials we needed were provided for. Father called the tow guy, and footed the bill. And when I told him we needed rocks, he literally went and got some out of his back yard. He didn't need to do any of those things. Nor did God need to redeem us on the cross.

Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.

Marissa

February 3rd, 2011

Whoa! =) I would describe my experience on Spiritus so far as intense and challenging, but amazing! I can definitely say that I love my wonderful teammates, and I am so thankful for the blessing this experience continues to be in my life! I have been challenged spiritually, physically, emotionally… yet I have received so much grace to grow in these areas as well!

One way that I have been blessed is in recognizing that it is not really my actions, or anything I do myself that changes or impacts others. But one of the most powerful ways that the Holy Spirit uses me is just by my presence and witness of serving on Spiritus! The fact that we are here, serving God and serving youth for nine months, when the world tells us we should be doing so many other things, is often more inspiring to others – family, friends, the Subway workers, the lady at the library, even the youth! – than what I say or do on a retreat. We are living these nine months – and our whole lives – for something more, something bigger than what this world offers, and when those we meet recognize this – recognize God – in us, it is powerful! Trusting that God can use me despite my inadequacies is what gives me hope and joy amid challenges.

Pray for the courage to live, love, and let go! May God’s graces and blessings be upon you all, and know that we are so grateful for your love, support, and prayers!

~katie =)

February 1st, 2011

Hi bloggers!

I am looking forward to some awesome retreats this second half, since we all know the lay of the land. I think the spirit has a lot to do through us and in us. The question is not "what can I do for God?" but "What can God do for me?" because truly, He does more for us than we ever do for Him. And it's His work in us that shines through in our retreats.

Please continue to pray for us as we attempt to share the light of Christ with the youth we meet. God be with and bless you.

Marissa

January 28th, 2011

1 word: Flourishing.

Peace be with you! This is Kevin Symonds, here to give a small "blurb" about SPIRITUS! I chose the word "flourishing" to summarize my experience so far because of the challenge the service offers and how I've grown from it. The challenge for me is to think in different ways on how I am a witness to Jesus Christ. Yet I have grown in that the Lord has given me many blessings that have helped me to understand myself better as an adopted son of the Eternal Father. There is a lot more joy in my heart as I grow closer to Him and I am grateful to God and to SPIRITUS. My prayers are with all of you.

-KJS

January 25th, 2011

Spiritus = Growth Catalyst

I have loved butterflies ever since I was a little girl. Some are vibrant and beautiful, some are simple and small, but all of them seem to whimsically float with the changing breeze. Every time I see one of these delicate creatures, my soul longs for interior freedom. We are called to live like the butterfly trusting completely in God and following His Holy Spirit, wherever and whenever it blows. However, each of us have layers of cocoon to break through before we can reach true freedom. Spiritus has been a tremendous influence on my interior life. It has challenged me, inspired me, and drawn me into a deeper relationship with Christ. It is truly helping me to transform into the person God has created me to be. I look forward to continuing this process as the year continues with Spiritus. Keep your eyes peeled for spring's first butterfly... «ï»

May God Bless You!

Sincerely,

Erin

January 23rd, 2011

When I packed my suit-case and made my way to Menasha to begin my Spiritus’ odyssey for the year 2010-2011, I did not know or have any clear knowledge of what I was going to encounter during the nine months of serving the Catholic Youths of the dioceses within the state of Wisconsin. In any case, I was very eager and curious to see and experience whatever comes my way. For me, it was an adventure; a journey I believed could be potentially enlightening and fulfilling. So far so good, I must confess that it has been an incredibly exciting and fulfilling experience. My ability to connect and touch young people has become an inexhaustible steam that keeps me going.

Thanks!

Paul

January 21st, 2011

So. It seems like there are so many blessings to celebrate, and so much to share, that I don’t know where to start! From a record-breaking Teen Disciples showing on a blizzardy Monday night, to amazing teens on our retreats, to our newest member, MARK ROSE, joining our team (formal introduction from Mark himself to come soon!), God has been gracing us so immensely!! Yet it has not been without its trials and challenges… more to come on that as well!

But for now, we want to give you all a personal update from each of us, as a kind of halfway-point check in, about how the ministry has been going thus far, and what God is doing through us!

I’ll start with Miss Emily Pogue…

To summarize this past half year on SPIRITUS: INTENSE. Sometimes I feel like I haven't had much time to think or reflect about the past four months on SPIRITUS. Everything kind of whizzed by. Rumor has it, we will be especially busy in January and February. One of the non-ministry highlights from the last month was being welcomed in a family's home for dinner in December and sharing our faith over a meal (a pretty ideal situation for the team). I'm mostly looking forward to the chance to connect with students on the upcoming retreats and to grow with my teammates as we begin reading a new book together for our formation as Christians: Interior Freedom by Fr. Jacques Philippe. Thanks for your prayers and support!

Beautiful! Emily is actually engaged to Jesus! We even threw her an engagement party! Photos from this and other happenings at Mount Tabor Center, as well as a few of Spiritus in action, can be found on our Photos page!

January 19th, 2010

Praise God for answered prayers! Welcome Mark Rose to the Spiritus Team!! Yay! =)

December 12th, 2010

Hi bloggers!

I thought I would share a quick thought with you. I've been learning a lot this year. A ton, actually, about myself, about God, about ministry. One of the things I've learned I was reminded of a week ago on retreat... I tried to tell my small group how amazing it is that Jesus comes into the Eucharist because He loves us and wants this incredibly close relationship. But I felt I couldn't do Him justice. I felt very weak. The girls listened, and when I ran out of words, a funny thing happened: they started asking questions. But they didn't ask about Jesus, they asked about me. They wanted to know me. And I realized then, that my presence alone was ministering to these young women, not the things I said, or the method I used, or the plan I had.

These girls didn't know people like me existed – people who are young and in love with their faith.

Just being there was evangelization.

The fact that we are here, wanting to spend nine months telling others about our beautiful Father in heaven, is already a witness. Our lives are a witness! My life is a witness. What a good reminder that was...

God bless you.

Marissa

December 2nd, 2010

Hi there faithful readers!

I just wanted to share a little story with you. Several weeks ago, our team was retreating with a group of enthusiastic confirmandi students. This retreat was special. What do I mean by special? There was a level of openness we don't typically experience on our retreats, and the students seemed to contribute a real feeling of hopefulness. We set aside time in our schedule to pray individually with each student on retreat. They were coming to me one by one, usually with their heads to their feet wearing a look of reluctance on their faces. Which is why I wasn't prepared when one of the young men came barreling towards me, jumping ahead of the other students. He had so much eagerness and such joy. He shared with me all about the miracle of his life.

He was born extremely premature and wasn't expected to survive, but survive he did. Doctors then predicted that he would always be weak, but he grew strong, and against all odds, he developed into a normal, arguably above normal young man. His big question was...why? He wanted to know why God spared his life. He believed, deep within himself, that God had a special plan for him, and he was more than eager to find out what that plan was. We talked, we prayed, and I did my best to understand the Holy Spirit's movements in our conversation.

This young man was such a gift to me. Not only did his story bring me great hope for our future Church, but it reminded me of God's beautiful plans for each of us. It reawakened in me, the desire to turn my heart completely toward God, giving myself entirely to Him and His will for me. The gift of this interaction continues to unfold in my life, but especially in this Advent Season, this story is a great reminder to all of us, that we must wait in joyful, hope for the coming of our Beloved Emmanuel!

Peace & Blessings to you!

Erin :o)

November 23rd, 2010

Hello again, dear loved ones! As we get ready to head our separate ways for a few days’ break, it is so evident to us that we have much to be thankful for. We are, of course, thankful for this time of rest to spend with those close to us. But we are also extremely thankful for this ministry; for each other, our brothers and sisters on the team; and for the amazing ways we get to experience the work of the Holy Spirit – in the youth we encounter and also in us!

And I cannot fail to mention how thankful we are for YOU, our faithful supporters in prayer, encouragement, friendship and love! We are empowered and strengthened by the Holy Spirit working through each one of you to keep going and persevering in running the race marked out for us! The race of sharing God’s passionate love for the youth we serve, and also the race toward holiness in our own lives!

Here is just one of the amazing ways God has shown us that He is indeed working through us, as witnessed by Emily…

I want to share with you a "God-incidence" that reminded me of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of SPIRITUS. I was helping lead a retreat for elementary school students at Seymour in Wisconsin and one of the boys in my small group was sitting outside the circle. He was being picked on for being a Brett Farve fan and the instigator was also in my small group. I used this moment to talk to my small group about the importance of sportsmanship... After all, even though Brett Farve is a Viking, he is first of all a child of God, and deserves respect as a human being. I left the lesson at that, thinking not too much more about it until after the retreat.

After the retreat we went as a whole group to Mass. This is where things got very interesting. The priest at this parish decided to call up a few students and make them stand in front of the entire congregation to outline his homily. The theme of his homily was on stripping ourselves of labels and things which prevent us from being who we are and getting along with one another. And one by one he used the students to demonstrate his point... and he walked up to the "instigator" and said, "You are a Packers fan, and I am a Vikings fan." And the priest began to talk about sportsmanship and how we need to respect one another and not let sports become an obstacle to loving one another. Talk about a good reinforcement! I hope it's a lesson he never forgets!

Praise God! And thank you all for caring and for supporting us! “I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Corinthians 1:4

~Katie and the SPIRITUS Team =)

October 21st, 2010

Greetings, family, friends, and aficionados of SPIRITUS!

We are excited to finally get this Blog underway, and to share our adventures with you all! It’s hard to believe that we have been here at Mount Tabor for over two months now, but I will try to give you the short-and-sweet recap.

After arriving on August 15th, our first few weeks consisted of our own team-building retreat, some growing-as-a-team activities and excursions, a week of intensive training with NET Ministries, and then some down-to-business training in the Mount Tabor retreats.

Our first retreat as a 2010-2011 SPIRITUS Team was on September 11th, and we have since given over 20 retreats! The journey has been intense but amazing, and though sometimes we don’t immediately see the fruits of our labors, God has totally been blessing us by showing how He is impacting young people through us. We continue to pray for the students we have encountered and to trust in the Lord!

We hope to share many of the stories and blessings of our ministry with you throughout the year! In the meantime, allow me to introduce to you the 2010-2011 SPIRITUS Team!

First, a word from Theresa Kerby, our Team Coordinator:

I am a native of Colorado and moved to Wisconsin the end of July to join Mount Tabor Center as the SPIRITUS team coordinator. In 2006, I graduated from Benedictine College with a degree in psychology and theology. After my undergraduate studies, I spent a few years as a missionary and henceforth continued my studies in theology at Augustine Institute in Denver. I completed a Master of Arts degree in Evangelization and Catechesis this past May. I am excited to continue serving the Lord as coordinator for the SPRITUS Team.

We have a great team of volunteers this year who are well-formed in the Faith and enthusiastic to share in the Church’s mission of evangelization. I look forward to watching the Holy Spirit work through the team to set the hearts of youth on fire for our Lord. Please pray for the team and the hearts of the youth as we embark on this journey.

Erin Schuessler joins us from Green Bay, Wisconsin. She has a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and is looking forward to another fruitful year of service with the SPIRITUS Team.

Paul Sangeavur Nomsule moved to Washington, D.C. from Nigeria six years ago to study at Catholic University of America. He recently completed his studies to earn a Masters in Religious Education.

Emily Pogue is originally from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She graduated with a degree in Religious Studies in 2006 and worked as a coordinator of religious education the year after she graduated. She recently moved back to Wisconsin after living for 2½ years with the Community of St. John in Illinois as a contemplative sister. She is excited to be a member of SPIRITUS and is looking forward to what the Holy Spirit will be doing in our midst this year!

Kevin Symonds comes from the Greater Boston area by way of South Carolina. He attended Franciscan University of Steubenville where he received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Theology. Prior to joining the SPIRITUS team, he worked as a teacher at a Benedictine Prep. school and a mentor to troubled teens in Wyoming. In his spare time, he can be found playing the piano, writing and listening to Gregorian chant.

Marissa Evans is a native of Minnesota, where she attended the University of St. Thomas and obtained a bachelor's degree in music education. She taught music for one year after school before joining SPIRITUS.

Carrie Otto spent the last two years living in Washington, D.C. facilitating youth leadership conferences and managing online grassroots campaigns. She graduated with a degree in political science from Illinois Wesleyan University, near her hometown of Chillicothe, IL.

Katie Kolega is a passionate Jesus-eater originally from Omaha, Nebraska! She studied Mechanical Engineering and Spanish at Iowa State University and just graduated in May. In addition to sharing her love for the Lord she enjoys swing dancing, running, and rock climbing, and is eager to explore the rocky lands of Wisconsin!