Identity

Ephesians 5:1- Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

Every person perceives his life through what he believes his identity is. This view of himself influences his every action. We form our identity through imitation: of other particular people and through conforming to certain norms or philosophies. For example, if your strongest conviction about your identity is that you are a child of God, then you will imitate Christ’s life and conform to His teachings. Certainly for the non-Christian but even for the Christian himself, his identity will not remain fixed throughout his life, but becomes a search born from his experiences. In other words, one’s answer to the question “Who am I?” is challenged by what he’s done and what happens to him.

We need to realize that we are made in God’s image and likeness, which means that we have tremendous value and dignity. We are also made to love and serve God and others as His beloved sons and daughters. This is our identity. Everyone is lovable. Our perception of our identity is influenced by our day to day life. We are not always treated the way we should and our perception of our identity can be distorted. We often get tempted to believe that the way someone has treated us reflects our worth and identity. For example, if someone tells someone that they are a waste of time, then the person could be tempted to believe that they are a waste of time. But, it is really the other person’s failure to realize your value and/or that person wasn’t living in a way that conforms to their nature. We need to deeply realize who we are in Christ and stand firm in the truth.

Secondly, as humans we need to conform and imitate something. If we aren’t trying to conform ourselves to Christ, we probably are trying to conform ourselves to someone else. Of course we don’t do this perfectly and it requires discernment on one own spiritual journey. It is clear that, when someone is in their High School years, they are tempted to conform themselves to what is popular and acceptable. Students may start conforming themselves to what their friends think is cool or to what celebrity they think is cool. Then they start acting like, dressing like, and speaking like that person or persons. The person’s perception of their identity constantly changes according to the fad of the day or the current friends they have. Of course, there are celebrities and friends that are good influences but at the heart of it they really don’t know who they are as God made them. This is fleeting. With the increasing relativism in our culture, especially in regards to identity, it is often thought that there we can just conform ourselves to whatever we want and be happy. So the belief that there isn’t universal human identity is common place. So it is easier to get lost in fads of the day in our culture. On retreats, we help students realize their identity in Christ and on a recent retreat a student shared how he realized the emptiness of constantly changing the view of who he is. I believe he was coming to realize the joy and freedom that comes with having an identity in Christ and God was defiantly already working on him! There isn’t a better time to pray and think about your identity than during the Christmas season. As we celebrate the coming of the Son of God, we can reflect on how we are God’s beloved sons and daughters.

Merry Christmas,

Dennis

Fan Girl Type of Love

Who do you think of first when you read this statement?
When they say his/her name you are the first person everyone thinks of because they know you love him/her so much.

I've come to realize that no matter where I am or who I meet everyone will eventually learn of my love for Gavin DeGraw (a musician for those of you who don't know him). In fact I bet everyone who knows me is laughing and rolling their eyes right now at the fact that I'm actually posting about him. For this reason Gavin would be my answer to that question. I've never been one to shove this "love" down people's throats or force them to like him. Some will and some won't (cough*Eric*cough). But I've realized that simply by being joyful about him and having no boundaries for showing that joy, people who've never even heard of him all of a sudden love him too! At this point I've had multiple of my teammates even ask me to put the CD in without my prompting and they'll get excited for me whenever he's on the radio. (FYI this brings me a ridiculous amounts of joy haha) Bear in mind none of them really knew who he was before I joined the team.

However, while converting people to Gavin fans is absolutely amazing, I've come to realize that this is how it should be with Jesus! We should all have this fan girl/guy type of love for Him, where sharing the excitement that comes with it is just natural and often times hard to contain. In fact, I should be even more excited to tell others about Jesus over Gavin any day. And just like with Gavin, simply sharing this excitement does not mean I'm shoving it down people's throats. This genuine joy is what people are actually going to respond to the most. Simply by acting out of my love for Him with no shame, people will begin to notice and wonder why, which may be the push they need to start taking a personal interest themselves. If we can have this crazy fan type love for someone we've probably never met and know very little about then why wouldn't we have it for the person we are called to have the most intimate relationship with?

So as Christmas and the birth of Jesus approaches we should all be acting as excited (hopefully even more) as if we are in anticipation for a concert with our favorite musician. I'm accepting this challenge. Now the question is, are you?


*Side note* I find a lot of meaning in Gavin's songs that I can connect with my relationship to God. For example this song: "Soldier" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_A4Sy5ZxP0

Community Blessings in the Advent Season

For the average person, it may be hard to grasp what living in community can be like. We all have communities of various kinds in our life, whether it be our family, parish community, friends we hang out with, etc.. However, living in intentional community that is centered on God and serving in a unified mission for Christ is very unique.

I have lived in a community setting for about two years now, and I feel absolutely blessed because of it. I am so blessed to have a spiritual family of brothers and sisters in Christ who I can share my spiritual journey with. Through our ups and downs, God uses us to help each other mold into disciples of His and to share in His mission and the glory of His most Sacred Heart.

As Christmas approaches, SPIRITUS is at the height of its community life. This is a time of reflection and a time of fellowship. Our community has bonded well and I can see God in each and every one of my brothers and sisters. I see the grace God has given them and how he develops them for His mission. And I see how they are able to bless so many souls because they said "yes" to God when He called them to "drop their nets" and follow Him.

Jesus has poured out His Love into our hearts and it overflows into one another. When we are on mission, this love drives us and sustains us. But most importantly, it pours into the hearts of students we meet. There is no greater Christmas gift than to share in God's love and there is no greater honor than to be called disciples of Christ.

The Vineyard we Larborers work in

Praise the Lord! Hey guys; I hope everyone is having a blessed Advent season and that your all feeling pretty prepared for Christmas. Come Lord Jesus!

Last time I posted a blog I talked a little about the diversity and the universality of the Catholic Church of which we are so blessed to be a part of. I'd like to focus a little bit on one of the groups that comprise this big old family we like to call The Body of Christ, that being the American Catholic parish.

Being on the Green Bay team, I do more parish youth ministry as opposed to retreat ministry. Working with Kate Ruth at St. Elizabeth Anne Seton Parish in Green Bay I have learned a lot about the way a parish and its people actually work.

I became Catholic when my parents both converted from non-denominational Protestantism. Coming into the parish setting, I came from a little house church full of recent converts who lived as a really tight knit community. People were constantly praying for one another, discussing Scripture together, worshipping the  Lord sporadically throughout the day, and even so far as going into the street corners of down town Portland, Oregon to preach and talk with anyone who would listen. There is a word for this that my dad was recently telling me all about and that word is koinania. Its a Greek word and it means intimate fellowship.

In Acts 2:42 it says " They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Now this passage is saying that the Christians of the early Church were doing four things as a community those being: being taught by the elders ergo the apostles, breaking of the bread which of course is the Eucharist, to prayer, and to fellowship or koinania.


When my dad was running this house church, which was full to bursting with this special kind of fellowship, he said that there was something...missing. As a Catholic I can see what he was feeling was an absence of the first two aspects of the Priesthood of the Faithful that being being taught by the apostles and most importantly the Eucharist.


Now I'm going to be honest with everyone I do not see a whole lot of fellowship within the Midwest Catholic parish. I mean look at the numbers only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practising. That's crazy! Another rather sobering number 10 percent of Protestants today are ex-Catholic and the majority of them left because "I just didn't feel God there." How can you not feel God?! He made you a tabernacle for His very Body and Blood every time you received Him in the Eucharist! I'll tell you why they don't feel anything, why they leave in search of a relationship with God that they didn't have in the Church of their youth. It is because today the Catholic Church, at least on a parish level, has let slip that intimate fellowship. We have lost koinania.


You guys as Catholic we have two thousand years of teaching! That is ridiculously awesome! Some of the greatest minds of the human race have plumbed the depths of God Almighty and the fruit of that can bring a man to tears it is so beautiful. On top of this the Sacraments that we regularly celebrate were instituted by Jesus Christ, the High Priest, King, and perfect victim Himself! We have so much potential to set the world on fire with the unquenchable flame that rested upon the heads of the apostles and Mary on Pentecost day! 
Brothers and sisters we have the tools; we have to use them! "Where two or three are gathered in my name there I am with them" Matthew 18:20. You guys Jesus said this because He wants us to be a body, a body infused with the eternal life of the Holy Spirit, the Breath of God! Just imagine if we as a community got together and prayed for one another before and after mass. How much more beautiful would the Wedding Feast be! I'm not saying the Eucharistic sacrifice would be any different. God is there as much as He possibly can be, but are we? If you looked to your left during the prayers of the Mass and you saw a guy who's prayers over you not even an hour before had lifted your spirits and helped you overcome some trial wouldn't that make you more engaged in the sacrifice? All I am trying to say is that the closer we draw together as a Body, a living, breathing, Holy Spirit-filled Body then I don't think the Church would be having the problems it has today. At least not in the terrible measure that they are happening. Christianity is not the religion of the individual. It is the life of all the faithful. We are all One Body in Christ and We Will Not Stand Alone. COME LORD JESUS!

Thankful and Joyful

I am so blessed to be able to serve the Lord by bringing the Gospel to the youth at Resurrection Parish and throughout Wisconsin. We had a great retreat last night for the parish. Only 10 high school students came, with many missing due to illness, but I am thankful for those who were there, because it was a truly blessed experience. In four short hours, we experienced God in so many different ways right there with the students. It was awesome!

We also had a great Bible study on Monday night, talking about joy and its role in spreading the Gospel. We also talked about the source of our joy, and how it doesn't depend on things going well in our lives. In fact, it's in the midst of suffering that sometimes God helps us to find our greatest joy. The key is something I heard in the Thanksgiving homily at St. Mary Parish in Menasha... the way to be joyful is to give God thanks for everything, including the difficult stuff. So this Advent season, give thanks and experience joy!

Giving Thanks for These Experiences!

Hello blog readers!

As Thanksgiving was just last week I wanted to share something I’m thankful for. I’m thankful for all the great experiences I’ve had in this ministry, especially with youth ministry. I just wanted to share three quick experiences I’ve had recently with the youth we work with that have filled me with joy!

The first is a big one. I was lucky enough to be a chaperone on the pilgrimage to Indianapolis for the National Catholic Youth Conference in November. I can’t really describe it in words how amazing it was to be there. Over 23,000 high schoolers were there and they were beautiful examples of the Church today.  To be able to see the youth encounter Christ in such a personal way was beyond words. I could go on and on about NCYC but for now I’ll just end with a picture:

The second experience happened on Thanksgiving. I did the Turkey Trot (a two mile walk in downtown Appleton) with my family early Thanksgiving morning. As I was walking, one of the middle schoolers from St. Patrick’s recognized me and we started walking together. We ended up walking most of the two miles together all while talking and laughing. It was a simple experience but a great reminder to me how blessed I am to be able to do youth ministry with such great students!

The last experience was on Sunday when Jared and I were lucky enough to go to an Eagle Scout ceremony for one of the teens who we have come to know through SPIRITUS. The ceremony was wonderful and it was great to hear about his accomplishments. He even made a rosary walk for his Eagle Scout project – how awesome is that?! I’m thankful that I could be there to see him receive such a high honor!

These may be simple experiences but they are why I love this ministry. It’s why I love working with the youth. For moments like these. I’m excited for more to come!

I chose you

           I used to tell my mom that as the middle child of 12, I did not get treated as fairly as everyone else. I didn't get as much stuff, I didn't stay out as late, and they were stricter with me. She of course denied this for a few years until one day she finally said, "Michelle you are right". For a split second my jaw dropped, she admitted it! Then she added "And now you are holier because of it". I chuckled to myself because like usual God had something to tell me. "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you". John 15:16 

          God chose every one of us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. By being on SPIRITUS I am able to do God's will and I am also able to help others come to know Christ. We help others encounter Jesus because we say, "Yes" to serving him. I thank God for the grace to respond to His call. So, I want to thank those whom by God's great grace has made this possible for all of us on SPIRITUS. Thank you to those who have supported me through out the years especially my parents. Thank you to all those who support SPIRITUS and thank you God for allowing me to be here on SPIRTIUS!

Blessings of Youth Ministry

As many of you know, last year was our first year doing youth ministry with St. Patrick’s Parish in Menasha.  This year we are continuing to work with St. Pat’s, but are also doing youth ministry for Resurrection Parish and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Green Bay.  I am blessed to be able to specifically work with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (SEAS) Parish with Noah.  SEAS has been such a welcoming community and it has been amazing to worship with and to serve them. 

One of the biggest blessings we have had is being able to be a part of their Faith Formation nights twice a month.  We have the opportunity to meet with the middle and high school students separately to talk about what they are learning about in their classes.  The chance to be able to see the same students and develop relationships with them is what I love about our ministry.  The same has been true to be able to participate in the confirmation classes, which are great because we are able to have some pretty great conversations about the joys and challenges the students see with the faith.

Last Wednesday all six members of the Green Bay team came to help out at our Faith Formation night, which has been nicknamed, “Wednesdays with Kate and Noah”, and we put on the Super Saints Show.  I was able to be the talk show host with celebrity guests like Blessed Mother Theresa, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Maria Goretti, and Alessandro Serenelli.  These holy people talked about loving others by their service to the poorest of the poor, becoming a saint by playing their friends in pool and then bringing them to prayer and being committed to the sacraments, and also what it means to love someone so much that you forgive as Jesus forgave.  Not only was this skit a blast, but it was also a great way for students to learn a little more about the saints.

All you holy men and women, Pray for us!

God's Providence

I consider it a miracle to be here on the SPIRITUS team today. I say that because the reason I exist, along with the rest of my family, is attributed to a specific miracle. 

That miracle occurred on October 8, 1871 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, just outside of Green Bay, WI. This Shrine was miraculously spared by the Peshtigo Fire, which claimed over 2,500 lives and burned through over 1,200,000 acres of land. The 5 acres of this Shrine where miraculously unharmed, although all of the surrounding land was destroyed. All of the people who took refuge at the Shrine during the fire remained unharmed as well, and one of those people who were miraculously spared, happens to be my great-great grandmother.

My great-great grandmother, Mary Lefave Cole, was only an infant at the time of the fire. All of those in the Shrine's chapel at the time of the disaster were relying on the Blessed Mother's intercession for help. Through their strong and heroic faith, they were all miraculously spared from death. This all happened exactly one day under 12 years from the first time the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Adele Brise. My great-great grandmother Mary went on to name her daughter Adele, after Adele Brise. She choose so because Adele Brise's courageous "yes" to the Blessed Mother's request of a chapel built at the spot of her apparition led to her life being saved.  

I had the privilege of visiting the Shrine for spiritual direction today. SPIRITUS has offered me the amazing opportunity of receiving spiritual direction once a month, and I could not ask for a better place to receive it. I also am lucky enough to have my former UW-Oshkosh campus chaplain, Fr. James Walling of The Fathers of Mercy, as my spiritual director. This is one of the many connections the Lord has given me through SPIRITUS. Each day God is revealing more and more connections to me through His mighty providence at work, but this connection I have to the Shrine remains one of the closest to me.

An Army of Support

Hello blog readers! I hope you are all doing well.  It is starting to get chillier here in Wisconsin, and unlike the rest of my team members I am more than ready for snowflakes to start falling.  Like always, life is busy here on SPIRITUS. Maybe it is just me, but I think we are all getting a bit antsy for our Thanksgiving break to arrive.  Despite this busyness we are always learning and growing through retreats and other types of formation. 

Since being here on SPIRITUS I have had a stronger desire to grow in devotion towards both Mary and the Saints.  I have always glossed over their importance thinking, “I have Jesus why do I need anyone else?” From being around so many other strong Catholics in this community, my curiosity has grown towards their devotion to Our Mother or a favorite Saint.  Luckily, God has provided many ways for me to act on this desire, especially by getting closer to Mary. 

I think one reason for this desire came from viewing a clip from The Passion of Christ.  We watch when Jesus takes up his cross.  Mary has always stuck out to me at this part because of the suffering that she goes through while her only son is crucified. Her emotional suffering is perfectly depicted in a stained class image, in the chapel of Mount Tabor of her pierced heart. It only makes sense that she deserves the credit of being the best mom ever. Two ways I have had the chance to become closer to Mary is through the rosary and Marian consecration. 

As a team we went to Mass on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  During the homily, the priest strongly encouraged us to pray a rosary every day during the month of October. Determined, I decided I would give it a try.  One blessing of living in community is that one of my sisters here on SPIRITUS kept me accountable in this since she already does a daily rosary.  By meditating on the mysteries of the rosary, I was able to feel more united with Christ. It helped me experience a greater understanding of His life here on earth. 

            I have heard multiple times that Mary is the one that knows Jesus the best, which is why we can go through her for intercession.  A few of the SPIRITUS team members are making the Marian Consecration. We are going through a do-it-yourself retreat by praying and reading “33 Days to Morning Glory,” by Michael E. Gaitley.  We will finish it on either the Immaculate Conception or the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The book best describes a reason for doing the consecration, “Mary’s task is to give spiritual birth to Christians, to feed and nurture them with grace, and to help them grow to full stature in Christ.  In short, Mary’s job is to help us grow in holiness. It’s her mission to form us into saints.” (25). 

            Speaking of the Saints, we give a session on retreat about the radical lives of the Saints. The session called “Living from the Inside Out,” encourages the students to live out their faith in the special ways that are unique to them.  It correlates perfectly with the quotes from “33 Days to Morning Glory.”  Our mission from God is to grow in holiness, and even when you look up Saints in the Catechism of the Catholic Church it says, “see holiness.”  The mission of striving to be a Saint seems so daunting. Good thing Mary is helping us become just that.

            One of the Saints that we as for help the most is St. Michael the Archangel.  We say the prayer to him as a team every morning.  The habit has grown and I say it whenever problems arise or when fear seeps in.  It is always a great consolation that St. Michael helps fight this spiritual battle.  I feel an overwhelming sense of support by both the Saints and Mary, as we are on this mission to ignite the faith in youth. 

            As I have prayed over this subject I received an image of Jesus with Mary beside him, and behind them was an overwhelming amount of the Saints preparing to fight the battle.  It shows that God is the one truly doing the work. We are just his instruments.  Our goal as warriors of Christ is for Him to work through us. Then most importantly, give Him the glory and praise. 

            Thank you for reading all that I have to say about my experiences with Mary and the Saints. Also thank you for supporting and joining us in this mission! We are praying for you. Please continue to pray for us too. 

Be All In

Happy Sunday! Hey guys, I am back for a second season with SPIRITUS, its been a wild, crazy and wonderful adventure thus far. The last 48 hours were such glorious a witness of God's goodness. Saturday morning was spent setting up for Youth Jam (middle school rally) at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Green Bay. Between the hustle and bustle I got to meet some awesome teens (they volunteered to be saints and help traffic the middle schoolers). As we set up the tables, decorations, lunch prep she shared some stories about her favorite saints, shared how she herself is trying to grow in holiness like the saints. Such goodness! Three hours later we headed to celebrate "El Dia De Los Muertos," at the cemetery, why you might be asking. Its a tradition, we celebrate with our deceased loved ones, eat their favorite meals and share our favorite memories, and pray for them. Thanks team for joining me.

I spent Saturday evening with beautiful people, in a beautiful place, with JESUS. I ended up at Encounter just where I needed to be…visited the ONE whom unreservedly is always there. I keeled in silence, tears began to fall, I prayed hard, I asked for forgiveness. But I also thanked HIM for everything HE has given me, all the blessings, the people, the places, the opportunities. I finally went to confession it was so hard to go but so good (you'd think it'd get easier over time haha still gets me every time). It was like coming home. Back to the Jesus, back to this Heavenly family! Sometimes we need that reminder, that we are LOVED, we are FORGIVEN. His love surpasses a multitude of sins, His grace and mercy is endless, His compassion wraps us together. As I sang along with the words I heard the priest words, "Let Him in..." So I ask you that some question, do you let Him in? Fully in? I hope you do, the process is slow but it is so fruitful. I am soo thankful. I needed last night more than I realized, He speaks through silence=LOVE! 

Youth Jam is finally here! Those were my thoughts as I woke up this morning, no joke. Today was just hmm let me see if I can find the words to describe the beauty of today...'AWESOME' that's the word one our youth used to describe this phenomenal event put on by the Green Bay Diocese. Recap of the day: Gathered in gym (about 500 of us, middle schoolers, high school helpers, chaperons and youth ministers). Started off with SFA Band singing 'What does the Fox say.' The youth went wild, so good to see some of them get out of their comfort zones, like the saints. Then Righteous B (keynote speaker) shared stories about his family and how the saints can help us get closer to Heaven. We each have a throne inside of our hearts, we fill it with things: sports, friends, landing the next job, materialism, etc but how many of us take time to make Jesus the only one who sits in the throne of our hearts. He went on to saying the saints made that choice to put Jesus as number 1 in their lives. How we are to go into a deeper and deeper relationship with our Lord, that's what the saint's did. They kept diving in deeper, striving for holiness, imitating them they'll lead us to Heaven. During one of the breakout session we got to hear from Noah (SPIRITUS Teammate) about how prayer helped the saints get closer to Jesus. He spoke about how prayer is just having a conversation with God, letting Him in telling Him how our life is going. In prayer we are to be open and completely vulnerable. After all God/Jesus/Saints are to be our best friends. Oh and I forgot to mention the theme for today was Sainthood: Searching for Holiness. We received the honor of celebrating Mass with Bishop Ricken such a blessing! Some of the things that Bishop said: "Jesus is knocking at the door of your soul, waiting for you to let Him in..." "Even if you were the only person on earth He would die for you." "Be like the saints, be all in...." Jesus Christ surprised me by haha I received communion from the priest that heard confession the night before, I felt my heart almost explode with joy. Such goodness. Ended the day with a concert with Righteous B. It was amazing to see all youth excited about their faith. To put in Bishop's own words, "See you all here, gives me hope..." Seeing so many gives me hope that the next generations to come will BE ALL IN, striving to be saints growing in holiness. Thank you for being the best and making through this long post haha, know that you are all in my prayers! 

Praise the Lord!

Today I was able to spend the day with my brothers and sisters on the  SPIRITUS team at the Green Bay diocese Leadership Convocation. Inside the KI Convention Center, where the convocation was being held, we were able to attend a number of workshops focused on envangelization and catechesis, share stories and talk with many others dedicated to the Gospel message being spread in our diocese, and of course attend mass presided by Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington D.C.

There was a lot going inside the center today but amidst all the hustle and bustle of all the excited Catholics were two monks dressed all in black. One of these men, Father Maximos, was an Australian with a full grey beard and smiling face and the other, Brother Ambrose, was a younger man just brimming over with excitement and zeal for his faith. I was able to speak at length with Brother Ambrose about the Eastern Orthodox Rite for these two men were both apart of the Eastern Orthodox Rite, which is different from the Latin Rite of the Church but still within the Roman Catholic Church.

It was eye-opening, to say the least, to be able to learn about the ways in which they prayed, what life was like at an Eastern Rite monastery, how Catholic icons all were filled with beautiful symbolism, and even the way in which they prayed the liturgy(which is very beautiful by the way). Walking away from the booth that afternoon, I felt encouraged seeing how our Catholic faith was so...universal.

The faith handed to us by Jesus Christ reaches beyond all cultural barriers and customs. It stretches past nationalities and heritages, histories and peoples. From East to West Jesus has planted a Kingdom of believers. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light"  In this passage Peter is talking about the exact same thing I saw today. We are a Church, a body, we stretch across the whole world, and we are meant to spread the Gospel to every corner of the world! "Be not afraid!"

Video Blog Time!

Hello! I decided I'd try out video blogging for my first post. Sorry if it's really choppy or if the sound gets a little weird, hopefully it comes out good enough that my point still gets across! (Also sorry for all the hand motions, it's my Italian side coming out haha) Anyways, thanks for watching & God bless!

Melissa :)

Connecting with Students

Time flies! It’s already October and as a first year SPIRITUS member it has been a great change. Firstly, it has been great to be living in this beautiful town in Wisconsin! Being from Michigan, the beauty really reminds me of home. The life of being a SPIRITUS missionary has led me to grow in my faith, gain life skills, make new friends, and receive the joy of living in a loving community. Not to mention- fun! Being here is such a gift from God! It is such a joy to witness to the students on the retreats. We really see God working on their hearts!

In order to give or receive love, one must trust because one is vulnerable or at least feels so when they love. The combination of trust and feeling vulnerable creates openness. The retreats foster the openness that is necessary for someone to receive God’s love and mercy. We try to meet the students where they are at because the students come to us at all different stages in the faith journey. This understanding makes students comfortable and open. One of my favorite things about the retreats is when the students really open up and share deep things about their life. We do small groups on the retreats for that so we can connect with students in a deeper way. With the working of the Holy Spirit we can then give them the advice and prayer they need to lead them closer to Jesus. I have already had times when I could really connect with students because they shared deep information that I could really relate to. This really helps the students not feel alone, and makes them feel loved by God. Love and connectedness (unity) have an important relation: “And above all these put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:14).”It brings such joy when we connect with the students and witness to them because it leads them closer to God.

Thanks for reading!

God's Blessings

So here goes writing my first blog post while being a part of SPIRITUS. I hope the pressure doesn't get to me too much... :P

Well it's been under two months since I've arrived in Wisconsin (from the wild and wonderful state of West Virginia) to work in youth/retreat ministry. What is there to share except the fact that it has been an amazing experience so far- hence the title of my post "God's Blessings." I can't believe how right it feels for me to be a part of this team of young adults serving the youth in the area and bringing them closer to Christ in faith. Some of the many blessings include a wonderful community of amazing/inspirational people, getting spiritual formation, and learning so many valuable tools for a future career in whatever the future holds. It's been such an experience. These blessings I mentioned, though, are just the frosting of the cake- the real sweetness and satisfaction comes from the work we do- helping youth have an encounter with God and helping them delve deeper into the Catholic faith. Already into October, we've had quite a few retreats so far ranging from second grade to twelfth, and actually today, I was on a team that finished giving a Confirmation retreat. This past retreat, for me and many of my teammates, really was a reminder for us why we do what we do on SPIRITUS. Of course sometimes it's more difficult to engage students on some retreats we give, but this past retreat God gave us one of His breaths of fresh air. For many of the students, they shared that this retreat put things into perspective for them and allowed them to build a stronger personal relationship with Christ. We were able to discuss different aspects of the faith, but in particular, the session on forgiveness was powerful for the students. Many of them really opened up and allowed Christ into their lives at this point. It was truly an emotional experience. While the forgiveness session stood out from the retreat, overall the spirit of the retreat emulated joy, openness, and community. By the end, many of the students thanked our team and gave us a generous portion of high-fives and hugs. Even some of the adult chaperones and leaders did not hesitate to share how fruitful they thought the experience was.

Although not every retreat or youth ministry event will necessarily be as rewarding, it's these moments of real encounters with God and bonds with the students that make what we do worthwhile. It's then that we are reminded how God is really working in the students' lives but also our own as members of SPIRITUS. God's blessings are always around His children (not just SPIRITUS and the students but everyone in the world). Sometimes it just takes these special moments to be reminded of that. For me, this ministry is such a blessing- my teammates inspire me, I feel like I'm growing a lot, and the students we encounter make it all worthwhile. I look forward to what else I'll be experiencing in the next few months here in Wisconsin in youth evangelization.

So until next time...God bless! :)
         

Wisdom and Blessings of Children

One of my favorite quotes in the Bible is from Matthew 15. Jesus tells us, "Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Whenever I am on retreat with the younger students, I see what blessings they truly are and I see just how much we can learn from them. For instance, they don't allow the troubles of their world to hold them down, and they bring a joyful, light-hearted persona to life that can be lost as we get older.

Oftentimes ego and social pressures can mold us in a way that keeps us from the humility that Jesus talks about. We grow to believe that we know "what is best" and oftentimes, personalities will collide into great argument. We can also grow to believe that all of the accomplishments in our life were our own doing. It is easy to forget that we "can do nothing" without God.

The practice of humility requires the recognition that we are just as dependent on God as children are with their parents. Humility requires that we are open, honest, and seek truth without fearing various pressures, rejection, and being "made small." It requires that we do not try to be something we are not.

Children do not pretend to have all the answers and are not afraid of being wrong. They want to participate and be involved without the fears that we develop as we get older. They enjoy expressing themselves in their own unique way with little concern about how others perceive them.

Jesus asks us to learn to be like children again because it is only through this path that we are able to live an honest life looking to God for all our needs and imitating Him like a child imitates his parents.

The First Month!

Hello Faithful Blog Readers!

As you can tell by the lack of blog posts lately it has been a busy first month for SPIRITUS team five! There is so much to tell that I don’t even know where to begin. This first month has been filled with preparation and training for the beautiful months of ministry we have ahead of us.

First, we spent time up at Camp Tekakwitha where we started to get to know each other and nourish our spiritual lives. We listened to talks, had discussions, shared some of our own faith stories and had fun in the process. The next two weeks were spent at Mount Tabor learning some of the key retreats that we give many times throughout the year. We’ve even given a few retreats already this year. We’ve traveled to Green Lake, Brillion, Sacred Heart in Appleton and we had the freshman from Lourdes in Oshkosh and the Confirmation students from Antigo come to Mount Tabor.

Last week, we were lucky enough to have a youth ministry guru, Frank Mercadante from Cultivation Ministries, come to train us in youth ministry. This year, we will be doing youth ministry at three parishes in the Diocese – St. Patrick’s in Menasha, Resurrection Parish in Green Bay and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Green Bay. It was such a blessing to have Frank here for two and a half days to help us really prepare to do the best that we can in the parishes we serve. We learned about large and small group events, how to get the whole parish involved, how to connect with students today (the millennial generation), how to foster growth in students so they become disciples, and so much more! We are all so thankful for Frank and his insights and we look forward to using what he taught us this year! Please pray for our youth ministry programs and please pray for Frank and all the great work he is doing!

I’ve caught us all the way up to this week. Wooo! This week marks a change for us. This year we have expanded and started a new team in Green Bay. It’s really exciting to see SPIRITUS growing and branching out into two teams! While the Menasha team will mainly focus on retreats, the Green Bay team’s primary goal is youth ministry at Resurrection and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. This past Saturday, the Green Bay team moved up to their permanent homes in Green Bay and today they started working in their parishes. The two teams, Menasha and Green Bay, will be working in their own areas for most of the week but since we are ultimately still one team, we will see each other once a week for formation. While it will be weird to not see all the team members every day of the week, we are all on the same mission and we are all here for one another. Most importantly, we are all praying for each other like crazy!

This first month has been such a blessing to me so far. I love all my teammates and they each bring something so vitally important to the ministry. I love being able to spend time with each of them, learning their stories and seeing the love of Jesus that radiates from their eyes. I cannot wait to see what is in store for the rest of the year but I know, without a doubt, that God has blessed SPIRITUS with some amazing new team members and I can only imagine the great impact they will have on the youth of Wisconsin!

Overwhelming Grace!

SPIRITUS has just returned from our various travels and other summer experiences, coming together to officially form Team 5!

We have several familiar faces returning, as well as a number of newcomers. In a couple weeks, we'll post a more thorough introduction. But for now, let me just say that there is a positively overwhelming number of team members here, in a very good way!

With the addition of a second team this year (serving in Green Bay), we have a total of 16 SPIRITUS members. (And we could even take one more guy, if anyone out there knows any Spirit-filled men looking to serve the youth by spreading the Gospel.) Mt. Tabor has never seemed so alive!

Being in the kitchen last night, nominally supervising the barely-controlled chaos that was 16 people preparing dinner, I felt a bit out-of-my-element as an introvert. But I also felt very much as if I were part of one great big family. I felt loved.

I think sometimes God's grace is like that; it's so intense that it makes us just a little uncomfortable... but it's so wonderful that we just want to surrender to Him and soak it all in!

Please pray for us as we leave for Camp Tekakwitha to continue our opening retreat as a team. Pray that God will continue to overwhelm us with His love and grace, so that we will be prepared to share that love with the youth!

Going in Peace

Wow! It has been an amazing, incredible, awesome year here at SPIRITUS!

We ended our year, fittingly, on Pentecost, a great day to be sent forth. Our final numbers for the year are 5,263 youth evangelized on 149 retreats. But we also led several Bible Studies throughout the year and reached a lot of youth through our Youth Ministry at St. Patrick's Parish in Menasha, so I can confidently say that SPIRITUS reached over 5300 youth this year! Praise the Lord!

As I look back on a great year, I can't help but be thankful. God has really blessed me in my second year on the team, and I have grown a lot from the new challenges and opportunities that come from being a Servant Leader. However, it's also time to look ahead!

I'm very excited about next year because I will be returning to serve as Coordinator for SPIRITUS Team 5!

We will actually have two different teams next year, one at Mt. Tabor Center in Menasha and the other focused on Youth Ministry at Resurrection Parish in Green Bay. Our Mt. Tabor Center team will continue with Youth Ministry at St. Patrick's, and we're looking to reach even more youth through those efforts in the coming year. I will be in Green Bay, launching our ministry there.

Before all that starts up in August, things might be a little quiet here, as Team 4 has now dispersed. However, we are still in the mission field! Rachel, Karissa, Julie, and Callie are all involved with Totus Tuus, a summer Catholic youth program, and Robbie is walking across America with Crossroads. I'll be returning home to Florida to get some much-needed rest (and to really brush up on some spiritual reading--Blessed John Paul II's Theology of the Body!).

I'll be ready to hit the ground running when I return in August. Until then, Peace!

P.S. We are still looking for two more men to join SPIRITUS Team 5. If you are a faith-filled man between the ages of 21 and 29, please prayerfully consider embarking upon a great adventure of evangelization and personal growth!

A Pentecost Send-off

Today not only is Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, it is also the first official day of SPIRITUS being over for the year.  We had our end of the year Gala yesterday and it was a beautiful way to close the year.  Pentecost weekend is a fitting time for this Gala, because we tell the story of Pentecost on every confirmation retreat, and how the disciples were given courage and direction from the Holy Spirit to be sent forward to share the good news of Jesus, which is what are all called to do.  

Tonight Rachel and I went to the St. Maria Goretti house for a Pentecost party.  Fr. Jewl and his brother Fr. Joseph from the Fathers of Mercy were both there, as well as two sisters from the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal.  It was so beautiful to see these four religious living out their vocation with such joy! We started talking about how all women are called to be spiritual mothers no matter what your vocation is.  As we were about to leave one of the young sisters came up to Rachel and I, and said she would pray for us, and not only that but asked what she could pray about for us.  This was so touching to see her compassion and joy radiate from her in such a sincere way.  This was the perfect way to end my year here on SPIRITUS because it helped me to reflect on the year.  Tonight has helped me to see how much I have grown, but also has given me another guide and role model to look to in the faith; to be around everyone who comes to the Goretti House, so that when I leave I can look at my encounters with them as Jesus working through each one of them to share His love to me and everyone they meet!

God Bless, and have a wonderful summer!

Little Graces from Above

     As I reflect on the Spiritus year and all the students that I have encountered, through retreats, bible study and different events, I realized that God showers us with so many graces each and every day. One event that brought geart joy to my heart was during a middle school retreat. As the students were coming in, one of the students became super excited when she saw me. I realized that she had participated in the Totus Tuus program that had taken place this past summer. The joy that her excitement brought to me was beautiful. She had encountered the love of God this past summer and that experience was still alive in her heart.

I also had the chance to encounter Gods grace through a night of Praise and Worship. Gods presence truly comes alive for me through music. On this particular night I had the privilege to be prayed with by our coordinator. That was truly a grace filled moment as the love of God flooded my heart.

Weather it be from a student or a teammate God is constantly showering us with little graces from above. As I serve the Lord through this ministry I have learned that I can touch peoples lives, but people can touch my life more then they know. So go out and share a smile with someone today, you never know how much grace that might bring to one person. 

God Bless!

Unexpected Graces

God just pours his grace out on all of us here at SPIRITUS each and every day. My teammates have already shared many stories of how they've experienced this. But God also likes to give us little moments of grace in the times and places where we least expect it. A couple days ago, as we neared the end of our annual "secret" vacation, a group of young guys walked past the table where I was sitting. The last guy in the group walked up to me and asked, "This might sound kind of strange, but do you do church camps or something?"

It turned out that he was on one of our retreats last year! He said we did a great job and to keep it up. He also said that what we do has an impact, and it sticks with people. I don't think he has any idea what an awesome grace this brief conversation was for me. One of the toughest things about our retreat ministry is that we rarely get to see the fruits of our work, so receiving this kind of affirmation (especially in such an unexpected place and time) was the perfect way for me to cap off a great vacation.

Graces From Above

As I reflect back on these past couple of months on SPIRITUS, I am in AWE of God's endless grace.  God gives us graces each and every day, sometimes we just have to pay close attention.  There is one moment that stands out the most, it happened during a confirmation retreat during 1:1 prayer with a student. The student was struggling with letting go of the past, and a broken heart. As we invited the Holy Spirit to be part of our prayer, I felt a sense of peace and calmness. Moments before the retreat ended, she came up to me and proceeded to share her experience. "You remembered when we prayed, I felt a sense of peace overcome my being, I think it was Jesus Christ." I didn't know how to respond, I was in awe, just smiled. I believe that, that was a glimpse of His love, a miracle in itself, He comes and meets us where we are at with our wounds takes them to the cross. 

Even though several of the teammates' have said it, I'll say it again, SPIRITUS is with out a doubt a grace in itself. In every aspect: prayer, community living, spiritual direction, learning and growing from formation, seeing the youth on retreats and bible studies. It gives all of us who come to SPIRITUS, team members and youth a voice. On SPIRITUS I found my voice, this ministry has made my heart come alive, for that I am eternally grateful.