We're Back!

Hello long lost blog readers!

It has been some time since anyone has posted on the blog. That's because team five has gone their separate ways and the Mount Tabor Center is preparing for team six to begin TOMORROW!

Team five is taking what they learned from SPIRITUS to all different parts of the country. Some are continuing to be youth evangelizers as they have jobs in youth ministry, others are being witnesses to their families back at home, and still others are going to grad school for Theology. Plus there are four of us returning for another year of SPIRITUS. It has been really cool for me to see what everyone is doing and I'm anxious to see where God will take them next. And of course, I miss them all dearly!

As for me, I've been at the Mount Tabor Center working this summer. I was the coordinator for an amazing program called Totus Tuus in the Green Bay Diocese. It was such a great summer where I was lucky enough to spend my time with awesome young adults and cute little kids. What's better than that?

Now I'm back for team six! I'm the coordinator for the team in Menasha. I've learned so much being on the team the past two years and have grown tremendously in knowledge of myself and God so I'm excited to see what God has in store for me this year. Right now, the musicians for team six have come to Mount Tabor and we have been playing guitar and singing so much that my fingers hurt. But it's been great to jam out. The rest of the team comes tomorrow and that's when it all begins! We start our opening retreat on Monday and head to Camp Tek on Tuesday. From then on it's nonstop training craziness which will prepare all the newbies for a beautiful year of ministry.

Please pray for all the new team members who are traveling to Menasha in the next 24 hours. Please also pray for us, as SPIRITUS team six, as we begin our time together that we may have a fruitful year and that God may use us to bring others into His Kingdom. We will make sure to pray for all of you as well!

For the Kingdom!

A Look Back

A couple days ago, I officially retired from SPIRITUS. But before I go, I wanted to share what an awesome three years my time in Wisconsin was.

I arrived at the Appleton airport with no idea what I had signed up for. I really wasn't even sure that there was actually going to be someone to come pick me up when I landed. Fortunately, I did get picked up and was soon introduced to Mt. Tabor Center and all of my awesome teammates from Team 3.

In that year, we did 160 retreats and evangelized about 6,000 young people. I met some incredible high school students through our Teen Disciples Bible study at Mt. Tabor. (This year, I was confirmation sponsor for one of those students.) It was an awesome year, and I probably grew more in those nine months than I did in my first six years of being Catholic. (I entered the Church when I was a sophomore in high school.)

My second year was the beginning of some big changes for SPIRITUS. We started a youth ministry program at St. Patrick's in Menasha. I don't think I've ever been as busy as I was that year, but it was amazing. Kate, Rachel, and I were able to build some great relationships with young people, especially middle school students, right in our own neighborhood. Some of them started high school this year, and they are just on fire for Jesus!

This past year was another year of big changes for me. I lived with Noah and Fr. Schuster in De Pere, which I enjoyed immensely. I got way more experience with parish life, as we threw ourselves full-time into youth ministry. I got to teach some religious education classes in addition to running retreats and fun events. I also got to experience the administrative side of things, which I didn't enjoy as much as the ministry, but it was still a great foundation for me. And finally, I started working on a master's degree in theology.

I can't possibly describe all of the things I have done through SPIRITUS in the past three years (or more accurately, all of the things Jesus has done through me while I've been part of SPIRITUS), nor can I express how grateful I am for the time I've had with this ministry. I pray that all of our benefactors, supporters, future and former team members, Mt. Tabor staff, and, most importantly, the youth we serve continue to be tremendously blessed as SPIRITUS carries the mission into yet another fantastic year!

Four Words

As I near the end of my time here on SPIRITUS (12 days!) it's hard not to reflect on all that's happened. It's been an amazing experience and I'm all the better for it but the question that comes to mind is how do I know I'm all the better for it? How does the girl who arrived in Wisconsin back in August compare to the girl now about to get back on that plane and head home 9 months later? Well, it all comes down to four words:

"I'll pray for you." 

Yes, measuring my 9 months of growth is actually as simple as those four words. Nine months ago I was in a place where my faith was very private in a sense. I wasn't someone who would go around starting conversations about it and definitely would not have been as bold (at least in my mind) as to say "I'll pray for you." Now reflecting back, I can actually see the stages of my growing confidence and ability to talk about this area of my life through my use of these four words.

Stage 1: Teammates- This was an easy one because they were all saying it so there was really no chance of them feeling uncomfortable about it.

Stage 2: Brother- This one took a little more "courage" because he's at a different place with his faith right now and I wasn't sure if he would feel annoyed with me or think I was pushing my faith on him. He responded with a thanks so turns out it didn't start a big confrontation. Who would have thought haha

Stage 3: Catholic Friends- One of my friends experienced a death in her family and while using these four words was a new step for us I knew it was something that needed to be said and not just done. I think it caught her off guard a little at first but even so I realized that nothing bad was going to come from me saying it.

Stage 4: Students on Retreat- They expected us to be these "super religious" people so it wouldn't have been weird for them to hear it but even so it scared me to be vulnerable with them in this way. One retreat I said it to one of the girls I had prayed 1-on-1 with as she was leaving. She stopped mid-tracks, turned around, and said "Thank you! That deserves a hug" and gave me a huge hug with tears in her eyes. This was the first moment I truly saw how powerful those four words could be.

Stage 5: Non Catholic Friends- This scared me a lot because I really had no idea how they would react to it but when one friend was dealing with a terrible illness in her family I didn't think twice about it. A month or so later things took a turn for the worse and she actually reached out to me ASKING for prayers. This astonished me but also melted my heart. I was so thankful that she felt comfortable coming to me to ask for this. I again realized the impact these four simple words could have.

Stage 6: Strangers- I never thought I'd see the day when I would tell a complete stranger that I'd pray for them. Well that day came about a week ago. I went to get my haircut and the hairdresser and I got into a conversation about what I do which got her to ask even more questions about my faith and the likes. By the end of the appointment we had had a great conversation. Right after paying I mustered up the courage to tell her I'd pray for her. She looked a little taken aback at first but then her face softened and she seemed genuinely pleased. It was a great moment where I realized that doing and saying things in genuine sincerity are more thank likely not going to offend people.

All in all these 9 months have been full of amazing growth and I could not be more thankful for God leading me here! Know that I am praying for all you blog readers both now and future. Never underestimate the power of prayer and the power of those four simple words, "I'll pray for you." :) God Bless!

Wisdom

Wow! I can’t believe that the end of Spiritus year is almost here! We have only a few weeks left. This year had a lot of blessings. One of the blessings has been wisdom. I received a lot of insights about life and how to live.

One insight was from Romans Chapter 2- “No matter who you are, if you pass judgment you have no excuse. In judging others you condemn yourself, since you behave no differently from those you judge.”

I have noticed, especially when living in community, the things that people do that bothers me the most, I do myself. For example, one time a team member stole my seat, and this made me mad and I wanted to judge him. Then a day later I stole a team member’s seat and I laughed when I did it. It really is humbling that a lot of things that I want to judge or condemn others, I do myself. It seems we are more inclined to judge because we are more aware of the weakness and/or it is something in ourselves that we don’t like. Humility is the key and only God’s grace can keep you humble. There is a definite peace about not always being at war with others by judging them, in order to try to convince ourselves of the lie that we are the best, while also overlooking our weaknesses. Pride is a moral disorder, and it is the root of all sin.

By “never judging” we should mean not thinking we are better than other people. Of course by “never judging others” shouldn't use to reinforce our culture’s moral relativism. Which is belief in no absolute moral laws and everything comes down to an individual’s emotional and intellectual consciousness. It just becomes a defense mechanism when is told (even when it is out of love for the other person) that is it better for them if they don’t act in a certain way or they should start acting in a certain way, they claim “who are you to say that?” Its not that they think they are better, but there are objective moral truths. 

God Bless,

Dennis

TWO NEW Saints

        Today is Divine Mercy Sunday and it is also the canonization of two AWESOME popes, Saint John Paul II and Saint John XXIII. Although, I do not know much about Saint John XXIII I know he deserves the title of AWESOME for two reasons : one he was the Pope and two he is now a Saint. Probably anyone reading this knows why Saint JPII is considered AWESOME.
        Now, I am not going to talk much about these two new Saints because your news feed whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, or Email has already told you what you need to know.  I want to talk to you all about becoming a saint, whether it be a little s saint or a big S Saint. We are all called to be saints, as in get to heaven. We are all different and we are all called to be saints in our own way. The Catholic Church shows us that through the many different saints we have in our church.  Live your life out to become the saint you are meant to be. I hope to see you all on the other side in God's full glory!
         I will leave you with a quote from Saint John Paul II and Saint John XXIII

  "Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." -Saint John Paul II

  "Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." Saint John XXIII

Because of Him

Happy Easter, He is Risen!!! I hope all of you had a beautiful Tridumm. I pray that this season of joy, hope and love brings you ever closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope that this Easter season you see just how much the Lord's love runs so deep. That these next fifty days leading up to Pentecost you journey with the Lord, sharing with others the hope, peace, joy and the courage to change it all around for Him.

Just as Pope Francis said in his Easter message,

"That is why we tell everyone: "Come and see!" In every human situation, marked by frailty, sin and death, the Good News is no mere matter of words, but a testimony to unconditional and faithful love: it is about leaving ourselves behind and encountering others, being close to those crushed by life's troubles, sharing with the needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast. "Come and see!": Love is more powerful, love gives life, love makes hope blossom in the wilderness." -Urbi Et Orbi, Pope Francis

I feel like he is somewhat speaking to us here on SPIRITUS, as we encounter the children, teens and youth adults in this ministry, sharing Jesus' love with them. I love Pope Francis. I am so thankful for this reminder, it gives me that little push to make that change this Easter season haha. One more time, I pray that this Easter season fills you with joy, hope and love. Christ is Risen, Alleluia!!!

What a Great Day Looks Like

Hello! It's been a long time since I've posted anything up here, but I just wanted to share some of the AWESOME things going on with our SPIRITUS Youth Ministry at Resurrection Parish in Green Bay.

Yesterday was a long, crazy day, but it was soooo awesome! The entire Green Bay team dropped by Notre Dame Middle School (right next door to where Noah and I live!) to visit one of our fellow youth ministers and get some fantastic insights into how to build great relationships with the youth we minister to. Then, it was off to the office for a whirlwind of preparation for our Young Neighbors in Action retreat. The YNIA group at Resurrection consists of 19 teens and 5 adults who will be taking a mission trip to Nebraska this summer. (Young Neighbors in Action is a ministry of the Center for Ministry Development. You can read more about it here.)

First, the teens were given their sweet T-shirts, designed by them at our last meeting back in January. Then, everyone piled into cars to visit the Oneida Cultural Center, where we learned a LOT about the culture and history of the Oneida Nation. The YNIA trip in July will take place at the St. Augustine Mission, which serves the Omaha and Winnebago tribes, so this background gives our teens just a little bit of a head start on understanding the people they will be serving.

After that, everyone returned to Resurrection for some pizza and other treats. The students enjoyed the chance to stretch, chat, and absorb the information they had just taken in. Meanwhile, we were busily running around, printing out some last-minute handouts for the students. I also had to go pick up the pizza, which I like to think I delivered at exactly the right time. (Though I don't think anyone is about to hire me as a pizza delivery driver!) In any case, the teenagers were quite hungry and devoured the food.

After a short presentation about our deep obligation as Catholics to enter into the mission of Jesus by "proclaiming good news to the poor" (see Luke 4:18) and a great discussion about how to prepare our hearts and souls to do that on the YNIA mission trip, we got to the most anticipated part of the night: PAINTING! I was able to get last-minute permission on Tuesday to let the teens paint our youth room (thus leading to a last-minute trip to purchase paint that made my day much more exciting than expected, to say the least), and they did an AWESOME job! Take a look!

Just adding a little color.

A small army of dedicated teenagers attack the large, white wall.

Working as a team. 

Painting a wall yellow naturally puts a smile on your face!

After the teens left for the night, Julie got into the painting as well. I don't have a picture of the entire wall, but this gives a pretty good idea of what it will eventually look like.

Do You Have a Favorite Bible Story?

Hello blog readers! I pray that Jesus is blessing you abundantly and Mary is helping you love like her!

For our youth ministry programs, Friday is a day we look forward to. On Fridays we have a program called Drop-In for middle school students. It's a time where middle schoolers can come hang out, eat snacks and learn a little about their faith in the process. Every week we have a Bible verse from the upcoming Sunday's Gospel reading and we usually do an activity that helps teach about the Bible passage. Today I was starting to get ready for this Friday's Drop-In by reading the Sunday's Gospel. And guess what?! It is my all time favorite Bible story! I started reading it and a huge smile spread across my face as I read about how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Now you might be asking, why does Rachel love that Bible story so much? Well let me explain.

In the Gospel of John, it tells us that Jesus got word that his friend, Lazarus, was ill and was about to die. Jesus and His apostles travel to see Lazarus but he is dead before they get there. When Jesus arrives both Martha and Mary (Lazarus' sisters) meet Jesus and tell Him that Lazarus has died. Then comes my favorite verse of the whole Bible (John 11:35) that says, "Jesus wept". That's it. It's the shortest verse in the Bible but my absolute favorite. It's my favorite because Jesus shows His humanity. He also shows us that we are not alone, especially if someone close to us in our life has died. Jesus loved Lazarus and when He heard that he had died and saw his sisters crying, He wept himself. This passage gives encouragement to us all that no matter what we are going through in our lives, Jesus is right there with us. When we cry, He's right there beside us crying too. This idea has given me so much comfort, especially the past few years, as I have dealt with the death of someone close to me.

But the story doesn't end there! Jesus then brings Lazarus back to life. This is where Jesus shows His divinity and gives a foretaste of His own resurrection. I can't read that story and not get pumped because GOD WINS! Death isn't the final answer. Salvation is ready and waiting for us. Praise the Lord!

That, in a nutshell, is why I absolutely love this Bible story. I could just keep writing more and more about this story but this post is long enough already. But I do have a question for you: do you have a favorite Bible story? If so, leave a comment because I would LOVE to hear them!

Do It Anyway

Many times we get discouraged when we try to do the right thing because oftentimes it is met with anger, resentment, envy, etc.  I know that this happens to me when I try to evangelize on SPIRITUS.  I know it has happened to me when living in community that sometimes my actions are viewed differently oftentimes with impatience and resentment then what I intended.  Even on retreats, some of the youth will judge you as a fool which hurts, however does that mean that we stop pushing forward? Do we stop following in Christ’s footsteps? NO!!! Remember What Would Jesus Do. People mocked Him yet He loved them anyways. The soldiers beat and tortured Him yet He forgave them anyways. People turned away from Him when His teachings were difficult to grasp yet He called after them anyways. Do we give up when the times get difficult? No. If we are supposed to be Christians aka Little Christ’s then we need to also act like Him. Here is a great poem to meditate on by Mother Theresa who did walk in the footsteps of Christ:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

Those Sweet Attachments

It is the second week of Lent and we are slowly but surely making our way closer to Easter and the Resurrection of our Lord! This year I decided to give up sweets (i.e. chocolate, cookies, ice cream, etc.) and limit my TV intake to at most 1 hour a day. (This second one is more to keep me from binge watching on our day off.) I've given up sweets many times before for Lent, like most of us I presume, so I didn't think I was in for that big of shock to my system. Man was I wrong. I don't think you realize just how prevalent sweets are on SPIRITUS. Whether it's donut Sunday after Mass, or someone baked brownies for Bible study, or people decide to go out for pie on Pi day, they are EVERYWHERE. In fact just today we got an e-mail that one of the SPIRITUS board members bought us a bunch of Girl Scout cookies AND other desserts that would be delivered to us one at a time over this week.... Seriously?! It also doesn't help when all you want it just a little something sweet to round off your meal. Just one Hershey Kiss that's all I ask!

While this "suffering" has been slowly torturing me, it has also been extremely humbling and eye opening. There have been sooo many times when I just feel that deep craving for chocolate but I'll have to keep telling myself no or I'll try to fill the desire with something else. This is unhealthy. This is an attachment. This is what it's like to be addicted to sin. No I'm not saying chocolate is a sin BUT when you're attached to something it is so deeply rooted in you that you don't even realize how much power you've given it. With this power it is able to change your perception of it. It no longer looks like sin but rather something normal and routine in your life. It now becomes abnormal and uncomfortable when you try to go against the sin. That is what's scariest, when sin and virtue switch places without you even noticing.

This Lent I'm working on my attachments and perceptions of these attachments. This includes the obvious attachment to sweets and TV but I'm also going even deeper. I'm trying to recognize those ideas, points of view, and ways of doing things that are so routine and normal for me but may actually be holding me back. It's when we realize what our attachments are that we can then determine why they are there and if they are healthy or not. My challenge to you this Lent is to take a look at your own attachments, reflect on them, and start detaching from the areas that are either holding you back from a greater good or are leading you into temptation and sin. By doing so you'll not only set yourself free from these things that have grown to control you but you will also be opening up a lot more room for God and the things HE wants you to be focusing on.

"Even when the goals we are aiming at are excellent in themselves, attachment to our own 'wisdom' may be a seriously bad obstacle in the way of docility to the Holy Spirit."
-Jacques Philippe, In the School of the Holy Spirit