SVD Caribbean newsletter 2011

Divine Word Missionaries

Youth Ministry

C aribbean n e w s l e t t e r s v d

c h i c a g o

p r o v i n c e

district

CONTENT Connecting With The Youth Adam Oleszczuk Befriending The Sea! Bernie Spitzley Transiting Into Transition Pierre Tevi-Benissan Montserrat’s Catholic Youth Community(CYC) George Agger A Miracle? Amazing......

Walter Mendonca Meeting God In Jamaica Where Youth Ministries Thrives!

Bernie Spitzley Youth Ministry: Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands Luis Lapus Youth Of St. Thomas Parish Frank Power What’s Next, Father?

Bob Johnson Youth --- The Present Of The Church Yohanes Lunga Bally

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Dear friends, Greetings on behalf of our Caribbean District!

Once again, I am very happy to present to you the latest edition of our newsletter. The personal reflections, ministries, invite you to journey with us and to understand our mission. As you will discover, this year’s magazine focuses on Youth Ministry – its challenges, struggles, joys and opportunities experienced in different ways and forms in our daily life. I am sure many of you have been there!

I hope you will find these articles interesting, inspiring and somehow intriguing so that it might kindle in you a little spark of possibly joining us as we serve the people of God in this beautiful part of the world and live out our missionary call.

I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the editors of this 2011 edition of our newsletter, Bernie Spitzley and Bobby Lucas Yeh. You have done a tremendous job!

In the Divine Word,

Adam Oleszczuk, SVD

FROM THE DISTRICT SUPERIOR’S DESK

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Connecting With The Youth Adam Oleszczuk

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couple of years ago, the Church of Reconciliation celebrated its 30th

Anniversary under the theme: “That all may be one�. A unique example of Christian unity, Church of Reconciliation is the spiritual home of two faith communities - one Roman Catholic and the other Anglican. For more than 30 years, the two congregations have shared the same worship space and have engaged in joint spiritual, pastoral, social and fundraising activities.

To commemorate this memorable milestone of our ecumenical endeavour, jointly - both congregations – have organized numerous events. First of all, to thank God for all the blessings we received as a church, secondly to reflect on our identity and the role we, as this unique

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church, have to play in the Jamaican society, which is divided so much politically, economically and socially.

A Methodist Pastor was invited to deliver a message at one of our joint services. In his outstanding presentation on the theme taken from Jesus’s prayer in St. John’s Gospel “… that they all be one…” he reminded all of us, Anglican and Roman Catholic alike, that a church cannot exist only for itself… it exists for the community in which it is erected and should become an agent of change and transformation.

Challenged by these prophetic words, joint committees have been established to look at various possibilities of outreach ministries to make the Church of Reconciliation vibrant, vocal and visible in the Portmore area. After several meetings and reflection it has became clear to us that we need to start with our youth. Therefore, a decision was made to establish a joint educational outreach ministry for the youth in the area.

Primary and High school teachers from both congregations were invited to undertake this project and make it a reality.

Meanwhile, our Pastoral Centre, was undergoing major renovation.

In our plans, a provision was made to expand one of the existing rooms and turn it to a Computer and Homework Centre. Thanks to a very generous sponsor from, the USA, we were able to furnish the Centre with good computers. Now we are ready to start the “ministry of presence” to the young men and women in the Bridgeport community.

It is my hope that by the Grace of God this little project will become a bridge between our church and so many boys and girls, who do not go to any church yet. Indeed we are called to be a living sign of the passage in St. John’s Gospel that prays "that they all be one."

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Befriending The Sea! Bernie Spitzley

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ne of the joys of serving in the Caribbean is the Sea! The beach, a

place of rest and quiet contemplation. I find the sea to be spiritual, like saying a prayer, ‘being with God’. The sea captures us, comforts us, and calls us. It is ministerial, mysterious, and magnificent. We see no signs of its age. The sea is strong, constant, and everlasting in its perfection.

It connects us not only to God but to ourselves. The sea evokes a feeling of just how temporal and fragile our lives are. It is inflexible in its teaching: that such things in life as power, glory, possessions do not really matter. In the real run-ins of our lives they will disintegrate like a sand castle under a tidal wave. Only God is certain, says the sea.

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At the sea, in reflection and contemplation of our lives, we can peel away those parts that lead us astray. The sea encourages us to behave differently: to celebrate the passion of the soul, to not take life so seriously as the ‘suits’ make it seem, to awaken the innocent that often gets lost, or at least misplaced, when we become adults. At the sea I feel gratitude.

Walking along the sea, I get to embrace its perfection, soak up its eternal mysteries. The sea keeps giving back to me. I keep taking in its gifts, free, without charge. The sea gives me a sense of who I am. It cuts out my tendency to live according to how they think I should live, and it helps me embrace the promise of God in order to find the meaning of life; it contributes to the destiny of my soul. For me the sea is sacred.

It swells, like faith, and there I hear God’s voice in the splashing of the waves.

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Transiting Into Transition Pierre Tevi-Benissan

w

hen I left Jamaica in December 2006, I was pretty sure of what I

wanted to do for the next three years, get a degree in Marital and Family Therapy. The idea developed out of my pastoral ministry in Jamaica. I fancied the idea of returning to Jamaica, of serving there. Of course the people I came across and interacted with played an important role in my decision and I thought returning to Jamaica could be my way of expressing my gratitude. In addition there was and there is still a window of opportunity to practice Marital and Family therapy in Jamaica and I was also looking forward to making a difference in the life of many.

However, it was the first time I would be going back to school after 9 years of pastoral ministry. Also the first time I would be enrolled as a

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student in the American educational system. It was a new beginning with a new set of challenges. Though I did not really have time to process and think out the transition, I approached it with what I have: a missionary spirit and zeal. Yet despite the confidence in my abilities, I was nervous that crossing over from full time pastoral ministry to full time student would be challenging.

And it was! The first semester as an undergrad student placed me together with younger students who were quicker and faster. A few times I was left alone in the classroom finishing a test and felt sorry that the “professor� had to wait for this slow learner. But I quickly realized that fast does not always mean accurate. I was slow for sure but I was certainly getting good grades. The first experience gave me the confidence I needed to transit into a full time student and finished my studies with good grades of course!

Since I was a full time student, I was not able to do any pastoral work and celebrating Mass and preaching to myself was hard at the beginning but became part of my life as a student. On other occasions, I gladly joined the confreres of the Western Province to whom I am very much grateful. It was home away from home.

After my studies and home leave in Togo, here I am again facing another challenging transition: Integrating my studies in Marital and Family Therapy into my pastoral ministry in Antigua. During my studies in San Diego, I had time to reflect on this question, as well as having done academic work on it. So I had anticipated a smooth transition, at least in theory! However, the delay in getting a new passport and my visa to Antigua meant that by the time I finally arrived in Antigua in the

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of December, work has been waiting for me. No “honeymoon” or “grace period” to wet my feet! I had to jump right away into ministry!

A day after my arrival I had the first Mass at 5:00 a.m. and introduced myself to the congregation! And that set the tone! Learning on the job and finding my way around! Father Tony and Father Robert have been very helpful and supportive which made a great difference!

Thank you both!

I have been to Antigua several times before, but it was in a different context! Yet even though Antigua is different from Jamaica and this my first time living and working here, I have relied at the beginning on my years of pastoral ministry in Jamaica! Antigua and the Eastern Caribbean have a different cultural flavor yet there is something familiar about it! I am still in the Caribbean and it feels great to be back to the Islands! So while my approach at the beginning of my studies in San Diego was slow but sure, I have changed gears and it is full throttle here in Antigua: I have to be quick and get it right. For the moment my priority has been to get off the ground the Marriage and Family Living ministry so that I can venture into other areas of my new skills. So far it has been learning on the go and after nearly five months in Antigua, I can say the ministry is going well and I am very excited about it! I am beginning to feel at home. But I know transiting from full time student back to full time ministry is itself a full time transition! So I am taking one step at time! After all, as a missionary I see my life as in transitions: a process of beginnings and endings, endings that lead to new beginning and new ending and the cycle goes on… So I am already looking ahead to my next big transition: Big Five… O!

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Montserrat’s Catholic Youth Community(CYC) What Have Our Youth Been Up To? George Agger

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Brief History…

CYC started in the 1980’s and was originally known as CYO, Catholic Youth Organization. Before the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano (1995 to present) and relocation of the capital among other areas, group meetings were held at the Catholic Church grounds in Plymouth within close proximity to the Convent and St. Augustine Primary School. The group went on a brief hiatus, but soon resumed and continued meetings in Woodlands, near the new location of the School.

One of its main functions has always been to encourage the youth of the community to strengthen their relationship with God and to focus their energies towards positive interaction with the community.

It is

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therefore no surprise that among its many activities, community service and spiritual development have always been a constant, not only on a domestic level but internationally as well. From its inception, the group has both invited and visited groups from various parts of the Caribbean region and participated in several internationally recognized events, including World Youth Day and quite a few Christian jamborees.

A former CYC member, while reminiscing upon his youthful days, recalled attending a CYO camp in Dominica and taking charge of the Sunday Mass, participating fully in the choir. We were also informed that they organized retreats and local outdoor camping trips and hosted fundraising events such as raffles, of which the prizes were sometimes as grand as cars.

Membership

Currently, there are 22 active CYC members and we’re encouraging all the youth (ages 12-21) in our community to join our growing and enthusiastic group.

We convene every Thursday at 4:30 pm, primarily at the Parish House in Palm Loop.

CYC consists of 4 moderators at the moment and welcomes other adults in the community to stop by and take part in our meetings regardless of whether it’s simply to say hi, to join in on the activities or to offer assistance. All are welcome!

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The current CYC has been guided by the exemplary actions of the former CYO and has kept up the pace with great dedication and exuberance, showing no signs of slowing down in the near future.

Our Goal…

We’ve had a very dynamic and vibrant 2010/2011 CYC year, with membership almost doubling in number and enthusiasm in even greater supply. As our membership increases, our main goal is to play a more active role in becoming stronger Christians and contributing members of our community. It is our firm belief that we can make a positive difference and hope to inspire others to share the same spirit.

In order to accomplish this goal, a calendar of events is scheduled at the beginning of each year; each month being divided to accommodate four different types of meetings. The meetings are categorized as: Fellowship/Social, Community Service, Fundraising and Spiritual Enlightenment.

Fellowship…

Every CYC meeting begins with a social team building activity that strengthens our understanding of and trust in one another and ends with members being given the opportunity to share some of the highlights and negatives of their week. Our biggest fellowship activity this year was our retreat during our Easter break, where members were able to work together on different projects, participate in group sessions and live within a communal space.

In addition, we encourage youth from other churches to visit our

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meetings and activities in an effort to bring us closer as a community.

In the future we plan to have joint meetings and projects with other youth groups in furtherance of this objective.

Community Service…

So far this year we have tried to assist anyone who asks. Some of our community services included serving at the annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner and giving assistance where needed at the annual Literary Festival. We also volunteered in the cleaning up of and around Salem Centre. So far we’ve conducted 2 youth Masses and participate regularly in ordinary church Masses. We are currently in the process of seeking to help beautify Montserrat in conjunction with the National Trust and to visit some of the more elderly persons in the community.

Fundraising Efforts…

All our fundraising efforts so far this year went towards our annual Easter Youth Retreat. Any further funds raised will go towards completing community service projects as well as our next trip to Jamboree in the Dioceses. So far, we’ve had a few bake sales after church Mass on Sundays, a moonlit walkathon, a hat and fashion show as well as the cleaning up of the church rectory in Palm Loop. We’re also planning a talent show to be held later this year.

Spiritual Enlightenment…

As we grow in our faith we try to find different avenues to do so. From time to time, we play a few bible games to not only educate ourselves,

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but for the exposure to different forms of feeding our spirit. We’ve had guest speakers come in and share with us ways in which we can become confident in our faith, methods of meditation, and showing us how and why reflection is good for our relationship with God and others.

At the beginning of Lent, we also conducted a special Youth Stations of the Cross not only for ourselves but invited the church community to participate. We also have a bible, especially for teenagers, that teaches us about daily issues we inevitably have to deal with such as anger, tolerance, love, prayer, respect and worship. In the future we intend to conduct a candle light vigil and to encourage the group to engage in more moments of reflection and worship.

Our Easter Retreat …

The highlight of every CYC year is the annual Easter Retreat. All the youth look forward to this weekend event and make the extra effort to raise funds and clear their schedules so that they can attend.

This year’s Easter Retreat took place on April 8th – 11th in Old Towne.

Most of the members were present and chaperoned by our four

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moderators. The days were carefully scheduled starting at 5am with devotion, exercise and 3 - 4 enlightening sessions in total before and after lunch. The sessions included topics ranging from ‘The Keys to Success’ to ‘Spiritual Confidence and Freedom’. The days ended with social time, dinner and devotion followed by lights out at 10 pm.

Members were divided up into teams and charged with varying responsibilities, which included the making of breakfast, conducting devotion, the cleaning up of general areas of the compound and participating in Sunday mass. On Sunday, everyone attended Mass and performed a gospel calypso, learned in one of their sessions at the retreat, entitled ‘Youth Quake’.

The aim of the annual retreat is to focus and reflect on our lives from both a spiritual and social aspect without the disturbance of every

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day distractions. All electronics were prohibited and no one was allowed to leave the premises without the permission of the moderators and being escorted by their parents. We sought to force ourselves to contemplate on who we are as individuals and who we want to become as life progresses. It also provoked thought as to the strength of our relationship with God and how it could be improved.

Our retreat was a huge success and could not have been so without the support of the members themselves and our moderators.

We especially could not have achieved such success without our speakers who volunteered their time as well as all of the members of the community and our very own Fr. George Agger, who sent us several donations and in some cases stopped by to offer His support. They were all appreciated and contributed significantly to the enjoyment of the retreat.

We welcome any words of advice or support to help us in our efforts to building a better future and a stronger youth group in Christ.

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A Miracle?

Amazing......

Walter Mendonca

T

here is a famous hymn which begins with the words: “:Amazing

Grace....” and this is one of my favourite hymns. Amazing...we experience amazing things in our day to day life. If we look around and see, the whole creation is amazing. People are amazed at various things, events and happenings in life. The beauty of nature, a beautiful sunrise or sunset, the gorgeous beaches in the Caribbean are amazing.

We are amazed at what a computer can do today.

In the Gospels, people were amazed at the gracious words that came from the mouth of Jesus. They were amazed at the miracles that Jesus performed. I am sure amazing things have happened in your lives too. There is a hymn the words of which are “Great things happen when God mixes with men”. Yes, great and amazing things happen when God

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mixes with men and when we experience God in our lives, amazing things do take place..

I want to share with you all, about an amazing thing that happened at St. William’s Church in Tortola, British Virgin Islands on the Easter Vigil Night. It all happened this way: As I was getting ready for the celebration of the Holy Week, some of the parishioners were helping me in arranging the altar and decorate it for the Maundy or Holy Thursday. As we were talking how to arrange things for Good Friday and Easter Vigil, Fr. Van Chinnappan from the diocese of Mandeville in Jamaica who had come to help me during the Holy Week suggested to have a picture of the Risen Lord for the Vigil Service. I thought it was a good idea and said to myself: ‘Why not have a picture of the Risen Lord painted and then during the singing of the Gloria gradually pull it up on the wall at the back of the altar during the Easter Vigil Mass to show as if Christ is rising from the tomb’. I spoke about this idea to Pearl Friday, who is the member of our Church and also an artist. She promised me to paint the picture. She spent the whole of Good Friday night, painting the picture of Jesus rising from the tomb on a thick white cloth. She brought this picture to the Church on Holy Saturday morning. It was amazing. I got the help of three men of our parish to arrange the picture in such a away, so that it can be pulled up during the Easter Vigil Mass. Indeed they did a wonderful job and no one could see the picture as it is kept hidden behind the altar.

We began our Easter Vigil Service at 8.00 p.m. The Church was almost full. As we came to the point of singing the “Gloria”, which was lead by the choir, and as the bells were being rung, at the same time

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people saw Jesus rising from the tomb from the back of the altar up on the wall! It was marvellous and amazing. People were thrilled and overjoyed experiencing the ‘resurrection’! After the Mass people started speaking about it saying “It was amazing”. I was greeting the people and wishing them the joy and peace of Easter. When there walks a young man Jephet Gordon by name and shakes hands with me wishing me happy Easter. Then he says to me, “Father, did you notice Mother Mary in the picture?, it is amazing Father”. I said to him, “which picture?” “The Risen Lord” he answered. He was all excited and started to tell everyone around us.

After the people left the Church, I walked towards the altar, and a few people accompanied me to see whether Mother Mary is present in that painting. And behold, to our amazement, I noticed there, right beside Jesus, his Mother Mary. It was amazing. The artist had painted the Risen Lord with the tomb at the background and the stone rolled by.

And in the rest of the empty space, she had dragged her brush up and down with couple of colours to give some background. She had never intended to draw Mother Mary in that picture, but we saw her there, right beside the Risen Lord.

Next morning, Easter Sunday, after the Mass, I spoke to the people about this amazing fact. Pearl Friday, who painted this picture, was right there in the Church and when she heard me saying, she shouted at the top of her voice, “What?” She couldn’t believe herself.

She went close to the picture and saw Mother Mary in her painting. It is amazing how her brush that she dragged up and down on that piece of cloth after the painting of the Risen Lord, could put Mary there which she

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never had intended. Several parishioners walked closed to the altar to find Mary in the painting and all of them were amazed and some were in

AMAZING......

tears, and said, “It is amazing, it is a miracle”.

One of the parishioners, Maxim Pazos by name, returned next morning for Mass with his camera and took a few pictures of the painting. In the photographs he took, were some close-ups in which Mother Mary is very visible standing beside the Risen Lord. Speaking to me and other people, he and his wife kept repeating, “Isn’t it amazing!”.

He was full of joy. Later on one of the parishioners speaking to me said, “Father, the Lord is pleased with whatever activities we do in the Church.

The Lord is pleased with us. Great things happen when God mixes with men.” Great and amazing things happen when we experience God in our lives.

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Is this a miracle? Well, whether it is a miracle or not, the truth is that the artist never had an intention of putting Mary in that painting.

The truth is also that Mary, the Mother of Jesus is there right beside the Risen Lord. Pearl Friday, the artist is deeply moved and touched by this event and says to me, “Father, I never thought of painting Mary, but now God has rewarded me with this gift of Mother Mary. It is really amazing.”

I want to conclude this article saying that ‘Mary was always there with her son Jesus, and she must have been the first one to witness her Son rising from the dead. Mary is still there beside her Son Jesus today, interceding for all of us. We will be amazed to know and experience how close Mary is to all of us and how much she loves and cares for us.’

“O Mary, our Mother, bless us all with your Loving Son Jesus”

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His footsteps.”~1 Peter 2:21

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Meeting God in Jamaica where Youth ministries thrives!

AMAZING......

Bernie Spitzley

J

AMAICA! The land of beauty, warmth, friendliness, spiritual

awareness, music, rhythm, exotic plants, and Mother Earth. Everyday I am greeted by the morning sun and a chorus of birds busy gathering their breakfast. In front of our house is the Caribbean sea with its rich and varied hues of blue. Behind us sits the majestic Blue Ridge Mountain Range which is covered with trees and dotted with settlements. This is home to our people. It’s easy to see the Creator’s hand in such rich natural beauty, especially at dusk. At this time of the day we are treated to some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.

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Music permeates everything. One can hardly walk anywhere without a radio or jam box beating out an eclectic display of music from Bob Marley to country western, and of course gospel. There seem to be choirs everywhere in schools, churches and business places. The air is rich with melodies that are deeply reverential and accompanied by drums and percussions. The voices are absolutely marvelous! They blend harmonies while the leader spontaneously calls forth a song which beckons an even greater response. Such is the environment in the civil parish of St. Thomas.

We are an excellent place for one to experience a CTP year. We have two vibrant Bible sharing groups of young people who desire to know more and experience Jesus. Each of our three churches have Bible sharing sessions. Some groups gather in the church while many others gather under a street light to break open the Scriptures with their neighbors. There are computer classes at two of the churches, where lessons range from the very basics to exploring the internet and Facebook! Additionally, the churches have a combined youth group.

Human development is a never ending, yet rewarding ministry.

From my encounters with such desperately poor people I’ve come to a new and deeper appreciation of the Beatitudes, in particular the first one .. “Blessed are you who are poor, the Kingdom of heaven is yours” (Lk 6:20). Why would Jesus say that one who is poor has a spiritual advantage over one who is rich? Could it be the poor know how much they help they need? They do not have the riches and material things, like I do to give a false sense of security. They are not necessarily virtuous, but they are less likely then many of us to pretend that they

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are. When they turn to God for help, they are not playing games ... they are serious! Thus, they are so grateful for whatever they have.

The simplicity of our rural life, which I believe is the heart of the people of St. Thomas civil parish, is both simple and profound.

Everything and everyone is considered good. Yes there is mischievous and roguish behaviour, but this is not the substance of daily life. As the country folk know, God provides for even the least of us. Just like the birds in the air and the animals in the fields, the lush fruitful nature cares for one and all.

However there is a rift in the lives of these people. Radio, television, hard-driving DJ voices, dance hall music, the hard sell of

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material goods all inject a restlessness into the soul of the country people. The fascination of the city is a powerful force, so swarms of simple rural people fly to the ‘honey’ of city life that is Kingston. What they find is a bitter and destructive poison. The ‘ethics’ of the city is dog eat dog. Everyone exists for him or herself, and no one else. Those from the country have within them only the attitude of simple trust. They are exploited to the last one, not knowing that everything and everyone is up for grabs. The sacredness of life and people is not the governing principle of life. In order to survive in the city, anything goes. Money is hard to come by and the benevolence once offered by nature and people has been replaced by an uncompromising attitude of ‘make a buck ‘ deceit in order to survive. One’s labour, one’s talent and one’s moral integrity are quickly degraded in a competitive world. Whatever a person can sell is sold, i.e. cocaine, ganja (marijuana), his or her body.

It’s a fast changing world in which life becomes a dollar.

Yes, the people of St. Thomas are simple and trust in God. Our role here is to minster with the youth, and to empower the people to come together to form community. We must support one another and work together so as to transform their lives, and make their small world a better place. At the end of the day, we pray and hope that they and their children can experience a glimpse of the reign of God at hand!

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Youth Ministry: Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands Luis Lapus

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adrid, here we come! The activities and energies of our Parish

Youth Group for the last few weeks have been focused on their spiritual preparation for the World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid, and together with that, the ambitious plan to raise funds to finance the six youth scheduled to attend the WYD. Our youth will form one group with the youth of our neighboring parish of St. William’s of Tortola. A good number of adults will accompany them to Madrid. The total number of youth and adults who will go to the WYD is 27, a very big number for Virgin Gorda’s and Tortola’s Catholic population of less than two thousand.

Raising funds to the tune of $4,000.00 for each youth going to Madrid is a test of their creativity and persistence, as well as their ability

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to inspire the adult community to back up their project. If you measure the good will and the spirit of these young people, they are doing very well. If you count the coins, paper bills and checks coming in, they are still a few thousand dollars short of their goal. But we will reach there, they assure us.

I asked one of them, what really is the goal of the parish youth group. She first quoted the group’s motto, “By trusting in the love of God we can accomplish our mission.” Then she said, “The group’s purpose is to develop the total person emotionally, spiritually and mentally. In order to achieve our purpose, the group encourages church attendance, holds prayer sessions and Bible sharing, as well as tutoring sessions and lessons by spiritual and motivated speakers. Of course, we are young people, therefore there must be games, fun and music.”

She then continued to talk of her experience in being a member of the St. Ursula’s Youth Group: “Being a member of the youth group continues to be a very rewarding experience that has allowed me to develop not only as a Catholic but as a member of society. We are taking part in many church activities, including leading the Sunday Liturgy (as singers, servers and commentators), participating in the Christmas concerts and in church fund raisers. We have also assisted the Home for the Elderly on Virgin Gorda and other needy persons in the community. We have gone on many sailing trips together, a very fun experience. As a group we regularly

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assist VISAR in their training as well as learn a lot from them about water safety. Our group has travelled to Antigua and Tortola to attend retreats where we had the opportunity to interact with other Catholic youth groups in the diocese. Now, we are venturing to the World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain. It is truly a blessing that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of such a wonderful group. I pray that it will continue to develop and become an even better youth group in the years to come.� (Chelsea Jno Baptiste, 17) Our young people are highly motivated. And as pastors, we should be proud of that. But there is a big down side of our youth ministry, which affects all parishes in the diocese – it is the phenomenon of emigration. Many of our youth will soon leave the parish in order to pursue higher studies abroad, and some of these may not come back. In addition, a good number will also go to US and England in search of better work opportunities.

Once our young people leave the island, will they be as active in their new parishes? Or even a more worrying question, will they still continue to practice their faith in a new environment? Will their preoccupation to find a job negatively affect their practice of the faith?

Will falling in love with a non-Catholic signal the end of their Catholic life?

While we form our youth to be good, active Catholics in the present, we still have another task: to prepare them for future life, which for many may be a life which will be lived outside the island of their birth.

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Youth Of St. Thomas Parish Frank Power

“W

ha gwaan?”

“Ah cool, mon; ah cool” Thus may begin any one of a myriad of conversations between our youth or between one of our youth and myself. That opener, coupled with a handshake and a rhythmic rubbing of thumbs and you know you are in Jamaica and mixing with our vibrant youth group here in the civic parish of St. Thomas in beautiful Jamaica, “land we love” (national anthem).

The youth meet every Saturday afternoon and have one of their four monthly activities. The cycle of activities is group discussion, corporal works of mercy, Liturgy preparation and spiritual exercise.

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Inevitably, a regular topic on the group discussion day is anything in or around sex, relationships, friendships, or religion. I am happy that they can be open with us on these topics and if we can lay some foundation for values and for spiritual commitment, then all the better.

It was said again recently, and not for the first time, that our youth are searching for meaning, for identity; they are searching for God; but they lack direction. They are idealistic and we need to find ways to channel that idealism in good and wholesome ways. Here in the parish of St. Thomas, unemployment figures are very high and the youth do not see many prospects for a future around here. So, those who can head for colleges in Kingston and beyond and, sad to say, many of them do not come back to the parish. They seek opportunities for work and further education beyond the parish boundaries.

The Saturday that we have corporal works of mercy is both an exciting one but also a not-very-popular one. Contradiction? Maybe!

Those who are really committed to the group come out on that Saturday and participate in a visit to some of our shut-ins (house-bound elderly), or to the Infirmary (Home for elderly citizens) and the children’s hospital. It is heart-warming to see how well our youth interact on these visits. In a sense, this is the Saturday that we see a distinction between those of our

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youth who are REALLY committed to the group and those on the peripheries. Visiting the Shut-ins and the Infirmary is not easy for the youth, but we can help them get more accustomed to this kind of ministry and service.

The Saturday of Liturgy preparation is there because on the following day, the celebration of the Mass in one of our three churches will be led by the youth. They choose and prepare the hymns; they prepare and participate in the Readings and other ministries for the celebration. I have to say they are not the best singers – this will not be news to them when they read this!! But they do try and they get support from the community. I am hoping we can do some more work with them in terms of singing and learning to play musical instruments.

The Saturday of spiritual exercise is somewhat ‘iffy’, to say the least. It is an attempt to expose them to different kinds of prayer and to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus. This one is a

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real challenge and probably, the least well attended of the four Saturdays of each month. It is also an opportunity to talk about different religions. The Catholic Church is just 2.6% in Jamaica and only 1% here in this civil parish. The Catholic Church comes in for a lot of criticism and most of it is due to misunderstanding, confusion or just ignorance. Christians ‘hear’ about activities and rituals in the Church and then presume they know about them. Statues in our churches, use of incense at funerals, ritual and symbols, calling the priest “Father”, are just some of the areas of confusion.

So education and formation in faith

is so vital for our youth.

When there is a fifth Saturday in the month, it is meant to be some kind of social activity. The group discussion and social activity Saturdays are the best attended, AND if there is food being shared!!

They are good young people. They have represented themselves well at parish and Deanery level and we can be proud of them. This year’s annual Inter-Deanery Bible Quiz saw our Deanery win and two of those on the team were from our parish. “Big-up” to our young people.

Trying to understand them when they speak is a real challenge. As a pastoral team, we are trying to help them find a good direction in life.

They want to be around the Church and we need to tap into their enthusiasm and energy.

“Ok?” “Yeah, mon.”

“Cool”………

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“What’s Next,

Bob Johnson

Father?”

S

ince my ordination in 1992, my main focus had been education; and

so, working with young people between the ages of 5 to 18 became my main ministry in Antigua, West Indies. I was in the very formal structures of “youth ministry” with school bells, class schedules, lesson plans, and everything else that being an administrator, teacher, chaplain and music director had to offer. I became involved with youth workshops in other churches…and found such energy, life and creativity amongst God’s “younger” people.

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And then, I was transferred to become pastor on the Dutch side of St. Maarten, West Indies. In a whole new situation, with a ministry that had a completely new orientation, I was exposed to the full spectrum of a large parish with committees, finances, schools, and outreach programs at the hospital, prison, nursing home and food pantry. It seemed my life had taken a different turn. My interaction with children and young people became more limited, less consistent, and more within the “liturgical” moments of the Church.

Presiding at the school Masses for the children, I realized I missed the overall energy and perspective only children and young people can give…but, I certainly DID NOT miss the work that entailed writing out lesson plans, compiling report cards and correcting endless amounts of homework assignments. I almost seemed to be on two different ends of the spectrum in regards to how I felt and how I wanted to fit in with young people in my life.

In preparing for my Easter homily in the parish, I kept asking God, “What is the message you want me to give your people this Easter?”

Every time I asked the question, I kept hearing the same, simple answer: “HOPE.” As I reflected on the “hopeful” moments I experienced in the parish these last fifteen months as pastor, they all had one common thread: the youth.

St. Maarten has had a lot of youth violence lately, ultimately resulting in deaths. As I have had to have funerals for young people in their teens, I began to ponder on almost a sense of hopelessness with many of our youth. As I was walking from one of the graves one day

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back to my car, I noticed three teenagers sitting on a specific grave that I had to directly pass in front of. I started to think about my encounter with them, and decided I would walk by with a polite: “Good afternoon.”

As I walked by, not expecting much of an encounter (if any), I greeted the three teenagers and kept walking. Within about ten seconds, one of the teenagers called me back, saying: “Pastor, excuse me, but would you come back and pray with us?” A little startled I went back. She explained the three of them had been there sitting on the tombstone of a young person, a friend of theirs, who had been killed. She then asked me to pray with them. After the prayer, I engaged them in conversation, and then went to leave them. As I started to walk away, one of the other youth responded: “Before you go, pastor, would you come back and bless us?” A sense of hope…

After the Good Friday Service, I was standing in the sacristy, and while others were putting things away, etc. I noticed a father and son standing in the midst of all of it. I started to wonder if they were there about possibly explaining why the young man should be Confirmed (since the catechists had just told a group of candidates and parents that their Confirmation would be delayed!). After everyone left, the two came towards me (I took a deep breath, thinking this is all I need after several Good Friday Services…what was next?) The father said: “Fr. Bob, my son wants to speak to you.” I looked at the young man and he handed me a paper with a picture he had drawn of Jesus on the cross with the following words: “Jesus died on the cross because He loved us.” I thanked the young man, very touched by his action and told him that I would use the picture in my room the rest of Good Friday to meditate on

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such an act of love Jesus had for us. Another moment I experienced “hope.”

During Holy Week, a ten year old parishioner came up to me and asked: “Father, I want to help…what can I do?” The women were cleaning and decorating for Holy Thursday, so I mentioned to them we had a young helper. They told the young girl that the biggest help she could give was to help “polish” all the pews in the church. I held my breath for a moment wondering whether that was the kind of help the young ten year old was thinking of when she said she wanted to help. The young ten year old looked at the lady and said: “No problem, where are the rags and oil?” Later I came into the church, and the two women getting ready for Holy Thursday responded in amazement, “Father, Karen (changed the name to protect the innocent!) has polished almost all the pews in the church.” She told us to tell you she will come back later to finish because she promised to go help at her old pre-school today. When I saw “Karen” later in the day, she said: “Father, I came to finish up…” She then looked at me and said, “Father, what’s next?” I could not believe the commitment and

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dedication of my young ten year old parishioner! I stood there in awe, and remembered once again a profound sense of “hope” this young child had given.

When I shared these moments of “hope” at the Easter homily and came to the story of the ten year old parishioner, the community in the church that Easter Sunday morning applauded with excitement. After the applause subsided, I responded to the community by asking them if they felt inspired…moved…touched. And a loud chorus responded: “Amen, Father!” I looked at the community for a moment, and then responded: “Then people of God, I only have one question for you that a ten year old parishioner taught me: “What’s next?” It is not enough to simply sit in the pew…what is next? And will each of us be able to “rise up” and say to our community: “What’s next?”

The Resurrection of Jesus is all about hope…for me these sixteen months as pastor of the parish in St. Maarten the moments of “hope” so many times have come from children and young people…and in their own way, they have made me have to reflect in my own life as believer in Jesus Christ to reflect on what should I be doing…how I should be serving…and in directions should I be leading God’s people as pastor?

“What’s next?”

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Youth -The Present Of The Church

YOHANES LUNGA BALLY

T

he word youth is itself so meaningful. That is why many people long

to act as if the spirit of youth never dies. A lot of people talk about youth being the future of the Church. That couldn’t be more wrong. Youth are not only the future of the Church but the present Church, and the future of the Church depends on them. Thus when the older generation passes on, their place will be occupied by the next generation whom we called youth.

The words: “Future of the Church” only serve to further alienate youth who are in a stage of their lives where they need something to hang on to; something that they know is greater than themselves, that brings

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them back to the loving arms of Christ. We adults need to change our language to be more inclusive. We need to let go of our fears that the youth in our Churches will somehow screw things up. We need to truly take the position of being mentors to these young people. The youth that attend services – any service – are present. They are participants in the Body of Christ, and their hearts and minds are joined with the congregation in communion in the present, now! The Church has many challenges in reaching out to young people. But the Church has a compelling message for young people, and as disciples we have to have watch each other’s backs. Here is the situation. How do we allow them their freedom and help them to face today’s challenges and stand firm to recognize that they are the present of the church?

As we know, today’s youth worldwide, live with so many temptations such as drugs, violence, wars and glorified sex in the media.

The biggest challenges for our youth as it is seen in the parish, are; a lack of care and love from homes, poverty; a weak educational system

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as the government is not paying attention and a lack of interfaith dialogue. For Christians in Jamaica, there is a need for interfaith dialogue and we need to redefine what mission means in the context of plurality of religions. This means a new approach to missio dei. Ecumenical cooperation among youth is limited in action. We need to use our human resources to bring greater cooperation among youth. Christian students and youth movement that were the frontline of this ecumenical movement have somehow faded and lost their zeal. We need to promote as many programs as possible to help our youth reach their full potential, within our church, ecumenically and in society.

We believe our youth will respond to this. In fact, when inspired by the Light of Christ, they’re more ready to participate and volunteer to serve than most adults! So mentor the young people in your assemblies.

They’re not the future. They’re the present NOW!

Retreat Speaker: Steve Bevans

SVD Caribbean District Retreat Mount of Prayer, St. Lucia May 2-5, 2011

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ANGUILLA

ST. KITTS

St. Maarten

Pawel Czoch

Bernard Latus

Robert Johnson

Jan Pastuszczak

Manuel Antao

ANTIGUA

Vicente Dominguez

Miguel Lopez

Ante Jeroncic

Xuan Ho

Peter Son Le

Pierre Tevi-Benissan Robert Ratajczak

NEVIS Zbigniew Orlikowski

MONTSERRAT George Agger

Jamaica Adam Oleszczuk

VIRGIN GORDA

Bernie Spitzley

Luis Lapus

Bobby Lucas Yeh Frank Power

TORTOLA Walter Mendonca

Yohanes Lunga Bally

Caribbean s v d

c h i c a g o

p r o v i n c e

district

Zbigniew Orlikowski

Adam Oleszczuk

Frank Power

Bernard Latus

Walter Mendonca

Jan Pastuszczak Xuan Ho

George Agger

Bob Johnson

Yohanes Bally Peter Son Le

Luis Lapus

Pawel Czoch Mark Weber

Robert Ratajczak

Manuel Antao

Pierre Tevi-Benissan Bobby Lucas Yeh

Bernie Spitzley Ante Jeroncic

Miguel Lopez

Vicente Dominguez

Divine Word Missionaries serve in 3 dioceses in Caribbean islands Diocese of St. John’s-Basseterre ANGUILLA Pawel Czoch ANTIGUA Ante Jeroncic Pierre Tevi-Benissan Robert Ratajczak MONTSERRAT George Agger VIRGIN GORDA Luis Lapus TORTOLA Walter Mendonca ST. KITTS Bernard Latus Jan Pastuszczak Vicente Dominguez Xuan Ho NEVIS Zbigniew Orlikowski

Arch-Diocese of Kingston Jamaica Adam Oleszczuk Bernie Spitzley Bobby Lucas Yeh Frank Power Yohanes Lunga Bally

Diocese of Willemstad St. Maarten Bob Johnson Manuel Antao Miguel Lopez Peter Son Le

How to reach us?

Divine Word Missionaries Chicago Province

www.divineword.org