The FIAT Ministry Says “Yes” to Serving God in Others

It’s a Scripture passage with which many of us are familiar — Jesus instructing His followers to care for those in need, telling us that whatever we do “for one of these least brothers of mine,” we do unto Him (Matthew 25:40). It’s a powerful challenge and one that all of us, as Christians, are called to take to heart. Perhaps in this past year, many of those needs have become even more apparent.

Since its founding four years ago, the FIAT (Faith in Action Team) Ministry has given our young people many opportunities to serve and share the love of God in our community. However, as the group developed and became more active, it quickly became clear that our teens weren’t the only ones looking for an opportunity to serve.

“FIAT started as a youth ministry,” says Monica Conro, Ministry Coordinator, whose then-teenage son came up with the group name. “But it morphed, and the idea is to turn it into a whole parish ministry.”

FIAT serves the community in a variety of ways, from volunteering at Catholic Charities to bringing food to the working poor and homeless people living under a highway bridge in downtown Tulsa. The group has also performed service projects at the cathedral. During the COVID-19 pandemic, FIAT came together to help with clerical projects, such as the mailing for the stewardship renewal.

One of the things that made the group stand out while serving in the community was their FIAT T-shirts, making clear what is at the heart of their service.

“We take Mary and her example of saying ‘yes’ to God as the motto for our little group,” Monica says.

Monica looks forward to our community opening back up fully, as well as for parishioners of all ages to have the opportunity to get back out and witness to our faith through FIAT.

“That’s the idea, for people to be able to go and be active in volunteering in our surrounding community and to be a witness to our parish,” Monica says. “Because of the t-shirts, people know who they are and I think that’s a good thing.

“It’s part of our history — people would seek out churches when they needed help,” she adds. “As the minority in the Christian community in this area, it’s important to get out and show that we’re not just an ‘attend church on Sunday’ community. We’re more than that, and we do care.”

For Monica, being involved with FIAT is a tangible way to share God’s love with those she serves.

“It’s a humbling thing,” she says. “I’ve had people say, ‘Why are you here? Why are you doing this? Why do you care about me?’ It’s the open door for you to be a witness and say, ‘Because you’re my sister in Christ, because God loves you, and so do I. I’m here to give because God has blessed me and I want to bless you.’”

Monica encourages parishioners to consider how they might feel called to get involved with FIAT, spreading God’s love to those in need around us. Especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need has only grown.

“When we do have the opportunity to re-open, we’ll be looking for ministry leaders — someone who will be looking to plan and coordinate opportunities for this group,” Monica says. “We are hopeful to have people who want to bring their ideas and help us develop out this ministry.”

For more information, or to become involved in the FIAT (Faith In Action Team) Ministry, please contact Monica Conro at mconro@tulsacathedral.com or 918-582-6247.