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Edge Program Kicks Off New Year With Excitement and Welcomes New Leadership
One beautiful aspect of the Catholic Church is that it offers a deep treasure trove of knowledge, full of so much history and tradition. This is where the Edge program plays an important role in our parish, taking Catholic teaching and breaking it into digestible lessons for our middle school youth. In turn, the lessons speak to our youth’s questions regarding their faith.
The new year of Edge kicks off in September, with sessions taking place every other Wednesday and Sunday. We are also excited to welcome our new Middle School Coordinator, Mary Caddell.
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Mary comes to us having served on the Diocese of Charleston Diocesan Ministry team for about nine months. In this role, she traveled the diocese hosting retreats with a team. She is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, having studied youth ministry and catechetics. Raised in Marietta, Ga., Mary was involved in youth ministry as a teen. In fact, it was at a retreat during her senior year of high school when she felt called to go into youth ministry.
“The Lord placed that call on my heart, and it was pretty straightforward after that,” Mary says.
Mary Caddell looks forward to her new role at St. Philip Neri.
Mary enjoys playing the keyboard and singing, as well as taking naps! When she is back at home, she loves playing with her dog. Working on the Diocesan Ministry team, she found a real love for working with middle school youth — so she’s very excited to embark on this new journey at our parish.
“On the Diocesan Ministry Team, I loved seeing how teens, coming from all different backgrounds and environments, encountered the Lord in different ways,” she says.
Mary loves having the opportunity to work for the church and serve our youth. Having answered the Lord’s call to her during that high school retreat, she truly believes this is her vocation.
“Being that my work revolves around Jesus, I get to talk about Him,” she says. “I love that I can talk about my faith at work. Also, the people I get to work with are incredible. I’ve met really amazing people who have become very special to me.”
Mary can’t wait to get to know our middle school youth and parishioners. There will be a parent meet-and-greet in mid-September. Besides the Edge program sessions, there will also be a trip to the Junior High Youth Rally this fall.
Mary also wanted to take an opportunity to share the story of Blessed Chiara Luce Badano. Born in Italy in 1971, Chiara had a lot of friends and loved to sing and dance. She was diagnosed with a painful and deadly bone cancer when she was 17. She gave all her suffering up to the Lord and didn’t fear death. Chiara died at age 19 and is in the process of being canonized — for Mary, Blessed Chiara’s example offers encouragement, that we may strive to live as modern-day saints.
