Prepared to Serve: A Calling to Ministry

Jacob Blackwell ’17

by Stephanie R. Leader

Jacob Blackwell ’17, like most seniors in high school, struggled to discern what his future looked like or what he might want to do with the rest of his life. In addition, the concept of faith and love of Christ was somewhat unfamiliar to him.

Everything changed when he went on his first Kairos retreat at Delone Catholic High School, with a core team of Kairos leaders, under the guidance of Campus Minister Mrs. Kate Phenicie. It was this experience that inspired Jacob to know the Lord in a deeper way and made him want to help other young people do the same.

Following graduation from Delone Catholic in 2017, Jacob studied psychology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. During his studies, he developed a love of service which included working with Habitat for Humanity and delivering meals to the homeless population in D.C. When it became time to search for employment upon his graduation, he did not know where to begin. He knew his passions were in service to others but was unsure of what that looked like. “I was looking in a million different places, and nothing was really calling out to me. I began to give up,” recalled Blackwell.

During some downtime that he had, Blackwell was browsing YouTube and saw a recommended video for NET Ministries (National Evangelization Teams), a Catholic organization that seeks to evangelize young people in grades 6-12 by leading retreats and events.

“They tell you that it is little pay and long hours, long nights, and a lot of youth. Do not expect to get rewarded. I thought about it, applied, and got accepted.”

Jacob (bottom, second from left) with his NET Ministries Team

Delone Catholic also enlists the services of NET in its own retreat planning, and Blackwell attended one of their retreats during his time at Delone Catholic as a sophomore. Blackwell, thinking of his background in service, was immediately drawn in. He decided to attend a discernment weekend with NET, which gave the full overview of what life would look like as a part of that ministry. He remembers one slide in particular during a workshop that gave an honest examination of what the job of a minister is. “They tell you that it is little pay and long hours, long nights, and a lot of youth. Do not expect to get rewarded. I thought about it, applied, and got accepted,” said Blackwell.

From there, Blackwell answered the call and became a member of Team 9 of NET. There are currently 15 teams, 14 in the United States and one team in Scotland. Leading each team is one male leader and one female, Blackwell is the male leader of his team. His team travels as far north as Massachusetts and as far south as Miami, spending anywhere from a few hours to a few days with young people, leading Kairos-like retreats, playing games, working on activities, and giving talks. “The best part of our retreats is what we call Prayer Ministry, which is the last hour,” he said. “We go to Church; I give an exhortation about who Jesus is and why He died for us. We give them time to pray, and we pray over them. That is when a lot of lives are changed, and it is beautiful.”

Blackwell says that without Delone Catholic and Mrs. Phenicie, he would not be who he is today. “When I was 17, I was really, really lost. I didn’t understand my fate,” he said. “When I went on a Kairos retreat, that is when my life changed and I embraced my faith as my own. I really credit that core Kairos team and Mrs. Phenicie.”

After Blackwell graduated from Delone Catholic, he got in touch with Mrs. Phenicie to update her on his classes and how life was progressing following high school, and he regularly stayed in touch. When Blackwell joined NET, he let her know the news and asked for support and prayers. “It was so cool to hear that was the direction he had chosen to take,” remarked Mrs. Phenicie. “I knew him as a leader in Peer Ministry, and at the Kairos retreats. The one thing that is frustrating sometimes as a Campus Minister is that you don’t always get to see the fruit that is born from the work you do with students. To know that this is the path he took is so awesome.”

Jacob speaking as a NET Minister

Blackwell also says that through NET he has not only built upon his relationship with Christ but his relationship with others. “One thing I love about NET is the emphasis on brotherhood and sisterhood. Those nine people on my team, I don’t just do ministry with them, they are like my brothers and sisters. The four fundamentals of our faith in which I’ve grown so much are prayer, sacraments, community, and service. All this stemmed from this love of Christ, and overflowed into my relationships with others.”

To learn more about NET Ministries, visit netusa.org.

Jacob (at far right) and his NET Ministries Team