Patty Bailey assumes role as youth minister
Kankakee Country Club honors community's top volunteers. Allison Saathoff, Emily Saathoff, Patrick Bailey and Patty Bailey.
Three years ago, Br. Dan Belanger, CSV, became the youth minister at Maternity BVM in Bourbonnais, Ill. Br. Dan knew the laity had to assume a larger role in the youth ministry program because he would not be around in a few years; he was leaving to begin studies to become a priest. He searched for a strong successor who would have the energy, knowledge and charisma to work with the kids. Patty Bailey never realized that a simple lunch with Br. Dan would lead to a career move toward youth ministry. "I had been teaching religion at Bishop McNamara High School in Kankakee,
''#;4 '1 路.
~/
"
Fr. Charles G. Bolser, CSV, Provincial
Ill. and decided I didn't want to work full time. I planned on being a substitute teacher," said Patty, who at one time ran her own daycare center.
word of mouth, and it did. When activities weren't met with success, the programs were refined to meet the needs of the students.
Patty was invited to prepare to become a youth minister. She enrolled at Loyola University to become a certified youth minister.
The youth ministry offers four or five trips per year for the students that may include a Qyest Retreat, Confrontation Point, One Bread One Cup and Nazareth Farm in West Virginia. Some tentative trips include participation at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Texas and a mission trip to either South Dakota or Appalachia to build a home.
Her first year as a volunteer, Patty worked closely with the junior high students. By year two, she was committed to the program as a part-time staff member. The mother of five teenagers finally assumed the role of the full time youth minister on July 1, 2003. "The Maternity BVM youth ministry runs like a well-oiled machine," laughed Patty. "We have nine parents on the board, along with 12 students representing the kids. There is also a peer ministry of 40 students who plan the retreats, work with confirmation classes, and are involved in the liturgy and planning social events." Br. Dan believed that if the ideal situation could be created, the ministry would grow by
There is a core group of five parishes in the Joliet/ Kankakee area that work together to build unity and a greater sense of community. They are known as the RAT PAC, Radically Active Teens Positioned to Acclaim Christ. Collectively, the students raised more food for the food pantry than the pantry accumulated in a whole year. According to Patty, of the 330-plus active students involved in youth ministry, about five continued on back page
Once upon a time ... ...not too long ago, the Church was identified as the Pope, Bishops, Priests, and Religious. The laity was not included. The laity was seen as the sheep or those in need of salvation that came through the actions of the ordained. A famous Cardinal in Rome once said that the Church needs the laity, while the famous saying, the role ofthe laity is to pray, pay and obey was seen to have more than an ounce of truth to it. In more recent times, due to many factors, not the least of which is the declining numbers of priests and seminarians, the laity are assuming many of the various ministries formerly restricted to the clergy such as hospital visitations, sacramental preparation, leaders of prayer, parish administration, catechists for both youth and adults, Diocesan officials,
and others much too numerous to mention. In other times and places, the priests were perhaps the most educated and trusted persons within the parish. Today, the clergy are in some places not as well educated as many of the laity that they serve, and the trust factor has been eroded considerably due to decisions and actions of both priests and bishops. The clergy in the past, while well schooled in Latin and Greek, philosophy and theology, were placed in positions of authority which demanded skill and knowledge of finance, management, construction and maintenance, fund raising, and strong people skills. They were also placed in positions of authority where they did not depend or in many cases, even want processes of consultation or collaboration. They were in continued on page 2