A STRONG PARISH MISSION CREATES VIBRANT YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT SERVERS…

By Juan Rodriguez

They say that Youth and Young Adults love to serve in volunteer opportunities. I believe it is true, especially for a parish youth group, young adult group, and youth ministry. You can give them a challenge to change their world and they’ll do that as a team. But what if their Parish experience leads them to go serve in other areas rather than the very people that live within their Parish Boundaries?

It is a noble cause to serve others in need, but we are called to be “Light to the World” - that would mean we can also inspire by examples. The Christian message was not only passed by way of preaching but by the example of our love in “God and neighbor.” (Mark 12:30-31) This was the teaching of our Lord, repeating the lessons of the passed through the Sacred Scriptures. (Deut 6:4-5; Lev 19:18)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “

459 The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me." "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." (Mt 11:29; Jn 14:6) On the mountain of the Transfiguration, the Father commands: "Listen to him!" (Mk 9:7) Jesus is the model for the Beatitudes and the norm of the new law: "Love one another as I have loved you." (Jn 15:12) This love implies an effective offering of oneself, after his example. (Mk 8:34)

So how do we make sense of our calling to serve? How do we focus our service to the people within our community? It begins with the Parish Name and Mission. If understood properly, interpreted by the Pastor and Religious Leadership, and passed on to the lay leadership, the Parish Mission would grow in service and resources. Youth and Young Adult groups can participate and even lead these efforts based on their networks. I call it networks - they call it friendships.

A sign that there is a disconnect in youth and young adult service within the community is when your parish group is helping in another vineyard, while the parish vineyard is suffering. To bring it back, Pastoral Leadership must know their Parish Mission and draw groups back to its proper service.

St Basil teaches us, “A tree is known by its fruits; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.”

Let’s not forget our people. They want to see Christ in us, too.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Juan Rodriguez is the Founder of the Youth & Young Adult Apostolate - Defenders of the Holy Trinity. He is a Youth Minister Consultant, using the document of Renewing the Vision, and creating an interpretation for a Parish Level development of Youth Ministry called Renew Your Vision. He was the Pastoral Associate, Director of Faith Formation, and Youth Minister at Queen of Angels Church in Sunnyside, NY. Now he is the Director of Faith Formation at St. Patrick's in Bay Ridge, NY. Married to his beloved Bertha M. Peralta Rodriguez, and the father of Liliana Maria Rodriguez. Juan is a lover of fantasy stories, dungeons & dragons, culinary arts, cigars, handball, and mixed martial arts. 

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Renew Your Vision