[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to Faith Finding God moments in your everyday.
Each week on Faith Break, hosts Karen, Luke and Ann Gallagher bring spiritual refreshment to your daily life.
Kids and teens at church say the Darndest Things. It's May 4th. In honor of our young people and making their first holy communion and confirmation. This week, Karen and Ann share some of their favorite conversations and moments with our youth.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: Hi, everyone. Welcome to Faith Break. I'm Karen Luke.
[00:00:45] Speaker C: I'm Ann Gallagher.
[00:00:46] Speaker B: And together we are moms, ministers, most of all, friends, co workers, everything in between. And we are here to help you find your little God moments throughout the day and just provide some extra insight and reflection on our main topics and themes of our faith. So. Hi.
[00:01:08] Speaker C: Hey, everybody. We are still in the Easter season, and today we are this. This episode, okay. Is going to be mostly me and Karen bragging about our awesome young people in our parishes because we are celebrating all of their sacraments this week. So it's first communion weekend.
[00:01:27] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:01:28] Speaker C: And then on Monday night, we will be confirmin about 40 of our teenagers at the cathedral. So we wanted to take this moment and let our whole communities know how awesome our young people are.
[00:01:40] Speaker B: They are so great. Oh, my gosh. I really wish that I could. Maybe I'll get more volunteers helping.
[00:01:50] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. I think about that. Right.
[00:01:51] Speaker B: Because it's just so fun working with the little kids during their sacrament prep.
[00:01:57] Speaker C: I know.
[00:01:57] Speaker B: They're so funny.
[00:01:59] Speaker C: We're gonna have to be careful about how long we let this episode get. Cause I feel like I could talk about our teenagers forever. It's just so awesome. So. But before we get into all of that.
[00:02:07] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:02:08] Speaker C: God moments, what was your God moment this week?
[00:02:10] Speaker B: Okay. So my God moment this week was watching Summer and Braden, who were received into the church on Holy Saturday, full immersion. So baptism, communion, confirmation.
To see their faces when they were in the font. So they walked into the font and Rob walked in with them and he splashed them three times with the trinitarian formula. And Summer giggled the entire time. And just the excitement on her face and Brayden's face. And it was. It's just like after preparing with them for a year and probably longer. Cause they came in just after the cutoff for last year's vigil. So they've been preparing for a year and a half. Yeah. And oh my gosh, just the giggles. And then after she was baptized, she. Summer comes up. She goes, communion almost. Right. And I go, yes, she did. She was so excited to receive communion. And just.
Yeah. And then after the vigil, I told the parents, I'm like, I'll see you guys next weekend. And they're like, well, we're coming back tomorrow. We're doing the whole thing.
They received their second communion on Easter Sunday, so that was my God moment.
[00:03:44] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: Seeing the happiness. How about you?
[00:03:49] Speaker C: Yeah, so mine, actually, I was really blessed to have a coffee date with one of our alumni. She was in town, she moved. She grew up through all of our youth group stuff at Transfig and then came back and has helped as an adult leader with the youth ministry programs. She babysat my own kids when they were little. Someone I know really well. But she lives out of state now. And so she came back for a week or two and we just got to go have talked, go have coffee and talk. And just like, I don't know, it was just such a blessing. We talked for like two hours and she told me about some stuff she's going through, and I got to get her advice on something I'm going through with my kids. And, like, it's just one of those full circle moments when, you know, when you get to know someone when they're a teenager, you don't always get to, like, keep in contact with them when they're adults, but when that happens, it's just so special. It's one of the greatest things.
[00:04:48] Speaker B: So that's one of the other things I like about. I know we're in communion weekend in confirmation, but Easter, I love Easter and Christmas because all the teens come home from college.
[00:04:59] Speaker C: Yes. That was one of. I should have had that one for my God moment. All the college students I got, all.
[00:05:03] Speaker B: The college students were back.
[00:05:05] Speaker C: And it's just like, I love that.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: And I love when they see you and they, like, want to give you a hug and they're like, oh, my gosh. And tell you about how they're doing. And it just warms my heart.
[00:05:15] Speaker C: That was great.
[00:05:16] Speaker B: Yay.
[00:05:16] Speaker C: So much joy. Okay, well, I can't wait to have this conversation.
Here we go.
Let's just jump right in.
[00:05:24] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:05:24] Speaker C: Karen?
[00:05:25] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:05:25] Speaker C: What are some of your favorite conversations that you've had with young people? Don't give me the hard questions because we're gonna ask about that later. Just like your favorite interactions or conversations with young people.
[00:05:36] Speaker B: I will point out one of, like, my all time favorite.
[00:05:41] Speaker C: And we have like. Like, we've each been working in ministry for over 20 years, so we have.
[00:05:45] Speaker B: Yeah, we have like 40 years of experience between the two of us. I'm. I'm only going to pick one because as soon as I saw this question, I was like, this is the one I have to talk about.
So it was a couple years ago during our first Communion prep, and we do a church tour.
So what. What we do is we have. I made a booklet with all of the stuff. It's kind of like a go and seek. So they have to find the item that's on their image or on their picture, and then their parents have a script to talk to them about it. So it's a really great learning experience for both parents and kids. So we're in the sacristy, and I'm talking to them about the liturgical colors and showing them the vestments.
And.
Sorry.
One little kid. I go, does anybody have any questions? And this one little kid raises his hand, and he says, does Father Rob? Does his pajamas match the liturgical color, too?
And I just about died. I'm like, well, first of all, I don't know what Father Rob's pajamas look like. Cause I think we'd have a whole nother issue.
So I said, do you feel comfortable asking Father Rob, or would you like me to? And he's like, I'll ask him.
[00:07:03] Speaker C: So we can just see him responding to this.
[00:07:08] Speaker B: So on Sunday, the little kid finds me. He's like, are we gonna ask Father Rob? I was like, yeah, we're gonna ask Father Rob. So he.
[00:07:15] Speaker C: Did you warn him that this was coming, or you just.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: No, totally didn't warn him. Which was the best part. So I said, father Rob, we had a really serious question at our church tour. And I don't even remember the. The little boy's name, but he has a question for you that I couldn't answer. And Father Rob's like, oh, okay. And the little boy says, are your pajamas a liturgical color, too? And he looks, no, I wear plaid pajamas.
[00:07:44] Speaker C: And then just, okay, I think we know what we need to get robbed for Christmas is what I'm saying.
This should cover us for the next lick. Five years.
[00:08:00] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. That had to have been the funniest question I've ever gotten.
[00:08:05] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: And, you know, and I tell the kids, there's no silly questions, but obviously, there's no silly questions.
[00:08:15] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh.
[00:08:16] Speaker B: So, yeah, they're just. All of my favorite conversations have to do with the kids being kids and being comfortable asking questions.
[00:08:29] Speaker C: Anything, Anything.
[00:08:31] Speaker B: Like, there's no filter. And as adults, we lose that, right? And we're just like, oh, I should know that. So I'm not gonna ask it. But the little kids are Just like, what's that thing up on? I'm like, oh, that's a cobweb.
[00:08:45] Speaker C: We'll ask anything.
[00:08:46] Speaker B: Just ask anything, just to hear the love. How about you?
[00:08:50] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh. I have so many. But one I was thinking about was not before. I was at this church. I was at a different one. And we had some kids in the youth group who had a band, and they were actually really fun, and they had a really good band name, which their band name was Stupid Consequences. Isn't that a great name for a band? So anyway, they needed a place to practice, so I would let them use the church basement. Our youth room was in the church basement.
[00:09:17] Speaker B: Of course. Cause all youth rooms.
[00:09:19] Speaker C: And one of the moms would go with them, and they would practice, and they bring their drum kit, and they would practice in the church basement. And one of them looked at me. I don't know if he was like. If he was gonna, like, share a song with me or whatever. He goes, ann, he goes, have you ever heard of a band called Nirvana?
And I was like. I just started laughing at him. I was like, I don't know how old you think I am or how long. How old do you think Nirvana is? I was like, but I graduated from high school in the 90s.
It was just like. Cause there's. And this was a teenager, right? But, like, the way that time runs or the way it seems to run when you're young versus when you're old, like, us, is so different, right? So.
[00:10:03] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.
[00:10:04] Speaker C: I was like, yeah, I have heard of them.
[00:10:06] Speaker B: Yeah. Those are the funniest ones that just, like, raised a whole bunch of conversations that I've had in the past. Cause when we first started, we were only five years older than.
[00:10:20] Speaker C: Because we both started right out of college.
[00:10:22] Speaker B: So we were only, like, five years older than the high school students, right? So.
[00:10:26] Speaker C: And this was in one of the first years, too. Yeah. I was like, not even.
[00:10:29] Speaker B: Right.
[00:10:30] Speaker C: 30 yet. I was still in my 20s when this happened, so I'll do that, too.
[00:10:35] Speaker B: I'll be like, do you guys remember? Like, I don't even know, like. And they're like, what? Oh. I asked them. I'm like, do you guys know what WWJD means?
And they're like, what? I'm like, what would Jesus do? They're like, what do you mean? And I was like, that was like, our motto that was ingrained in us. And it was, you know.
Or they'll think, like, were you born when Frank Sinatra was.
No, I Wasn't.
[00:11:05] Speaker C: You know what, now that I'm thinking about it, in that youth room, somebody over the years, there was a record player.
I don't know who brought this down to this, like, why this existed in the shared space, but there was a record player. And I remember a teen trying to figure out how to use it once. And like, she had never seen, like, she was trying to, like, with the needle. And I was just like, oh, honey.
[00:11:29] Speaker B: Let me just show you how this works, right?
[00:11:31] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh.
[00:11:32] Speaker B: Like the times how slow technology went for us, but how fast it is for the kids now.
[00:11:39] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. And I remember once when I was. When I first started working at transfig, we had.
I had a cell phone, but it wasn't a smartphone yet. And I was inputting. We had like a group of teen leaders and we needed to make. And I was trying to input them into my phone.
[00:11:55] Speaker B: It took you an hour.
[00:11:56] Speaker C: And I got frustrated. So I just handed my phone to one of the teens and he inputted like, I don't know, some teens, but he inputted them with like ridiculous names. Like, his name said I'm the best or whatever. And like. And a couple of them came back and were adult leaders and stuff. And their context still in my phone today.
[00:12:17] Speaker B: That's hysterical.
[00:12:18] Speaker C: That's the goofy names that he inputted to them like 12 years ago or something.
[00:12:24] Speaker B: It was like when I first started, I was at St. Anne and we had a small group and I remember I used to play softball, like co ed softball down the road. And they would all come and watch me. And it was the weirdest thing because I'm like, I'm their youth minister, but I'm also an adult on a co ed softball.
What can I not. You know, it was like this weird. It was like a weird situation and they're all like, cheering. But that was. I just love. I've never ministered in a way that I have been all knowing to whoever I am ministering to. So, like, all of it's just always been like a friendship type of. It's just so much fun.
[00:13:16] Speaker C: You got any other funny things kids have said to you? Because I think when we first started tossing this idea around where it was the whole kids say the dardaneous things, you know, like, the late night host will do any other funny things that they've said to you over the years?
[00:13:29] Speaker B: I don't know about.
I mean, yes, probably, but like off the top of my head right now. But I remember when I was at my Other parish, they had the, like actual altar wine. That thick gold syrup.
[00:13:47] Speaker C: Yeah, okay.
[00:13:48] Speaker B: And I know that it technically not wine after, it's, you know, blessed, but it was.
And it was my first year and I was like, father Leonie, I can't let these kids taste this the very first time at communion because their faces. He's like, all right, all right, I'm.
[00:14:05] Speaker C: Not gonna make faces.
[00:14:07] Speaker B: Cause I remember the first time I tried it, I'm like, oh, as long.
[00:14:11] Speaker C: As we have no spit takes, we'll be okay. Right?
[00:14:15] Speaker B: So he agreed that as long as the parents were there, obviously, that the kids could taste it before. And so we're in the back sacristy and I have all these kids and all these parents, and half the parents didn't even receive from the cup. So we're all watching them and they're faces were just like. It was like they were eating a lemon. Like, they're just scrunched up faces.
[00:14:41] Speaker C: That's why you practice it ahead of time.
[00:14:43] Speaker B: And that was totally why I practiced it. And I think maybe like two kids actually received from the cut because of that. But, you know, it's just like the questions of why, I don't know, like, why are you wearing that?
Some of the stuff isn't related to even church. It's just.
[00:15:03] Speaker C: Although some of the church questions are really funny too. Like, the other one I was thinking of, I had a middle schooler once who, out of like. And this question came, I think we were like, out of nowhere. Like, we weren't even talking about this topic. He was like, is it true that if you see God, your head will explode?
And I was like, what? Like, I. I'm wondering, like, did he see that, like, Ten Commandments movie where, you know, like, Moses goes up and then his hair is white or something? I was like, I don't know where to begin answering that question. But.
No, but he was getting at like a theological. Yeah, like there was a real deep theological question in there somewhere. But the way it came out was just like, so like 12 year old boy, awesome.
[00:15:51] Speaker B: I wish I had. I wish I had written them all down.
[00:15:55] Speaker C: I do too.
[00:15:56] Speaker B: I wish I kept like a journal. You know how like, when they say when you have kids, you should start an email for them? Did you ever hear that?
[00:16:02] Speaker C: No.
[00:16:03] Speaker B: So it was like, of course, after both of my kids were born. And they're like, you should start an email address to them and just email them little things throughout the years and then give them the password on their 18th birthday. And then they have all these.
[00:16:18] Speaker C: How cute.
[00:16:19] Speaker B: Like, little.
[00:16:20] Speaker C: That sounds like a lot of work.
[00:16:21] Speaker B: Well, yeah, and that's why I can never remember, you know, the, like, little funny things. But, yeah, it's. It's great. I love the kids. Yeah, I love the kids.
[00:16:33] Speaker C: Okay, well, now that we got the first. The first layer of, like, funny things kids have said to us over the years out of the way, what about, like, some of those deeper moments when you've seen a young person really, like, kind of grow in how they're living their faith or serving? Like, do you have any of those moments you can share about times when you got to witness, I don't know, like, the seeds growing, you know, the harvest coming in.
[00:16:56] Speaker B: Yeah. So I had.
This is going back to my old parish, but I had two kids in my youth group, and they. It was a boy and a girl, and they were just, like, best friends.
And I get. And then I left St. Anne and I came here and I get a phone call from the father of the boy asking me what I thought about them getting engaged.
[00:17:25] Speaker C: I think I know this couple.
[00:17:27] Speaker B: You probably do.
[00:17:28] Speaker C: Okay. One of these kids would sometimes come to my. We'll talk about this later. Yes.
[00:17:33] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:17:34] Speaker C: Okay. I know who you're talking about.
[00:17:35] Speaker B: So I'm like, did he propose? And he's like, yes, but I think they're too young. Cause they were only, like, 19, 20, maybe. And I was, like, all giddy for them, and the dad was like, I don't know. I don't know.
And so we had a nice conversation about it. But then I got invited to the wedding.
[00:17:56] Speaker C: Aw, yay.
[00:17:57] Speaker B: And I unfortunately couldn't go, but I follow them on Facebook. And they have two precious kids, and they have such a strong marriage and bond, and it's just. It's awesome to see them as. They're still little kids to me, but to see them as teenagers growing into husband and wife and mom and dad.
[00:18:22] Speaker C: I love it. You can sometimes see these moments, and sometimes they're like big vocational lifestyle moments like that. And sometimes they're just little, small things. I think mine definitely are from both of those categories.
There's this one small moment I will always remember where I had a kid who he. I think he was in. He must have been in college, and he had shown up for, like, the 4 o'clock Saturday mass or something, and they needed help doing the collection, like, being an usher. But George had shown up, and he had his hair. He had. It was like a soccer ball. Like, polka dots, like, bright orange and black. Like, polka dots all over his head. Like, I don't know why he had done this, but he, like, showed up for Mass with this crazy hair.
And they're, like, trying to find people to do the collection. And he was like, I'll do the collection. So we get to watch everybody in the church while this, like, you know, 20 something with, like, fluorescent orange hair, but only on half of his head.
[00:19:21] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:22] Speaker C: Is just passing the basket. And it was hysterical to watch. Cause I loved that community, too. Cause they were just so accepting. Like, they would do a double take, and then they'd be, like, cool. Like, you know, and they would just put their money in and move on. It was just so great.
But then you do get these other moments where it's like.
We have one young man who's a young adult now, but he came through our summer service retreat we do with the sisters every year. And he went for, like, five years when he was coming into high school. And he went when he came out of high school. And he's come back to visit every year. And, like, he's working on his law. He's gonna be, like, a lawyer and work to advocate for the poor now. And I remember the conversation we had with him in one of those early years where he, like. It clicked in his head, like, the whole idea that some people don't have it as easy as I did.
And, like, what justice. What it means to work for justice. Right.
You know, when you've been given a lot, like, how do you make it so that everybody else has that? It was just amazing. You know, you get to see how the conversations we've had over the years and the experiences in community have really shaped some of our.
And, you know, we don't always get to see the fruits of our labors quite so much. So when we do, it just makes it so, so special.
[00:20:41] Speaker B: You know, I love the little kids at transfiguration who bring up the gifts.
[00:20:45] Speaker C: He's so cute.
[00:20:46] Speaker B: You know, they're so cute. And at St. Catherine's we have two little guys.
Every week, they're passing the basket and.
[00:20:53] Speaker C: Bringing the collection up, bringing the collection.
[00:20:55] Speaker B: Up to the altar.
[00:20:56] Speaker C: And they take their jobs very seriously. They know they have an important job at church, and they are proud to do it.
[00:21:03] Speaker B: And I love to see the teens lector and eucharistic minister. And it's just. It's such a bright spot.
[00:21:13] Speaker C: We should do that this summer. We should try to recruit some more teen liturgical ministers.
[00:21:17] Speaker B: And instead of just having, like, a teen Mass where the Teens do everything.
I would just like that to be.
[00:21:25] Speaker C: Part of the normal.
[00:21:25] Speaker B: Part of the normal weekend mass where.
[00:21:28] Speaker C: All right, well, we're gonna put a pin in that and come back to it later as our to do list grows. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:21:34] Speaker B: It's just, I think also my experiences at ncyc.
[00:21:39] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:21:40] Speaker B: With the kids, you know, and seeing them so on fire.
[00:21:46] Speaker C: There's nothing like it.
[00:21:47] Speaker B: And then coming home and still being on fire. You know, they didn't leave it behind.
And, like, super excited. You know, we were talking about. I'm gonna. I'm gonna throw Sarah in here. Like, we were talking about when we first started, there were a dozen of us young adults starting in ministry within, like, three years of each other.
[00:22:08] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:22:09] Speaker B: And there isn't that anymore. Like, not that we're leaving, but who's gonna replace us?
[00:22:16] Speaker C: Well, we do. We talk about, like, the priest shortage, but there's also a shortage of people that fill the other rooms in how.
[00:22:23] Speaker B: The NCYC moment for Sarah and the conversations that we had with her after and then growing into this internship, it was just like, wow, it's such a blessing. Such a blessing.
[00:22:38] Speaker C: Yeah. And that legacy is so cool, too. Like, I'm remembering a moment I had. I had a teen who was on the diocesan youth committee.
[00:22:46] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.
[00:22:46] Speaker C: That was several years ago.
But I had been on the diocesan youth committee when I was in high.
[00:22:52] Speaker B: School, and we were probably at the same diocesan retreat.
[00:22:54] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. We didn't even know each other. So I. So this. He was leading a prayer. He was one of the teens in my youth group, but he was leading a prayer at a diocesan youth event. And, you know, he was praying just, like, freely, you know, like, he wasn't doing a program. It was just. He was spontaneously praying vocally. And I listened to him, and I was like, oh, he sounds like Michael, who's my mentor in ministry. I was like, he sounds like he's praying like Michael does. And then I realized that he sounded like that because he had learned to pray from listening to me, and I had learned to pray from listening to Michael. And it was like this. Just a cool flow of it. Yeah, that was really special. Wow. And again, just a small moment. All right, let's talk about this year, though, because you mentioned Sarah, and I had her on my list as, like, you know, since we're at the sacrament celebration moment of the year, it's a good time for your. Your youth minister and your faith formation minister to look back at the year past and just like, let's name some wins and some special moments over the course of this. Just this past ministry year.
[00:24:04] Speaker B: So one of the highlights for you.
Well, I would say one of the highlights. So after Covid, we have done our chapter preparation via Zoom.
[00:24:18] Speaker C: Right.
[00:24:19] Speaker B: So every other week, I'll get on Zoom with Ms. Pat, who's my helper, and it's like the Brady Bunch. It's the funniest thing. Like, we have these kids and Pat and I. And I think one of my favorite moments are those Tuesdays that we've met on Zoom. And this. I don't know how it started, but they've been asking me for jokes or riddles.
And so I was trying to find, like, churchy jokes and riddles.
[00:24:49] Speaker C: And you know who has a good list of those is Nancy Wall.
[00:24:52] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:24:53] Speaker C: I bet she could give you a whole list.
[00:24:54] Speaker B: So.
[00:24:55] Speaker C: But.
[00:24:55] Speaker B: So last week. Last Tuesday was our last Zoom chapter. And I was like, guys, this is our last chapter because next week you're making your communion. And. And they're like, well, can't we still meet after our communion? And I'm like, oh.
A part of me was like, oh, that's so sweet. And another part of me is like, oh, my gosh, I gotta do another.
[00:25:22] Speaker C: A reunion Zoom.
[00:25:24] Speaker B: But it was just like. And they see each other at Mass and they sit together.
[00:25:31] Speaker C: Look at you building community.
[00:25:32] Speaker B: It's the cutest thing. So that would. You know, that's one of my favorite moments.
The other really is I have met and flourished relationships with the families at Transfiguration. So because this is our.
[00:25:51] Speaker C: Well, we're finishing our second full year. Full year of having a combined program and being employed by both.
[00:25:57] Speaker B: So it's just been great having new families to meet and have relationship with.
[00:26:04] Speaker C: I always say it takes three years whenever you start a ministry in a new parish to really feel like you've become part of the community.
[00:26:12] Speaker B: Those are my favorite, is just seeing the kids and when they get excited that they see me. I think one of my other favorite things is when I'm working or I'm not working and I'm out at the.
[00:26:26] Speaker C: Mall or at Wegmans or something, and.
[00:26:28] Speaker B: You see somewhere, and the little kid goes, why are you. Why are you here? I was like, well, I'm getting groceries.
[00:26:35] Speaker C: Like, you exist outside of this.
[00:26:36] Speaker B: Yeah, it was like they're so unaware that I have a life.
[00:26:41] Speaker C: He was. Oh, he was such a blessing. We had this kid at my previous church who he had downs, and he was like, just the most open hearted, beautiful soul. He still texts me every once in a while, but he would. And he was an altar server and he did it with such reverence. But one. Just when he was really little, he looked at me and he had seen me. We were out somewhere and he was like, I thought you lived at the church.
And I just like, oh, my God bless you.
[00:27:09] Speaker B: That's so funny. I know. It's so funny.
[00:27:11] Speaker C: No, it's like object permanence. I exist in other places in the church. Well, okay, so this year, Sarah.
[00:27:19] Speaker B: Sarah. Yeah.
[00:27:21] Speaker C: We're gonna have to have her back to do a graduation episode. So we'll. But she. Having our teen intern for the year has been.
[00:27:28] Speaker B: It's been amazing.
[00:27:29] Speaker C: Amazing. I don't wanna let her graduate and I wanna see if we can find another one for next year. Maybe that would be cool.
But I mean, there's been so much. It's really been a good year. And I had a moment at one of our Tuesday night youth groups. The kids are just talking and we're having conversation about. And it's just. And I felt how I was sitting in the chair that I always sit in for the senior high youth group. And like I was like, my body's so relaxed and I'm like, so I have so much joy in this moment. And I was like, you know what? I really just love my job. I just like in this space, it's like my whole being just kind of like it just feels right. And so I've just really had a lot of those moments this year where I'm just appreciating how good it feels to be in this space. That's our motto at transveg. How good it is for us to be here. But I've had a lot of those transfiguration moments this year. And kind of a small but really important one to me was, you know, we do a.
I have a group of teen leaders who are older teens who've been confirmed who help out with our younger kids for the confirmation program. And they get a small group of younger kids and they walk them through the two year process. And there's this one guy, I'm not gonna name him. Cause I don't wanna call him out. But even when he was in middle school, like sixth, seventh grade, and was coming to the middle school youth group, I was like, oh, he would be a really good leader. But he also is someone who's always been kind of questioning a lot, like, very articulate and will challenge, like. And I've always really enjoyed talking with him because he Won't. He doesn't hold anything back. He'll ask the hard questions and stuff. And the first application I got for the peer leadership team was his. Was his. Oh, it was the first one he came in. He's been coming to youth group, like, every week, and he's, you know, and it was just like, yes. Got him. You know, and I can just see. And it was. And he even in our youth group meetings, was expressing gratitude to his peer leaders, who are now, like, juniors, and, like, kind of telling them how important they were in helping him come to this point. So that was just, like, such an awesome moment. I just. I don't know.
[00:29:43] Speaker B: It's great.
[00:29:44] Speaker C: So good.
[00:29:45] Speaker B: I think another win for both of us.
[00:29:47] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:29:48] Speaker B: Is the amount of families that have joined the parish.
[00:29:52] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:29:53] Speaker B: Because other families are talking about our program.
[00:29:57] Speaker C: We have, like, 20 new families who joined our parishes in the youth ministry and the faith formation program. And it's all by, like, word of mouth.
[00:30:06] Speaker B: Word of mouth. It's not that we're poaching families.
[00:30:09] Speaker C: I know. I don't want to, like, pat ourselves on the back too much, but I think we should.
[00:30:13] Speaker B: I think we should.
[00:30:13] Speaker C: Good job, Karen.
[00:30:14] Speaker B: Good job, Ann.
[00:30:15] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:30:16] Speaker B: Cause I mean, it means there's a lot to say about that, especially in the time we are in our church, where there is a lot of doubt, a lot of questioning, a lot of not coming or only coming for Christmas and Easter. And we're having families who are committed, who love their faith, want to show their kids their faith, and. And are expressing it to other people, and they're getting excited to come. And they're not people just signing up to do sacraments. They're people who come weekly.
[00:30:51] Speaker C: They have a true desire for the community.
[00:30:53] Speaker B: They want it. Yeah.
[00:30:54] Speaker C: And the Eucharist.
[00:30:55] Speaker B: And I think another win we've talked about. But one of my favorite moments, too, is Alpha.
[00:31:01] Speaker C: Yes. Because we've made some decisions this year about programs for adults and trying to be very intentional about trying to reach out to people who maybe don't often come to some of the offerings we've more traditionally had. So, yeah. We're two thirds of the way through the Alpha course at this point.
[00:31:20] Speaker B: We offered childcare. So we have four families who bring their kids, and they are very spirited kids.
[00:31:30] Speaker C: So far, only once has one of the kids pulled the fire alarm.
[00:31:34] Speaker B: Fire trucks had to come, and thank goodness it was before we even started.
So the teens that were watching them weren't the ones that it happened to.
But what I love about Alpha is Not only the small groups for the adults that are forming, but the kid groups, because it's so cute to see them when they come to mass. They're like, oh, my gosh.
[00:31:59] Speaker C: And to see the little kids who have crushes on the babysitters, the teens.
[00:32:02] Speaker B: Who are helping, it's adorable. So, yeah, I mean, and the podcast.
[00:32:07] Speaker C: This right here has been a high point of the year. Thanks, Jeff.
Yeah, we've done it. Oh, we did a lot this year. Holy cow. We have done a lot.
[00:32:16] Speaker B: And I had somebody ask me, oh, now that Easter's over, it's pretty quiet for you, right? And I'm like, yeah, okay, okay.
[00:32:23] Speaker C: We got sacrament, first communion, confirmation, Vacation Bible school.
[00:32:28] Speaker B: Stop at the vacation Bible School. It's giving me so much, much. It's giving me.
[00:32:32] Speaker C: We just get differently busy. It's going to be fine. We're going to help you through it.
[00:32:37] Speaker B: No, I. I love vbs, but it was great when Vicki was here and she took it and I remember she, she was like nervous, asking me.
[00:32:46] Speaker C: She's like, if she could keep it.
[00:32:47] Speaker B: She's like, do you mind if I. I like the Littles. And I'm like, oh, darn, I'm not going to be in charge of this anymore.
Guess what?
[00:32:57] Speaker C: Now I am.
[00:32:59] Speaker B: But I mean, in all actuality, I just get to play with the kids.
[00:33:02] Speaker C: For. We're going to some awesome volunteers and it'll be good.
[00:33:06] Speaker B: I got a volunteer from Alpha, a young adult to help me, and he has no idea what he's getting into.
[00:33:13] Speaker C: Do you want to do a shout out for a vacation Bible school volunteers right here, since you have an actual microphone in front of you.
[00:33:20] Speaker B: Excuse me for this interruption.
Vacation Bible School, August 14th to the 18th.
[00:33:26] Speaker C: July 14th to the 18th.July.
[00:33:28] Speaker B: Why did I say August?
See, I'm already thinking it's June. I don't know. Where are we? What are we doing July 14 to July 18 from 8:45 to 12:30ish.
So anybody who wants to help with group leaders, snack outreach, lots of stuff. Games, snacks, crafts, snack.
[00:33:57] Speaker C: All of the things.
[00:33:58] Speaker B: Snack is the favorite. Okay, let's keep moving.
[00:34:00] Speaker C: I've said a lot today.
[00:34:02] Speaker B: I don't know what. Oh, this was.
What are the most difficult questions that the kids have asked you? And I bet you the two top ones are gonna be the same ones.
[00:34:14] Speaker C: For the both of us when we have young people who've experienced real suffering and loss in their lives.
[00:34:21] Speaker B: Why do bad things happen?
[00:34:23] Speaker C: Yeah. Why didn't God keep this person, you know, my family member from dying or from suffering or from that. I mean, it's the same questions that adults have.
[00:34:34] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:34:35] Speaker C: But those are the hard ones I've had.
Why can't the church accept me from a lot of young people over the years. That one's hard.
[00:34:45] Speaker B: Oh, that one's so hard.
And you know what's sad? It shouldn't be hard. Because if we're walking in the image of Christ, there's only one answer for that.
[00:34:58] Speaker C: Right.
I hear a lot.
Will I go to hell if. Or have I done enough to get into heaven?
[00:35:07] Speaker B: I've heard a lot of, what is heaven like?
[00:35:08] Speaker C: I spend a surprising amount of time convincing young people that they're not going to hell. That's surprising to me. But that is not all young people. But, yeah, certain people. I think that's the.
[00:35:20] Speaker B: The people that bring that up. Has there been a.
Has there been something.
[00:35:26] Speaker C: Not always. Sometimes it's just a perception.
[00:35:29] Speaker B: Perception.
[00:35:30] Speaker C: Yeah. You know, and it's probably a lot of image of God. Stuff like God's there, taking notes and write, you know.
[00:35:38] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:35:39] Speaker C: The naughty list ideas, probably. Sansa, am I on the naughty list? Basically, is what that one means.
[00:35:46] Speaker B: I had one little kid ask me what heaven was like. I said, I haven't died yet. I don't know. Like, you know. And that's what's so hard because I still struggle with what's gonna.
[00:35:57] Speaker C: Well, I think that's what's important to us as people who minister with the young church, is that to be able to acknowledge we don't have answers. Yeah. At least not satisfying ones. But to still be with them in the questions and to reassure them that God is with them in the questions and that it's important to keep asking them. Right.
[00:36:20] Speaker B: So sometimes just being present and allowing the safe space of that question to be asked, I think is. Is powerful because it makes me very.
I feel very blessed and honored that I am a safe space for people to.
[00:36:39] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:36:39] Speaker B: For. For somebody to ask those questions. And. And, you know, I've gotten a lot of not. Not necessarily questions, but prayer requests.
[00:36:54] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:36:55] Speaker B: For young people and mental health.
And it's just.
It breaks my heart because it was not like that in our generation growing up in high school, or if it.
[00:37:12] Speaker C: Was, it wasn't as there's always been. I feel like I've always had a couple of kids in my youth group who were struggling with mental health issues, but now it seems like. And maybe it's just because people are better at talking about it.
[00:37:24] Speaker B: Right. That's true.
[00:37:24] Speaker C: I mean, I think that's probably a positive thing that's come out of it. Yeah. But. Yeah, no, our young people, I would say, as a whole, are struggling more now than they did 20 years ago when we started.
[00:37:35] Speaker B: So.
[00:37:35] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:37:37] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:38] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:37:38] Speaker B: Yeah. Okay.
Let's move on from.
[00:37:43] Speaker C: Listen, this is like the. We're doing, like, Constellation and Desolation for the year. I feel like we're, like, doing our own examination. All right, last question. Because I know we've gone on long today, but why do you keep preparing people for the sacraments? Have you ever stopped to think about how many people you've prepared for the sacraments over the last two decades?
[00:38:04] Speaker B: No, but I can tell you, I know the boy. He's a young adult now.
[00:38:12] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:38:12] Speaker B: He was the very first baptism that I helped with Father Leonie when I first started at St. Anne. And interestingly enough, the family has moved from St. Ann's to St. Catherine's and I am still in touch with him.
[00:38:30] Speaker C: So. Cool.
[00:38:31] Speaker B: And the whole family, I celebrated all of their sacraments with. I prepared them for everything. And it's just like, wow.
[00:38:41] Speaker C: Yeah. It's so cool.
[00:38:42] Speaker B: Yeah. I can't. I don't. I. I don't even know. I mean, 20 years, the grace, and about 40 kids per communion per year, and then all the baptisms.
[00:38:55] Speaker C: So why do you keep doing it?
[00:38:56] Speaker B: I just.
There's just something about showing, not showing. Let me rephrase that. Walking with people in their faith and not only preparing the kids, but also giving the parents an opportunity to share their faith with their kids.
[00:39:22] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:39:23] Speaker B: And giving them the.
I don't even think permission is the right word, but giving them the understanding, the knowledge that they do know the things.
Because I feel so many times when people come for.
Especially for communion and reconciliation prep, it's like, here, prepare my kid.
[00:39:44] Speaker C: Because I don't feel.
[00:39:45] Speaker B: I don't feel equipped to doing it.
And, you know, one of the great things about our church tour or things that we do is the parents are always like, I didn't even know that. And so I. I just love. I love teaching things of, like, random things about our faith that people wouldn't think about knowing because we're cradle Catholics or whatever, or we learned it a while ago, but it didn't stick. So I just. I love sharing that.
[00:40:15] Speaker C: Oh, man. It's such a special grace place. I know. And, you know, for confirmation, we take two years to prepare these kids. So it's a lot of time. It's a lot of work.
[00:40:24] Speaker B: It's a lot of effort, relationship building.
[00:40:26] Speaker C: Relationship building and just all that, then all the details and stuff. But, like, I love being able to talk with them about the fact that they don't have to have it all figured out now.
[00:40:36] Speaker B: Wait, we don't.
[00:40:37] Speaker C: I know. It's a process, right? Like, I mean, we used to think. And I know when I was at high school or when I was getting ready to be confirmed, I thought I had to be, like, 100% there. Like, I had to make a decision for my entire life and agree with everything that you're. And, like, you don't. You live your. You like, you celebrate the sacraments. You're part of the church, you're part of the community, and you just keep learning your whole life. Right. It's not like you get graduation. We say this all the time.
But, yeah, no, it's been a really grace space for me to be around these young people when they're trying to figure things out. You know, it's a gift for the church.
[00:41:15] Speaker B: So I'm gonna totally throw this out there. And, Jeff, you can edit it if it doesn't work or whatever, but.
[00:41:23] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:41:25] Speaker B: We take all this time to prepare the kids for baptism, communion, reconciliation, confirmation.
[00:41:35] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:41:36] Speaker B: How many pictures have you been in after the celebration?
[00:41:42] Speaker C: A couple.
[00:41:43] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:41:43] Speaker C: Over 20 years, people line up to get their picture taken with the bishop.
[00:41:49] Speaker B: The bishop or with Father Rob or.
[00:41:51] Speaker C: Whatever, and I'm always like, hey, no, it'll be interesting to see if we get more people this year. Being like, can I get a picture with you? It's out of the pity pictures.
[00:42:07] Speaker B: A pity picture. No, I'm not offended. I'm not. I was just. It's always funny to see, like, the question, you know, I get the questions at rehearsal, like, is Father Rob gonna be available for pictures? I was like, yep, we are both going to be the cat.
[00:42:25] Speaker C: That's so funny.
Oh, man. Okay.
[00:42:29] Speaker B: So.
[00:42:32] Speaker C: I guess just to say to all of our listeners and viewers, can you please pray for our young church, especially this special week when we are celebrating so many graced moments of them coming into the Catholic Church more formally, and they're having these, you know, highlight moments in their own faith life. So just pray for our young people. And not for nothing, but if you are listening to us and you are thinking, wow, it sounds like it might be really fun to spend more time with our kids and our teens at church. You will never find a more rewarding ministry. I don't think.
We'd love to have you on our teams.
[00:43:10] Speaker B: Yeah. And I mean, it doesn't have to be for an extended period of time. We have lots of different opportunities at different courses of the time. So even if you're like, I would like to do it once a month or whatever, then, you know, we will never turn away volunteers. So if you would love to hear the kids say the darndest things in person, come on down.
[00:43:35] Speaker C: We can all make that happen.
Seriously. I think just in closing, I just want to express how fun it is that we get to spend our time at work inviting young people into this adventure of discipleship that we're living. And yeah. So thank you to all of our families and our teens and our kiddos at the parishes.
[00:43:56] Speaker B: Yes, we're very, very excited to share with you in your weekend of celebrations and after, remember, it's not graduation.
[00:44:07] Speaker C: So thanks everybody. We will see you next week when we will be talking about we're going to have a special Mother's Mother's Day. So have a great week, everybody.
[00:44:16] Speaker B: Bye.
[00:44:16] Speaker C: See ya.
[00:44:18] Speaker A: Thanks for taking a faith break with us today. Karen Luke and Anne Gallagher are lay ministers with the parishes of St. Catherine of Siena in Menden, New York, and Church of the Transfiguration in Pittsford, New York. More about our parishes, including weekly live streamed Sunday Mass, can be
[email protected] or transfigurationpittsford.org Engineering Today is by Jeff Beckett. Join us for new episodes of Faith Break each week in Studio on YouTube or on your favorite audio podcast or music.
