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50: The beautiful gift of faith-filled friendships · Beyond The Beacon

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to Beyond the Beacon with Bishop Kevin Sweeney, a podcast of the Diocese of Patterson's in the lovely state of New Jersey.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_03: Join us for weekly conversations about our beautiful Catholic faith.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_03: And together, let's strive to live a life of faith, hope, and love.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_03: Good stuff, good stuff.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_03: I am Cecile Pagliarulo, and with me is Bishop Kevin Sweeney.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_03: How are you?
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Good morning.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Happy Easter.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_03: Happy Easter.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: My guests and everyone, listeners, viewers, happy Easter.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_03: And uh baseball has begun.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_03: You correctly predicted the winner of the NCAA basketball.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, but they weren't number one siege, so uh the odds were in your favor.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we had a couple of natural kind of occurrences happening.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_03: We had an earthquake last Thursday.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_03: Where were you for this earthquake?
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: I was in my office here in the chancery, and uh the everything started shaking.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_03: Did you think it was an earthquake right away?
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I thought it was a strong driving wind, like the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came, but unfortunately uh it passed.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: And uh so thank God no major damage.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_03: Right, right.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we were very lucky.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_03: It's a rare occurrence in the state of New Jersey.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_03: And then now we had the total solar eclipse.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_03: Where were you for that now?
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: I was also in the office.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and I was thinking everything was gonna get dark, but I didn't obviously hadn't prepared well enough to.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_03: Did you guys watch that at school?
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_03: Did you I did.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't have the glasses, so I was a little scared.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: Someone had the glasses and I looked up, I said, Oh, because it was cloudy.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh um they gave me the glass, I looked up, and you could see.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad it's over, actually.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, the hype of it.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: Overhyped, yeah.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, um I mean maybe if you were in that the I don't know what they call it officially, but if you were that totality.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: So uh maybe it was more of a up well worth the hype, but anyway.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so before we get into today's episode, in an upcoming episode, we do have Father Mark Mancini, who's our diocesan judicial vicar.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_03: He will be speak uh joining us to speak about the annulment process.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_03: So we welcome questions on the subject.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it's sometimes often we may be confused about what that process means.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_03: So he will be here uh to answer those questions, and we want to get those questions in before he comes on the show.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_03: So uh get those questions in.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, beyond at patterson diocese.org.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: Beyond at patterson diocese.org.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_03: And uh so today we have a group of students from Villa this is probably one of our most guest-filled episodes uh today.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_03: They were just so excited to be on the Bishops Podcast, which we The More the Merriam.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, the more the merrium, which we were excited about ourselves.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_03: But today we have a group of students from Villa Walsh Academy in Moorstown, a college preparatory Catholic school for girls in grades 7 to 12.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_03: And it's run by the Religious Teachers Filipini, a wonderful teaching order in our church.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_03: And with them we will discuss faith-filled friendships and ask the question Does your choice of friends matter to your faith?
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_03: Hopefully we gain some insight from the young people, which will be helpful to uh their peers, their parents, and also those who serve young people.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_03: Jesus gives us one of his greatest commandments, uh no greater love than this to lay down one's life for one's friends.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_03: Uh with that, let's do a prayer.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and we thank uh our guests for being with us today.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's exciting, and really we gotta thank Pope Francis for inviting us here because we were working on a youth forum, but uh it became a listening session of the Synod on Synodality, and at that gathering, uh I guess in early March now, um we uh we got to know each other a little bit and we uh extended an invitation for the podcast and thank you to Ville Walsh uh um for the uh uh responding to that invitation.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: So let's begin with a prayer.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: We'll place ourselves in God's presence in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: We'll listen to God's word from the 15th chapter of John's gospel, beginning with verse 9.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus said to his apostles, as the Father loves me, so I also love you.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: Remain in my love.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: This is my commandment.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: Love one another as I love you.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: No one has greater love than this to lay down one's life for one's friends.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: You are my friends.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: If you do what I command you, I no longer call you slaves because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my father.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: This I command you.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: Love one another.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: The gospel of the Lord.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: And in these days of the Easter season, giving thanks for the promise of eternal life in heaven, as Jesus, through his suffering and death and resurrection, has given us the promise of everlasting life.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: In these days, celebrating the resurrection, and now looking forward to the coming to the great feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and our blessed mother, that gift that we receive in the sacrament of confirmation.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Let us ask the help of the Holy Spirit as we pray.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, enkindle in them the fire of your love.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: Send forth your spirit, and we shall be recreated, and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: O God, who has taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Grant us in that same spirit to be truly wise and always rejoice in your consolation through Christ our Lord.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: Our Lady's seed of wisdom, pray for us.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: Saint Joseph, pray for us.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: Saint Stanislas Koska, pray for us.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: Name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: All holy men and women, pray for us.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: Pray for us.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome, welcome.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh they let the sophomores go first, huh?
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: We have some seniors with us.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but um maybe you can just introduce yourselves, your name, your parish, what year you're in, and something else that might want to share.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so my name is Giselle.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm a sophomore, and I'm a member of Assumption Parish, but I go to church more, I would say, at Our Lady Perpetual Help in Bernardsville.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_09: My name is Mia Magnur.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_09: I'm a sophomore at Villa Walsh, and my parish is Christ the King in New Vernon.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: Father Sullivan, and have you met Monsignor Flanagan, Father Kevin?
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of fun, right?
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and Mia, right?
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: Giselle, Giselle.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: So it's Mia and Giselle.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: Giselle, you just received your confirmation.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I did.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: I had the privilege of confirming you at uh assumption on so you're fully initiated now as a member of the church.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so you gotta get to work and share the good news of the gospel, right?
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, she's here working.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe um uh uh I know Cecile has mentioned that and has had contact with you.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh is it my uh is my understanding correct that as you worked with your um with Miss Garity Miss Gardy uh and uh prepared to be on today uh you wanted to talk about friendship, is that right?
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_09: Yes.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_09: Do you want to share a little bit about how that came to be or um Um we felt that at the youth forum we gained friendships with a lot of people whom we talked in our small groups with.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_09: So um we met after the youth forum and we decided to talk about friendships because of the importance of adding faith into our friendships.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Great, great.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and we had been working on the youth forum for some time uh with our campus ministers and uh our chaplains um with um uh Father Paul Manning, our Vicar for Evangelization, and some Father John Calibra, one of our chaplains, Ms.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Garrity was on the committee that planned uh the day.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: And uh maybe you can share a little bit about how what it was like to make some new friends meeting students from uh other uh Catholic schools.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: We had the seven Catholic schools of the diocese represented uh at that forum.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: How how what how was that experience?
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_09: Um the experience was overall like so amazing.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_09: Um my group went really deep into conversation and we all were able to give each other advice on what to do when circumstances happen, and we learned a lot about people whom we never thought we would connect with.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I agree.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think that all of us like meeting different people and just trying to get to know other people because even though they're in the diocese, like some of the schools, I didn't even know that like they existed.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_02: So it was nice to meet kids from different schools and also to see some familiar faces.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, like Mia was saying, I think conversation flowed nice, but also the challenge of not being able to respond to people.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yes.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: I think that that really made us be more conscious and aware of what everyone else was saying.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: That listening that Pope Francis is asking of us that we got a real experience of, right?
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I I guess just like what how would you define a friend?
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_09: I would define a friend as someone who I know is always there for me in good times and in bad, and someone who's trustworthy and will support me.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think someone who someone who like you know really cares about you and it takes time to build a connection that deep.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_02: But just to know that someone a friend that you can confide in or someone that you can truly be yourself around, and especially I think for our case, like faith-based, like someone that you know that you can comfortably talk about your faith with.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: And uh we make friends uh at different times.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes we have friends that we grew up with from three or four years old or from our grammar school, but high school is a great time to make friends as sophomores.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh uh and you chose with your parents, I'm sure, uh, to go to go to Villa Walsha, a faith a Catholic school, uh, where uh I know faith is part of the everyday life.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so maybe talk a little bit about making friends in high school and how that faith uh environment maybe helps that or encourages that.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_09: Um having friends that you treat each other with how God would want would treat us is very important.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_09: And just to have a connection with faith is a very welcoming and thing to have with each other.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_02: I think the main like mantra of the school is that it's a sisterhood and it is really true because even like for example, because we went to the forum with um like um upper class with like the seniors, I think I gained like a deeper relationship with them, and that's just one of countless uh examples that I could think of where the sisterhood is truly built upon our faith.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_03: A fun fact about me is um my best friend uh from high school is I met her in sophomore year, and now I think it'll be 30 years we're friends.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_03: So I mean, just think about your friendships now.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_03: You're sophomores.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_03: 30 years you might be having you might still have them as friends.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_03: And um, I and what's interesting when I met my best friend was actually through youth ministry.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't go to Catholic school, but she went to Catholic school, and we found, I guess, common ground or just the connection going through confirmation process together.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: So uh maybe I don't know whether this is a fun fact or not, but um if in high school I never texted a friend.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine that?
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_06: I didn't either.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: But how about this?
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: Uh friendships in person when you're spending time together and physically present to one another, and then relationships uh uh virtually, electronically, uh um social media.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh uh what's some differences?
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh do they work together?
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: Is there's uh what what's what's your experience of when you're with somebody and um and and then what maybe when you're connecting with somebody online or electronically?
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: I I would say that like a true friendship and social media are kind of conflicting because at times social media I think the main thing that it does when in relations to friendship is that it puts a lot of pressure on a friendship and especially if you want to build like a true connection with someone, sometimes you can like feel excluded from something because you see on social media or you have to live up to a certain standard because it's like these two like famous friends that we all like like to listen to or whatever.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: It might be something where we feel like we have to equal that sort of friendship almost.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I would say it's pretty conflicting, but it can also be a good thing because you can text your friend, you can call your friend when you want to reach out to someone.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of times when I was saying like to be there for someone, or we were both saying, I think social media can help in that sense, because just shoot them a call if they're upset or if you want to talk to them.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: So I think it varies on how you use it specifically.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: There's still good and bad and everything, right?
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_09: Um I agree with what Giselle said and I feel that quality time is very more um efficient to like in a friendship rather than just texting.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: When you say quality time, you mean being in the same place, right?
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, right.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_09: And I feel like you can be who you are um without feeling judged by social media.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: Great, great.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Giselle and Mia, right?
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh thank you so much uh for being here and for um sharing your experience.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: And uh um maybe uh we'll ask this of each of them, the seniors are gonna get a little heads up to I'm gonna put you on the spot.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: But um if there's a young person out there who might be struggling, um maybe feels he or she doesn't have a friend or um or wants to be a better friend, um, what advice would you give someone maybe who's going through a hard time or or struggling in friendships or or relationships?
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_09: Um to me, I feel like calling people by their name is a very better than just saying hello because Hey you.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_09: I feel like many people say hi to me in the hallways, but when I hear my name, I feel like it's personal and it's a connection um that I have with that person.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think I remember hearing something that God has called us by name, right?
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, right.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think self-reflection is also important because if if you want to be a better friend, I think that it's good to try to reflect on your past actions, what you've done, some of what you haven't done, just to pray on it and reflect it, reflect on it and maybe to ask God to just give you like the grace to try to be a better friend because we we're all nice people, or at least my friends and I are, but sometimes we can like have disagreements and stuff, but it doesn't mean that we're not friends anymore.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_02: Like we can work through things because I think if it's a true friendship and it's worth saving.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_02: So I think just trying to take time to really think about.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_03: I think even adults unfortunately have that problem when that I see anyway in the world.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um, if people don't agree, that means you're enemies now.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_03: But I think it is important.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we can explain right you just we don't have to always agree, we can do friends, right?
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um and that can help the friendship if we can listen, right?
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_03: I think that there's this just culture right now where if we don't agree, then that means we're enemies.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_03: But I think it's important that we do have discussions where even though we don't always agree that it we're still friends.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: And since I've become bishop, I talk a little bit more often about my confirmation sponsor, my Aunt Nora, who I often mention, uh who lives in Tennefly and is above 90.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: We'll just put it at that.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: But uh young at heart.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the things I say about her is um she she has so many friends, it's incredible.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: But I think she has so many friends because she's a good friend.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_01: She goes around her building making scones and giving them to people and cookies for the kids.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: And uh so um, you know, sometimes sophomores get criticized for thinking that they know everything.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: I know that's not the case here, um, but that's great wisdom.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: Uh uh calling by name and self-reflection, and something else that you said.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um Giselle and Mia, thank you so much.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: Really appreciate you coming on.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: Keep up the great work.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: We're back for segment two of our show today, show number 50 with the Villa Wall students, and Miss Garrity and Cecile will be back with us, but I'm here now with the seniors.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: Uh maybe if you can introduce yourself, um, where you live, your parish, uh, and maybe as seniors, if you know where you're going to college, you can tell us that.
• 18:19
  unknown: Okay.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_04: I'm Nadia Pincino, and I'm a senior.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I belong to Christ the King in Uverne, and I'm going to Franciscan.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: Franciscan University in Steubenville.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um anything that in particular attracted you to Franciscan?
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_04: Definitely the faith, um the community, and just like the I've known a lot of people who have graduated there or Daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, youth conferences, right?
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: Franciscan University of Steubenville.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh uh if you don't know about it, learn more, right?
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's a it's really been a gift to the country.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um for 30 plus years, Father Scanlon, who really revitalized it.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's just um they've they've been a great blessing.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: So happy to hear that.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_08: Uh so my name is My name and My name is Jane Duffner, and I'm a senior as well.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_08: Um I belong to St.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_08: Philomena's parish in Livingston, New Jersey, and in the fall I'll be going to the University of Notre Dame.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: The Fighting Irish.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, go Irish.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: Well, uh I hear it's pretty tough to get in there.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_08: Uh yeah, it is.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_08: It was definitely a bit of a reach, but I'm glad that it worked out.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_08: I'm very grateful.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: Aaron Powell Do they uh still send actual letters or is it email now that you find out?
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_08: It's email.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_08: I got the letter, so I got the email, and then the letter came about two weeks later in the mail.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: Do you um were you did you know this is gonna be yes or no, or did you have an idea that it was gonna be yes, or did you what was it like opening the email?
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_08: I was definitely anxious that it was going to be a rejection.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_08: Um my so two of my older sisters went there.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_08: So I knew that if I was accepted.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_08: I knew that if I was accepted, I would definitely be attending.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_08: Um but when I was opening it, I was already like crying.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_08: Because I was just having a good feeling.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_08: I was prepared for rejection, so it was a very nice um surprise.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure your family was happy, huh?
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_08: Very excited.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so you've already been to a football game, I guess.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm very excited for that.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_08: But also for the the university's Catholic mission, of course.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, yes.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um dedicated to our lady.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: Not everybody realizes Notre Dame is our lady, right?
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: Our mother, exactly right, right.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um great.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and I'm Jackie.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_05: Jackie.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_05: I'm also a senior.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_05: Um I belong to St.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_05: Virgil's Parish in Morse Plains, and I'm going to Gettysburg College.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: Gettysburg, where the address was made, right?
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh have you I guess you've been for a visit?
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: I passed by there um on my drive we drive back from Baltimore to here one year by mistake.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: And um uh it's it's I obviously had heard about it and the address, and it's a historic place in our in the history of our nation.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh uh, but there's a college there.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, so actually the battlefield is part of the campus.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_05: Oh wow like the town of Gettysburg.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: Well then I've been on your campus because I found myself this is Gettysburg.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, but the town of Gettysburg and the college have like a joint um, I guess, ownership over the battlefield.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_05: So sometimes there's like lectures.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_05: That's great.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_05: Stuff like that.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: And what led you to Gettysburg?
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I'm committed to play soccer there.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_05: So I've known for a little while now.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: Great, great.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: So um thanks again for being with us and uh um for being part of the uh forum.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: Uh maybe I'll ask two questions and you can answer either one or both.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: First, uh what your experience of the youth forum was, which we did in a synodal fashion, right?
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh with conversations in the spirit and small groups and listening in silence without being able to respond.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so maybe something uh what your experience was of the youth forum that we had and the experience of that synodal conversation in the spirit, and or um coming out of that uh grateful that you said yes to the podcast, and then working with Cecile and Miss Garretti in terms of what we might talk about, uh how you came to feel that friendship and fit friendships and fate were the most uh was was the topic we should talk about today.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so maybe you're not even ready, we'll tell us again.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_04: So the forum for me was definitely um very eye opening because we went in there, like we went in there with like people we know, like from my school, but to be split up um with people we didn't know at all in small groups was like at first it was like nerve wracking.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_04: So I was like, Oh my gosh, like I'm gonna have to talk about.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_04: my faith with people that I don't know and like everyone's in different um journeys in their faith so it was like oh I shouldn't say certain things or whatnot but being in a small group with um fellow like um disciples of Christ like that was so like comforting because it just let me know that I'm not alone in my faith and there's other people who might feel alone in their faith but that small group really um reminded me like that we're all not alone that I take my faith seriously right though that's great and sorry do you have um but we all like instantly yes we all instantly connected because of the aspect of faith so we all were able to like open up and talk like like comfortably about Jesus which is really nice.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_08: Great great Jill Yeah um so as a senior I think it was a really nice opportunity um because you know we're gonna be going to college in a couple of months and sort of I've been at Villa Walsh since I was in seventh grade.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_08: So I've sort of been not confined but in that community for so many years and some pretty formative years of my life.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_08: So the friendships that I've already made um have really already had a huge impact on my life.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_08: And I definitely feel a little bit anxious about going off to college and trying to continue living my faith.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_08: So it was nice to interact with so many um students who are younger than I am to see their journeys with it and just to be with the youth because soon I'm gonna be an adult so it's you know fleeting um but it was really nice to get to be a part of that as I'm about to go off and I wouldn't be able to have that opportunity again.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_08: And I sort of with um what Nadia said, I think the synod style conversations uh were definitely challenging but it was really amazing to me how quickly I opened up about personal things with honestly strangers.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_08: And it's even more interesting because we weren't necessarily allowed to respond to students.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_08: You had to for the first two rounds of conversation you just had to think about it and pray about it.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_08: So usually in a typical conversation when you're going back and forth, that's when you that's when you would open up because somebody's you know prompting you to you feel connected to them.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_08: But it was really I just felt even without these people really knowing who I am, I don't know who they are, um I still felt an urge to share things about my personal life and my own journey with faith.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_08: And then once we got to that third round where we were actually able to converse with one another, you know, so many people were saying oh I resonated with what you said and I could say the same to them.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_08: Right.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_08: So it was really an amazing and eye-opening experience.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_08: I just that I didn't expect it to be that way but I'm really grateful for it.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's great.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's great.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: And first name again Jackie.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_05: Jackie Yeah so Giselle touched on this a little bit but talking about how and Jane also but how we couldn't like respond and I remember it was like on the screen and it was like don't even think about like what your response would be.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_05: Even though you can't say it don't even think about what your response would be just take in what they're saying.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_05: And that made me realize like how quick I am to obviously respond but turn a conversation on myself or talk about my own experience.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_05: Oh my works right right and like this is similar to what Noddy said but I think it honestly contributes to that aloneness sometimes because you'll be in a conversation with someone where you might need guidance and they're so quick to turn it on themselves and be like and it's not harsh intentions or like harmful intentions or anything.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_05: But I think when you feel alone in like your faith journey and someone starts talking about where they're at, that can kind of you know it sometimes puts you like sends you in the wrong direction.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_05: And I think like Jane said the synod style was really cool because it it made you take in what people were saying and not be so quick to be like well I and then talk about your own experience or try to base it off of like how you like I don't know how you dealt with like a similar situation or anything like that.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_05: That's all helpful.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_05: But sometimes it's it's nice to just have someone like hear what you're saying and then like we after praying on it and thinking about it.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_05: Take a breath right yeah like we were able to respond to them not make it so much about ourselves and that I think kind of facilitated more of like a community feeling not so much of like a bunch of individuals who kind of feel a little alone.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I've uh can be a lesson for us I mean we hear about it at times but um the you know uh with social media and electronic communication it's so quick sometimes and and and you know we can so easily react emotionally right to something and if we're printing that and and putting it out there and and then wait did I really want to say that right uh so I I I I I hope that that Cynodal experience um has been and I'm glad to hear that that it was a good experience for you and I think uh again it's something that the church is encouraging us to um continue to do.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: Uh is it Jane?
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yes sorry I said Jill Jane I wanted to ask um how can the church and again the listening and it was so helpful for me as bishop to hear from the young people at the forum um you identified friendships and friendships and faith as um something that's uh important uh um how can the church help young people to have friendships that have uh a faith um element and and and bring our faith into our friendships and and other relationships uh and we were talking before we started uh on air uh that um uh I was thinking when the church does I as you talk about college now good uh campus ministry right as we have at our high schools thank god um that can that can certainly help build friendships and faith but I was uh mentioning um you know if we when we offer service opportunities or when we offer youth groups in parishes and um uh Jane Yes you were talking about uh how service opportunities and and was we talking about it on the way over here is that right yeah we were on the bus ride um so last summer July um I went I had the opportunity to go on an Appalachia trip to West Virginia um and it actually wasn't through my parish which was even more special for me um they made an exception for me to go because two of my best friends who uh went to Villa Walsh they're in the year above us so they're freshmen in college now.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_08: One of them had done the trip the previous summer and then the other one had never done it.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_08: So we all decided to go together and I emailed the youth minister at the parish and I said I know I'm not a part of the parish was that St.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_08: Patrick's in Chatham.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_08: Okay.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_08: So I said I know I'm not a part of the parish my parish doesn't offer an opportunity like this so would it be possible for me to join?
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_08: And he said yes thankfully and yeah I mean I still keep in really close touch with a lot of the kids that I met on that trip.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_08: Um it was life-changing I still talk about it I was telling Giselle who's going on her own trip this summer I'm not able to go this summer and I probably won't get to go again unless I do it as an an adult.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's true, yes.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_08: Um but specifically Appalachia um I probably won't have the opportunity to do that again and I'll cherish it for the rest of my life.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_08: I think the work that we did, I had never been involved in something like that.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_08: Just working together for God and doing God's work and community outreach, we became really close with the woman whose home we were repairing.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_08: We built her um a wheelchair ramp.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_08: And I had no experience with tools or anything and then I was using a power saw on the first day.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_08: So um leap of faith right it was definitely leap of faith.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_08: I was saying um I completely uh it was totally out of my comfort zone.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_08: I'm a homebody a little bit um so going and living kind of off the grid too no social media we didn't have any service um just living in West Virginia for the week and only having each other every night after we would get back from our work sites we had sort of like the synod um we'd small group discussions and large group discussions about a different question would be posed each night and we would talk about finding God in our work and what we were learning about ourselves and our faith.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_08: And I just don't know that I'll ever have an experience like that again because I really learned from everyone else and everyone else's backgrounds and we just grew so deeply in our faith together.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: Right and I I think you're give good testimony to what the church can do when we put our faith into action and we encourage that experience of community and and serve those those who are in need.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_01: So um that's great.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: Jackie right and Nadia what can the church do to help young people form faithful friendships or friendships that are part of our faith.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_05: So I think I'm also going on Appalachia this year for my first time.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_05: I was supposed to go last year but it didn't end up working out but I'm very excited to go this year.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_05: And I think something that's really cool is a friend from Villa who doesn't belong to my parish is actually coming with me.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_05: Oh my gosh kind of like what you did Jane.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_05: So I think that's cool.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_05: It's it shows like how that the church has the ability to have such like a uh like an attractive like sense to it that like people just like want to go and they want to join in like and the opportunities that they can provide it's unlike any other thing out there.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: Have you heard of Bishop Barron?
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yes Bishop Barron has spoken a couple of times about he was one of the 360 delegates um at the Synod last October and they'll be again next he said only the Catholic Church really could pull that diverse of a representation of the human family really from all over the world and bring them around small tables and they had those same conversations and and surely friendships formed there.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: Nadia uh how can the church help young people especially to have faith filled friendships?
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm part of um a youth group I actually don't it's not the youth group um at the parish I go to it's called Ignite and it's with a school actually Koini Academy and um so I attend there and we just had we were just invited to go on the yes retreat with Kairos.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_04: I actually got back Sunday night and um I have had this opportunity to go for the past four years and it's always been like a highlight of my year because I think it's a retreat.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_04: And it's a three day retreat.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um it's in Michigan and we take a 12 hour bus ride there um and then back.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_04: But if you if uh if you're not friends you're gonna be terrible enemies after a 12 month hour bus trip right yeah but it honestly like every year we just get closer and closer because of how connected we are in our faith and it's nice to see like us coming back to the same place and seeing where we were like the growth.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah right and we were there to like praise and worship um we had sessions we learned how to deliver God's word and um like prophesy and it was really cool experience because I never thought I'd be where I am today um without the yes retreat.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_04: So because like the Yes Retreat really um in my youth group really like helps me and my faith and um it's a huge growing aspect in um my faith journey so I really appreciate appreciate that.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_04: But um I think uh the ways that the church can um welcome more people is through like the youth ministry um youth groups and just providing more opportunities.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_08: Retreat experiences can help too exactly last question uh as I guess uh two sophomores uh a young person out there who might be struggling might feel that he or she doesn't have a friend or struggling in relationship friendships uh a piece of advice something that you would you would offer um I would say trying to you know with high school or with college um there are a lot of opportunities like different clubs and activities that you could be involved in and I think that's such a huge part in finding your people and who you relate to is sort of pursuing your interests and um like especially with campus ministry and youth ministry um in terms of the church like that's I think a really good way to find people who could be a leap of faith right is definitely because to take that step to say all right especially maybe for someone who has had a bad experience right yeah don't give up try some other club some other group there's there's a place for each of us right and um but once especially if you had a bad you can hesitate.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_01: But you're saying take the leap of faith right?
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_08: Yeah I mean it can definitely be hard if you're not super um deep in your social or social, right?
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_08: Or social absolutely um but I think you're gonna find some of the most personal connections and experiences like retreats or mission trips or even just a weekly youth group meeting.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_08: Anything like that I think um is really helpful.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_08: And then also just um trying like meeting new people always trying to meet new people be open um communication is really good.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_08: Like Mia was saying just like letting people know that you see them and you notice them can make someone uh it can have a huge impact on someone.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_08: So yeah.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: Great.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_05: I think similarly like it's very hard when you're in a time like where you're feeling like alone or like maybe you don't have friends.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_05: It's hard to like stick with like what you know.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_05: Like it's very easy to just conform to like what everyone else is doing and like maybe I'll fit in with this friend group if I kind of start doing what they doing but what they're doing.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_05: But I think it's so important to keep doing you and doing the things you're doing.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_05: Be true.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_05: Be true to who you are.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly and that's like most importantly with faith there's totally a movement away from being a person of faith like socially at least and like I said it would be so easy to conform and kind of hide that aspect of your life but if you like stay firm in your faith you it's all gonna work out and you're gonna attract the people who are really meant to be in your life and who are like you and if you put on this like fake persona you're gonna attract the wrong people recognizing the self-knowledge I think we've talked a little bit on self-reflection it's natural human being experience to want to fit in I don't want to be alone I don't want to seem like I'm the only one who's you know really but but be true to that as as a person of faith and then those relationships will come right those strong real friendships rather than just trying to not be true to who one some we are and just because I want to be popular or fit in uh be careful of that danger right that's that's great thank you.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_04: Nadia um I think from like a personal standpoint um I've definitely struggled in friendships in my life throughout like I went to public school before I went to Villa and um my advice to those who feel alone would probably be have patience and um you don't have to be like best friends with the people in your school or like in your friend group or whatever but like God has a plan for you and no like Mia was saying before on the bus ride here um no friendship will go to waste and every friendship has a reason.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_04: So um God is working through you um with those friendships.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_01: Wonderful wonderful thank you so much you were excellent excellent and uh um you'll be in my prayers especially as you have a lot of a few things coming up in the next few weeks like graduation and those kinds of things right so uh enjoy it make the most of it and uh keep in touch maybe you'll come back on college break and uh tell us how I'd love to be good good and we're back and this time we have Colette Gardi with us she is campus minister at Villa Walsh and she's also a teacher there so um just um can you share a little bit about yourself because you are a diocese you grew up in a diocese of Patterson yes yeah so I grew up my name's Colette yeah I grew up in Morristown um New Jersey lived there uh my whole life I am a parishioner at Assumption Parish um and had all my sacraments there and I actually went to Villa Walsh Academy um for high school so I'm also an alum and now I'm back teaching and I'm the campus minister there.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_07: And uh I guess how did you end up teaching there?
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_07: Yeah so after I graduated Villa Walsh I went to Providence College in Rhode Island and I was a business marketing major there and kind of towards senior year like my second semester as you know everyone's kind of talking about and thinking about jobs and different things um that senior year I really started to grow deeper in my faith and um I was a counselor at this camp called Camp Veritas.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_01: Camp Veritas which I'm still very involved in is that boys or girls or it's both yeah yeah my niece and nephews went there.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_07: I went I started my junior year in high school and it it was yeah definitely part of my conversion reversion story deepening of my faith um so that summer going to my senior year I did four camps I was a counselor of and it was just an incredible um experience and so kind of going into my senior year I was growing deeper in my faith and as people started talking about like jobs what they wanted to do I was like I don't want to just work like at an advertising firm I was like I don't want to be selling people things they don't need like it didn't feel what I was planning to do for most of my college career was to go into marketing um like social media all those things and I was like I just felt like it I wasn't gonna be utilizing my gifts and it wasn't something that I felt a lot of purpose in.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_07: And so kind of that going as I was like getting closer to graduating um my family is um pretty close with the Franciscan friars of the renewal.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_07: Oh yeah um so we have been um kind of involved with them and helping out them since I was in high school too and one of um they're quite a group aren't they yes they're amazing.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_07: Yeah one of the priests Father O'Sheen randomly reached out to my mom uh emailed her and was like oh like our friary in Ireland does a youth camp and Colette should go out this summer and um just help out and be a counselor and I was like wow that sounds amazing uh I'd love to go to Ireland and never been and I'm Irish and I was like oh I'd love to go there and kind of like by happenstance and so Camp Veritas also does a camp in Ireland and so it all worked out it was like three weeks in a row and I was like you know what I'm gonna put off applying for a job right now I'm gonna go do this in Ireland so I was there for a month um and it was an incredible experience very much a pivotal point in my life and I met a lot of people there who did missionary years and I'd never heard of a missionary year before I didn't know anyone who had done one.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_07: So I had first heard about like net ministries and so I was like wow that sounds incredible I want to do that and so I kind of came back from Ireland and I was like I want to be a missionary like I just want to serve.
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_07: I don't want to get a job right now I feel very called to like use while I'm young here like use my talents and um do I like felt very called to a missionary year.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_07: And so it was kind of like late summer so I was kind of late because everyone applies you know for that year.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_07: So I was like oh no so I was like okay I'm gonna have to put it push it off a a year but I was very set on net ministries so I I got a job um so I was just working that year and I was like you know what I'm gonna apply to Net Ministries.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_07: This is one I've heard about I didn't know of any others and through the friars so they have a very like a thread throughout my my journey but one of um the friars who's now Father Frintishek reached out to me and was like I want you to meet this girl and she's amazing you guys are very similar and she's doing a missionary missionary year right now with an organization called Christ in the city.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_07: Christ in the city yeah yeah and so I was like okay I've never heard of it but that sounds great.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_07: So I met up with her and she kind of told me about it and I was like wow that sounds amazing.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_07: So Christ in the city it's a young adult formation program um and they work with the homeless in Denver so they started in Denver.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_07: Yep.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah and a lot of things that came out of World Youth Day in 1993 is happening still happening in Denver yes amazing amazing things happening in Denver and so I was like wow that sounds amazing but I don't know if that's for me.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_07: But I was like wow that's great.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_07: And so she was like yeah let me just put you on my newsletter and I'll send you kind of like my updates and I was like great and so I think it was um closer to Christmas time that fall and she had sent me a newsletter and she reached out to me and she said hey you should come visit and at this point I was kind of in the process of applying to net ministries for the next year and I was like I have some family in Denver and so I was like yeah I'll go out and just visit family but I'll check out Christ in the city too.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_07: Long story short went out and fell in love with Christ in the city fell in love with the mission the missionaries everything about it.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_07: It felt like the life that they live they live in community so it's 34 young adults the community yeah it's like 18 men 18 women um yeah it's a lot and it felt very similar to the life that the um Franciscan Friars of the Renewal live which had been a part of my life so it felt very at home I felt very at home there.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_07: And I did like a really quick pivot and it was like the last weekend you could apply.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_07: And so on my plane ride home I like applied and I wrote out I was like filling out the application and sent it as quick as I could because I was like this is where I want to be like I felt very like the I just felt I felt so at peace there.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_07: Um and so I got accepted and that was kind of when COVID started.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_07: And so it was kind of a blessing at the same time because so that fall I went to Denver and I did a year at Christ in the city.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_07: And so that was like 2020 into 2021.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_07: And it was such a gift to be in a community of 34 people while a lot of people in the world were more alone and isolated.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_07: Whereas I had an abundance of community, which I just felt so grateful for.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_07: And it was an amazing experience.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_07: One that yeah, I could probably go on days talking about.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_07: But I just, yeah, it was so good, also so hard.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_07: Um but it was definitely like opening eye opening for me, working with the homeless.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_07: Um so the main mission is yes, we like go out to the streets and we like maybe carry some like socks or some snacks, but the main mission is to just be with people on the streets, to let them know that they're loved.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_07: They are loved, they have dignity, they are worthy of being talked to, kind of like what Mia is saying, like asking them their name, saying their name the next day if we see them again, you know, acknowledging them, saying their name, remembering them.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_07: Um yeah, really beautiful, beautiful experience.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_01: And then from there to Villa?
• 46:03
  SPEAKER_07: Yes.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_07: So um kind of towards that, so I did one year, you can do two years if you'd like.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_07: Um so towards the end of my year, they do a whole like kind of transition program for people who are leaving.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_07: And Blake Beruliet, who is the managing director at Christ in the city, gives a talk every year because one of our patron saints is Mother Teresa.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_07: And so one thing he talks about, he gives this talk is called Where is Your Calcutta?
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_07: And so he Yeah, he really wants you to think about like, yes, we do homeless ministry here, but you know, we're not all called to this same thing, and you're not called to this your whole life.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_07: And so, where is it that you feel like God is calling you to?
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_07: And something my whole life, especially being a part of like campus uh, sorry, Camp Veritas and um working with the youth, is I've always loved youth ministry.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_07: That's just something I've had like a big heart for.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_07: I used to teach confirmation um at my parish too.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_07: And um, so I was really thinking about like that is something I want to do.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_07: Um, another part of it was I was excited to kind of like there's so much abundance of faith and people in Denver, like we were saying.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_07: Like there's so many organizations there.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_07: Um, and so when I was like thinking about moving back home, I was like, I want to bring this to my area.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_01: You can find your Calcutta in Denver and then bring Denver to where you're ever gonna work.
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_07: Like if there's a need here too.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_07: There's so much good there, but we're we're meant to like bring it out, right?
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_07: We're not supposed to like just stay there.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_01: And uh so then did you start at at Villa and Campus Ministry in 21 or 22?
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_07: No.
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_07: So I stayed in, I was in Denver in another year, and then I moved back last year.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_07: Um and kind of as I was figuring out where I was gonna go, uh Laura Williams, who's a teacher, theology teacher at Villa Walsh, also works with the Franciscan friars of the renewal, another connection.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_07: Um my parents were there at the Friary one day, and she went up to them and was like, there's an opening for the campus ministry position at Villa, and I want you to tell Collette about it.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_07: And so my parents did, and that it kind of all just fell into place truly.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_01: The Lord works.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_01: The Lord works in mysterious ways.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_07: Yes, truly.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_07: It was I wasn't even thinking about it.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_07: It kind of just fell into my lap.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_07: Obviously, that had always been a thought that I'd love to work um at Villa and come back and work with the students, um, but it really truly did just fall, yeah, fall into place.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_01: And uh Cecile may have one final question.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I just want to be conscious of time, but I uh if to maybe put you on the spot or um and thank you for bringing the wonderful students uh here today and and for being part of the forum and helping us plan it.
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_01: But um in your time now as uh in campus ministry at the high school, one surprise or particular blessing that you've seen or experienced or received uh in in in in being back at Vill and working in campus ministry?
• 49:01
  SPEAKER_07: Yeah, I think one big thing is I think I sometimes have some expectation of how things might go or how people might respond.
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_07: And I think I've been so surprised by not only like the school and the faculty, but the students.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_07: Um, like just these girls who are here.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_07: I think I have they have made my experience so good.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_07: I love coming to work every day.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_07: I truly forget I'm even working because they make it so joyful, and just like the random um coming to my classroom or just yeah, the joy that I see in them, like even stemming from the youth forum that we had, um, there's been so many amazing conversations and so many ideas that have flowed from them and things that they want to do.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_07: I mean, Nadia and her friend Olivia started, we have a little small group, Woman in the Word, um, and that is totally student started and led.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_07: Things like that where I I think I maybe maybe just forget from my experience when I was in high school or I wasn't or I don't remember, but I feel like yeah, the students are just like so on fire and hungry for something, and they're wanting to, yeah, just start and continue and bring the faith and like keep the faith alive in our school.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_01: Sounds like there's a little Denver in uh right?
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_03: Cecile didn't sorry to I I guess really just thank you for your work, especially as a young adult working for the church.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um I I do see Cecile has a long time in uh uh youth groups and I I think it's important that young people see young adults serving the church and I and just thank you for what you do at Vol Walsh and just your service to the church.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_03: I I think it again it's just important that the church witnesses and I I mean though often we might have a lot of criticism that it's uh the church is run by old people, but no, it's it there's a lot of uh fire there from young, old, all ages.
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_03: Young enthusiasm, right?
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, yes.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, Gary, for your work that you're doing.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and and the um the principal uh president at Villa Walsh is I should know Sister Elaine.
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_01: Sister Elaine, thank you, Sister Elaine.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_01: Keep up the good work and let us pray for each other.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_01: And and this has certainly been an experience of the church in these days of the beautiful Easter season.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you so much.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 51:19
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Cecile.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you, Jay, behind the keyboard.
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, and thank you, our viewers, for joining us, our listeners too.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_03: But thank you for joining us.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_03: Please subscribe, comment, and leave a positive rating.
• 51:31
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• 51:36
  SPEAKER_03: Email questions and podcast topic ideals to beyond at patterstonddiocese.org.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_03: Discover our other podcasts, Coffee with Cup Key and the Paul Street Journal.
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_03: God bless.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_01: God bless you.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_01: And questions about annulments.
• 51:51
  SPEAKER_01: Uh two weeks we're going to be having the episode, so get those questions in, please, and other questions as well.
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Cecile.
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Miss Garrety.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks to the Villawall students.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Jay.
• 52:01
  SPEAKER_01: God bless you, everyone.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_01: Have a happy Easter season.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_01: God bless.