Monkeys, Wonder, and 21st Century Disciples (Part One)

Hello CYFM blogging world! This is my first blog post! Val the Party Gal coming at you from Beacon/Garrison, NY. No, Val the Party Gal is not my college nickname. I got it at a youth conference I was part of this summer because I love to dance and have fun! (Shout out to the Peer Disciples and everyone from St. Isaac Jogues Youth Conference 2015! :D.)

So what am I, a recent college grad from Cohoes, NY (Cohoes is a small city near Albany. We have a beautiful waterfall yet still no one has ever heard of us) doing in the Hudson Valley, nearly 2.5 hours south of home?

Simple. I am a dedicated to a year of service as a CCV at CYFM.

Simple?! That’s a lot of acronyms. What does that mean?!

Well, a CCV is a Cap Corps Volunteer, or a Capuchin Corps Volunteer, and CYFM stands for Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries. What is a capuchin, you ask? A capuchin is a monkey. It is also a type of Franciscan friar. I volunteer with the friars, not the monkeys. While there are many similarities between friars and monkeys, - their playful nature, their constant screeching …. Oh wait, no, that’s just the monkeys - their names are actually not as related as you might think. According to Father Fred, a capuchin of the Franciscan variety and our grandfatherly chaplain here at CYFM, the capuchin friars received their name from the habits they wear. In Italian cappuccio means hood. So the friars, who began their work in St. Francis’ home country of Italy, were known there as “the hooded ones,” and the name stuck. To make things more confusing/interesting, we do have a capuchin monkey as our office mascot. His name is Lawrence. He actually came apple picking with us a few weekends ago. He also plays the guitar. Lawrence is awesome. Anyway, moving on…..

Now you know something about the capuchins. So what about CYFM? CYFM is a ministry of the Capuchin Friars of the Province of St. Mary. The ministry is based out of a retreat center in Garrison, NY, where we host retreats for teens and their families. The retreats range from one day to one week in length, and serve as a space to spend time reflecting on pivotal life events, such as Confirmation and Senior Year, and giving of ourselves in service to the community, such as on COP (Capuchin Outreach Program) and CAM (Capuchin Appalachian Mission). Most of all, the goal of these retreats and service trips is to lead teens and their families to a deeper encounter with Jesus Christ.

This is the primary focus of my life as a CCV, accompanying teens and their families as they grow deeper in their relationships with Jesus Christ.  And this, my friends, is a wonder-full and awe-inspiring thing to be a part of. Wonderful and awe-inspiring in the sense of standing before God and being absolutely amazed.

Walking with St. Therese and St. Francis!

 As I sat down to write this blog post, I was looking for inspiration and there on my wall I saw my Tau cross hanging and surrounded by these inspiring quotes that came with my room!

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…” This is something I am always working on and need to work on. My story of how I got to CYFM is a story of learning how to trust God and learning to let go of my own vision of how things should work out.

St. Francis and St. Therese are two of my favorite saints and their feast days were both celebrated this month! I find their stories inspiring and I have found Franciscan spirituality becoming a big part of my own spirituality.  St. Therese is known as the Little Flower and is often remembered for her little way. She was a Saint who did ordinary things in an extraordinary way. She would offer up little sacrifices as a prayer for others, and she would offer up her own suffering. She also had a remarkable way of looking at things. She could look at the most negative situation you could think of and turn it in to something beautiful! What I love about her story is she that it’s so simple. She had a deep love for Jesus and that was enough to inspire great things. She reminds us that we are all called to be Saints!

My journey to CYFM was not an easy one but I had St. Therese to remind me to look for the beauty in it all. By January of my senior year of college I had my next steps all planed out. I was going to be a missionary for an organization that had a very positive influence in my life. The mission of this is organization is to “Awaken youth to the power of God’s love”, and this mission spoke to my heart. I was packed and ready to go in July, but three weeks before the program started I got a phone call. I was suddenly unaccepted. I was crushed. I had felt so strongly called by God to be part of this missionary program and it was suddenly taken away.

I scrambled to find something to do with my year. I did not know what I wanted to do and was forced to truly rely on God for a plan. I found myself part of a Franciscan service program, Change a Heart.  I lived in Pittsburgh, I lived in community, and I served as a preschool teacher. There were a lot of ups and downs but over all I loved it. However it did not fill the desire in my heart to radically be living for Christ and to be using my story, my experiences, to lead young people to His love.

I began thinking ahead a searching for what was next. I applied to Hard as Nails Ministries, but by the time they responded to my application they were already full. I applied to NET Ministries, but I did not get accepted. I was beginning to question my desires to serve God, if this is what He wants me to do why isn’t it working out?  Then I found Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries.  I interviewed within a few weeks of applying and I was accepted before returning to Pittsburgh. 

Saint Therese was convinced of her vocation. She faced a lot of obstacles but she persevered. Because of her perseverance and because of the obstacles she faced she became a beautiful witness. Her witness gives me hope that even though my journey was challenging, I was still following God’s plan He has for me. 

Entering into my second year of service as part of a Franciscan service program I am beginning to develop a stronger sense of what it means to live in the spirit of Saint Francis.  Growing up I knew Saint Francis as the animal lover, and always thought of him as a peaceful guy. There is so much more to him than that.  Working closely with the Capuchin friars has helped me to see what it means to live out Franciscan spirituality. Saint Francis desired to become like those he served, he was not afraid to go against the grain, and he loved relentlessly. People said that when they met Saint Francis they felt like they were meeting Jesus himself. Saint Francis loved Jesus so much that he wanted to take on His suffering; he loved Him so much that he received the stigmata.  To live in the spirit of Saint Francis is to love Jesus so much that His desirers come before your own, to live in the spirit of Saint Francis means serving others with a joyful and a humble heart. 

As I live out my year as a CCV I hope that I can grow in Franciscan spirituality. I hope that I can learn from Saint Francis and be a witness of Christ’s love to all who I encounter.

Until next time,

-Sam

A Reflection on the Papal Mass

Imagine this: a 16 year old, excited as can be to go to Madison Square Garden to see our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Not many kids come to mind but I am definitely one of them. My name is Isabel Quinones, a fairly regular teen at CYFM. I've been going since the seventh grade and it has changed my life. Day by Day Agape (DDA) is a common retreat at CYFM and the one that started the transformation of my faith life. If you're reading this and haven't gone on DDA, what are you doing? Go sign up now!! (Especially since I'm on team for DDA 243 in November!)

Anyways, on September 25th I went to MSG to see Pope Francis. This was an incredible, once in a lifetime experience. To get to see the Pope is an honor, and to get tickets, you were entered into a lottery at your parish. I was blessed to attend with my mother! Our day started wonderful-- taking the train from lovely Beacon, NY down to Grand Central. I can't even talk about subways but I sacrificed my phobia. We got to MSG at around 12:30 and were let in at 2. I was anticipating the Pope's arrival and every second was so exciting. The pre-show had acts such as Jennifer Hudson and Broadway Choirs. It was truly beautiful. They all sang a form of Christian music that was so inspirational. 

After the pre-show it was finally time for Pope Francis to arrive. He came in a golf car and rode around the main floor two times. This was truly amazing, the energy in the room was undeniably loving. Everyone was screaming "Vive El Papa" and chants in other languages. This made me feel so energized. Seeing him smile and wave to those in the crowd brought me tears of joy.

After his arrival he went and got vested for mass. The mass was truly beautiful. Music was in Latin and my favorite hymns were played. I enjoyed listening to the mass in Latin, it's original language. I felt overwhelmed by his presence. You could feel the energy of the room and how electric it was. I was so blessed to be surrounded by so many other people that believe in what the Pope is doing for the Church. The amazing things he teaches such as to love everyone, help the needy, and show God in all you do is completely eye opening. I attached a few photos from the mass, I apologize for the quality!

As Catholics, I believe we have two beautiful aspects of our faith that no other religion has. We have the Holy Eucharist and our shepherd, Pope Francis. The Pope is our shepherd that is leading us to become better Christians and to be more like Jesus Christ. In his homily, Pope Francis talked about how Christ lives in our cities. Here's an excerpt from his homily:

"Go outside. Go one and all. Go and announce this joy it's for all ever the citizens, all the cities. The Lord that works, walks besides us, has become of to us in our homes. Because the Lord is in between us like a father that comes out every morning and every afternoon to see if his son or daughter comes back home. He sees them come, he runs to embrace them. This is beautiful. A hug that looks to purify his sons, father in his embrace is very good means to the poor. Liberty to everyone. Help for the people in need. Prince of peace, go be with us, to tell us that the Lord is our father, that he walks besides us, he liberated us. From a life with faces, an empty life and he introduces us to go to school which will help us liberate us from the war to open up the street of peace."

I found this beautiful. He is telling us to go and help the needy, to embrace those who need us, and to go be God's people, a model for all to see. We as daughters and sons of Christ are called to go live our lives and evangelize the good news. Our society today is so covered in smog by the media and celebrities. God is more of a forgotten figure and most don't associate themselves with a religion. As Catholics, Pope Francis calls us to show the world what we believe in by our action. St. Francis of Assisi uses action to demonstrate the faith. We must try to do this each day we go out. 

Seeing Pope Francis is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. Being able to have this time with my mom was even better as we share and grow in our faith together. I am so blessed to be able to have been in his presence even if it was in a large stadium. As the Prayer of St. Francis says, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and whether sadness, joy. " God Bless.

Jesus is our sixth roommate.

What is it like to have a chapel in your house you may ask? Well, Paul and Amanda are here to tell you all about it!

Our lovely little chapel

Paul

This past month has been an absolute whirlwind. Everything is fun, new, but it is a very different experience than what I am used to. I am going from living with my best friends of four years that I was blessed with in college to living with four strangers. Well four strangers and someone very, very familiar. My room is right next to Jesus.

Senior year of college, my apartment building on campus was right across from the Chapel. I was able to wait for the elevator and look outside and see the gorgeous St. Dominic Chapel every single day. Those restless nights when my mind was racing I would throw on sweatpants and a hoodie and sit in the pews until I felt calm again.  I would be able to roll out of bed and walk across the road into the chapel whenever I wanted. I thought that this was the greatest thing ever and it couldn’t get any better, but it got better. Jesus is literally my next-door neighbor. Jesus is our sixth roommate.

 We all answered the call and said “yes” to this year of service. I have been thinking about this for a while now, but I am almost certain Jesus has been haunting my dreams in the most beautiful of ways. I, like so many people, have tried to plan out what is next. I am very guilty of trying to take control of my future, but this year I am letting go of all control. I am letting God in. God is present in all of my dreams, in the most beautiful way possible.

Amanda

Have you ever had an awesome roommate?  Someone you got along with really well and spent a lot of time with talking and hanging out? Well I bet that mine is a lot more awesome than yours because my roommate is Jesus. Well, technically Jesus lives in the next room over in the chapel, so He is more of my housemate than roommate, but close enough. You see my bedroom in the red house is next door to our chapel and my bed is right on the other side of the wall from the tabernacle. So I literally live right next door to Jesus! How great is that!? 

The thought that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is on the other side of the wall makes me more aware when spending time in my room. Sure, there are plenty of times when I come home tired after work and flop down on my bed to nap, or sit and listen to music, write letters to friends, or read a book, but I’ve also found myself  being more intentional about prayer and taking time to just sit and appreciate where I am. I am so blessed to be here at CYFM and to live and work with such amazing people, and I often find myself sitting in my room in awe that I get to be doing what I am doing. Then I remember Jesus is next door and I say a quick prayer in thanksgiving and gratitude for this wonderful life. Also, I find that living next door to the chapel has helped me in my prayer life. At night I am able to say night prayer with my community, and whenever I want I can just walk next door at sit in Adoration with Jesus.

To have a chapel in our house is a real blessing. Not only can I hang out with Jesus whenever I want, but I think the presence of the Blessed Sacrament brings with it a certain feeling, atmosphere and reverence. It has helped me to appreciate my community members more as well. Just the thought that Jesus is present in our home makes me want to be a better house mate. I try to be more patient, thoughtful considerate, and kind to my community members, and I try to do my part at keeping the house clean. No, it isn’t always perfect and I’m sure problems will arise at some point, but I think remembering that Jesus is present in our home can help us stay focused on what really matters and come together as a community.

So yeah, it’s pretty great living next door to Jesus.

A Round Up of Fr. Fred Fridays!

Did you somehow miss out on Father Fred Fridays this year? Well, fear no more! We've gathered the posts for the 2015-2016 year thus far! Hope you're enjoying it as much as the CCVs are!

Week One: September 4, 2015

The return of Fr. Fred Friday's!
"Fr. Fred, what's your favorite meal to cook?"
"Subway!"

Week Two: September 11, 2015

Fr. Fred what is your favorite part of the Interlaken Retreat? 
"The creamery!"
If the Creamery is your favorite part, What is your favorite flavor?
"Coffee!"

Week Three: September 18, 2015

Happy Fr. Fred Friday everyone!

Did you know that Fr. Fred is also a ninja?

Week Four: September 25, 2015

Is that you, Fr. Fred?
Happy Fr. Fred Friday Friends!!

Week Five: October 2, 2015

"This is great! I can do some fire and brimstone preaching from up here!!"
‪#‎FranciscansTakeOnHolyCross‬

Happy Friday Friends!