The Impala

RIP Impala

It is with heavy hearts that we inform the CYFM community that Genevieve the Impala made her final drive in early December when her transmission refused to cooperate for the last time. This Grey 2002 Chevy Impala, affectionately known as Genevieve, Impy, Mr. Impala, the OC, and probably a host of other, less affectionate names, faithfully served several years of Cap Corps Volunteers as their semi-reliable mode of transportation.

Life with Genevieve was always an adventure.  Besides conducting the CCVs’ daily commute along the stunningly scenic Route 9D as they admired God’s creation, drank coffee, and jammed out to Matt Maher, the Impala also travelled great distances to Boston, Middletown, CT, the far reaches of western upstate New York, and Long Island. To gain greater insight into the personality of life with this legendary car, past Cap Corps Volunteers have shared their memories of the Impala with us:

Lindsay recalls taking Mr. Impala to Long Island when a tsunami broke out and the speedometer stopped working.  

Lauretta looks back fondly on the times when the “gas gauge was straight up NOT working and it was basically Russian roulette” and how the Impala “always smelled of dead animals and fast food.”

Yes, the Impala’s generosity was limitless. At one point it apparently served as a mobile home for small animals. Courtney remembers discovering that it was a mouse’s nest that was causing flooding inside the car and frost build-up on the interiors of the windows!

Katie Rotterman enthusiastically remarks that the Impala housed one of the best CD collections known to CYFM.

The Impala has even made a cameo in a prayer service sketch called The Stranger’s Bargain. In the nearly deserted parking lot of a movie theater, the Impala’s engine “sputters, coughs, and then dies altogether,” leaving the main character vulnerable to an encounter with the devil. The history records are unclear as to which CCV wrote this script and how much of it is based on their personal experience…

One of the most thrilling tales involving the Impala has been recounted in many iterations by the 2014-15 CCVs.  They were stopped in traffic on the highway on their way to Interlaken, NY, when they realized the CD collection was in the trunk. Katie Cavazzini bravely volunteered to retrieve the CDs, only to find out that the trunk doesn’t open when the car is in drive. Katie experienced a deep sense of panic as she thought her community was going to drive away without her and leave her stranded on the highway.

                  Though our time with the Impala was short, this year’s group of CCVs can agree that Genevieve has left an indelible impression on our memories. We have seen her temperamental side since the time she shut off for no reason mid-drive only a week after our arrival. And in her final week, Paul, Amanda, and Val struggled to drive her the 0.6 miles to the Mobil on Main Street, creating a traffic jam and angering all the people behind us as she stubbornly shut off and had to be restarted every few feet.

The miraculous safety of all the Impala’s passengers can be attributed to the Sacred Heart medal kept in the compartment on the dashboard. Jesus, we trust in you!

Finally, we leave you with a few poems written for the Impala, in memoriam, by our very own Hollis:

Fit six CCVs

Left Katie on the highway

Transformed into boat

Check engine light on

Speedometer is broken

Let's go to Thrift King

If you wish to make a donation to CYFM in the Impala’s memory, please feel free to call Judi. We are currently accepting offers for a new community vehicle for the CCV’s. Thank you!

"Each one of them is Jesus in disguise"

"Each one of them is Jesus in disguise." 

Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

As I'm sure some of you know, the Cap Corps year of service is jam packed with retreats and ministry. Not only does CYFM provide retreats for encounter, and a deepening of faith, but we also provide retreats for confirmation programs and Catholic high schools.The Cap Corps Volunteers along with the Friars give close to 100 retreats each year to complete strangers. 

At the beginning of the year, the CCVs took the Myers Briggs test so that we may better know how to care for ourselves. And to our surprise, 4/5 of us are introverts. Meaning that we get our energy from alone time, rather than being around other people. Now, this doesn't mean that we are all shy people, or that we don't like to interact with other people, but it does mean that sometimes we need to just be by ourselves for five minutes or ten or two hours. 

Now, each of us came into this year of service with the same goal: to serve the youth of the Catholic Church through youth ministry and retreats. However, like anything in life, we were unsure of what this would actually mean. And for this CCV, it has meant learning a lot about myself, my relationship with God, and learning how to care for myself. My personality type, according to the Myers Briggs, is an INFJ. Basically, I get my energy from inside (alone time), I am intuitive, I'm a feeler, and I am judging (I prefer closure and having things planned out). Seeing how these things actually play out in my life, has helped me to better interact with my community, and also how to care for myself. 

Almost every day, I meet new people. And at the same time, I am expected to share my faith story, my witness of faith, with these strangers. I am expected to welcome them with true, authentic Christian love. These are some of the ways that a Cap Corps Volunteer serves God through serving others. 

For me, when we have multiple day retreats, I become physically drained rather easily, and begin to forget why I am here. I often allow myself to become discouraged. Luckily for me, I have people in my life who remind me of why I am here in the Hudson Valley, and what a blessing it is for me to be here.

One of the things that drew me and my heart to doing a year of service, was the opportunity to encounter Christ through each person I meet, and to help them encounter Christ through my loving actions. I had some incredible experiences on Mission trips in college, and those experiences helped me to see what a gift it is to love another person, even if that is the only encounter you'll have with that person. When I become discouraged, I often think about how I am never going to encounter this tenth grader again, so if I decide to stay inside of my comfort zone and not talk to him or her, that's okay. 

I have been reminded that the majority of the ministry that we do is with complete strangers. It's great when we have a group that we know; whether it's at a parish that we work at, or a weekend retreat at CYFM with "the regulars". However, that is not the norm. On a day to day basis, we are called to be loving and welcoming to people that we will probably never see again. 

I have been reminded of what a blessing that is. That although we may only see these students for six hours on a Tuesday, we still have the opportunity to be Christ to that person. And we should take advantage of that, to get over the awkwardness and talk to that tenth grader who doesn't want to be at CYFM for the day. 

Fr. Fred is constantly reminding us that a Christian is someone
in whom and through whom Christ lives. 

That's something that we as Cap Corps Volunteers, and more importantly as Catholics, are called to live each and every day. And although it is difficult. And although it is tiring. We may be the only authentic example of true Christian love that that student may ever encounter. You never know how God is planning to use you today. Even if it is in small, simple, loving ways. We are called to love each and every person we encounter as if they are Jesus himself. 

And I want to live that this year. Even if it means that I need to hide in the DDA closet for exactly three minutes during a retreat, so that I can better be present to my small group. Or if I need to spend some alone time in my bedroom at the end of the day, so that I can better be present to my community. These are things that I am slowly learning are okay to do. Because God made me the way I am for a reason. And as I learn more and more about myself and how to care for myself, I can see that my rest is just as important as my talk for that confirmation retreat. 

"Intense love does not measure, it just gives."

Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

With Love and Gratitude,

Mary

Advent Praise and Worship Night

Some of you may remember that back in December, CYFM held a Praise and Worship event. Amanda's friends from Scranton have a worship band called Countless Wonders. They helped to lead members of the CYFM community in worship of our Lord as we prepared for the Christmas season. 

Overall it was a lovely night. The band arrived around 5 pm and the CCVs hosted them to dinner. As the band set up, and warmed up, members of the greater CYFM community started to arrive. Everyone found a place in the chapel and Countless Wonders sang "O Come Let Us Adore Him" and "Lord I Need You". Soon after, Fr. Fred exposed the Blessed Sacrament, and we adored Him. 

Countless Wonders had a mix of songs that most people knew and songs that only a few knew. It made for a very prayerful atmosphere, with time for silence and time for praise. It was truly a great way to prepare for the Christmas Season at the end of Advent. 

You can find Countless Wonders on Facebook and Youtube

Also, if you're in the Hudson Valley, they will be at Catholic Underground North this 

Saturday, January 16, 2016