Ash Wednesday and Lent

It's that time of year again!  This Wednesday, Christians all over the world are reminded of their sinfulness and of their dependence on the Grace of God. The video above explains Lent and Ash Wednesday in two minutes... only two minutes! Take a couple of minutes, watch, and learn. Often enough, we as Catholics feel that we need to do some extraordinary acts during Lent to show that we are indeed, devout Catholics. 

Don't let your pride get in the way of letting yourself grow spiritually. The Church calls us to pray, fast, and to give alms. What is one thing that you can do to make your relationship with God better this Lent? What is one thing that is keeping you from God? Maybe its netflix, instagram, or checking your phone too much. Fast from it. How can you give of yourself? Whether it's monetarily, or a giving of your gifts to someone else. Think about it. What would you like to do to share yourself with the world during these 40 days. 

Fr. Mike Schmitz has some great advice for what we can do for Lent in this video:

Still not sure what you should do? Check out these resources:

102 Things You Should Really Give Up For Lent- Lifeteen

The Lenten Sacrifice: How It Can Save Your Life- Lifeteen

100 Things to do for Lent- Held By His Pierced Hands

Fast & Abstinence- USCCB

37 Things To Give Up For Lent- Simple & Sweet

Daily Lent Reflections- Bishop Robert Barron and Word on Fire Ministries

Best Lent Ever- Dynamic Catholic

Become a Missionary of Mercy this Lent. 

As you know, Pope Francis declared this year a year of Mercy. The Capuchin Franciscans have been made special Missionaries of Mercy for this Jubilee Year. The Mass was Monday. Each Province sent a Friar to be present. Check out the pictures here!

Want more information on how to be a Missionary of Mercy? Check out these links:

Jubilee Year Of Mercy- USCCB

Year of Mercy Website

Misericordiae Vultus BULL OF INDICTION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY

Make this your best Lent yet. Prepare your heart for Easter, for the risen Christ by dying to self with Him for 40 days.

With Love and Gratitude,

Your CYFM Family

Restless

So I wasn’t really exposed to Christian music, praise and worship music, or whatever you want to call it until last year, but it has definitely been an interesting time. See, I grew up listening to a lot of Rap and Hip-Hop music my whole life. So you could say that I have done a total reversal of music interests. I went from listening to Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, and Kanye West on a daily basis; to listening to Matt Maher, David Crowder Band, and Hillsong United almost all the time. I didn’t go through this whole grand transformation of who I am, I just found listening to “Jesus Music” a lot more enjoyable than I used to.

So a song that kind of sparked that music change was the song “Restless” by Audrey Assad. I was first introduced to this song by my friend, Ana, on her “Happy” playlist. It is a popular song in the Catholic and Christian circles. So this song has done a lot for me recently. It was a song that I listened to in times of sadness, frustration, and joy. It was the song that really helped me strengthen my prayer life.

The chorus of the song goes:

            And I'm restless, I'm restless 'Til I rest in You, 'til I rest in You.  I am restless, I'm restless 'Til I rest in You, 'til I rest in You. Oh God, I wanna rest in You.

My prayer life has been pretty scattered in the past few months. You would think doing a volunteer year where you do a lot of prayer I would have it down to an art by now, but no, I haven’t. My mind has been restless. My heart has been restless. In result my prayer life has been restless as well. All of this has been frustrating me, but I guess that’s what happens when you are trying to figure out your life.

I was having a conversation with one of my friends one night and they say “But Paul, you seem like you have everything figured out in your life!” I respond to them saying, “ha. Haha.hahaha. lol.”

Recently I have been in this restless state of mind. See, I want to become a Campus Minister at Providence College one day. That is my goal in life and that is what I am striving to do. I am restless because of the uncertainty in the way I am going to get there. I am in the waiting stage of my grad school application process. Waiting to hear if it is a yes or a no. Waiting to hear if it is a maybe later. It is a state of unknown. I don’t like this stage at all, and me being me, I am naturally an impatient person and want to know right this instant what my future will or will not entail. I am restless because I want this to happen so badly. I want to go to Grad School, learn all that I can, and then finally become a great Campus Minister for someone. But maybe that this isn’t what God wants of me. Maybe there is something else God wants me to do. Maybe God wants me to go back to wanting to become a teacher.

I am restless because I want happiness, and a lot of things make me happy. All of the possibilities make me so happy and I want to do all of them. Teaching, ministry, all of it brings me joy. You can see the happiness in my face when I do/ talk about something I love. It radiates from me.

The bridge of the song goes:

Still my heart, hold me close. Let me hear, a still small voice. Let it grow, let it rise. Into a shout, into a cry

I just want to know. I just want to be pushed in a certain direction so I can just focus. I want to hear something. To just have a little guidance. So I can let it grow, let it rise, into a shout, into a cry. But that is not up to me. I will continue to be restless, until I can have that rest in Him. I guess I am just going to be restless for a while, but sometimes restlessness is a good thing.

- Paul

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!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

December 12th is an important day for many people in many different cultures.
It is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

In 1531, Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego. He was told to build a shrine at that place. However, the Bishop was skeptical. So Juan Diego returned to the place where Our Lady originally appeared. She promised Juan that she would give him a sign to give to the Bishop. 

The following morning, Juan was told to gather roses that would grow in that area. Although there were only cacti in that area, he obeyed, and the roses were there in the morning. Juan Diego gathered the roses in his tilma, and brought them to the Bishop. He opened the tilma, let the roses fall to the floor, and left there was an image of Our Lady. 

This was an opportunity for evangelization and a time of conversion for many. Being that this feast occurs during Advent, Catholics have the opportunity to reflect on Emmanuel, God With Us. This was a primary cause for conversion after this miracle took place. Our God is a God who is with us, not against us. He is loving, and came into our world in the most humble way, as an infant to be cared for by his mother, Mary. 

This feast is a reminder of the humble beginnings of our Lord, and the faith that we are called to have. Juan Diego had the faith as well as the courage to tell the Bishop about his encounter. We are called to have that same faith and the courage to live out our faith. 

Happy Advent, Friends.

- Mary

The Family and Service Retreat: A Reflection

It was Friday and for some reason I struggled to remember all week that we had retreat this coming weekend. Luckily I had my community to remind me that I should pack for the weekend. For whatever reason, the Family Service Retreat came by surprise even though it had been on my calendar all year long.  Friday night, families started arriving as we put together the final pieces of the retreat.

The family service retreat was like no other retreat we have had so far. Not only did we get the joy of hanging out with our CYFMers but we got to enjoy their family too! Teens came, bringing their siblings and parents. We all had one mission, to serve families in need as a CYFM family and with our own families.  We woke up early Saturday morning to begin making bunk beds for local families who are in difficult situations and struggling to provide for their children.

Preparing for the retreat, I reflected on the family profiles of the families we were serving. I created points of reflection to help retreatants feel more connected to the people they were serving. As I created these profiles I prayed for the families and when it came time to make the bunk beds on Saturday, I felt that I was doing more than just staining pieces of wood, but something much greater. I knew that these pieces of wood were going to become a part of a bed for someone in need. Throughout the weekend, each family spiritually adopted a family in need and we all prayed for them as we worked.

My favorite part of the retreat was serving with the families who were on retreat with us. The family dynamics were something to enjoy. Families seem to be freer to be silly around each other and they tend to make others laugh by making fun of each other in a loving way. By the end of the weekend, it was hard to tell who belonged to what family, we all felt like one big family!  

Being far away from my family, I really enjoyed feeling part of a family. Families have a special kind of love and great a unique atmosphere. This weekend I really felt like I was with family and felt even more at home here at CYFM. It was so beautiful to see families being together, serving together, eating together, and praying together.

Pope Francis has been reminding us the importance of families. He has been emphasizing the Family as the miniature church and reminding us that God came to us in a family. Jesus was born into a family and through this he sanctifies our everyday life. We are all called to be saints, and it is in the family where this call to sainthood is nurtured. At the family service retreat I really saw our church alive through all the families that came to be part of the beautiful weekend!

Until next time

-Sam

Love is Our Mission: That time the Pope was in the U.S. (Part Two)

As we ended our time at Catholic Underground, we stopped downstairs to use the bathroom and to say hi to some people. We ended up running into a bunch of people from CYFM, the archdiocese, and some people from my home diocese, Rockville Centre. As I waited online for the bathroom, my fellow CCVs were able to acquire tickets to the Papal event in Central Park the next day. The CFRs were giving out their extra tickets to the attendees, and we were able to get the three we needed to go as a group. Our tickets were in the yellow section, and we had to be in Central Park by 3pm the next day.

We went into CYFM in the morning to finish preparing for our upcoming retreats, and were able to leave at lunch time to take the train from Garrison to Grand Central. We ate our lunch on the train, and napped, and then set out for central park. We walked from Grand Central so that we could see all of the sites of the city. We also weren't sure how crowded the city would be, and didn't want to squeeze onto an already packed subway car. It all worked for the best though. After an hour or so, we made our way through security and made our way into the park. We secured a spot next to two strollers (to avoid the congested crowd) and took a selfie.

So many people!

Two hours later, the crowds stood and (patiently?) waited for Papa. Now, these full time Catholic volunteers were very excited. As we got closer to 5pm, 4/5 of us couldn't see because of all the people, but lucky for us, Paul could still see and secured a video for our archives. 

He may not have been looking our way, but it was still incredible to be there. 

Knowing how much the world loves this man, makes me realize how he is leading us as a shepherd. He truly shows us what it is to love like Christ. Below are a couple of pictures of the Pope's visit to NYC and Philadelphia. In NYC he visited a catholic elementary school in Harlem where he met with students and faculty. In Philadelphia, one of his many stops was to a Philadelphia Prison.

Taken from Fr. James Martin, SJ's Facebook:
Quote of the Day: Little girl at Our Lady Queen of Angels School in Harlem to Pope Francis working a computer screen: "You have to double click it!"

Taken from Mark Hart's Facebook:

My absolute favorite pic from #PopeinUS - taken when he visited inmates in a Philly prison.
(Matt 25:39-40)
Our God is a God of hope and unyielding mercy...

I think that the majority of the Catholic (and non-catholic) world was excited for the Pope to be in the United States. But for these Cap Corps Volunteers, it was a reminder of why we each chose to do a year of service. Pope Francis taught us to serve in Humility and Love, and to love each person as Christ loves them. Love truly is our Mission.

That time the Pope was in the U.S. (Part One)

As full time volunteers, the CCVs didn't expect to partake in any of the events happening in NYC because of Pope Francis's visit to the United States and Cuba. However, that's not the way it worked out. As a community, we joked that Jesus must have really wanted us to go see the Pope (but more on that next week). The night that the Pope arrived in New York, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal decided to hold a special Catholic Underground with Matt Maher. 

Catholic Underground is an event held in NYC every first weekend of the month by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFRs). It is an evening of praise which starts with evening prayer and continues with adoration and praise and worship music. While these wonderful things are taking place, the faithful are invited to take part in the sacrament of reconciliation. Following benediction, confessions continue, and there is usually some sort of entertainment in the "underground" part of the church. The night ends with night prayer. It's all in all a really great night. In high school and college I (Mary) would go to CU with a group of friends almost every month. CU was one thing that I really wanted to share with my community here at CYFM. 

About a week before the Pope arrived, we still didn't have tickets to any of the special events in the city. However, while the lady CCVs went on an evening walk, Paul was able to get the five CCVs tickets to this event! It was totally last minute, and unexpected, but totally amazing and cool. 

A few days later was the big event. We were able to leave work early to get to the city for 3 pm. Our tickets said to arrive that early because they were expecting many people. We parked across the street from the Parish hosting CU, received our wrist bands, ate an early dinner, and waited on line for 2 hours.

We took our seats and entered into adoration. Confessions were going on at the same time, and many of us took advantage of that. After being CCVs for a month, most of us felt that we needed this night to reconnect with the Lord. The Friars played Good Good Father during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and it was incredible. I had never heard the song before, but it has become one of my favorites. Take some time and listen to the version I linked to above, you won't regret it. 

After benediction, the Friars set up a simulcast of what was happening at Saint Patrick's Cathedral. So, we prayed Evening Prayer with the Pope. It was pretty cool. 

After praying with the Pope, Matt Maher came out with his band and we worshiped with him. 

It was awesome. There are no other words for how great this night in NYC was. 

Look out for Part Two next week!

- Mary

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.