Thankfulness

A few weeks ago I read a blog post written by a friend from college who is also committing a year of her life to service. Colleen is currently working as a nurse and serving the people of Guyana. In her blog post she talks about the challenges of encountering all the pain, suffering, and poverty around her. But she doesn’t stop there; she also calls to mind all the good things: the happiness, seeing God in the people she meets, the laughter, love, and joy. I think being able to find joy in the pain and suffering is so beautiful. Colleen’s words have kept coming to mind quite a bit in the past few weeks. They have served to remind me that I should be thankful to have the opportunities that I have, and to be where I am. With Thanksgiving approaching I am reminded to give thanks to God for these many blessings, many of which I must admit I take for granted most days of the year.

            Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.” There have been many times in the past month or so when I have forgotten this sentiment.

Many mornings I wake up to the sound of my alarm and grimace at the time and thought of waking up to go to Mass. As much as I am horribly embarrassed to admit that, I am telling you this because it illustrates my point. I am so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to have a church practically right outside my door and to attend Mass every day. This amazing and beautiful gift that Jesus gives us Himself in the Eucharist; this seemingly ordinary but really extraordinary and “really not small gift,” I take for granted by not wanting to wake up early enough to receive Him.

I have been stressing a lot lately about taking the GRE’s and the idea of applying to grad school. But thinking back to Colleen’s post, I realize how thankful I should be that I get to worry about taking GRE’s and applying to grad school. I am privileged that those are my biggest worries at the moment. I don’t have to worry about most things people in the developing world have to worry about. Now, I don’t say this to bring anyone down or to make anyone feel guilty, that is not my intention. I just needed to remind myself that those stresses too, are a gift.

My community is also something I am tempted to think of as ordinary and small, but really is a wonderful and amazing gift. There have been times after long stressful days, when I want to be alone, or times when I have focused on ways my community members annoy or frustrate me. In those times I forget what a gift they are in my life; I forget to be thankful for their presence, love, support, encouragement, and the fact that we get to journey together this year. I am thankful for all of our dinners together, all our conversations about everything and nothing, all the laughter and silliness like someone stealing other people’s seats, Gilbert the turkey hat, making bear noises, and the countless jokes and fun times. I am thankful for all the evenings we’ve spent watching Gilmore Girls, all the trips to Panera or to some other food place when we were too tired and too lazy to cook for ourselves, and all the nights we sat on the floor in our hallway and shared stories. I am also thankful for the moments when we’ve shared our faith together, and all the times prayed together before bed in the chapel. These are the moments I am thankful for; these seemingly ordinary, small moments which Bonhoeffer believes are not so small and ordinary at all.

- Amanda 

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.

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.