October 3, 2009
Staying in touch with teens fuels youth ministry
By Christine Vovakes
Herald correspondent
Mary
D’Acquisto, regional coordinator of Fuel’d Ministries in the
Shasta Deanery, welcomes teens to the fall kickoff rally at Our Lady of
Mercy Parish in Redding. Robert T. Lindahl photo
Mary D’Acquisto, regional coordinator for Catholic youth ministry
in the Shasta Deanery, knows teens.
She also knows Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and its tweets, e-mail, texting and every other mode of communication kids use to connect instantly in this digital age.
“I want to be present to teens where they’re living, breathing and interacting,” she said.
“Non-gathered ministry” outreach is becoming popular as a companion to more traditional ways to stay in touch with youth who are in various stages of personal spiritual development and involvement in parish life.
In addition to sending reminders on Facebook about upcoming classes, training sessions and events, she posts inspirational songs, clips of the morning prayer of the day or a simple “peace be with you” message.
“Facebook is a great way to connect with people. Even the pope is on Facebook,” she said. She points teens toward Pope Benedict XVI’s Internet presence via his Web site, www.pope2you.net.
D’Acquisto maintains a busy calendar for Fuel’d Ministries, the official name of the collaborative youth ministry program for the parishes of Sacred Heart in Anderson, Our Lady of Mercy and St. Joseph in Redding, and Sacred Heart in Red Bluff.
Among her responsibilities are working with pastors to recruit and develop core teams, providing training and support for parish youth ministers and core team volunteers, coordinating liturgical celebrations and region-wide retreats, and overseeing ongoing faith formation.
She’s also involved in special programs such as the “Theology of the Body” course for high school teens, helping with social justice events such as the West Coast Walk for Life, promoting public celebrations of faith such as a Good Friday Stations of the Cross walk and a Rosary Bowl in May, and supporting community life events such as a summer family camping trip.
The Diocese of Sacramento recently presented D’Acquisto with the Marello Award for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, in recognition of her leadership and expertise in shaping a youth ministry program as envisioned by the U.S. bishops’ documents, “Renewing the Vision” and “Sons and Daughters of the Light,” and as well as recommendations for youth and young adult ministry from the Diocesan Synod in 2004.
That vision espouses a strong youth ministry program that encourages parishes to share ideas and resources in order to bring youth and young adults into all aspects of church life. Currently the Shasta Deanery is the only one in the diocese that has a program structured around the regional model.
“It’s my hope that we can encourage pastors and parish councils to adopt this model,” said Kevin Staszkow, director of youth and young adult ministry for the diocese.
He praised D’Acquisto for her outstanding work.
“Mary is really good at recruiting, empowering and training volunteers,” he said. “You need a professional helping to do that.”
Acknowledging that hiring professional staff is costly for parishes, Staszkow said that the collaborative model enables parishes to attract the best people for the job by pooling resources and sharing staff.
“We’re trying to educate youth about Catholic teaching and connect them to the church and the larger community. We’re empowering youth for leadership in the church,” he said. “I see youth as a way to bring the whole family back into the parish.”
Kira Creighton became fully involved in the church through youth ministry. She worked with the core teams at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Redding and Sacred Heart Parish in Anderson for a total of five years before becoming an intern for Fuel’d Ministries last year. Now she is a 21-year-old junior at California State University, Chico studying for a degree in social work.
“It was cool being on the planning end of things,” she said of her intern experience. “I definitely learned how important training is.”
Working with D’Acquisto gave her new insights and knowledge.
“I love Mary — she’s very organized and knows so much,” Creighton said. “Her true calling in life is to pull out gifts in lots of different people and help to develop them. I think, honestly, regional youth ministry is the best approach.”
She said Fuel’d Ministries gives teens involved from different parishes more of a community outlook on the church.
“We would go to all the different functions and know each other,” she said. “Before there was so much separateness.”
Creighton remains committed to the church. She has served as a member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council since last year and is active in the Newman Catholic Center on the Chico campus. “I’ll always be involved,” she said.
And if she or any other current or former members of Fuel’d Ministries want to get in touch with D’Acquisto, they know they can. She’s a mere tweet away.
On the Web
For more information about Fuel’d Ministries, visit the Web site at www.fueldministries.org or visit www.fueldministries.org/index_files/rymvideo.htm to see a short YouTube video about the regional model of youth ministry. To become a fan on Facebook, the listing is Fuel’d Ministries — Shasta Deanery Catholic Youth Ministry.
