FEATURE: Strengthening Youth Ministry through Deepened Collaboration

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Viatorians have served the Bourbonnais-Kankakee area since taking stewardship of Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in 1865 as our first permanent ministry in the US. To serve faithfully for so long, we’ve needed creativity and flexibility.

So, when the MBVM community needed a new youth minister, they turned to neighboring Viatorian parish, St. George, for partnership. Together, the two parishes hired a new Coordinator of Viatorian Youth Ministry last year, and the early returns are exciting.

Establishing a New Model

“As we prepare to serve the Church of the future, we have to work together more and share common resources,” Fr. Jason Nesbit, CSV, pastor of MBVM, said. “It’s essential that we collaborate. By having shared ministries like this, we can do more together.”

St. George and Fr. Patrick Render, CSV, parish administrator, were ready. Associate Curt Saindon grew up in the parish and continues as an active parishioner with his wife, Associate Cathy Saindon, and family. “We are a small, rural community that has had a hard time maintaining positive momentum with youth ministry, so partnering with Maternity has been great,” Curt said.

The parishes needed to find the right candidate. Youth ministry in the area has often thrived most when appealing simultaneously to students at Bishop McNamara Catholic Schools as well as area public high schools. An ideal candidate would be someone who could do that outreach while also bringing his or her own creativity with catechetical and pastoral skill.

Providentially, such a candidate applied and was hired: Mrs. Amanda Fierce.

Landing the Right Candidate

Amanda describes herself vocationally as a teacher and a mom: “Those are the two jobs I knew God was calling me to do for my adult life,” Amanda said.

Amanda earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and has worked for several years in schools, including Bishop McNamara. When Amanda stepped away from teaching last year to gain flexibility for daily family life, she wasn’t sure what to seek – until this youth ministry role came up. “I noticed the job posting in our bulletin and contacted Fr. Jason. Upon interviewing, I knew Fr. Jason’s and Viatorians’ values matched my own. I immediately knew I was meant to work in youth ministry,” Amanda said.

Fr. Pat keyed in on her experience and skill set, especially as a teacher. “She continues to teach one freshman religion class at Bishop Mac alongside this position, so she has daily contact with young people. Also, she’s the mother of a teen and two younger kids,” Fr. Pat said, noting her twin connections with Catholic and public school students.

Additionally, Amanda and her family have been parishioners at MBVM since 2007. So, she’s familiar with past youth ministry and wants to rebuild after the pandemic and this position’s vacancy slowed youth ministry. She felt emboldened to dive right in, thanks to Viatorians’ support, especially these two positive pastors. “Working with Fr. Jason and Fr. Render has been a joy because they both support youth ministry programs wholeheartedly. Fr. Jason stressed to me his hope that I’d ‘serve wherever the kids are.’ He has a big heart and genuinely wants see our youth succeed. He is thrilled for the kids when they have success in academics, sports endeavors, local plays, and leadership roles,” Amanda said.

Diving In

While St. George and MBVM share a Bourbonnais zip code, they’re an 8-mile, 15-to-20-minute drive apart, largely on country roads. So, Amanda proactively prioritizes presence at both churches and holds gatherings on both campuses.

“I have seen her at Mass at St. George, and I know she is conscious of being present to both communities. She works with our Family Minister at St. George in planning, publishing, and carrying out projects for youth ministry in both parishes,” Fr. Pat notes. “I am very pleased with the ways that Amanda has handled the inclusive dimension of her work.”

It so happens that Amanda is friends and neighbors with St. George business manager, Amy McCrary, which further helps keep Amanda informed. “I make it a point to show up there so that parishioners know I’m working for them and their children,” Amanda said.

One perk of the two-parish setup is access to some different spaces out at St. George in addition to MBVM’s campus. “We do have some really nice facilities that she can use, and it’s a nice change of pace for the kids who live in town,” Curt said, referring to their outdoor patios, firepit, gardens, and Querbes Youth Ministry Center with breakout spaces and integrated technology. “Partnering with Maternity and having overlap with McNamara, it’s incorporating larger groups of kids and creating opportunities in new, different ways. You can do some more things this way.”

And Amanda has been able to offer a lot. She held outdoor cookouts with games, summer Bible study, service trips to Comer Children’s Hospital Ronald McDonald House and Mattea’s Joy, and continued Fall Harvest service and youth-led liturgy planning, to name a few. “I absolutely believe that kids need opportunities and relationships to get involved and be successful. I offer a variety of programs so junior high and high school students can find something they are interested in and join in,” Amanda said.

Witnessing the Fruits of Shared Ministry

In February, Amanda helped coordinate a Quest Retreat. While this was the 40^th Quest offered by MBVM, it was her first time in leadership. Two dozen teens from a handful of different towns, parishes, and schools participated, and the youth leadership team drew from three different high schools.

And collaboration isn’t just for the two parishes’ budget and logistics – Viatorians are stepping up to do our part, too. Curt joined the retreat as an adult chaperone. “I think it went very well. Hopefully the kids made some new friends along the way!” Curt said. “I’m hopeful the kids took something from it and will want to return and become group leaders. As the older kids graduate and move on, we hope the next handful will step in and lead.”

Fr. Pat said that hope will be fulfilled: “Teens from St. George participated and loved it, and one is already planning to apply as a teen leader for next year.”

Br. Peter Lamick, CSV, who serves the community as Director of Vocation Ministry, prioritizes presence to youth across the province. So, he signed up to come be an adult chaperone, too. He was encouraged by the teamwork. “It was the embodiment of the Viatorian mission: associates, brothers, priests, and collaborators serving in support of young people and youth leaders,” Br. Peter said.

For Amanda’s part, she’s grateful to many Viatorians for all the support, including Curt’s work securing Viatorian grants for programming and how Associate Julie Lampley oriented her behind the scenes around St. George. On the retreat, Fr. Jason and Fr. Moses Mesh, CSV, parochial vicar for MBVM, came to hear confessions and join the group for lunch.

In a small way, this retreat’s success points the way forward and brings hope by demonstrating an effective, concrete model. “It provides a glimpse of what is envisioned and actively being built in the local church and Viatorian region,” Br. Peter said.