OLV

Job hunting can be tricky. Since May I have been sending resumes and cover letters to many parishes in Washington and Idaho seeking the ideal place to spend a year of discernment and ministry. Where is there a need, a calling, and a situation that fits for me and for God's people? What work would be beneficial for an interim period? How is the best way to spend a year off from seminary yet continue in the path of personal growth, commitment to the Church, and reflection on my primary vocation? This morning I made a choice.

I am going to be the Youth Minister at Our Lady of the Valley in Caldwell, Idaho. Last week I interviewed with Fr. Francisco Flores and Dc. Kerry Harris. They shared about the parish, the teens, the expectations, the facilities, and the vision for OLV. I shared about my experience, discernment, dreams, and direction. Fr. Flores generously offered me the job, and after spending the past few days contemplating, I accepted. What does this mean?

I expect that life will be busier very soon. Since the academic year concluded in May, I have relaxed continuously--vacations, time with loved ones, finishing personal projects, job hunting, volunteering, cooking, eating, running, and wondering what to do with my life and my year. My sabbath time coincided gloriously with summer. Now it's time to work.

Our Lady of the Valley lacked a full-time youth minister for many months before now, but gracious volunteers kept the program afloat and gave teens a way to connect to the Lord and the community. Hopefully my time at OLV can offer stability and direction to the parish. I can only give a year, but I hope to meet people, establish relationships, share in communion, and lead others closer to Christ through the Church. My intention is to be a builder and bridger, someone that focuses on relationships but also sustainability so that another person might step into this position and have the tools to flourish. Empowerment, fidelity to the Church, inculturation, and sacramental grace will be foundational.

Fr. Flores gave me a tour of the church building and of the youth center which is attached to the old St. Mary's Church in Caldwell, and as we walked through the facilities, he expressed support for my ongoing prayer about ordained ministry and a possible return to seminary. We acknowledged the partnership may be brief but hopefully helpful to both parties.

Thank you for continuing the adventure with me and supporting me in your own way. Continued prayers are needed as ever. In my daydreams I can see open gym times in the youth center, a large delegation of teens to the Idaho Catholic Youth Convention, times of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, and the encounter with Christ that changes the lives of young people irrevocably. Working with youth is a gift. I hope to do it worthily and with authenticity this year.