Writing to St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier describes the abundant work in the mission. He talks of all the opportunities for preaching and catechesis that he has as he visits the villages of new converts. “The older children would not let me say my Office or eat or sleep until I taught them one prayer or another,” he writes.
Imagine people being so eager for the Gospel that they wouldn’t even give the priest time to pray! And not just any people but young people. It reminds me of a line in St. Mark’s Gospel: “People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat” (Mk 6:31).
I’ve had similar experiences from time to time as a priest. Sometimes conferences and events are packed. Pilgrimages can be demanding for chaplains. But no time in my priesthood have I ever experienced such fervor as among the young people participating in Summer Projects, a program sponsored by FOCUS, a Catholic outreach organization.
The program is innovative. The students opt to live in community and participate in a dynamic and rigorous formation schedule. They commit to daily Mass, daily prayer (for most, that takes the form of a Eucharistic Holy Hour), Bible studies and formation talks. All of this programming is stacked on top of a packed day-to-day schedule! During Summer Projects, the students work full-time jobs in hospitality at partner locations throughout the country.
I’ve participated in the program for years now, parachuting in for a little over a week to serve as a chaplain. Each year, I meet the most amazing young people.
One of the young men at this location was raised an atheist and became Catholic just two Easters ago. One young woman found faith online, becoming Catholic after watching loads of Father Mike Schmitz and Pints with Aquinas videos. Many of the young people here are “reverts,” having found something in Christ that the world could not give.
The hope for every Christian
My time as a chaplain is otherworldly. They’ll take every waking moment I can give. They want to meet for 1:1 spiritual coaching. They want to go to confession. They want to chat about Church teaching and other cultural news and trends.
But most of all, they want a father. They want a priest to be with them, to be for them.
This year, they offered to strap me up in a harness and take me ziplining. I eagerly obliged. They took me to a nearby town to jump off a pier into Lake Michigan. They drag me around on Rosary walks and to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. We take silly pictures and cook brunch and blast music and laugh.
And they respond when they’re challenged.
I suggested we pray a sunrise Mass on that pier they loved to jump from. They showed up in force at 5:30 a.m. Nearly every student came (notwithstanding the fact that they probably had only gotten an hour or two of sleep!).
It’s all so wholesome, so real. I wish you all could see it. They bring their co-workers to Mass. They drag strangers on the street over to speak to me about Jesus or the Church.
It’s chaotic. And disorganized (they’re college students). And exhausting. And fun. It’s really, really fun to be with them.
But most importantly, the Faith burns bright in the hearts and minds of these young people. With the graces poured out on them this summer, the Father has claimed them as his own. These sons and daughters of the kingdom will go forth changed.
