CONTENDING FOR THE SOULS OF OUR YOUTH

CONTENDING FOR THE SOULS OF OUR YOUTH

BECOMING AN AMBASSADOR FOR AMU

Rich Olon has worked for 10 years as the youth minister at St. John Francis Regis in Hollywood, Maryland. It was only his second year on the job when he realized something about the college students who were alumni of his youth group: those who went off to secular colleges had lost their faith by the end of their freshman year. Refusing to accept students falling away from the Church as an inevitable “rite of passage” for young adults, Olon sought a new approach.

Olon began using some of the proceeds from St. John’s summer program he runs to fund college visits for his high schoolers. At a small fee for the student, the group visits a handful of authentically Catholic colleges every year.

The program started off small. Rich and his brother, John, took a few students on road trips to colleges in the parish vans. “We drove to Ave Maria the first time,” Olon said, recalling a few details of the 16-hour expedition from Hollywood, Maryland to the campus of Ave Maria in southern Florida. “Once we realized how cheap airline tickets were, we did that instead. The program grew from there.” Rich and John now organize and lead at least two groups to campus a year, and have helped hundreds of students with their college choice.

Rich Olon

“YOU COULD TAKE TWO KIDS WHO WERE IN IDENTICAL PLACES IN THEIR FAITH ... WITHIN ONE YEAR, ONE HAD BLOSSOMED AND THE OTHER WITHERED.”

The results were astounding: “We really didn’t know how much of a difference it would make until we could see the side by side comparison. It was night and day.” Olon keeps in touch with his youth group students after they graduate from high school, and attests to the impact of the college decision: “You could take two kids who were in identical places in their faith and if one went to a secular school and one went to an authentically Catholic school, even within a year, one had blossomed and the other had withered on the vine.”

On the flip-side of the sobering statistic - 85% of Catholic youth lose their faith in college - is a fact further strengthening the case for an authentically Catholic school: nearly 70% of our visitors who spend one night on campus choose Ave Maria. Many of the people who visit have pre-conceived notions about what “authentically Catholic” looks like, but are surprised at what they find. Rather than forcing religion on students, the environment at AMU fosters a joy so apparent in the community it attracts even people who are only visiting a few hours.

Olon also shared that the Florida sunshine is a primary motivator of many kids on the trip, but after spending time on campus, they consider AMU as a legitimate college option. “Of all the schools we visit,” he says, “we have the largest group of kids wanting to go on the Ave Maria trip. Many will admit they just wanted to go to Florida in February, but ended up having a great experience and love the school.”

Olon has inspired an initiative at AMU making it easy and more enjoyable for influencers like himself to bring a group of Catholic high schoolers to visit the campus. This fall, we are launching the Ave Maria University Ambassadors Program. This program finds adult leaders who are motivated by the statistic - 85% of Catholic youth lose their faith in college - and empowers and equips them to bring a group of high schoolers to the campus.

The Ambassador program is led by Jud Cavey, who joined the Enrollment team in March 2020. Jud has worked with youth, particularly on the baseball field, since 1992. He and his wife, Wendy, are relocating to Ave Maria from Billingsley, Alabama.

“I’m excited to see the Ambassador Program grow,” Jud says. “Once people start hearing about this, I expect to have groups visiting every week.”

Jud Cavey

While here, visitors will tour campus, stay in the dorms, attend classes, eat in the cafeteria, meet professors and coaches, and get to know some of our current students. Jud makes sure visiting groups know that is not all we offer: “We love to give groups an experience tailored to their interests. If it’s a youth group, we can make it a retreat weekend with talks, Mass, and adoration. If it’s a baseball team, they can meet our coaches and players. Service groups can work with our Mother Teresa Project.”

Jud and Rich both emphasize the benefit of group visits. After leading groups to AMU for six years, Olon understands the students are better off experiencing the campus with peers. “Groups are so much more effective than sending a student with their parent to visit a school. It’s a truer snapshot of what life is going to be like at school because their parents aren’t going to be there.” Many of the students in Olon’s group end up reuniting with former youth group members and older siblings who chose to come to Ave Maria. “They are more comfortable in a new setting with people they know,” Jud adds. “It helps the students to relax and enjoy the experience more when they are with their friends.”

The Ambassadors Program is looking for coaches, teachers, priests, youth ministers and guidance counselors who are ready to respond to the alarming number of students who fall away from the faith during their college years. While parents are the obvious first influencers in many cases, every person who works with Catholic youth is in a position to offer guidance on a decision directly impacting the future of the Church.

To learn more about how to get involved in the Ambassador Program, contact Jud Cavey at Jud.Cavey@avemaria.edu or 720- 840-9680.

by: Elizabeth O'Donnell, '17

elizabeth.odonnell@avemaria.edu