St. Francis Solanus Meet New Youth Minister Jake Terry
O
Sharing Passion for the Faith and Working With Our Young Catholics
ur new Youth Minister, Jake be a good fit. St. Francis SolaTerry, may be new to the nus is his home parish, and he Catholic faith and his role at St. is eager to share his love for the Francis Solanus. But he’s not Catholic Faith with the next gennew to Quincy, having grown up eration of Catholics. here. Jake is very excited to jump “I love my faith,” he says. in and get started serving our “This job seemed like a great opparish youth. He started his partportunity to focus on my faith.” time role here on June 1. Jake believes it is important to Jake grew up in the Anglioffer programs for teens to grow can Church and converted to in faith, recalling that he didn’t the Catholic faith about a year have youth group-type activities ago. He studied Catholic and when he was growing up. Franciscan theology at Quincy “I want to find ways to share University. the faith and show it is rele“Even though I wasn’t Cathovant,” Jake says. “The Catholic lic at the time, that sounded cool, faith is attractive to young peoso I studied it,” he says. ple. I want to show the beauty God had big plans for Jake that we already have here that as he focused on his studies and is ages old.” Jake Terry met his fiancée, Amy. The couple Currently, Jake is looking will be married on Sept. 17. forward to being involved in a host of activities Jake spent some of his college years living in alongside our parish youth. This year, there will a men’s Catholic living community. Living there be regular youth gatherings, valuable opportuniwas how he met Amy. ties for service within the Quincy community, and “Living with those men had a massive influ- Eucharistic Adoration. Parishioners are encourence on me,” Jake says. “When you are surround- aged to refer to the bulletin for information on ed by passionate Catholic men, it tends to make these activities. you see how cool it is.” Jake appreciates teens and their earnest love Anglicanism has similarities to Catholicism, for the faith. He looks forward to spending time which was another draw for Jake. with our parish youth at upcoming events. “I saw that all I loved about Anglicanism was “They are very quick to display their hearts, do in Catholicism and even more,” he says. acts of kindness and affirm each other,” he says. When Jake first learned of the opening for a In his free time, Jake likes to play guitar, paint Youth Minister in our parish, he knew it would with Amy, hike and ride his bicycle.
6