 Young Catholics

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‘Service and Social’ brings young adults together to give back

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BY LORI ULRICH  Correspondent

On the morning of June 11, young adult volunteers weeded, tilled, and planted in the community garden, where fresh fruits and vegetables are grown seasonally and provided for free to registered families. The afternoon was spent doing inventory in the Seeds of Service thrift shop, a portion of which will be sold to achieve the objectives of the organization’s community outreach mission.

The day, which saw volunteers from various parishes across the Diocese join together in service and fellowship, was part of a “Service and Social” event sponsored by the Diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries and held in Seeds of Service, Brick. The faith-based organization assists and advocates for the sick, poor and needy while collaborating with other community partners.

The Service and Social event was started four years ago to provide “a casual and relaxed event to serve God’s people and be who God wants us to be,” shared Dan Waddington, diocesan director, Youth and Young Adult Ministries. With various tasks like gardening, doing product inventory, and assisting in the thrift shop, Seeds of Service presents the perfect opportunity to give back to others in need, he said.

“We can help clothe a family, help feed a family, it’s truly incredible. It’s so awesome to be a part of the process. It is truly great to participate in a small piece of giving to someone else, someone we will probably never meet,” Waddington reflected.

Chaselyn Palumbo, 26, a member of St. Catharine - St. Margaret Parish, Spring Lake, shared her reasons for participating. “I wanted to meet other young adults in similar faith. I felt why not come out and give back to those in need in the community? It’s nice to be with others who share the same faith and beliefs,” she said. Palumbo hopes to start a Youth Ministry group for high schoolers at her parish.

Shannon DesRochers, a second-grade teacher in St. Joseph School, Toms River, and member of Saint Martha Parish, Point Pleasant, acknowledged, “It’s hard to find those

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1. Young adults work in the garden on the campus of Seeds and Service in Brick. Lori Ulrich photos 2. A group of participants organize clothing items.

Mission:Jersey youth summer service program returns to Diocese

BY EMMALEE ITALIA 

Contributing Editor

Building on its annual tradition of youth outreach, the Mission: Jersey summer service program for young Catholics will kick off in July and August in all four counties of the Diocese.

Following the same format as last year, the program sponsored by the diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries will consist of four one-day in-person service events from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., all taking the same format. All students entering eighth grade through recent high school graduates are welcome to attend one of the four events. Participants will learn about and participate in various service projects that support local community service agencies. All projects will be arranged and supervised by adult leaders and representatives from the partner organizations. To provide a further inspirational and reflective component to the Mission: Jersey experience, this year each program will include a witness talk followed by breakout discussions. The theme for each talk will be “Bread of Life,” and will draw connections to the National

Eucharistic Revival. In addition to prayer, games and fellowship, the

Mission: Jersey program will also offer an opportunity to make and bake bread that will be distributed to those in need through local food pantries. Dates and locations for each

Mission: Jersey program are as follows: Monmouth – July 26, St.

Gabriel Church, Marlboro; Mercer

FULL-SERVICE INITIATIVE

Continued from 42 people with the same faith to connect with, and when you do, it’s like finding the missing piece to a puzzle.”

Seeds of Service director, Christie Winters, explained that the organization is a full-service operation from feeding and clothing the poor, to employing young adults with special needs and fostering job preparedness, to generating funds to help in various community outreach efforts.

Their latest ecommerce initiative for the thrift store utilizes new software to inventory products and either sell to the public or donate to registered families in need. Young adults struggling with special needs, disabilities, or at-risk behaviors are trained on the software and “given independence and confidence and the skills to work for other companies” explained Winters. For more information on Seeds of Service, visit www.seedsofservice.help.

– July 28, St. Gregory the Great Church, Hamilton Square; Ocean – Aug. 2, St. Barnabas Church, Bayville; Burlington – Aug. 4, Holy Eucharist Church, Tabernacle

Registration is open at http:// dotyouth.org/missionjersey. Parents can register their teens individually or through a parish youth ministry group. A $10 donation per participant is suggested to cover the cost of materials, and participants should bring a bagged lunch. For more information, email dotyouth@dioceseoftrenton. org or call 609-403-7182.

ST. TIMOTHY AWARD WINNERS AVAILABLE ONLINE

The diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries has announced the class of 2022 St. Timothy Award winners. The award, named for a young companion of St. Paul, is bestowed annually upon high school teens in grades nine through 12 who are involved in a Diocese of Trenton parish and/or Catholic high school campus ministry.

Nominees for the awards are recognized by their pastors and youth ministry leaders as “living a vibrant and enthusiastic faith in Jesus Christ and putting their faith into action through service and love for others… an active and practicing Catholic eager to learn more about faith, shares gifts and talents with the faith community, and one who carries out tasks in a responsible manner [while] respectful of peers and adults.” A list of the student winners, along with details of their deeds illustrating Christian leadership, are posted online at TrentonMonitor. com>News>Youth&Young Adults.