Florida Catholic | Youth Rally Seeks To Sow Stewardship Seeds

Youth rally seeks to sow stewardship seeds

G. DEMPS SIMMONS | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 03.07.08

The Diocese of Orlando is creating an opportunity to further the mission of the church in central Florida by implementing its first-ever capital campaign, titled Alive in Christ. This campaign is the outgrowth of the 18-month diocese–wide synod planning process in 2005-2006. This is one in an occasional series of articles on the components of the campaign.

OVIEDO | Engaging youths and inviting them to lend their passion and witness to the Alive in Christ campaign was the goal of a rally last month that drew more than 150 youths to Lawton Chiles Middle School here, the temporary location of Most Precious Blood Parish.

The night’s activities, which included prayer, games, music, crafts and fun, were all designed to teach the concept of stewardship.

During the rally, parents attended a gathering that included a presentation by Father Stephen Parkes, pastor, about the campaign. They learned how the campaign is intended, in part, to benefit local parish building needs and also to help achieve the priorities of a growing diocese.

Kristina Graczyk, the coordinator of the Catholic Foundation of Central Florida’s youth and young adult component of the campaign, known as YA2, coordinated the youth element of the evening, along with a team of volunteers from Most Precious Blood Parish and Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

“This campaign gives them (youths) the opportunity to share their gifts of time, talent and treasure. Discipleship and stewardship go hand in hand when we recognize that every gift we have comes from God and we can’t help but want to give back to him with grateful hearts,” Graczyk said.

Armed with YA2 reminder T-shirts with the slogan, “I Pray, I Serve, I Give,” the students were encouraged to think about how God is calling them to commit to pray, serve and give toward the Alive in Christ campaign.

“The youths are an important part of the church of today, not just the church of tomorrow, and YA2 gives us an opportunity to participate in this effort and make the dreams of both our parish and diocese become a reality. This is also an opportunity to engage the whole family, including the youngest members of the body of Christ,” Graczyk explained.

One of the elementary school activities was a 40th anniversary poster contest that focused on the theme, “The Year of Evangelization, Celebrating 40 Years of Faith … Alive in Christ.” The children learned that evangelization is when they share their love of God with others by praying, serving and giving.

Stephanie Kiriazes, 10, a fifth-grader, chose a rosary as the subject for her poster, a demonstration of her vision of honoring the three-part pledge. “We can serve God by praying the rosary every day,” she said.

In addition to posters, the little ones also took a hands-on approach, with coffee beans and chocolate, to learn about Catholic social teaching of fair trade and fair wages. They also constructed collection boxes for “Change for Change,” a YA2 project. The project is similar to Operation Rice Bowl, the official Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services promoting prayer, fasting, learning and giving. The money saved in the banks will be contributed to the campaign.

Marilyn Blanchette, president of the Catholic Foundation of Central Florida, said, “Alive in Christ offers a special moment to unite individuals, families and parish communities throughout central Florida in a way that has transformational impact — changing the hearts of those who participate and the lives of those served.”

Return to Diocese of Orlando Front Page

Youth rally seeks to sow stewardship seeds

Other Stories