Young mission volunteers return with stories to share

LINDA REEVES | FLORIDA CATHOLIC PALM BEACH BUREAU EDITOR

Posted: 08.13.09

WEST PALM BEACH | Remember the 27 youths from St. Peter and Holy Name of Jesus parishes that correspondent Pat Langford wrote about, who spent a week of their vacation doing mission work in the Tampa Bay area? They returned full of stories to share.

“The first day it was really hot,” said Michael Carabello, 14, of Holy Name of Jesus Parish.

The Holy Name of Jesus youths gathered June 16 to reminisce and tell members of the youth group who were unable to go about the trip.

“It was rewarding, and I will do it again, but the next time I am going to bring a friend,” continued Michael, who will attend Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach this year.

The mission trip was arranged in coordination with TEAMeffort, a Georgia nonprofit that gathers youths in service. In total, nearly 270 teens from different areas made up the Tampa mission. Marianne Doughney, youth minister at St. Peter Parish in Jupiter, led the local teens along with Gina-Marie Dyer, Holy Name’s youth minister.

“This was my first mission trip,” said Holy Name’s Amanda Catanho, 13, enrolled at Cardinal Newman this year. “I thought that we were going to help people, but I didn’t know we were going to be painting and stuff. It was a really good experience, except for waking up early and going to bed early. I would do it again.”

The weather was hot and rain poured, but the youths found plenty to do.

“We painted and did some reorganizing of closets at the Good Samaritan Center there,” said Dyer about work at the center that serves migrant workers. “Within the mission is a day care and some of the youths worked with the kids there.”

Diana Garcia, 14, of Holy Name said that the mission experience was her first.

“We painted sheds. We were helping little kids at the day care center. You could tell that they didn’t have much. I liked helping the kids and I like painting, too. We met a lot of nice people from St. Peter.”

On the last day, the rain poured. The group ended up at Sacred Heart Parish, where the young pastor there was happy to receive the blessing of the youths’ assistance.

“It was the pastor’s very first day in that parish,” said Dyer. “We mopped and cleaned the benches. We cleaned all the pews and washed the glass. We cleaned everything from top to bottom. The pastor came out and he spoke to all of us and gave this talk on the sacraments. I think they were really happy to have us.”

Diana hopes to go on a mission trip next year.

“It was like giving back,” she said. “It was a good experience. I would definitely do it again.”

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