Teens build birdhouses to comfort mourners in unique service project

It seemed like divine intervention when, during the hottest heatwave in decades, the humidity broke long enough last week to allow 28 teens to enjoy building birdhouses. With no mobile devices in sight, they found themselves having fun gluing, coloring, and getting their hands dirty under a large tent at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover.

With green fields of grass in the background and cool breezes, the teens gave the bird abodes their unique sense of architecture and style using sticky cement glue, brightly colored paint brushes, and untreated wood. They also discussed everything under the sun, including their favorite television shows, films, and faith in a less-than-perfect world.

“Honestly, this was the highlight of my time here,” said Father Paul Houlis, the new chaplain for Gate of Heaven Cemetery. “I had no idea I’d be able to participate in youth ministry at the cemetery. I absolutely loved spending time with the teens. We had some really fun conversations.”

*Caterina Cardamone from St. Catharine Church in Glen Rock adds the final touches to her birdhouse. (Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Newark)*

Once the birdhouses were drying, Robert Sladowski, a sales manager for Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark, gave the teens a thorough tour of Gate of Heaven’s mausoleum. As the teens walked through, admiring the large mosaic of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Pope John Paul II as well as a handcrafted wooden statue of Saint Padre Pio, they gained a new perspective on the importance of memorialization.

Birdhouse building is just one of several activities organized for the teens from Bergen, Union, and Passaic counties as part of a weeklong community service program titled “The Road” with the Archdiocese’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. The participating teens hailed from several parishes, including Presentation in Upper Saddle River, Sacred Heart in Bloomfield, St. Catharine in Glen Rock, St. Helen in Westfield, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood, St. Michael in Cranford, and St. Eleanor in Collegeville, PA.

Cleaning, moving furniture, preparing, and serving food at local food pantries kept the teens active. Daily Mass, the swimming pool, and other amenities at St. John Paul II Youth Retreat Center in Kearny, NJ, provided the boys and girls with a good balance of fun and faith.

Through the program, several teens recognized the distinctions between the various community service types and how the activities helped them relate and connect to their friends, family, and faith.

“I think that a lot of the [community] service we’re doing this week is for the living. This [birdhouse building] is for people who are coming to visit relatives,” explained Keira Coakley from Saint Helen’s Youth Ministry in Westfield. “It helps to decorate some of these final resting places, which I think is nice because they’ll be here for a while.”

Keira Coakley (center), from St. Helen Church in Westfield, and other teens painted birdhouses for Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover as part of the Archdiocese of Newark’s Summer Service Week. (Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Newark)

Katerina Cardamone from Saint Catherine’s Church in Glen Rock believed the birdhouse building allowed her to connect with her faith the way she connects best – through nature.

“I think for people who are religious, it gives them more peace to know that they’re in a place where birds are chirping, and there’s flowers,” said Cardamone. “It eases relatives who have put loved ones to rest.”

As for memorialization, while she recognizes not everyone grows up to be a global celebrity or the CEO of a successful corporation, she said “everyone’s life is important and has something to contribute while they’re on earth.”

“I think it’s important to remember anyone who could have touched your life in any way,” Cardamone added as she reminisced of her Aunt Irene and Uncle Freddie, who passed just weeks apart the summer before she started high school.

“Part of that was because they were together and loved each other for so long. He couldn’t live without her,” Cardamone remembered. “It was sad, but it gave us more peace that he was with her again.”

*Father Paul Houlis talked to the teens about the importance of memorialization during their tour of the mausoleum’s art*. *(Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Newark)*

For Father Houlis, the highlight of his week came Wednesday while hearing Confessions at the youth center in Kearny from the teens he had met at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Discussing music, film, and faith during the day made it easier for the teens to trust him with the most sacred and confidential sacrament -Reconciliation.

“Being able to give them hope, talk to them about God’s love for them, and share His great desire to forgive and heal them left me with a huge ‘Jesus high’ when I left,” Father Houlis said. “It was certainly the highlight of my priesthood this year so far. I do not say that lightly. This event might have done more for my priesthood than whatever I did for them.”

Catholic Cemeteries has hosted the birdhouse-building program since 2013 at several locations, including the award-winning cemeteries Holy Cross, Saint Gertrude, and Maryrest. It was recognized by the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association with a First Place award for “Best in Personalization of an Event in the Cemetery and Funeral Service Profession.”

For more information about Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark, visit www.catholicjourney.org.

Featured image: Teens from throughout North Jersey and Pennsylvania built and painted birdhouses for Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover as part of the Archdiocese of Newark’s Summer Service Week. (Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Newark)