Teens complete service projects for people, parishes in need
Instead of hitting the beach or hanging out with friends, 43 teens from throughout North Jersey devoted part of their summer vacation to completing a range of community service projects during the Archdiocese of Newark’s 10th Summer Service Week from July 16-21.
This year’s Summer Service Week — which was overseen by the archdiocesan Office for Youth & Young Adult Ministry — saw the high school-aged teenagers volunteering at a variety of sites requiring assistance, including St. Michael Church in Cranford, St. Leo’s Church in Elmwood Park, and Sacred Heart Church in Bloomfield. At some locations, the teenagers landscaped grounds, moved furniture, cleaned rooms, washed windows, and mopped floors. They also sorted clothes and distributed food to people in need at the Father English Consumer Choice Food Pantry in Paterson and The Mercy Houses of Newark and Jersey City. The youths even got the chance to create birdhouses for Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, which will display them to comfort mourners with God’s creatures.
Following each work day, the teens returned to the St. John Paul II Youth Retreat Center in Kearny to discuss their experiences. They also reflected on how they can live their Catholic faith daily through their actions and treatment of others. And on one special occasion, Auxiliary Bishop Michael A. Saporito led them in an adoration, after which the teenagers participated in the Sacrament of Penance with archdiocesan priests.
“I hope this experience changes the teens’ perspectives and makes them appreciate what they have more,” said Rich Donovan, the archdiocesan Youth Office’s associate director for events and training. “And I hope they see that they don’t have to go far away on a mission trip to do service — there’s work to be done right here in their diocese. The Summer Service Week may be over, but their mission starts now. It’s up to them to take what they’ve learned back to their communities and make a difference.”
For more information about the Office for Youth & Young Adult Ministry, visit https://www.newarkoym.com/.
Photos courtesy of the Archdiocese of Newark
Featured image: Teens sort clothes for people in need at The Mercy House of Newark during the Archdiocese of Newark’s 10th Summer Service Week from July 16-21, 2023.
