‘Remember me’

By Steven Polley

Director, Office of Youth Ministery

Several years ago I was conducting a confirmation retreat at Mary, Queen of Peace Parish in Ulysses. I wanted to start the day by getting the kids to think about commitment and what the sacrament means regarding their commitment to profess their Catholic faith daily for the rest of their lives.

They were struggling a little with this, so I asked some of the boys who their greatest rivalry in football was. They quickly responded Pratt. Well, this fell right into my hands, since I had taught and coached in Pratt. So I quickly began playing a game with them by telling them about Greenback pride and how great the Greenbacks were, etc. Well, you can imagine how quickly they began defending Ulysses. With that I was able to help them realize what commitment meant -- by the way they were committed to their school, and that this type of commitment is what they were being called to through the sacrament.

I share this story because each of our young people is committed to the school they attend and the pride they put into it. A good example of this was the recent week leading up to the annual hatchet game between Dodge City and Garden City. Truly it is an annual affair where each school gets a little more excited about the game and the school spirit runs higher. I believe that this is a good thing as it does bring about a new excitement.

However, as these rivalries and annual games come and go, I wonder how many people can look back 13 or 14 years ago and really remember who played some of the positions or what really happened on a given night. I am sure there are some, but maybe not too many.

I bring this up as it relates to a point that I shared with the diocesan youth council this past August. I shared with them one of my stories. May of 1972 and May of 1974 have two things in common: They were both graduation months for my brother and me. There is something else that is common with these two years. At the time, Kit Carson High School presented two awards at graduation, Leadership and Citizenship. I was blessed enough to receive the Citizenship award in both my sophomore and senior year.

When I shared this with the Youth Council, I told them that if you went back to Kit Carson now and asked people who had received these awards, they probably could not tell you. And I feel that this is usually the case in most schools and situations.

Now, if a young person is lucky enough to be part of a state championship team, then this could be different. But for the most part, years down the road people seem to forget. Thus, I asked the Youth Council, how would they like to be remembered at the end of this year? What would they like to accomplish as a Youth Council representative for the diocese and their parish that will help people remember them and their ministry?

Of course I am prejudiced because I feel that youth ministry stretches the envelope on this. A good example of this would be our junior high youth rally (See Page 21). Year after year, event after event, I see young people becoming friends and making connections. I see them return to other events not only to continue celebrating their faith, but to see friends they have not seen in a while. I see young people from different towns become friends, and still, they are able to maintain a friendly rivalry when their teams meet in competition. And yet, through the competition, a greater respect and bond is formed.

The many extracurricular activities that our youth are involved in helps build character and solid citizens. Youth ministry accomplishes the same thing, but it adds a depth that may not be found in other things. Truly it establishes relationships, commitments, and memories all grounded in our Catholic faith that will live on forever. I invite you then to challenge our young people to become more involved in the life of the parish and dioceses. Boldly ask them how they want to be remembered.