Editor’s note: The following is the first of a two-part series.

Several years ago when the diocese would print the special stewardship issue of the SKR, I would write a column for my office. One year I spoke about my life being a circle, based on the song by Harry Chapin. It seems with my ministry that my life is like a circle as each year the same events come around. The only difference is that we work toward a different venue for each event. I suppose for all of us, we can look at our lives and quickly realize that our lives are like this. Things to come back around.

Here it is, close to the end of September, school is back in session, parishes have started another year of religious formation, and the diocese just began the third year of catechist formation classes offered over the diocesan ITV network.

I am actually writing this just after the completion of these classes. So for all of us, we in some way have begun another rotation on our circle.

As I attended these formation sessions, a couple of things stood out.

The primary theme for this year’s courses is Catholic Social Teaching, Justice and Service. Debbie Snapp from the Catholic Social Services Office was one of the presenters for these first sessions. Very early in her presentation she said the one thing that she wished that she would have done differently as her two boys were growing up is to ask them this question: "How are you going to serve God through the work that you do?" This really hit me and I have continued to reflect on it. As I look back over my life, my growing up, my education, my teaching, and now my ministry, I pray that I have served God in what I have done. I know full well that this is a question that I will soon propose to my own children. As I look back over my years of growing up, I know that my family always tried to serve God in the work that they did. More than once I heard and continue to hear, "Offer it up to God." And maybe without them or myself being able to put a specific name with it I witnessed my family living out the seven Catholic social teachings. More than once, I would get up to get ready for school on a very cold winter day, and in our bathtub would be a new born calf that Grandpa had brought in so it would not freeze to death. He truly was a man who cared for God’s creation.

Also during one of the breaks at the Wednesday night session I asked a mother if her senior daughter was counting the days until graduation. The mother’s reply was yes, but she has a lot of big decisions to make. This too gave me something to reflect on. As we begin another year of school and religious formation classes, our hope is that our young people grow stronger in their faith and that they develop a deeper relationship with our risen Lord. We also know that our juniors and seniors are at a time in their lives when they are making many major decisions. My hope, my offer to you, is that as we continue to be present among our young people, that we present them with the same question. Let’s ask them and help them ponder more fully, how they too can serve God, in the work they do.

Now set your mind toward the next issue, where I will speak more about charity and justice and how our work can serve God in this way. Thank you for taking the time to read my columns and thank you for having a genuine interest in the lives of our youth.