Balanced life includes faith

The parishioner of St. Matthew's Church in Voorheesville is a catechist; Eucharistic minister; member of the parish's youth ministry team, the diocesan youth ministry team and the Diocesan Pastoral Council.

Those are in addition to serving as president of her school's chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions, playing on the tennis team and working at a local daycare center.

Balanced life

Part of the balancing act has meant putting aside two to three weekends a month in order to fulfill her commitments to her parish and the Albany Diocese. According to Kay, it is important that teens take on an active role in the Church because they can play a critical role.

"When teens are involved, it lets the Church be revitalized with new ideas," she said.

Special Kay

"She is extremely enthusiastic," Ms. Dorn said. "She's a ninth-grade catechist this year, and the ninth grade teens are enjoying her. She's brought back lots of great ideas from CLI."

Kay said it is important for parishes to provide youth the opportunity to participate in leadership experiences like CLI and the NCYC. Attending those events helped her see how many young people are involved in the Catholic Church.

"It's really cool," she said of the NCYC. "It's nice to see so many kids my age who are Catholic. It really inspires youth to want to come back and do something."

Staying faithful

The recent sexual abuse scandal has put active Catholic teens like Kay on the hot seat. "A lot of my friends ask me how I can still believe," she said.

Such questions have helped her to share with others why her faith is important to her, she said. Despite the recent scandal, Kay would like Catholics to know that the Church is poised for a vibrant future.

"There are teens out there who do go to church," she said. "The Catholic Church is going to go somewhere."

Input

"Having us there has helped the Bishop see the youth in the Diocese and helped him to see our support," she said.

Kay said she is not intimidated by the adults on the Diocesan Pastoral Council. She said the youth on the council are on equal footing with the adults.

"They listen to us," she said. "They may even listen to us more." To young people toying with the idea of getting more involved in parish life, Kay had this advice, "Start small. Go to [youth ministry] meetings. If you like it, get more involved."

(11-07-02) [[In-content Ad]]