Cairo teen spending year as Hard as Nails missionary

When Annie Koerner-Fox graduated from Cairo-Durham High School in June, she didn't start planning and packing for college.

Annie will be attending Virginia State University -- just not until fall 2017. In the meantime, she'll be spending a year as a missionary with Hard As Nails Ministries.

HANM is a national Catholic/Christian non-profit organization started in 2002 by a group of young people from Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Now based in Syracuse, its aim is to help young people develop a personal relationship with God.

The group offers speakers and events for churches, schools and organizations around the country, focused on evangelization and drawing closer to Christ. Bishop Frank Caggiano of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., serves as HANM's episcopal advisor.

Annie, who hails from Sacred Heart parish/Our Lady of Knock Shrine in Cairo, is the daughter of Barbara Koerner-Fox, Sacred Heart's pastoral associate for faith formation. She was an altar server at Sacred Heart for many years and spent the past two years as a faith formation assistant. She's helped out with vacation Bible schools and participated in the Living Stations of the Cross.

After attending a Hard As Nails youth retreat in April and learning about the group's missionary program, she decided she would like to take her first year after high school to become a missionary.

HANM missionaries are trained in the basics of the Catholic faith and evangelization. During a "boot camp" month, they participate in daily Masses and Rosaries. "We are only allowed an hour of time on the phone, once a week," Annie explained in an online post. "Our entire month should go to deepening our relationship with God, discovering our gifts and strengthening them."

The missionaries then either work at the organization's Syracuse office or travel to U.S. cities or other countries to assist in setting up and running Hard as Nails retreats. Annie will spend August in Syracuse before she starts traveling.

Rev. Michael Flannery, pastor of Sacred Heart and of St. John the Baptist parish in Greenville, as well as parishioners, Knights of Columbus, family and friends are helping the young woman raise $10,000 toward living and traveling expenses; Annie has also created a GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com/2agmjmcc) for donations.

"She is very excited about helping other youth experience God's love and mercy," said her mother, noting that Annie's example is a good one for other youth in the Albany Diocese. "Most importantly, please support Annie with your prayers."

(Learn more at http://hanm.org.)[[In-content Ad]]