Young man's dream: To create vibrant parish youth ministry

Keith Westerling has a dream about lock-ins, trips, service projects, friendship and belief.

The dream happens at a place where teens like him can go with the questions and issues in their lives -- and receive support from peers about making the right decisions. It's a place for fun as well as a place for faith.

The place is St. Mary of Mount Carmel parish in Gloversville, and the dream is for the youth group Keith and a half-dozen other teens are helping to establish.

'Outstanding feeling'

"When my family came here, we found all of these different people who wanted youth to succeed and youth to be involved," explained Keith, 16.

He got a taste for what he wanted in a youth group during a week at the Christian Leadership Institute in February. CLI, sponsored by the Albany diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis (OEC), provides teens with experiences in leadership and community-building skills.

"Maybe it was the people there and having prayer services -- but every day, it was just an outstanding feeling," he reported.

Volunteer

The youth group isn't the only place where Keith has been volunteering. Since he was 13, he has helped the physically and developmentally disabled through the Center for the Disabled in Glenville as well as at the periodic retreats run by the OEC.

He began this ministry by accompanying his mother, Cathy, to a program of the Center for the Disabled, where she worked. He said he would "talk with the guys and play games with them, and pretty much help out wherever I could. It makes me happy to see them smile. It really touches my heart."

When he was old enough, he began to volunteer at the diocesan retreats. He likes to help out with skits and prayer services. He finds his recompense through the smiles of the retreatants.

Advocate

As a result of his experiences, Keith has become an advocate for the disabled. He dislikes satirical portrayals of those he calls "the guys" and hates to see people, including classmates, make fun of people with disabilities.

"I can't stand it," he said. "One of the guys at my mom's work -- I see him, and I see intelligence. He has cerebral palsy and can't speak, but his facial expressions show sadness, happiness. When you come around, he lights up. I wish people would realize that people are people and that they know what's going on and that they can still do things."

When he looks at someone with a disability, he added, "I see a person. I see someone I can have an intelligent conversation with, even if they can't speak. You can get responses. They love talking, and sometimes it's just that no one will sit and listen to them. That makes them mad."

More listening

Having someone to listen and talk to are goals of Keith's youth group. One of the most important functions he hopes the group will have is to "help teens through life" by providing a place to go with concerns, to develop faith and to guide the many decisions young people make in daily life.

He is also concerned about helping teens respond to peer pressure and sticky situations, such as being offered drugs and alcohol, or being invited to a party where those will be present.

Faith "helps you with the hard decisions," Keith noted. "In a youth group, you can really have fun, and you can also learn about your faith. I want to do things to show kids their faith, to get them involved."

Church work

Keith has made it a point to get involved in his parish, where he serves as a catechist and a member of the Junior Knights of Lithuania.

He volunteered to teach a third-grade faith-formation class after hearing that the parish was short on catechists. He trained for the job at Spring Enrichment last year and has been heading a class since September.

"I asked, 'What can I can do?' I can help out, because they're always shorthanded. I wanted to share my faith, so why shouldn't I do this?" he explained. "I found out these kids have questions, too. Lots of questions."

For the Junior Knights, he has helped pack school supplies for Lithuanian orphanages, served as a altar server for the annual Lithuanian Independence Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Martyrs in Auriesville, and took a trip to Washington, D.C., to lobby for Lithuania's entrance into NATO.

Teen of note

At Broadalbin-Perth High School, Keith is a member of both the concert and select choirs, and sang with a diocesan-wide youth choir for the diocesan Chrism Mass during Holy Week. He has also attended a summer music workshop at Pyramid Lake for teens interested in getting involved with liturgical music.

Singing and music make him "happy," he said. So does his faith.

"Faith can be fun," he said. "It helps me through life."

(Keith recently earned his Eagle Scout badge. As a member of Troop 51 in Broadalbin, he developed, raised money for and planted a circular garden and bird sanctuary at -- where else? -- a group home for people with special needs.)

(6/2/05)