Out of the Ordinary: Keeping Catholicism WEIRD
"I haven't slept in two weeks."
Of course, that statement of mine was an exaggeration, but after two weeks of being up to my eyeballs in planning a middle school rally, seeing it finally come to an end is bittersweet.
The Building Bridges Middle School Rally is such a meaningful event for me because it's the one time when I really step out of my small group style of ministry and host one big retreat open to all middle schoolers in the area. This year we had about 120 attendees from 5 parishes, 3 dioceses and 2 states. God is good!
When this event first came about in 2016, I didn't know what I was doing. This year, I didn't know what to do about a theme. In my years of middle school youth ministry, I have always said that middle schoolers know way more than you realize, and as such, they are capable of far more than you think. Going off of this, I had the theme "Holy Where You Are" in my mind as a theme. But there was something that wasn't quite right. I took it to prayer and not much longer, a better theme came about: Out of the Ordinary.
As I was creating the promotional materials for this event, I explained the theme:
Out of the Ordinary reflected the way that we are each uniquely made and our universal call to holiness. Even though the call to holiness may feel “weird” or “out of this world” in a culture that presents us with unholy options, the Church provides us with the means to be holy.
As the week leading up to the event kickoff, I became more and more excited. People were so nice about giving me a helping hand when I needed it. Here are a few real things that happened in the days leading up to this event:
-One of my coworkers, who is preparing for her own big event, took the time to make gift bags for my lead team.
-Another coworker ran all over the place picking up food, organizing materials and boxing up supplies for me.
-I made my catering order, and the lady who took my order said, "I remember you! You make this order every year."
-People adapted to last-minute schedule changes.
-Youth ministers and adult chaperones travelled with their youth in crowded busses and cars,
-4 Speakers shared their thoughts on how middle schoolers can be holy and their own weirdness.
-A live band sang their hearts out in praise for Jesus.
As great as all of that was, none of it compared to the final few hours of the event. At the end of the event, I had some time to sit with some kids from my youth group. I looked around at this "motley crew." Some were from public school, some home-schooled, some from the Catholic school. I had boys and girls at all levels of faith. When I asked for their thoughts about the weekend, the answers surprised me:
From a girl who came with a friend: "I wish we had more time to meet the kids from the other Catholic churches."
From a boy who I don't see around much but signed up for the event because his friend was going: "I liked having that quiet prayer time. It was really peaceful."
From an 8th grader who will be moving on to high school next year: "Can I still come next year?
In this space, I felt my heart softening. You see, this thing we call ministry...It is hard. And a lot of times, I come across kids (and parents) who make me wonder why I'm even trying. I see the blank stares and rolling eyes. I hear the comments about how they have more important things to do, that this is all dumb and boring, a waste of time. The apathy hangs over my head like a dark cloud. And when I am at my worst, I start to believe the lies: The work is a waste of time, and there is no hope in this selfish generation. I question my ministry...if no one else cares, then why should I? And I start to believe I am inadequate. And in that instant, God reminds me of who I am: a weirdo.
I'm not like all of the other girls. I'm not someone who the world readily accepts. I'm not like everyone else. I'm not normal. I'm his child, his weird, not normal, extraordinary daughter.
Around this time last year, a wise priest said this to me: "This is a supernatural, divine divine mission, so no one is adequate but the most fruit is born out of humble and faithful perseverance amidst struggles and discouraging situations."
Sure I faced some struggles this weekend, but I also saw plenty of fruit. It was a timely reminder that somewhere outside of these boundaries that I know of as "the world," there is Someone who exists outside of the ordinary and crashes into my life when I need it the most. When the rest of the normal world clings to money, success, fame, and prestige, this is what I want to hang on to.