2 14 0ANNUAL REPORT Page 1 LETTER FROM THE 2014 CYFUSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dear Friends–Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Board Chair Mr. Mark Pacione Mr. James Knowles (deceased 12/2014) Authenticity and compassion were the resonating messages throughout the National Loveland, Colorado Baltimore, Maryland Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry (NCCYM). Adult leaders were continually thanked Vice Chair Dr. Brian Reynolds for all that they do for the young church despite all the obstacles they may face. They Sr. Eileen McCann, CSJ Louisville, Kentucky were also challenged to step outside their comfort zones and invited to embrace their Latham, New York calling with enthusiasm and hope. They were asked to Prepare the Way! Ms. Anna Scally Secretary/Treasurer Healdsburg, California Pope Francis, in Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), acknowledged the work Ms. Sheila McCarron of youth ministers and announced that, through their efforts “progress has been made in Mr. Declan Weir Springfield, Virginia two areas: the awareness that the entire community [is] called to evangelize and educate Franklin, Tennessee the young, and the urgent need for the young to exercise greater leadership.”1 The call Episcopal Liaison Ex Officio Members to Prepare the Way found echoes in another document from Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei Most Rev. Frank J. Caggiano Dr. Robert McCarty (The Light of Faith), where he explains that “young people in particular, who are going Bishop of Bridgeport NFCYM, Executive Director through a period in their lives which is so complex, rich and important for their faith, Mr. Butch Ekstrom Washington, District of ought to feel the constant closeness and support of their families and the Church in their Louisville, Kentucky Columbia 2 journey of faith.” Mr. Fred Fosnacht Mr. Joe Perdreauville The Catholic Youth Foundation USA (CYFUSA) continues to Prepare the Way for Overland Park, Kansas Chair, NFCYM Board of the flourishing of youth ministry. Faithful to our mission, we continue to support youth Directors Ms. Irene Friend ministry at the local, regional, and national levels. We persevere in garnering the support Diocese of Tucson Chicago, Illinois of the entire church to become stewards of the faith and thus ensure a faithful future. Mr. Brian Johnson Dr. Matthew Hayes In 2014, some of our milestones included: Secretary/Treasurer, NFCYM Indianapolis, Indiana • $65,000 in seed money for Catholic young adult ministry initiatives distributed Board of Directors among seven groups including dioceses, campus ministries, and other Ms. Diane Lampitt Archdiocese of Galveston- organizations Saint James City, Florida Houston • over $21,000 in grants to dioceses and other Catholic organizations for new youth Mrs. Madeline LaRose Staff programs Houma, Louisiana Mr. Javier Bustamante Director • ninety-five scholarships, totaling over $29,000, for diocesan and parish leaders to Dr. Margaret McCarty attend NCCYM Washington, District of Mrs. Bonnie Waltz Columbia • $6,000 provided for NFCYM’s New Diocesan Directors Institute Executive Assistant • financial support for the hiring of a new director of communication and marketing Deacon Dana Nearmyer for NFCYM and CYFUSA Kansas City, Kansas We know, as Pope Francis has said, that the young people we serve are not only a part of the future of the church, “they are also a necessary and beloved part of the Church’s MISSION STATEMENT present!”3 As leaders, we continue to Prepare the Way so that they can “Keep close to one another, draw ever closer to God . spend [their] years in building a holier, more Catholic Youth Foundation USA serves the National missionary and humble Church. A Church which loves and worships God by seeking to Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry by providing 4 serve the poor, the lonely, the infirm and the marginalized.” financial resources at the local, diocesan, regional, and We truly appreciate everyone’s generosity and will continue to aim for more support national levels to promote effective and innovative youth for not only the young church, but for those who minister to them. ministry to assure a faithful future. Our goals include: Sincerely yours in Christ, • supporting the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry in their ministry to young people • providing scholarships for young people to attend the National Catholic Youth Conference and for Jim Knowles adult leaders to attend the National Conference on Board Chair Catholic Youth Ministry • awarding grants for youth ministry projects. 1See no. 106. 2See no. 53. • aiding in the development of youth ministry 3Homily on the Occasion of the Sixth Asian Youth Day, programs for culturally diverse communities August 17, 2014. • providing outreach to youth in crisis 4 Ibid. • training youth ministers Page 2 BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MR. BUTCH EKSTROM Can you tell us a little bit about All in all, I say youth ministry is missionary work. It is a vocation, a yourself? way of life, and a discipleship, not a program. Youth ministry must be I grew up Catholic as an only child in relational, multi-dimensional according to the needs of local youth Cincinnati, and was not particularly and families, and centered on the Gospel. So, as they say, you can get interested in or hooked up with the a pretty darn good youth program rolling, but that does not mean it is church. I double-majored in English a faithful ministry. and theology at Xavier University. How long have you been involved with CYFUSA? Later I earned a Master’s of pastoral I was invited to serve on the Board of Directors of the CYFUSA ten studies (MPS) at Loyola University years ago. New Orleans. I have been blessed professionally. I have worked for What do you like most about being a board member? the Diocese of Covington and I get amped when we (the Foundation) have an exhibit and otherwise the Archdiocese of New Orleans. take an active part in national conferences—the big NCYC and Currently, I work for the Archdiocese NCCYM events. Encountering and hearing the stories of many of Louisville. Along the way I have been a parish director of religious hundreds of people (teenagers and older) whom the Board has helped education in two locales and a parish pastoral administrator in the financially, to attend an NCYC or do some kind of ministry back home, Phoenix area. I have also served as a staff member of the national is quite moving. Grantees often reveal how they have been changed Center for Youth Ministry Development (now Center for Ministry spiritually. Foundation work is constantly rewarding. I enjoy collecting Development—CMD), and an associate director of Loyola University’s money, seeing it going to worthy persons and causes, and trusting Institute for Ministry (LIM). That is forty-two years, and still counting, that the young church of today will step up to help humankind in the since my undergraduate studies. same way and same spirit. What moves you? What are you passionate about? What are some CYFUSA accomplishments you are most proud of? I believe in the passionate possibilities of the moment, of the here and Hurricane Katrina (2005) painfully altered our stepfamily’s way of now. Almost every situation and every encounter with others (even life forever, plus about a million other households as well. Storm casual connections), I have come to see as a service opportunity. Sandy and other recent crises have blown up lives and communities I want to grab each challenge while I can, to grow no matter how also. The CYFUSA has sponsored special endeavors, like our Katrina anxiety producing something might be. As a recovering alcoholic/ Project, and generous grants to support and encourage young addict who nearly burned off the grid years ago, the gifts of life and Catholics when such deep troubles have come about. On a related time, and the dynamic present, mean everything to me. I likewise put note, the Foundation has also helped to fund dozens of imaginative, my heart into my job in Louisville, into immigration reform volunteer parish-based intergenerational, retreat, service, and peer-ministry work, into visits with my grandchildren and grand-dogs, into cooking, models year after year. and into writing fiction. How do you think we can engage the more Catholics in supporting Can you tell us about your experience in youth ministry? CYFUSA and its work? I got involved in youth ministry in1974, long before the term youth The Foundation needs to engage additional committed, clever, and ministry was normative—before there were official Vision documents, well-connected board members to extend and enhance our fund- before lifelong faith-formation and the new evangelization were development mission, and to properly cultivate large-money donors. terms that slipped from everyone’s lips, and while tried but not Also, we should work more on establishing intentional, ongoing so true CYO and CCD/schooling models prevailed. The concept of relationships with the parents and grandparents of young people a more relational, comprehensive, and Gospel-focused take on who have benefited from the NFCYM, its events and services over youth ministry made intuitive sense to me, but, alas, not always to the decades. Our national fund-raiser campaigns and deployment pastors, kids, and parents. Loss, change, and incremental progress of matching grants can be improved. And, by the way, if someone made for stress-inducing periods. But by 1980, I was charged with reading this has not yet joined the CYFUSA’s Shepherds’ Circle, the daunting task of introducing Catholic youth ministry models in I would say there is no time like the present. Go now to dozens of parishes and high schools throughout the Archdiocese cyfusa.org/shepherds to give and get involved. of New Orleans. Eventually (1987-1993), I worked full-time for the national youth ministry agency at the time—the Center for Youth Ministry Development.