An Important UCYM Update

Dear UCYM Community,
 
I hope the feast of Pentecost was a transformative moment for you and a reminder of the mission we are constantly called to by Christ.
 
Renew My Church was a process that called us all in Evanston to look at our mission and answer the missionary call in our communities. Five years ago, the four (legacy) Evanston parishes of St. Athanasius, St. Joan of Arc, St. Mary, and St. Nicholas came together and set out on a mission for a shared youth and young adult ministry in our region, which became United Catholic Youth Ministries. We set out knowing that this was the direction that our parishes would need to go: sharing resources, personnel to support the formation and mentorship of our youth and young adults, and getting ahead of the curve under one banner.
 
There is honestly so much to be proud of in these last five years and I am personally so grateful for the opportunity to have served our four, now two, parish communities through this ministry. As we also have seen in Renew My Church, change is a constant and I asked our pastors if I could please deliver the news to the parish communities of some important updates.
 
In March of 2023, the pastors of the unified Evanston parishes (Rev. Jean Philippe Lokpo, MCCJ of St. John XXIII Parish and Rev. Kenneth Anderson of St. John Newman Parish), Rev. José Ortiz (Associate Pastor of St. John XXIII Parish), Brian Romer Niemiec (Coordinator of Lifelong Faith Formation for Vicariate II), Dr. Molly Cinnamon (Principal of Pope John XXIII School), and I came together to discuss the future of UCYM as the parishes financial and pastoral needs started to settle. Fr. Anderson shared that it was no longer pastorally or financially prudent for St. John Newman Parish to continue having UCYM serve as its youth and young adult ministry and that they would be seeking alternative avenues for having ministry for youth and young adults. St. John Newman Parish will not be renewing the UCYM agreement and will be discontinuing its pastoral and financial support effective July 1, 2023. I pray for a successful next chapter for St. John Newman youth and young adult ministry.
 
Following this announcement, we were asked to downsize our staff and significantly reduce operational costs for the coming fiscal year as St. John XXIII Parish would be the sole parish supporting us. I want to thank our admin leaders for coming together and discerning for many hours how our staff would be restructured in response to the financial hardships of St. John XXIII Parish. I also want to thank our staff, especially those who lost their job and remain committed volunteers. Like any ministry, we would not be able to support our young people without the commitment of volunteers.
 
I would like to share with you who our employees are: 

• Oblate James Holzhauer-Chuckas, ObSB, Executive Director (full-time)
• Alex Roman, Pastoral Assistant (full-time)
• Mirka Gallo, Director of Communications (part-time - 5 hours per week)
• Barbara Escobar, Director of Development (part-time - 5 hours per week)
• Faith LaVoie, Coordinator of Ministry Support (part-time, benefits eligible)

I also want to thank our board of advisors, under the leadership of co-chairs Claire Labbe and Gabriela Zarate, for being committed to helping us discern how UCYM can maintain its strong ministry in our community.
 
I believe that, through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, our UCYM community will persevere through this time of change. I have been humbled by the commitment our leaders have shown and I remain committed to them and UCYM.
 
Please be assured of my prayers for the parish communities as they continue into the next phase of building the new reality and answering the call to missionary discipleship. UCYM stands ready to continue to serve our youth and young adults.
 
In Christ’s peace,
 
Oblate James Holzhauer-Chuckas, ObSB
​Executive Director