|
MANY parts.
|
For more stories on what UCYM is up to in the community and what members of our team are doing on behalf of UCYM, follow us on social media @unitedcatholicym on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok!
 Dear UCYM Community,
Today is a day of many things. It is a day to celebrate, remember, reflect, pray, and act. Today, we celebrate the day of freedom and an end to slavery. Today, we remember that, while it is a day to celebrate, we have so much work to do to combat racial injustice in our country. Today, we reflect on our own lives and how we, even unconsciously, might participate through our biases and how we can do better to not let our biases affect our actions. Today, we act. We make a commitment to right the wrong that exist in our lives and encourage others. Today, we pray that God continue to work in the hearts of all to stand up to racial injustice. Today is not just a day off for many of us. It is a day of work and a day to stand in solidarity with our Black siblings. UCYM stands against racism and works to correct its biases and the biases and racism that exists in our Church. Please be assured of our prayers, reflection, and action as the leaders of UCYM. In solidarity, Oblate James Holzhauer-Chuckas, ObSB Executive Director  Dear UCYM Community,
With the new fiscal year approaching, we wanted to provide an important ministerial update. Since 2018, UCYM has been part of the Quinceañera Ministry of St. Nicholas (then) Parish (now St. Nicholas Church of St. John XXIII Parish). Through the collaborative efforts of the UCYM Team, a few of the graduates of the Lay Leadership program through Mundelein Seminary, we had built a Quinceañera Ministry that had a process for faith formation, hours for service, and time for our young women to connect with the youth group. We also had opportunities for our team of catechists to come together for their own continued formation. In March, it was announced to us that St. John XXIII Parish would be taking lead of Quinceañera Ministry in the new fiscal year and the services of the UCYM Team were no longer needed. While we feel this is a lost opportunity for our young women and their families to connect with us through the program that was built, we support the parish's efforts in building their new reality. Starting July 1, please contact Yolanda Salgado in the Parish Office at [email protected] or at 847-864-1185 x241 to inquire about Quinceañera Ministry at St. John XXIII Parish. Peace, Oblate James Holzhauer-Chuckas, ObSB Executive Director Alex Roman Pastoral Assistant  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:
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  Dear UCYM Community,
There is a lot to celebrate and observe in the month of June. In the Church, we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immigrant Heritage Month, and PRIDE. We also observe Juneteenth and intentionally recall the work needed for racial healing and justice in our country. June is one of the months in the Church where we are strongly called to mission. UCYM is a welcoming, inclusive, and affirming community. We model the ministry of Jesus Christ that goes to the margins and helps bring people closer to Christ and His Church. We celebrate PRIDE by praying for more open and welcoming spaces in our Church for our siblings in the LGBTQ+ community. We pray for more open minds and hearts that are ready for accompaniment and to show compassion and empathy. We pray for an end to prejudice, hatred, and exclusion. During this PRIDE month, UCYM reaffirms its commitment to being a safe space where everyone is welcome, seen, affirmed, and can belong. Our Church needs young people and young people need faith in their lives and the Church is a space to learn and grow in faith. Let us pray for the ability to find more common ground and realize that is in the mission of Jesus Christ. Peace, Oblate James Holzhauer-Chuckas, ObSB Executive Director Alex Roman Pastoral Assistant |
