Missionary Reflection #6

Last weekend, the Catholic Urban Project drew to a close. The missionaries celebrated their time and service together with one final dinner as a community and a slideshow, depicting some of the many activities and people from the past 8 weeks and capturing many moments of grace.

The days seem quieter now, without the hum of their activity, but this quiet has also given me the opportunity to realize the effect that these missionaries have had:

• They worked on 14 local homes, doing light repairs, painting, and yard work,

• They worked with over 60 children through the Slice of Summer kids program,

• They spent a grand total of 720 hours assisting local nonprofit organizations that work with the poor and elderly,

• They spent 432 hours in direct prayer ministry and

• Most importantly, they allowed God to use them as instruments of his love in a very deliberate manner for 8 weeks.

Now that those weeks are over, most of the missionaries have returned home to continue their lives of faith and service there; however, we are excited that two of the missionaries (Marnee Wohlfert and Sarah Downes) have chosen to stay here and live in the T3 house while working several hours each week as ministry interns.

St. John the Baptist parishioners, thank you for your witness of faith and your welcome to these young adults – from prayers to meals, and from chats after Mass to help with individual projects, YOU have also been an integral part of this summer’s Catholic Urban Project.

God Bless,

Rachel

Director, Catholic Urban Project

Missionary Reflection #5

Hello from the Catholic Urban Project Missionaries: Donna Bonicatto, Sarah Downes, Michelle Leppek, Aaron Murphy, Will Murphy, Nick Pobocik, Courtney Sebek, Marnee Wohlfert, and Tony Zick!

This summer with Catholic Urban Project has been the best summer of my life! All the people and prayers that I have encountered have truly humbled me, and the relationships that we have formed as a community will last long after our departure on Sunday.

I have been especially touched by the experience of community that I have felt while living in Ypsilanti. It’s hard to believe that in the course of eight weeks, nine strangers can become like family. Yet none of this would be possible without Christ. All of the missionaries came to Catholic Urban Project with one thing in common: the desire to work for the good of Christ and His Church. We quickly formed close bonds as Brothers and Sisters in Christ, and our relationships were constantly being strengthened as we were pushed close to our limits. These relationships, built on the love of Christ, are more profound and deeper than any other type of relationship I have experienced.

Most of all, this summer has shown us all that if you rely on God and keep pushing forward towards his Son, the Holy Spirit will take of the rest and ensure that everything fits together.

Thank you for hosting us at your parish! Please continue to pray for us as we finish our summer of service and outreach to the people of Ypsilanti.

In Christ’s Love,

Courtney Sebek

Catholic Urban Project Missionary
August 8, 2010

Missionary Reflection #4

HELLO PARISHIONERS! As we wind down to the last week of our program, I am reminded of all the marvelous times we have had here… but most of all, we’re just itchy. We are recently getting over a poison ivy outbreak that we caught at one of our fix-up houses while rather nonchalantly weeding our way through the backyard. Thankfully, it’s not contagious!

Truthfully though, our fix-up projects have been great! Tom Mussio has been awesome and so helpful with teaching us new skills and always sharing a story with us when we get there. The greatest blessing is getting to know the people we help. Most of them are so amazing and inspiring, and we are so grateful to be able to help in such a small way.

The second session of the kids’ camp went off without any problems, and it’s interesting to see how much we learned from the first time around! Our theme for this session is “Faith, Hope, and Love” and every morning we are performing a little skit to emphasize the theme of that particular day.

Our outreach is probably where most of us have noticed the biggest change in ourselves. Personally, I used to dread it at the start of the summer. However, over the past six weeks I have encountered some remarkable people and recently have started getting excited to go out.

Once again I’ll end with thanks to all of you and everyone who has made our summer in Ypsilanti possible! We ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers, and you can be assured that you are in ours!

God Bless,

Aaron Murphy

Catholic Urban Project Missionary
August 1, 2010

Missionary Reflection #3

Hello from the Catholic Urban Project Missionaries: Aaron, Courtney, Donna, Marnee, Michelle, Nick, Sarah, Tony and Will!

We've been having a fabulous adventure for the past 5 weeks as a community serving the people of Ypsilanti. After adjusting to all the little quirks of living in community we've become very much like our own little family. It's great to have this built-in support group surrounding all our activities. A typical week is demanding - from working with kids at the Slice of Summer program, to spending time at our non-profit placements (mine is Hope Medical Clinic), from outdoor work at fix-up projects to faith formation activities and time for fellowship and friendship. Our schedule is certainly packed, but God gives us the grace to do His work.

It is a great blessing to all of us that God has called us here, each from our very different life experiences. Part of the adventure is discovering where we are all coming from and where God is leading us through this time of service. He clearly has a plan for us, for the whole community here and for all of Ypsilanti, which he is working out in a small way through our work. As we are growing closer to the Heart of Jesus and more united to his will, we are also seeking to effectively communicate his love to everyone he brings into our lives. God is filling us with his love through the prayer life and sacraments incorporated into our routine here and also through your support and many prayers. Our mission is to be filled with the love of Christ and be the Lord's instruments in pouring that love out upon each other and those we encounter. We are learning how to more truly live the Christian life of service that we are all called to every day.

Thank you for your love and prayers.

Marnee Wohlfert

Catholic Urban Project Missionary
July 25, 2010

Missionary Reflection #2

Hello from the Catholic Urban Project Missionaries: Donna Bonicatto, Sarah Downes, Michelle Leppek, Aaron Murphy, Will Murphy, Nick Pobocik, Courtney Sebek, Marnee Wohlfert, and Tony Zick!

As the halfway point of our summer here in Ypsilanti has come and gone, it is quite a blessing to sit and write about the brief moments that the Lord has written for us as missionaries thus far. Indeed the Lord has not only written in for us experiences, but also people, relationships with those people, and all the small moments that have created a beautiful summer to this point.

The experiences that we have had and the people we have shared them with has truly been the most rewarding aspect of my summer; whether it’s around the dinner table at the end of a busy day, a memorable conversation with a child at camp, or a moment of grace on the porch steps of a stranger. The Lord has been with us in our joyful, tiring, and reflective moments.

As a parish, all of you have also been a part of those moments. As a community we have been so grateful for all that you do for each of us. Between the meals parishioners prepare on Tuesday nights, to the kind words we hear in passing, and most especially, for all the prayers you have taken to Jesus on our behalf. We truly are in awe of your continued generosity.

As we take time to plan, reflect, and pray in preparation for our last three weeks, we ask each of you to continue to pray for each of us. We are so blessed to be a part of the Catholic Urban Project, and we joyfully anticipate all the surprises the Lord still has in store for us!

God bless,

Nick Pobocik Catholic Urban Project Missionary
July 18, 2010

Missionary Reflection #1

We arrived in Ypsilanti a few short weeks ago and hit the ground running. Our day camp for kids, called “Slice of Summer,” is off to a great start: Aaron has the campers making fleece blankets for the animal shelter and measuring out packets of laundry detergent for the Hope Clinic. Tony is directing the fifth through eight graders in an original skit of fairy tale comedy, complete with bumbling knights and a break-dancing court jester. We are grateful to Jonathan Hasey, our multi-talented music minister for composing our camp theme song.

Tom Mussio has taken us on several fix-up trips. Our team has helped residents clean and re-organize their homes, and, under Tom’s guidance, we have re-stained decks and repaired handicapped ramps, repainted a porch and replaced a toilet. We thank Tom for his time and expertise.

Most rewarding for me is our outreach effort, where we go door to door to meet and offer prayers with our neighbors. Many of these brothers and sisters in Christ have been very open to praying with us: we have prayed with young men finishing school, with the relatives of hospital patients, and even with a man who had just been released from prison and eagerly sought the Lord’s guidance in his new life.

Thank you for welcoming us into your parish for the summer. It is thanks to your generous support that all of this is possible. Please keep us in your prayers.

God bless,

Will Murphy Catholic Urban Project Missionary
July 11, 2010