Alicia Juarez-Garcia, associate director of the Office for Racial Justice of the Archdiocese of Chicago, presents a workshop along with Graciela Contreras, Vicariate I Hispanic ministry coordinator, at Parish Leadership Day Feb. 18 at Loyola Academy in Wilmette. (Karen Callaway / Catholic New World)
More than 2,000 people made their way to Wilmette Feb. 18 for Parish Leadership Day, where they learned to be better leaders in their parishes, got a breath of spiritual fresh air and connected with people from other parishes to share ideas and programs. Many participants are longtime members of their parish pastoral councils or other advisory groups. Others, like sisters Eden and Magally Degollado, want to start groups in their parishes. The Degollado sisters – Eden is 18 and Magally is 16 – came because they wanted to find resources to help them start a youth group at their parish, St. Gerard Majella in Markham. They were among an influx of young people attending special workshops that were held to observe the archdiocesan Year for Teens and Young Adults, which included special lunchtime entertainment and their own question- and-answer session with Cardinal George. Older participants participated in a candid, off-the-record conversation with the cardinal during their lunch. That session — a tradition for parish leadership day — has become one of its most popular events. About 1,500 people registered in advance for the day this year, and another 300 or so registered at the door, according to staff from the Office for Councils, which presents Parish Leadership Day. More than 500 speakers and vendors also were on hand. Developing leaders Eden Degollado said their parish recently started a Spanish Mass, and, as a result, has seen more young people coming to church. She and her sister want to start a group to bring those young people together and, they hope, attract more of them. Three teens from Korean Martyrs Catholic Church, 4115 N. Kedvale, came in hopes of finding ideas to keep their youth group going after many of the participants graduate from high school this year. Simon Park, Thomas Choi and Jinhyeok Lin, all 17, said their pastor suggested that they come to learn and pray. “We’re just thinking of this as a mini-retreat,” Park said. “We’re getting ideas of how to do things. We’re kind of struggling with leading Bible study.” Choi said he got some personal insight in how to maintain his own faith life as a Catholic once he goes to college next year from a workshop conducted by three college students. Other workshops aimed at young people included “My Weekends Are So Busy: Why Go to Church?”, “What Matters/Who Matters: Relevancy and Relationships” and “Faith Rap” with seminarians from St. Joseph College Seminary. Cynthia Garcia of St. Philomena Parish, 1921 N. Kedvale, chaperoned some of the 32 members of the parish youth group who attended. They liked “The Church Needs You: Come Bearing Your Gifts,” led by Joe Ward, who now attends Benedictine University in Lisle. Last year, as a high school senior, Ward organized an archdiocesan- wide youth Mass at Holy Name Cathedral. “Our teenagers really liked that one, because he was just like them. If he can do it, they can too,” she said. Other workshops were aimed at adults who work with teens, including “Ministry With Millennials.” New ideas John Buchanan, a parishioner at St. Felicitas Parish, 84th Street and Blackstone, said he has been coming to Parish Leadership Day for years. “Sometimes there are new ideas that I can take back to the parish,” he said. “Sometimes you need new ideas to keep people going.” Mike McNulty, who is on the pastoral council at St. James in Arlington Heights, said parishes need lay people to step up. “As a Catholic Church, we need to build leaders,” he said. “There are a lot of volunteers, but we need to build leadership skills so we have people who can build a team, lead a team and keep the team together.” John Thattathil, a member of the pastoral council at St. Mary of the Annunciation in Fremont Center, said events like parish leadership day can nourish the spirits of those who step forward in their parishes. “We all have our own families and our own lives, and sometimes we need something to keep us going,” he said.