MERRILLVILLE – Two youth ministry leaders from the Diocese of Gary are among a national delegation of just 40 headed to Ghana this week to observe the work of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in the African country.
As a member of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) board for several years, Vicky Hathaway, coordinator for Youth and Young Adults in the Diocese of Gary, and Joseph Bojda, a St. John the Evangelist parishioner and a member of the NFCYM’s National Youth Advisory Council for the past year, will join the rest of the 40-member delegation on Aug. 15 on the east coast to depart for Ghana, where they will tour four CRS sites before returning Aug. 23.
“I have been a supporter of CRS for a long time, including the Rice Bowls project, and I’m excited to see the work of this U.S. organization and especially to see it through the eyes of the 10 young people on the council, including Joseph,” said Hathaway.
“I thought it would be a really cool experience to get out of the bubble we live in (in the U.S.) and see how the Catholic Church helps people,” said Bojda, a senior at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Ill.
The National Youth Advisory Council is participating in this first-ever synodal delegation to West Africa at the invitation of Archbishop Nelson Perez, chairman of CRS and NFCYM’s episcopal advisor, to deepen their understanding and witness the Catholic Church’s vital efforts in advancing justice and human development, according to Natalie Ibarra, NFCYM communications manager.
“It was the archbishop’s idea to take young people to see the gospel in action,” at one of the CRS program sites, said Ibarra, and Ghana was chosen by the CRS as a representative example.
These young people will formally share their experience in their parish communities and at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in November in Indianapolis, added Ibarra. “The delegation will talk to young teens in Ghana and share that experience after learning what it really means to be a Ghanaian youth,” she added.
Archbishop Perez, of Philadelphia, intends for the U.S. teens to witness firsthand how the Catholic Church promotes justice and human development abroad and to report back to the youth of the U.S. what they have seen.
“I am filled with excitement to have this opportunity to accompany a synodal delegation of young people to Ghana and have them see firsthand the work of Catholic Relief Services,” he explained. “I can’t think of a more powerful opportunity for our young Church to witness firsthand the transformative work of the Gospel in action.
“This synodal delegation will not only deepen their understanding of global solidarity and human dignity, but also empower them to become bold witnesses of faith and justice in their own communities. I look forward to walking with them, learning from them, and celebrating the light they will bring back to share at NCYC and beyond.”
Ibarra said the U.S. delegation will tour four main areas of Ghana, including a visit to a water treatment plant producing clean water for the African people “and see for themselves what it means for youth to be employed.” They will also visit a medical clinic and hear the stories of the patients and the impact CRS has on their lives.
“The young people will engage in discussion with youth leaders in Ghana and talk about their faith lives,” added Ibarra.
Bojda, who is active in speech, golf and tennis at Marian Catholic will serve as a Dominican preacher this year, a school leadership position where he will be helping out at Masses and other spiritual activities. He said he has been talking to other SJE Youth Group members to develop a list of questions for his African counterparts.
“I’ve already talked to the campus minister at school about using my voice as a Dominican preacher to share what I learn on the trip,” said Bojda, a SJE school graduate and altar server. “My parents, Nicole and Rich Bojda, were very shocked, I think, when I told them I sent out the email on April 1 to join the delegation – thinking at first it was an April Fool’s Day joke – but they are really supportive.” The family also includes Naomi, a freshman at Marian Catholic, and Eli, a seventh grader at SJE school.
The National Youth Advisory Council is a diverse group of young people who speak on behalf of the youth of the United States to ensure that the voices of young people are integrated into the mission and work of NFCYM. The members represent various parts of the country (i.e., California, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Texas) and cultures.
“The council members will go through training and formation to learn how to ethically tell a story like this, about people in poverty, without exploiting them,” explained Hathaway, who added that since English is the official language of Ghana, there will not be a language barrier.
Arriving first in the Ghana capital of Accra, “we will be meeting with people who work on the CRS programs in clinics, on farms and even at a Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), and the people they serve, too,” she said.
Bojda and other U.S. council youth are “very bright, with a deep passion for caring for our own communities, and I’m interested to see what they will bring back for their own dioceses and the NCYC in November,” Hathaway said.
