CEDAR LAKE – “Franciscans are humble people who love to help others and spread the word of God around the world, even if they start small within their own parish,” is the way Bella Angarone, 17, describes the religious order that has become the new sponsor of the new Carlos Acutis Franciscan Youth Group at Holy Name of Jesus.
The young parishioner has joined 13 other teens as charter members of the revitalized youth group, open to eighth graders through high school students. They hold faith formation and business meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the last Monday of every month in the church office, and meet frequently in between for game nights and other social gatherings.
“Over Christmas break we had a New Year’s Party and also got together to play games,” said member Kayla Carver, who announced at the Jan. 22 meeting that both she and her twin sister, Kiarra, seniors at Hanover Central High School, have been selected as San Damiano Scholars and will receive scholarships to Marian University in Indianapolis next fall, “We open our social events up to the community, which is great for exposure so other youths can learn about us and join when they meet the age requirement.”
Facilitator Cindy Varenkamp, O.F.S., parish director of liturgy and music, first considered having the youth affiliate with the Secular Franciscan Order established by St. Francis of Assisi more than 800 years ago, but found the structure of its teen groups “was not a good fit.” Instead, the youth group decided to associate directly with the Franciscan Friars.
In 2023, six historically distinct U.S. provinces of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) merged to form a new, unified Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. This new entity brings together more than 700 friars, consolidating former provinces in Wisconsin, New York, New Mexico, Missouri, California and Ohio to serve, minister and support communities across the U.S.
While the unified recently announced the reassignment of three Franciscan priests serving four Diocese of Gary parishes in the City of Gary, Father Patrick Gawrylewski, O.F.M. will remain as administrator at Holy Name of Jesus.
“Last May, we started meeting as a YouFra group, which is what the Secular Franciscans call their youth groups, but we decided we wanted to be more open to a bigger message so our youths can participate more in what the Franciscans believe,” said youth group member Jesus Campechano, 17.
“We have been working on revamping the youth group for about a year, and have been in formation since September,” said Varenkamp. “We have modeled our meetings on the Franciscans’ motto, ‘From life to the Gospel, and from the Gospel to life,’ since last fall.”
Varenkamp said it was member J. Kelly Fagen, an Andrean High School student-athlete, who suggested adding a scripture lesson to meetings. “How can we go ‘from Gospel to life’ if we don’t know the Gospel?” he said. The group is currently studying the Beatitudes – one per meeting – and discussing their meaning and how they can be applied to everyday life.
J. Kelly Fagen, who attended the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis last fall, describes the new focus of the youth group as “a bunch of high school kids coming together to talk about God and how to live a better life. We bring together things we learn in church and how to live them.”
Angarone said she wanted to join a youth group when she joined the parish “a few years ago. I really enjoy being around other youth who want to follow the Franciscan way.”
The Core Beliefs and Values of the Franciscan Friars are:
Gospel Life: Living according to the example of Jesus Christ and St. Francis, focusing on humility and simplicity.
Poverty and Minority: Emphasizing a lack of personal or communal ownership, identifying with the poor, and serving the marginalized.
Reverence for Creation: Inspired by St. Francis, they promote care for the environment and all living creatures, and
Fraternity and Joy: Living in community, seeing Christ in others, and maintaining a joyful spirit.
The group shared information prepared by Varenkamp about the recent proclamation of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis in 2026 by Pope Leo XIV. “This Jubilee Year isn’t about history,” said Varenkamp. “It’s about peace – real peace, in real life, in a world that feels angry, divided and loud.”
The young people discussed how to live in peace in daily life by practicing Franciscan acts. “The Jubilee Year is asking us to be gentler, more merciful and more human,” she added.
Campechano said he is personally following the Franciscan way by “trying to help as many people as I can by having the courage and drive to help people reach their full potential spiritually. It would make me feel better about myself to help others achieve what God wants for them. That’s why we were put on Earth,” he said.
Following a successful mission trip to Greenwood, Miss. last summer, the youth group hopes to return this June or July to the same Franciscan-led parish to serve at a food pantry, work with children at the community center and perform landscaping jobs on the parish campus.
For more information about the Carlos Acutis Franciscan Youth Group, contact the parish office at 374-7160 or Varenkamp at 232-2781.
Caption: Hannah Fagen, 13, takes a turn reading a faith formation lesson on the third beatitude, “Blessed are the Meek, For They Shall Inherit the Earth,” during the Jan. 22 meeting of the new Carlos Acutis Franciscan Youth Group at Holy Name of Jesus in Cedar Lake. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
