(Stock Photo – Canva)
By Marrick Kowalski
“One of the most fundamental statements of faith is this: your life is not about you. You’re not in control. This is not your project. Rather, you are part of God’s great design. To believe this in your bones and to act accordingly is to have faith.” This quote from Bishop Robert Barron sinks deep into my soul. At first glance, it seemed harsh, but the more I mulled it over in my head and heart, the more freedom I felt.
This is not your project. As someone who works in ministry, I find it very easy to get caught up in the idea that it is my project, my youth night, my classroom visit, my prayer night, etc. If my goal is to provide a safe space for young people to be themselves in the light of their identity as children of God and create opportunities for growth in head knowledge and heart knowledge of Jesus Christ, then these things cannot be my projects. I am not in the business of converting hearts; Jesus is. My job is to facilitate encounters with Jesus so that others may know and love Him.
Recently, Fr. Steve, Deacon Kevin, and I had the opportunity to take the Eucharist, Jesus truly present, into the elementary schools associated with the Parish (St. Kateri, Deshaye Catholic, and St. Pius). We did a Eucharistic procession where we went from classroom to classroom, spending a few minutes in each room (more on Eucharistic Processions here: https://www.kofc.org/en/resources/who-we-are/our-faith/eucharistic-procession-guidebook.pdf) I had gone into each of the schools the week before to prepare them. We talked about what to do when Jesus entered the classroom and what to do if you ran into Jesus in the hallway. Over 1200 students were given the opportunity to encounter Jesus in a new way.
At the beginning of the procession, Deacon Kevin read the Gospel of the woman with the hemorrhage. Students were invited to reach out just as that woman did. Walking into a grade 6 classroom was humbling, and seeing 27 arms reaching out for healing from Jesus was striking. It was striking also to walk into a preschool or kindergarten room and see all those little people kneeling on the floor, hands folded in front of them, saying a prayer to Jesus in their hearts. It was awesome to walk into a gymnasium and see that the class had intentionally gathered together and waited for Jesus to come to them.
One moment that sticks out to me when I think about this experience is a moment I also pray these students don’t forget. Although we asked everyone to try to stay in their classrooms as long as possible, there are always those few that end up needing to leave for whatever reason. After stopping at each of the classrooms, the procession headed back to the office to finish in prayer together over the intercom. We passed a few grade 1 students in the hallway. Without being prompted, they fell to their knees. Fr. Steve bent down and placed the monstrance right in front of their faces. It was so close they could have touched Him. These young people just looked at Him with such love in their eyes. It was a beautiful reminder of a childlike faith and trust. It was truly a moment of being face-to-face with the Lord. A face that gazes back upon us with such love and mercy when we want to hide ours in shame.
All three processions were met with nervous excitement; however, students, staff, and administrators have all asked to be able to participate in this opportunity again. The hard part about being in ministry is that we don’t always (sometimes very rarely) get to see the fruit of our labour. I may never know the impact this experience may have on the staff and students of these schools. I may never know the number of seeds planted in the hearts of those who encountered Jesus in the Eucharist that day. What I do know is that this is not my project.
Marrick currently works as the Youth Ministry Coordinator at Christ the King Parish in Regina. She spent two years serving with NET Ministries (one year in PEI, Canada and one year in Cork, Ireland), and misses being close to the ocean. When she’s not planning youth group, in the schools doing classroom visits, or running retreats, you can probably find her at a local coffee shop or at home working on her calligraphy technique.
