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Anyone can share their lives with the poor, not only men wearing habits! This is why Capuchin Family Ministries exists. We want to bring the Franciscan way of life to people of all ages, especially teenagers, young adults, and their parents. We want them to have a life-changing encounter with Christ as St. Francis of Assisi did. We want to build community with them and deepen their faith. We want to make saints of people from all walks of life and commission them to share the Good News of the poor and humble Christ who came to serve, not to be served. “One of the greatest gifts of Christian community is that holiness becomes contagious,” said Mary Ellen Yannitelli, for Capuchin Family Ministries. “When we pray, serve, and share life with people who are seeking Christ, we are inspired to seek Him more deeply ourselves, because we come to recognize His presence in one another. Through authentic friendships and shared experiences of faith, participants discover that they are not meant to walk the journey of discipleship alone.” Through Capuchin Family Ministries’ annual summer experiences, hundreds of youths and adults encounter Christ and receive gifts and graces far beyond their imagining.
This year’s Appalachian mission is from July 18 to July 26. Consider supporting CAM to offer God’s word and love to those who need it most by sharing your time or financial generosity. Your selfless donation can move mountains as high as the Appalachians. Just $50 will help our outreach ministry provide for two families; $200 will buy plywood to make needed repairs to families’ homes; and $2,000 will cover the cost of renting one of the vans we use to transport our missionaries. The worth of the time and effort you devote as a missionary benefactor is beyond measure. The Catholic Literature & Arts Summer Program is now in its ninth season. It is the premier Catholic theater camp in the Hudson Valley, and perhaps in all the United States! Our participants encounter the God of beauty, goodness, and truth through acting, dancing, singing, music, set design, and staging! Peers and professionals enlighten, educate, inspire, and share our faith. CLASP builds confidence and creativity and allows you to discover and develop your gifts and talents! No prior experience in the performing arts is necessary. We have a great team of Catholic educators, dancers, choreographers, choirmasters, directors, acting coaches, religious, and priests to coach all our participants. After a week of rehearsals, we will be presenting a revival of Br. Erik Lenhart’s original musical Jonah and the Prophettes on Aug. 8 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. at St. Martin de Porres School, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. We thank the Franciscan friars of Mt. Alvernia Retreat Center in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., for their hospitality to our theater company.
As we prepare for all our upcoming summer programs, we are reminded why we do what we do. We seek to build communities where people are known, loved, served, and invited to grow closer to Christ. Thus we serve in the manner that we serve not to feel good about ourselves, but because in this way of being lies the way, the truth, and the life. “By doing this we manifest the spirit of our life as lesser brothers and become a leaven of justice, unity, and peace” (Constitutions 14:5). Click HERE to donate to the work of CFM.◼️ |
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During Summer Outreach Week, teens and adults work alongside each other serving those in need around the Hudson Valley while sowing the seeds of faith. We spend our days working at various ministries, building beds for needy children; visiting the elderly and the ill in nursing homes; ministering on the streets, engaging with and feeding our impoverished brothers and sisters; and working with children at Vacation Bible School. The afternoons and evenings are a time for rest, recreation, and group reflection, where we share how we discovered the presence of God during the day. Lively prayer services and Masses fuel our work and enthusiasm. This program is consistently among CFM’s most popular and often has a waiting list. This year’s program began June 28 and concluded on July 3.
Our Capuchin Appalachian Mission has become a midsummer institution. For over three decades, the friars and families who accompany us have joyfully served the community in Harlan, Ky. There, the need is chronic and severe, with 41.5 percent of the people living below the poverty line. Since our first missions in the 1990s, we have raised and contributed over $1 million in aid through building projects to improve substandard housing; outreach to provide families with food, supplies, and clothing; a free Vacation Bible School for local children; and ministry to seniors and those living with chronic illnesses.
We kicked off our summer season of service and encounter with our annual fundraiser, our Heart & Sole Capuchin Walk-a-Thon. This was our third walk-a thon, and it was our most successful one yet, as we set a personal best both for fundraising (over $85,000 as of press time) and number of participants (over 200 persons on 15 teams). Our thanks to Archbishop Stepinac High School of White Plains, N.Y., for letting us use their athletic field once again for the walk and for the games. And thanks be to God for the gorgeous summer weather!
