Within 72 hours of moving to Cleveland, the five Culture Project missionaries hit the ground running by spreading the message of God’s love and self-respect at schools and parishes in the diocese.
“We’ve met so many incredible people this week within the schools and parishes,” said Laura Riebe, leader of the Cleveland missionary team. “Having the support and prayer of the Catholic community affirms that we are set to do great things for the young lives throughout the diocese.”
On Oct. 18, the missionaries’ first week concluded with a Mass celebration at Our Lady of Angels Parish where Bishop Nelson Perez blessed each of them and officially commissioned them to work within the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.
“Today is the feast of St. Luke and the Gospel could not be more fitting than for this occasion,” the bishop said.
“It gives specific instruction to those spreading God’s word. The first instruction is to pray. Do this; rely on God’s word because his spirit is guiding you through your work.”
Before Mass concluded, Bishop Perez gave each missionary a rosary blessed by Pope Francis that he received during one of his recent visits to Rome.
After Mass, there was a procession to the residence where the missionaries are living while serving in the diocese. Bishop Perez placed the Eucharist in the chapel at the missionaries’ residence – a former Franciscan friary and former OLA rectory.
The previous day, the team visited Holy Name High School where the initial presentation was made to a crowd of adults almost twice their age -- parents of Holy Name students.
“Prior to The Culture Project engaging with students, the missionaries and school administrators work together to share an outline of the topics they will be discussing,” said Amy Butler, associate superintendent for Catholic schools.
“It also provides parents the opportunity to ask questions and meet in person the young adults who are going to be sharing such vital information on what our Catholic faith says about human dignity and sexual integrity,” Butler added.
Before the week concluded, missionaries Andrew and Carlie traveled to St. Mary School in Berea where they spoke to sixth- , seventh- and eighth-graders about using social media in a positive light.
“How many of you are YouTube subscribers?” Carlie asked. Almost every one of the 100 students raised their hands. “There are 1.9 billion YouTube subscribers across the world. Social media is meant to build communities – but that’s a very large community we all belong to,” she explained.
Together, the duo gave examples of how social media can be used to share God’s word and spread joy instead of creating an anti-social, self-righteous effect toward a targeted individual or group of people.
“Chastity and dignity are not ends in themselves," said Father Ryan Mann, chaplain to The Culture Project and parochial vicar at St. John Neumann parish in Strongsville.
"The goal is and always will be Jesus, but without chastity and dignity a person can never reach the height and the depth of beauty that God planned for men and women” he said.
Fr. Mann along with other clergy in attendance shared excitement in having the missionaries invite the youth within the diocese in a powerful way in sharing the human quest for fulfillment and happiness.
“This gathering on a Friday night with young adults to welcome the Culture Project Missionaries shows how deeply the young adult community desires to be blessed by the truth of the human person and to be joyfully reminded that chastity, while demanding, is worth it" said Fr. Mann.