At the end of Mass, the priest or deacon tells the faithful, “Ite, missa est.” Translated from Latin, it means, “Go, you have been sent.”
The ITE Project, a Catholic young adult mission active in Summit County for the last dozen years, takes its name from that charge. The group hosts a variety of free and low-cost events for young adults and the marginalized, including service projects, faith formation and socials. Each year, a gala helps raise funds to support the ITE ministry.
This year’s gala, April 24 at the Elm Ridge Event Center in Canal Fulton, set a fundraising record, generating more than $35,000. Two hundred people attended the gala, which included music, entertainment, testimonials, the fundraising challenge and an address by Bishop Edward Malesic. It was the first time he had been able to attend the event.
“Ite is an invitation to know and experience the Lord,” the bishop told gala attendees. “It’s an opportunity to invite someone to come with you, to be generous in something for the Lord, to become part of the mission.”
He said “ite, missa est” is a call to action. “We need to go beyond the walls of the church to take the love from inside the church out to the world through acts of service, love and evangelization … ITE takes the final words of the Mass and puts them into action.”
We aren’t good enough or strong enough to get into heaven by ourselves, the bishop said. “Jesus helps us to become perfect for heaven … There is a lot of work to be done out there in your home, family and work place … The ITE Project helps,” he added.
Reflecting on the apostles who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, he said sometimes it’s necessary to walk in the wrong direction with someone before turning them around. “Tonight, you’re not just supporting a program, you’re supporting a mission … God created us to know, love and serve him in this life and to be happy with him in the next … The question is not where you’ll go, but where will you be sent? God’s work of saving souls continues through you and me,” Bishop Malesic said.
Brooke Roberts, an ITE Project founder and director, said the group has about 24 events per year, including service projects, retreats and socials like trivia nights that are targeted for young adults – both single and married. “We have donated at least 24,000 volunteer hours since The ITE Project began,” Roberts said. She noted the group is run by “ordinary people who are sent to go forth and bring young adults to Christ.
The ITE Project shows the Lord doing something through us, Roberts said. “You can never outgive the Lord.”
Click here to learn more about The ITE Project.
