Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: Hello, and welcome to this week's edition of Big City Catholics. I'm your host, Bishop Robert Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, serving in Brooklyn and Queens. And today I'm joined by my co host, Lucero Manzanares, who is the associate director for Youth and Young Adult Ministry in our evangelization office.
Lucero, you were with us once before as a guest. I'm thrilled that you're co hosting with me now.
[00:00:36] Speaker C: Yes, it's been great. And I'm excited for this week's episode especially. I feel like a lot of times we visit youth, and this is stepping a little bit more into the young adult side of things. So very excited to be here.
[00:00:46] Speaker B: Great. I'm so glad. Why don't we start today with a prayer? Luke, would you like to lead us in prayer, please?
[00:00:51] Speaker C: Absolutely. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Mother Mary, on this feast day of Our lady of Fatima, we just ask that you continue to draw our hearts closer to your son, to continue to be reminded of who we are and that we belong to him, and to continue to have him in the center of our lives, that everything that we are, everything that we long to be, flows from him.
We give you all this thanks and grace as we pray. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
[00:01:23] Speaker B: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. The Father and the Son.
Amen. Lucero, that's pretty insightful that you called upon our Blessed Mother as we're recording this episode on the feast of Our lady of fatima. You know, May 13th always stood out in my mind for a lot of reasons. May 13, I was confirmed, had no idea of the Feast of Our lady of Fatima at the time. Then, of course, that was a sad day. Pope John Paul II was shot, and he attributes his healing to Our lady of Fatima. With World Youth Day, we went to Fatima, and that was just a powerful experience. I grew really in appreciation of Our lady of Fatima at that visit.
[00:02:03] Speaker C: I wasn't with the diocese just yet, but I was also present in Fatima. There's definitely something special about Fatima. And just seeing the three children, their faith, and especially seeing that many young people gather there for World Youth Day was life changing for it to be the first visit.
[00:02:17] Speaker B: And, you know, her message there, so appropriate for that day, is so appropriate for us today, because when she appeared to those children, it was. It was during a time of a Tremendous war. World War I had broken out and the world was at war. And it was the most violent experience that they had ever seen to that point. You know, new weapons brought terrible destruction. And the Pope at the time was praying just eight days before for the Blessed Mother's intervention. And she spoke that word of peace, a word of prayer and penance. But she said back then, really apropos today, isn't it?
[00:02:57] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: So then also this week we'll be releasing on Friday we will have celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. And we're in the midst of our nine day novena, I call it the original novena in the church, the nine days that Mary called the apostles together to pray.
We'll hear that in the reading this Sunday. Mary brought the apostles and kept them focused in prayer until the coming of the Holy Spirit. And we'll celebrate that next week. You mentioned this is an exciting episode because we are talking about young adult ministry. And I have to say one of my dreams is coming true. One of my dreams here in the Diocese of Brooklyn. I came here four years ago, four and a half years ago, out of an experience in Columbus where one of the first things I encountered was young Catholic professionals, ycp. They had just opened about six months before a chapter in Columbus. And the young adult community from YCP welcomed me to Columbus. And so we've been working on it since.
A few people have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to get this into place because this is highly structured and it's part of a national organization. So today I'm glad that we can welcome Stephen Mezacapa from the national YCP organization and Vanessa Garcia who will be part of the local leadership team. Stephen and Vanessa, welcome to Big City Catholics.
[00:04:22] Speaker A: Thank you so much for having us. It's truly an honor.
[00:04:26] Speaker D: Yes, thank you so much, Bishop. I've been really looking forward to this conversation.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: Yes. And as you're looking forward to it, we have our launch day on May 28. So I am really looking forward to our launch right here in Brooklyn. So Steve, tell us about YCP in general, about the national organization.
[00:04:42] Speaker D: Yeah. So YCP started over 15 years ago, started with our founder, Jen Ball, who you know, in her twenties, just on fire for her faith and seeing a gap and connecting young Catholics of similar shared values, especially from a work setting. And it's originated in Dallas. That was where our first chapter started. And fast forward today, Brooklyn will be our 45th chapter and YSP ultimately exists to. Our mission is to inspire modern day saints connecting folks in their 20s and their 30s to really empower and inspire them to strive for holiness in both their professional and personal domains. We've seen the workforce, whether you're in for profit work, nonprofit work, white collar work, blue collar work, young working adults. That's a mission field, right. And there's a lot of opportunity to evangelize in that. But it's also an opportunity to empower practicing Catholics to take their faith to work Monday through Friday and apply it to the work setting as well. You know, we talk a lot about virtuous leadership and how do you lead virtuously, how do you work together as teams? So it's been an amazing ministry and even to be a part of it in my role now, supporting our northeast chapters from D.C. to Boston. And like I mentioned, 45 chapters now. And just one thing I'll share just as I'm going over an overview of yspe, just a cool, really, really unique impact facts to share. We, we conduct an annual mission impact survey every year to our member base and attendees to really assess the impact that we're having. And just a few stats to share that. 85% of members of YCB chapters report developing deep Catholic friendships through their connection to YCP, while 60% of members report being evangelized for Catholicism because of YCP. Another really interesting statistic, too, is that 38% of members report that YCP has helped them grow closer to their parish, where they usually worship. And I think that lends to talking about what differentiates ycp, especially how it fits in with the diocese and other young adult ministries, is our hope is to engage young adults in these cities, you know, get them reinvigorated with their faith, faith, and then go apply their leadership to serve at the local parish. Whether that's being a eucharistic minister, volunteering on a parish council. That's our hope, is that people who come to ycp, you know, they're growing in their faith, they're developing those friendships, but they feel a call to action and go serve. And you know, the data has been showing that folks getting involved with YCP have gone on to go and serve their local parish, which is something we're continually designing to work towards.
[00:07:13] Speaker B: That's certainly my own experience of it. And you find that you have people from all different walks of life, from all different kinds of professions, but they get together. There's a lot of networking, they bring in speakers who would be rather interesting just in terms of young adults, contemporary topics and things of that nature. The leadership Group from Columbus took me on the young adult tour of Columbus and that's when I was introduced to Jenny's Ice Cream. Before.
Oh, that was before it was a thing because the original Jenny's Ice Cream is in Ohio there. And they took me to the short north and up to the university.
Ohio University, Ohio State.
So it was a new perspective on Columbus and I just enjoyed that so much. It was so much fun. But you know, you talk about the goals and two observations. One, the goals themselves. This is really what the Second Vatican Council is all about. Empowering people to take their faith and live their faith in the workplace. Also to strive for holiness, the universal call to holiness.
And that I think is a great call. And then the other thing is it's got a strong structure. There's something to it. You know, very often I think one of the things that taught us to do with young adult ministries, you find that you maybe get a parish group together. It gets few like minded people together who have the fervor. And then you sit around and you say, okay, now what are we going to do? What's our goal? What are we all about?
And here you have a strong structure to it and you also connected nationally. So it's already on a good footing before it even begins.
[00:08:57] Speaker D: Yes, that's correct, Bishop. And we could even talk about Brooklyn's story and the time it took in an intentional way in a little bit to just talk more about that. But the structure is, is set up and intentional because each, each local chapter is, is a local nonprofit. Right? And because it's a local nonprofit, it not only requires volunteers of young professionals being on the leadership team, but also requires the board of directors who we have experienced, seasoned professionals engage with the mission. And I think that's also what sets YCP apart too is because it's a young adult ministry. That's really bridging the generational gap as well too, because I invite folks to YSP events all the time. Even experienced professionals goes, oh, I'm not a young professional. Like, but no, but we need mentorship, right? We need mentors. We need people to join a board of directors. We want people to speak and engage. And that structure has been great in maximizing the health of a local chapter. And then the national structure is great too, because you're able to plug into a national network now and we have an online app and you could network and engage with members from across the country. And in the day and age we live in today, there's so much people moving from one city to the next because of job opportunities. And now with the coverage we have, there's a good chance, if you have a new work opportunity and you move into a new city, you could plug right into a new YCP chapter and have fellowship and community right away. And because there's a standard model to our events, you know what to expect when you go to that chapter event.
[00:10:18] Speaker B: Yes. And speaking of the structure and the leadership team, I welcome Vanessa Garcia. Vanessa, when I say welcome, I welcome you to this podcast. But you are, as a professional, part of the team here in our Safe Environment Office for Diocese of Brooklyn in Brooklyn and Queens. Thank you for joining in this conversation. But you will be now the Director for Evangelization.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: Yes. So when I was originally approached, I was still not working in the Safe Environment Office. I was only working as a DRE over at the parish of St Michael, St Malakey. So I've been working within the diocese for the last 10 years as a DRE and then since January as diverse Specialist for the Safe Environment Office.
The idea and the process of studying the chapter came about in October, October 2023. Father Jobino kind of just approached me in the middle of a DRV meeting and was like, we need to talk, and this is coming, and I think you would be great for it. So then Father Henry Torres was our chaplain. Father Jabino was like, call him and set it up. And from there, I spoke to him, and then I applied to be anything. I told Derek, who was the person that was helping us get the chapter started. He's like, well, what do you want to do? And I'm like, whatever you feel I would be best at. Like, you tell me. Because you're from ycp, so you know what you want the chapter to look like, and you know what the rules entail, because it is a process we have to apply. It's not just something that you decide, oh, hey, I want to be a part of and sign me up. Which I loved, because it wasn't just, how does this fit into my life, but how do I fit into ycp, Which I think is great, because there's a lot of benefits of ycp. So there's the friendship aspect, there's a professional aspect, there's a mentorship aspect, but it's also like meeting people where they are in different.
There's so many groups that the diocese have that has so many beautiful ways of doing things and groups and retreats and stuff. But I feel like sometimes we're too old for the youth stuff, and then we're Too young for like the other groups where there's some professionals who don't have kids yet, there's some professionals who have very, very young kids or older kids and trying to find their niche. So that was something that really like caught my attention to ycp and here we are.
[00:12:48] Speaker B: That's great.
[00:12:49] Speaker A: Super excited.
[00:12:51] Speaker B: Let's talk about the Brooklyn story. You mentioned that, Steve.
[00:12:55] Speaker D: Yes. Yeah, yeah. And Vanessa, I might bring it over to you because you were our very first chapter leader in Brooklyn. And you know, fast forward to three years, now we're here. What was it like in those first couple years, you know, getting started and recruiting team leaders?
[00:13:10] Speaker A: It was, I don't want to say challenging because I feel one of my phrases in life and mottos is todo ar tiempo de dios. Everything on God's timing.
And I feel like when we talk about it, I'm like, yeah, it's been three years. Like, I can't believe that it's been three years. But then I look around the table and I look around who is on our leadership team and who's on our board and I'm like, yeah, God did this on purpose. Because there were some people that started off with us that, you know, could not continue to this point where they started full time jobs or they moved or life happens and they weren't. Their availability was no longer fitting or they could no longer fill the role. They felt like it was too much. So that was a little discouraging at times. Not gonna lie, because it was like, all right, we need one more person. And then it was like the next thing, all right, we need three. And I'm like, there's no way.
But like I say, everything on God, sign me. I'm truly blessed to still be one of the members standing honored, but so excited to finally say we're starting and we're hitting this launch. And you know, there's been a lot of work behind the scenes and also. But a lot of work on Steven's part too, because we really would not be here without him. He really got the ball rolling for us. We're just making sure phone calls and following up and stuff. So it's been a long story, but a beautiful story.
[00:14:38] Speaker D: Yeah. And Vanessa, I appreciate the kind words too. And like, I love what you said too, because the team that you, that the Lord has placed in Brooklyn for your leadership team to your board and even just the relationship that the chapter spawned with the diocese and all your support, Bishop Brennan, and the Catholic foundation of Brooklyn and Queens and John Dotaro. It's the chapter I feel like is so poised for an amazing impact. And it took time to get here and. And I think it was good in Wayne and intentional, because our hope is that once a chapter is ready to launch, is that it's. It's ramped up and the momentum just continues to build. You know, I think. I think of our Pittsburgh chapter, they had over 400 people at their launch party, and they're consistently getting 100 people at each of their events because it takes time to get to that place to start. But then once you start, you have all the resources and needs there and a direct connection to YCP national and a regional chapter manager such as myself serving this role now. And I'm also local in New York City, too, which is great. So I could really be a direct line of support locally to help your chapter as well.
[00:15:35] Speaker C: Can I ask, as you've been seeing the different chapters form and just being a member of ycp, what has stood out to you between just having Brooke, Brooklyn and Queens be its own thing? Because there is a YCP New York City chapter. So why start? I mean, I know why I want a Brooklyn and Queens chapter, but in your perspective, what is it?
[00:15:55] Speaker D: So, yeah, I appreciate the question, Lucera, and it's a good question. And I've had this question from a few folks. And, you know, and it's, you know, of course, we're aware of the density of the diocese, so there's. There's a demand and there's a need. But from my point of view, you know, with YSP national, we are very intentional with how we expand, and we don't just rush to start a new chapter. There's a discussion process. There's discernment, there's discussions with the diocese, local stakeholder groups like the Catholic foundation, talking with the chapter leaders. And I think the opportunity for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens is in the beauty of the diversity of the diocese. And that's what I'm really excited about to see for the chapter. And yes, there's another chapter in New York City, too, but there's different cultures in the different boroughs, you know, and I think the borough of Brooklyn and Queens is so distinct. You look at the leadership team that we have in place for ysp, Brooklyn and Queens, it's so diverse, and people are so proud of that. And I'm just really excited to see the culture and, you know, vibe, if you will. These two boroughs really come into the culture of ycp. And. And I think if you go to I think if you're in the area, you could go to New York City events early in the month and a Brooklyn and, you know, YP Brooklyn event later in the month. And you're going to have a different kind of experience because of the cultures that are going to be present, which
[00:17:10] Speaker C: in a way it's even complementary of, oh, I can be a young adult that lives in Brooklyn and Queens but works in Manhattan. So I have the different experiences of both worlds. Or I just live in Brooklyn and Queens, and I'm only going to stay in Brooklyn and Queens. But at least for that launch night that's coming up, what can a young adult expect as they come into this launch party?
[00:17:30] Speaker D: Yes. You know, I almost want to say wait and see,
[00:17:36] Speaker B: because it is.
[00:17:37] Speaker D: It's one of those experiences, you know, because I look back to my first, you know, YSP experience. I was in grad school in Florida at the time. I was part of the leadership team for the YSP Palm beach chapter. And, you know, we had our training with national kind of. I just led, you know, with one of my colleagues with Daniel Vaxmanga from our team with the Brooklyn team recently. And they were saying, oh, you're going to get this many people? And I'm like, we're going to get that many people, so wait and see. I think you have to really come and experience it. And I think you're going to. You're going to be surprised in the best way because there is this energy and the Holy Spirit's present, but there is this momentum and energy and excitement that you feel when you walk into the launch party. And it's really open to all who just who are really curious about this idea of how do I integrate my faith and my work?
[00:18:22] Speaker C: No. Which I think is great. And even as you were speaking, I think one of the biggest invitations that I've seen get people to want to come is, oh, not only can I be a seasoned professional and use my gifts and my talents and the experience that I have to teach somebody else and I will also learn myself, or I can also be a young adult seeking to have that, because, again, going back to the diversity and the culture of Brooklyn and Queens, the young adults here, it's like, okay, how do I become a young adult that has always lived at home, that has always had this cultural experience, and now there's an older adult that went through the same thing that I did. How did they do it? What can they teach me? Which I think is just, yeah. An invitation for even that night to Open the door. If it's something that you're seeking for community, you're seeking for mentorship, you're seeking for a way to even just step back into the faith, this is, I think, just an even a great opportunity to do that.
[00:19:11] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And I think one of the things that I love most about YCP is that we didn't have to reinvent the wheel. We kind of put our own flavor into the template. And for that, like, for me, I. Again, I've been within a parish for 10 years, and we've tried to start young adult groups, and we try, and we kind of end up like we're bishops and like, okay, where do we go from here? So being that this is something that has worked nationwide is also another way of, like, plugging people in. Like, hey, this has worked and it will continue to work. We just brought our own little flavor to the template. And I love being able to say that as well, because, like, people are like, oh, great, another young adult group. Like, how long going to last? You know, And I'm like, no, no, we're here to stay. We're here to stay. But come, because I promise you, it's going to be a little different.
[00:20:02] Speaker B: We're part of something bigger than ourselves.
[00:20:04] Speaker A: Yes, exactly.
[00:20:06] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:20:07] Speaker D: What jumped to mind as Vanessa was talking was, you know, being part something bigger than yourself. It's. You know, what's really cool is every year there's an annual conference in Dallas around next year is going to be in April 23rd to the 25th. And that's when you really realize how big the network is. Right. Because what's so cool about YSP is when you're present in your city, like, it's so local, like, this is it. Then you forget that this is happening in 44 other cities, you know, and people are having a similar experience. So there's something about being connected to that and being a part of this mission that's empowering young adults everywhere to integrate their faith and work. And, you know, it's. It's a. It's an impact. Like being involved in YCP Brooklyn and coming to those events. You're not just making your impact local, but because you're part of this wider group, your impact is really traveling across the country and beyond. Because we've had people from other countries reach out with interest. People from other countries have come to the conference. You know, we have a strong digital presence as well, which is really continue to expand the mission.
[00:21:02] Speaker B: I'm a big proponent, of course, of being identifiably Catholic. But I think one of the things that's important to keep in mind with this is, yes, we are young Catholic professionals, but there's very much a young professional part to this whole thing, too. It's not necessarily a prayer group. There's that Catholic ethos that unites us and of which we're very, very proud. But this is more than that. This is really more of a young adult professional experience.
[00:21:33] Speaker D: Yes. Yeah, I'd love to get Vanessa's thoughts on that, too. And I'll share briefly. That's really what, you know, sets YCP apart and that unique ethos that it brings because it helps with the evangelical component. Right. You know, you could go to a YCB events and you could see someone who grew up Catholic, fell away from the faith, but it's. It's a really warm place to come back. Right. And it's because it's not a prayer group. We leave that to the parish ministries to really engage in that, you know, so you could have people who maybe not didn't believe in God or, you know, I've seen all these folks present at these meetings, and they walk away curious and excited. And what's really powerful at these events, too, is people sharing how they walk with the Lord and. And the impact that has. And like that professional branding of it, it really does widen the horizon of people who are welcome to come experience it and see where it takes them.
[00:22:22] Speaker B: So, you know what? Let me ask two practical questions. One, about the launch on May 28th. Where are we going to be? What is it? Is it a cocktail reception? Is it a talk? I know you said stage, Steve, come and see. But do we bring an appetite or do we.
So tell me about where and when and what we're going to be on May 28th. And then secondly, maybe some of the idea for the future. Is this something that will be gathering monthly or would there be any kind of structure to the calendar piece to we. So, Vanessa, on the 28th, what do we have to look forward to?
[00:22:56] Speaker A: We are going to be at 501 Union over by, like, the Barclay center area of Brooklyn.
It begins at 7 to 9ish.
[00:23:05] Speaker B: Good.
[00:23:05] Speaker D: There'll be some refreshments and drinks as well. Not a heavy dinner, but, you know, light refreshments, light snacks for the event.
And there'll be a little bit of programming and remarks. Our executive director, Peter Blut, will actually be in town as well for the event to share some remarks, have some remarks from yourself as well, and even from Kiana, our chapter President. So light programming, a lot of mingling. So come excited to meet new people. Bring your business cards and drinks and light refreshments will be served.
[00:23:32] Speaker B: Excellent, excellent. And then what do you see happening in the near future?
[00:23:36] Speaker D: Yeah. So, and then. And then this is the launch party. It's the first event. And then YSP Brooklyn will continue hosting monthly events indefinitely. And each monthly event will look a little different. Some events will be a networking happy hour, you know, at a local pub, local tavern, for just networking and socializing. And then there's another event that a chapter hosts that we refer to as our executive speaker series.
And that's what we'll have an experienced professional, seasoned Catholic, come in and talk about their testimony and address that question of, wow, they've. How did you get to that level of success in your career while still maintaining your spiritual life? And they'll talk about that, you know. And then another type of event that chapters host is our executive panel discussion, where we'll have a seasoned professional on the panel, a young professional on the panel, and a priest or someone from religious life. And they'll be dissecting a particular virtue.
And the folks in attendance will talk about, let's say, the richer of charity as an example. How can I integrate charity into my work life? What does that look like? So those are a few types of events that we rotate on a quarterly basis. So the chapter will be monthly. And, you know, make sure you come to the launch party register, because once you're on the email list, you'll continue to be updated. You follow on on social media, you continue to be updated. And. And I'm just really excited to see, like Vanessa said, like the. With. With flair, and that YSP Brooklyn is going to put on how YSP hosts events.
[00:24:56] Speaker B: Lucero, this sounds really exciting for us here in the Diocese of Brooklyn, here in Brooklyn and Queens. It's part of a large picture of a lot of the things you've been having, some of the walks through, walking tours of Brooklyn and visiting the different churches. And I say stopping for coffee, I hope, along the way or something along those lines. But a lot of good things. Monthly holy hours. So we provide a large range of things, but this is an exciting new piece of young adult ministry and young adult presence in our diocese. And it's so well timed.
[00:25:30] Speaker C: No, I think that it's a great time to be tapping into this. As we've seen a lot through social media. There's a big boom in Catholicism and a lot of the times people think that it's A trend that it's just the new hot thing to be doing. But the reality is that young people are asking the questions of, who am I? What am I made for? Where do I belong? And. And even though a lot of our Brooklyn and Queens youth were in youth group, they were part of some ministry. They did the dre thing, they went through all the classes. Sometimes the seeds have been planted. They just haven't sprouted. And maybe now they're adults. Maybe now as adults, this is something that they can see. And again, one of the aspects about YCP that drew me is that professional aspect. It's like, okay, I identify as Catholic, but maybe I don't do all of the Catholic things. Things. And it's a way for us to just accompany people. And that is our desire as a diocese and as apostles of Christ, just to continue walking and accompanying people in their journey of faith. And if this is one of the tools that will help our young adults to continue, that I'm very excited to see. Yeah, just the way that it taps into our office, into other conferences outside, to. Yeah, just the continuing growth of our diocese and our young adults in this.
[00:26:45] Speaker B: Exactly, exactly. We have a lot to be proud of, a lot to be excited for. So to young people who are out there, the young adults who are out there, and you know who you are. We're not to set parameters to the young adults who are out there. Please join us 501Union on May 28th, beginning at 7:00 o'.
[00:27:06] Speaker A: Clock.
[00:27:07] Speaker B: And I thank you, Steven and Vanessa, for joining in this conversation. I look forward to being with you for the day of the launch. Thanks to all of you for joining us for this week's edition of Big City Catholics. Please join us next week for a new edition, and let's pray for one another along the way. In the name of the Father and of the Son, of the Holy Spirit.
[00:27:29] Speaker D: Amen.
[00:27:31] Speaker B: Queen of Heaven, rejoice Alleluia for the Son whom you merited to bear Alleluia has risen as he said, said Alleluia Pray for us to God Alleluia Rejoice and be glad, oh Virgin Mary Alleluia for the Lord is truly risen Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia and may Almighty God bless you and all your loved ones today and always. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:28:03] Speaker A: Sat.
