Saint Patrick's Church
Youth Group
Ken & Michelle Barrie
have served as Youth
Ministers for St. Patrick Parish since 1983-84.
Since the merger of St. Patrick Grade School & St. Teresa Grade
School in the late 1980’s, they have ministered to the teens of both parishes.
Their work with the Teen Group
combines opportunities for prayer, education,
socializing and service.
They gather the teens almost
every Sunday - for one (or more) of these activities.
On any given Sunday, you will find them surrounded by anywhere from 30 -
60 young people.
Teens consider them role
models, friends and confidantes. The Barrie’s offer love and respect to the teens - and in turn are loved and respected by
the teens. Just
a few of the service opportunities they have opened
up to the young people:
·
providing
parties and socials on a regular basis for the developmentally disabled
residents of Hunt Terrace
·
setting
up and cleaning up for parish functions
·
week-long
missions in Hopkins Park
·
week-long
missions in our own backyard - doing cleaning and painting in our school and
parish buildings, as
well as neighborhood clean-up.
·
have
coordinated area Teens in the annual Fall Harvest
Sunday project which has collected nearly 200,000 cans and food items
for local food pantries.
·
week-long
missions to Mexico - in Juarez, Mexico, where they build two houses for the poor
of that city. Teens and adults are
part of these missions - both parishes raise funds to pay for the building
materials and some furnishings for them.
The teens have also been
offered opportunity for growing in understanding and involvement in liturgy. Each summer eight teens from here, as part of a larger Viatorian
group made up of teens and adults from Viatorian parishes in Illinois, Nevada
and Belize. They participate in a week-long liturgy conference at St. Meinrad,
Indiana, with other teens from around the nation.
Ken and Michelle Barrie are incredible people whose deep faith has touched and continues to touch the lives and hearts of so many others. We are so fortunate that they are members of our community of faith, and the Kankakee community. We are blest to have them minister with us and to us!
