A Call To Serve

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace"  

-1 Peter 4:10

Hi everyone! My name is Matea Gregg and I represent the West Central Vicariate(: I am 17 years old and am a senior at Thomas More Prep Marian Jr Senior High School. I was born and currently live in Hays, KS and go to St. Nicks where I am an active member in our CYO and other church ministries. My family and friends would tell you that I never stop talking, am always smiling, and that I am extremely outgoing! I am involved in SO many clubs and activities at school but to name a few  would be STUCO, Pop Singers, forensics, the plays and musicals, and I am also an ambassador(:

I am a cradle Catholic and have always been involved in my parish, but soon after I started school at TMP, the catholic high school in Hays, I found that I didn't know as much about our faith as I thought. I had just been going through the motions.  I would sit in religion class every Wednesday and not really get a lot out of it.  In church I knew all the prayers and responses and when to sit or stand, but what I didn't know were the important things. I don't think I was doing what God wanted me to do, because I never wanted to share my gifts with others, and was afraid to show my faith. I needed to get excited! I needed to let people know how much I LOVED being Catholic! That was when I realized that maybe I should stop sitting back...I needed to be active and listen and ask questions. There was SO MUCH more to our faith than just going to church every Sunday and I wanted everyone around me to know that.

When CYO started that year I had a new mind set about learning more and getting involved.  We did service projects and other activities throughout the year that I was always more than ready to be a part of. I loved the feeling I got by helping others and found myself volunteering to help out all the time! At school, in my parish, or in the community I was all over it. Over the years I have continued this love for helping others and I received the service award as a Freshman and as a Sophomore. It took that one step of going out of my way to help someone, asking nothing in return to finally realize that what I really need to do to show others our faith..was to help them and share my talents with them!

I think one way we can grow closer to God and the people around us is through acts of service. We know that God wants us to share our time, talent, and treasures so why wouldn't you want to sign up to greet at mass, help your elderly neighbor with their yard, or even help around school. There are SO MANY kinds of service opportunities all around you every day. The feeling that you get from helping people is one that will give you a happiness that you can't get anywhere else. Simply going out of your way for someone will help you grow not only as a person, but also grow more like Christ. 

At TMP we are required to have 10 hours of service every quarter. To me this is as simple as riding a bike because I am involved not only in my church but in my school and community. I know sometimes when I am out doing my part in service there are many people there who are just sitting around waiting for the time to pass. They don't even try to help and are often more of a burden than a help. Taking part in projects and volunteering teaches us many things like how to be compassionate and understanding. I want to briefly touch on the 4 ways you can be involved in service.

One way is in your church. Helping with mass is one of the easiest ways for you to be seen in your parish. If you are like me and have a love for music then you should be up there cantering, playing piano, or helping with the music planning. If you are tone deaf and have no music abilities DON'T WORRY(: You can always be a greeter, an alter server, a reader, or even take up the gifts! There is no reason for us to keep our talents hidden from our parish. Along with helping with the mass you should try to be active in your CYO. You will have the chance to do service projects all year long and even get to meet some new people along the way!

Another way is in your school. You might not think of it as service to help set up for a school dance or with other school activities, but it is! Sharing your time and being a helping hand is most definitely service. It might be the easiest way to serve others because so many of you are probably involved in many activities and clubs. So sign up to help out around school, be a part of fundraisers, or even help your classmates who struggle in a subject that you excel in! Always be looking for a way to make your school a better place(:

        All of my second graders that I helped during Totus Tuus this summer

Next we have your Community. From helping with the food pantry, to mowing your neighbors lawn, or even shoveling off driveways when it snows there are many ways to help out in your community. One simple act of kindness can be service. Open the door for people when you are entering a building, donate clothes to the coat drive, buy angel tree gifts around Christmas, or pick up a piece of trash on the sidewalk! My favorite way to do this kind of service is Prayer and Action! I have gone to P&A 3 years in a row and it is by far my favorite part of the summer. Its an amazing program and I hope that many of you get to be a part of it sometime in your life! Through this kind of service I have learned that the smallest things can make the biggest difference.

 Paining a house during Prayer and Action 

Lastly we have your family. This one is really important. Chores....We all have them don't we? Why not do them without being asked? Or even go above and beyond and do extra just so your parents don't have to do as much! While you're at it you can also help out your grandparents or other family members. Family is forever...make sure they know that you care(: Be there to help if they are asking you to or not!

As I get older I will always be involved in service. Not just because I think it is important, but because it is something I enjoy and look forward to. I hope that I gave you some ideas on how to get involved and be of service to others and hope you learned a little bit about me! I'm not very good at the whole writing thing...BUT hope you all enjoyed my blog and I CAN'T WAIT to see you all at convention(:

 I want to leave you with this quote from Mother Teresa- "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." 

God Bless, go out and share your TIME, TALENT, and TREASURES!

-Matea

The Birthday Girl

So we would just like to start this off with that it is Becky Meagher's Birthday today!! what better day for her to post a Blog! Happy Birthday we hope you have a wonderful day!! and God Bless!

- Salina Diocese Youth Council 2014-2015

She also loves our Mother Mary! 

Becky and her sister ran a 5k recently! some of you may know her
sister Mel as a counselor at Jr. CYO camp

My name is Becky Meagher and I am a member of the youth council this year!  I was born and live in Hays Ks and am a senior at Hays High School.  I attend mass at all four of our parishes but my home parish is Immaculate Heart of Mary.  I am the youngest of 6 children and was brought up in the Catholic Faith.  Though I am a “cradle catholic”, that doesn’t mean I didn’t choose the religion for myself.  I fell in love with every aspect of our religion and find true beauty and comfort in it.  There are many times in my life where I know without god and his love I would not have made it through.  My faith is so important to me because it is where I can find true, pure happiness.  There is no greater reward than doing Gods will and striving to become closer to him.  I am very excited to be a member of the council and can’t wait to get activities started in our diocese.