Planning and brainstorming during FaceTime calls over the weekend, seniors Emilyn Lopez and Paige Rivas carefully curate icebreakers and discussions for Sunday––a special day where the cousins go to church together. However, instead of heading home after Sunday Mass, the pair steps into the roles of leaders for their youth fellowship.
Their fellowship, also known as “Youth Group,” is an inclusive and interactive environment designed for Catholic high schoolers to share their viewpoints and ideas on faith. Lopez and Rivas host sessions on Sundays at St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church, located in Walnut, after Mass, the main worship service offered by Catholic churches. The fellowship has approximately 15 to 20 attendees each week. During these meetings, Lopez and Rivas lead activities about different Catholic topics to encourage youth engagement in religion.
“We usually try to connect our faith back to our own lives. As a fellowship, being able to have that community helps us bounce off ideas and figure out ways where we can be better Catholics. We can support one another to have a community that’s faith-centered,” Rivas said. “It’s more intimate to think about how you’re not alone with the way that you’re feeling.”
The fellowship usually begins with an opening prayer and icebreaker. Lopez and Rivas then start the church readings and initiate discussions about the topics in the readings afterward. For the main activities, they aim to foster interaction with participants, such as writing on sticky notes to share personal thoughts on religious topics to develop a deeper connection with God.
“We want them to [have] deeper conversations about God,” Lopez said. “You have to be open to everyone because not everyone is on the same level as you, or shares the same perspective of God. You just always have to be open and loving of everyone.”
For the fellowship, Rivas usually focuses on leading the lessons to demonstrate how they connect to the fellowship, while Lopez is in charge of leading the activities. Through these sessions, the pair has developed their public speaking skills and their comfort in talking about their personal faith journey.
“I [used] to struggle with public speaking a lot. I get really shaky or use a lot of filler words. I still do that a lot, but I think the fellowship has helped me get out of my shell and comfort zone. It’s [also] helped me share my faith,” Rivas said.
Senior Gerilyn Funk, Lopez’s friend and a leader of her own youth group at St. Lorenzo, has especially noticed how Lopez has grown as a person and developed her faith since guiding the fellowship.
“I’ve definitely seen her grow in her relationship with God. I think that’s one of the biggest things, but also just in the way that she treats people,” Funk said. “She [has] always treated people well, but you can see her faith shine a lot more. It’s become more of a part of her, rather than a side part of her life.”
They started the fellowship together at the end of last school year with the assistance and encouragement of their youth leaders at church. To start the fellowship, they had to speak with the church leaders and design engaging activities and games that were appropriate for participants. During the process of starting this initiative, Lopez and Rivas have strengthened their relationship with one another.
“We were already close and on the same religious level. We wanted to become closer to God together,” Lopez said. “I think we’ve gotten closer now, and we’re able to talk about God more. [We can] relate to each other’s experiences since we talk about our own experiences in youth groups. I know that I can always talk to her about God.”
Originally, Lopez and Rivas both went to church and led confirmation classes, one of the Catholic sacraments, serving as teacher assistants. To become assistants, they had to pass and attend confirmation classes themselves. Additionally, they had to complete 60 service hours, pass a written test and pass an interview with a teacher assistant or teacher. After passing confirmation, they help coordinate lesson planning and conduct activities for current students. Their time as teacher assistants influenced them to stay involved in the community and help students grow their religious faith, just as the community had done for them.
“We wanted to connect more to the students outside the confirmation classes so they could bond with [each other],” Lopez said. “[It’s] really nice to see them having fun and enjoying themselves.”
In the future, they plan to continue the fellowship, gain more members and host more events. To maintain the fellowship after high school, Lopez and Rivas aim to keep in touch with students and continue encouraging them to go to events hosted by the fellowship. Through these efforts, they hope to eventually become Catechists, who serve as teachers of the Christian faith.
“[My own religious experiences] are constantly changing and growing. It’s definitely not linear. At some points, my faith is at a high, but then sometimes it’s low. I feel like the fellowship has helped me stabilize and shape it,” Rivas said.
