Furthermore, St. Francis’ love for his brothers has been a parallel inspiration for our community. Youth Apostles bring together many brothers of different ages and life circumstances. Francis brought together men who were as different as could be.

This October marked 10 years of marriage to my husband Joey Clem, a lifetime member of Youth Apostles. Along with 10 years of our own joys and trials, building our family, and growing in our vocations, it has also been a time of discovering how we support the mission of Youth Apostles as a family.

Why would the founders of Youth Apostles claim St. Francis from among our three patrons as the “heart” of our community? ... He was completely in love with Christ and that love burst forth into the world around him. We cite in our Statutes four particular loves of Francis of Assisi that inform our hearts and lives as Youth Apostles: the Eucharist, prayer, simplicity, and a deep sense of care for others (Peterson, 2009).

Between sets one day, I had a student ask how we know that God actually hears our prayers. The Lifting Club provided an environment for him to ask questions about faith and the Church that he did not feel comfortable asking in Theology class. The Lifting Club provides our students with a time and place to understand the unity of body and soul.

There’s a learning curve involved in living in a new culture that requires some effort, but it’s a fun and rewarding experience as well. The town where we stayed (Antigua) reminds me of Williamsburg, VA, the town where I attended William & Mary.

The biggest difference I saw was not readily apparent and was not readily apparent and was the one that most bothered me: the difference in educational opportunities for youth.

In Banica, the children go to school for a scant four hours a day and school is only open for eight months of the year. Through the Church, there are a few CCD classes or other programs dedicated to serving youth. In some of the nearby neighborhoods there aren’t any Church-related programs to educate the youth about our faith.