Coming from a Filipino family and living with both my grandmothers who were devout Catholics, I attended Mass weekly, prayed the rosary daily and grew up with Jesus being the centre of my life. My brother is seven years older than me, so when he joined our youth group, I started tagging along at the young age of 10. Being involved in the Church and more specifically in youth ministry at such a young age gave me not only the opportunity but the privilege to grow deeper in love with Christ and cultivate a desire to serve Him and His people.
All throughout high school, I got more and more involved with my parish’s youth group, singing for Mass, volunteering to feed the homeless, giving talks at retreats and attending Steubenville conferences. It was through my involvement in my youth group that I found friends that I know will last a lifetime, founded in the strongest foundation there is – Jesus. In my final year of high school, after prayer and reflection, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I discerned that the Spirit of God was calling me to serve in youth ministry, which is why I pursued a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English and minoring in Christianity and Education at the University of Toronto.
My love for Jesus and my longing to serve as He served is what brings me to Blessed Frederic Ozanam today. “The Mighty One has done great things for me – Holy is His Name.” (Luke 1:49). This line from our Lady’s Magnificat resonates with me, as truly, the Lord has done great things in my life through youth ministry; things that I know the Lord will also do for the young people of this parish. My hope and prayer are for our young people to come to know the Lord more, and come to experience the fullness of life that Jesus offers and the unspeakable peace and unshakeable joy we experience as we place our faith and trust in Him. Please remember me in prayer and know that I will be doing the same for you. It will be the greatest honour to serve you, the people of God here at Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and a true blessing to work together in building up God’s Kingdom.