F.I.A.T. offers mission work opportunities in your own neighborhood
By Jeff Kurowski | On Mission
GREEN BAY — Weeding, raking, washing windows and cleaning aren’t welcome tasks for most students on summer break, but the young people in F.I.A.T., a four-day mission camp offered by St. Agnes Parish Religious Education and Youth Ministry in Green Bay, embraced the opportunity.
“There weren’t any projects that the kids were scared to get into,” said Donna Schuld, religious education coordinator at St. Agnes. “They just had the best attitudes.”
This year’s camp, July 22-25, was the fourth for the F.I.A.T. program. Lisa Urick, youth minister and religious education assistant at St. Agnes, said that the first camp was held due to disappointment caused by the pandemic.
“The year before (the first camp) we had planned on going to the Steubenville (Youth Conference), but it was canceled. The fear was that if we did another program (outside of the area) that we didn’t have control over, that we would have to cancel again,” she said.
The meaning of the name of the camp, F.I.A.T., is two-fold, said Urick.
“Fiat is Mary, the basis of everything we do is for her. She said ‘yes,’ so we say ‘yes.’ I felt very inspired by Mary,” she said. “Then we had to come up with an acronym — Faith In Action Today.”
The first camp in 2020 was held three days, but the young people wanted more, so F.I.A.T was expanded to four days, said Urick.
The last two summers, the group spent the final day working on the grounds of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. They also attended Mass at the Shrine and the camp concluded with a picnic for the young people and their families.
Monday’s kick off with service at the parish and Holy Family School, located on the St. Agnes grounds. F.I.A.T. campers connect with neighbors and area parishioners on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for service, said Urick.
“The first year, we could only walk (to do mission work). We couldn’t get in vehicles due to the pandemic. I told the kids that we are like the disciples walking across the desert,” she said.
“The kids have been amazing. It’s very inspirational when you go to homes and you meet with the homeowners,” added Urick. “We meet with them a week or two ahead of time to see what we have to do, so when we go there, we have a plan and can be efficient.”
A service experience from two years ago is a fond memory for Urick when a F.I.A.T. group helped a man whose wife had died. She was the gardener. He used a walker, so he was unable to keep up the garden she had created.
“His message to us was that we brought his wife back to him,” said Urick.
The program is open to students in grades 6-12. Participants don’t need to be members of St. Agnes Parish or attend Holy Family School, and they do not stay overnight.
The camp also features a speaker each day. Presenters this summer included Norbertine Fr. James Neilson, who spoke about Marian art, and Kately Javier, religious education director for the Diocese of Green Bay, who discussed the role of the Holy Spirit.
Fr. Quinn Mann, administrator at St. Agnes, spoke to the young people after Mass on Tuesdays about the vestments worn by priests.
Each day starts with prayer and the group prays at all meals. This year’s F.I.A.T. T-shirts featured an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The 2024 camp also featured a game of Romans vs. Christians — essentially, a game of tag. The young people also had the opportunity to make single decade rosaries at the Shrine.
“It’s just a really well-balanced program,” said Schuld, who coordinates F.I.A.T. with Urick and Maureen Nesvacil, religious education administrative assistant. “In our (religious education) program, students need 10 hours of service. It doesn’t matter when they do it during the year, so they can get it all done (at F.I.A.T.).”
Urick said that she hopes the students deepen their faith through service.
“They realize that there are people who struggle,” she said. “Giving isn’t always going to be fun, but it’s important.”
“I like that it’s local,” said Schuld. “It’s great for kids to go on mission trips (to other states and countries), but there is a good lesson that charity and compassion can be provided in your own neighborhood.”