NETWORKS Spring 2012

N E T M I N I S T R I E S

N E T WO R K SS p r i n g 2 0 1 2

WHAT’S INSIDE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / HOST FAMILIES / BENEFACTORS / 30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Challenging young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church

Special 30th Anniversary Edition

More than

1.6 million youthhave attended a NET retreat

Celebrating 30 years ofchallenging young Catholicsto love Christ and embracethe life of the Church

Join us on May 12 for a celebration of 30 years

Mass with Archbishop NienstedtAnniversary ProgramCake Receptionwww.netusa.org/30thAnniversary

SPRING 2012 - 30TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE

Dear Friends,

We are all familiar with the story in Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus feeds the 5,000 people. Christ accepts the meager offering of someone in the crowd who possessed five loaves of bread and two fish. This small gift seemed so insignificant that the Gospel writers didn’t even record the donor’s name! Yet through divine providence that small act of generosity feeds the multitudes. God provides!

For the past 30 years I have had the humble experience of watching God provide. Thousands upon thousands of faithful Catholics have made small and large offerings to support the work of NET. I can’t begin to describe how overwhelming it feels to see people whom I have never met and will never know support this important work. There are people who have regularly contributed to the work of NET for over 25 years. They make their gift, month after month, year after year. It’s quite astounding. There are others who, because of God’s blessing, are able to make larger gifts. I’ll never forget my reaction when NET received our first five figure gift. ”Do you have any idea what you’re doing? You hardly know me! You’re going to entrust me with that much money?” Luckily, I kept my mouth shut. Amazing generosity!

I’m not particularly good at asking for money, but I’ve learned a few things over the past 30 years about fundraising:

First, I am dependent. The work of NET Ministries would not happen without the

N E T WO R K SN E T M I N I S T R I E S

Challenging young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church

S p r i n g 2 0 1 2

board of

directorsPRESIDENT:Archbishop John C. Nienstedt, D.D.

FOUNDER/ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Mr. Mark Berchem, M.S.W., M.T.S.

TREASURER: Mr. Jack Cozzens

Mr. Gerald Brennan, CIMA

Mr. Gordon DeMarais, M.A.T.

Mrs. Jan Gloudeman

Mr. Thomas Grundhoefer, J.D.

Mr. Daniel Hagen, CFAMrs. Helen HealyMrs. Patricia HuberMrs. Barbara KochDr. James Kolar, D.MIN.Mr. Alan Kraling

Mr. Patrick Regan

Mr. Edward Kocourek

EPISCOPAL ADVISORY BOARD: Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Ph.D., S.T.D.Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, D.D.Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr, D.D.Bishop Frederick F. Campbell, D.D.Bishop Sam G. Jacobs, D.D.

NET is under the ecclesial vigilance of the Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt, Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It is governed by a national board of directors, is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and has been audited by Lewis, Kisch and Associates, Ltd.

from the executive director: your offering feeds the multitudes


generous support of many people. We are in a partnership with those who support us. As my good friend, Tom Ryan, is fond of saying, “Some give by going while others go by giving.” Quite simply, without the generosity of our benefactors, there would be no NET Ministries. We are deeply grateful for the generosity of so many. I can’t thank you enough for supporting this important work.

The second thing I’ve learned is that you need to give. When the NET team member or staff person asks for money, we are providing an opportunity to put some of your resources at God’s disposal. Like the young man with the five loaves and two fish, we are providing an opportunity to make a difference, a chance to invest what you have in the work of God. Whether you can give a little or a lot is not as important as the possibility of making your money available to God, because He takes what we offer and gives it a supernatural meaning. Your money and my money can change life.

Tens of thousands of young Catholics have had their faith renewed because of the ministry of the NET teams. They meet the face of Christ in the NET team member who speaks with them, listens to them, and prays with them. Those young people will never meet you or know your name, but without your generous gift, they may never experience their faith come alive. God takes your offering and changes it to feed the multitudes.

So as we continue to celebrate NET’s 30th anniversary, I want to thank you for your generous support. We do

not take it for granted and will continue to use your gifts prudently to awaken the faith of young Catholics. We will continue to receive your gifts with gratitude and use them to share your gift of faith with young people you will never meet.

Together with you in mission,

Mark BerchemFounder and Executive Director


IMPACTONHOST FAMILIES

In the middle of her college career, Lynda (Capecchi) True took a one year break from school in 1987-1988 to serve with NET Ministries. She came back to NET in 1994-1995 not as a team member, but to help emcee each month for the very first season of Lifeline youth Masses at the NET Center, as well as years following. Now that she has a family of her own, she is still immersed in NET Ministries by hosting team members multiple times every year.

Why is it important to you to host NET team members?It is important to us to host “Netters” so that the kids can be exposed to other people who love the Lord and love their Catholic faith. We are glad to help the NET teams out in any way we can because we know what an important mission NET has.

How long have you hosted team members?We have hosted for 7 years for at least 18 Netters, maybe more.

Has your family enjoyed hosting team members?The children love it! They want to be with the Netters every minute they can. It is a blessing to have other people to pray with us and share their testimonies.

Why do you continue to host?We will host again because it is such a positive experience. The NET team

members need so very little, just a place to stay and a few meals, yet they give so much. They are always willing to help out and play with the kids. We always wish we had more time with them!

What is one of your favorite memories as a host family?We have had many wonderful Netters. I think a stand out memory was when we had musicians staying with us. They taught the kids some songs and we all sang and prayed together. The whole family enjoyed it.

The True Family - Phil, Lynda, Phillip, Zachary, Elinor, and Clara


The True Family - Phil, Lynda, Phillip, Zachary, Elinor, and Clara

Andrew, a Civil Engineer for the City of Chicago, and Colleen, a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, have a long standing history with NET . In 1990, Colleen was preparing to interview to serve with NET Ministries when Andrew proposed and “messed up” her plans. Since then, they have sponsored team members for 20 years and have been a host home for 7 years.

Why is it important to you to host team members?We have always had such a heart for NET. We believe in their mission and want to support them in any way we can. Having team members stay in our homes gives us an opportunity to practice hospitality and it gives our children a wonderful example of what a well-formed faith life can look like as an adult.

How many team members have you hosted?We think we have had about 250 Netters through our home, but many of the teams are here multiple times a year. We are guessing that in 7 years, we have served over 2,000 meals to Netters!

Has your family enjoyed hosting team members?There is not enough time to talk about all the ways in which Netters have blessed us. They color with my little kids, teach them funny songs and skits, pray with them, pray for them, participate in crazy nerf gun wars, share dramas that inspire us, make us laugh, share their dreams and struggles with us, make cleaning up after meal time a blast. Two teams have par-ticipated in service projects that have involved doing major gardening and yard work for us. They also bless us by allowing us to minister to them. I think that seeing our family (imperfect as we

are) gives many of them hope for their own future.

What is one of your favorite memories from hosting?One year, a beautiful young man named Jonathan San-chez came with his team to stay with us. He spent an en-tire evening giving haircuts both to his teammates and to my boys. He styled their hair with gel and made them feel “cool and special.” Later the same year his team came back again over the Thanksgiving break. Jonathan helped me make pumpkin pies, and even wrote some notes on my recipe. We kept in touch with him throughout the years, and last year, were devastated to find out that he had been killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. My children talk about him all the time and often say how blessed they are to have a friend who is “a saint in heaven with Jesus.” He ministered to our children in a very profound way and will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Do you have any traditions that you do with teams?1. We always study their team picture off the NET web-site before they come so we know all their names when they arrive. The teams are usually quite freaked out (in a good way) by that. 2. My kids decorate brown lunch bags with their indi-vidual names for the team members as they leave. We

encourage each of them to cut out their names and use it as a bookmark for the year. We ask them to pray for us whenever they see their “brown-bag name tag.”3. My kids have learned many of the skits that the teams do, so in the past few years we have done some “After Meal Enter-tainment” for the teams. The teams get quite a kick out of being the audience for a change!

The Billing Family - Andrew, Colleen, Josh, Luke, Noah, Maeve, Sadie


IMPACTONBENEFACTORS

Born into a broken family, Babs was raised for years by her mother who was on a “faith search” and seemingly attended a new church each week, and later, her adoptive family who attended both Catholic and Baptist churches. It wasn’t until she married her husband David - a devout Catholic - that her faith took on a new significance. She is now is a proud supporter and Board Member for NET Ministries.

I had an atypical early family life, and an unusual church background. My dad left the family the year after my birth. My mother, who was on a faith search, took my sister and I to many different churches - it seemed like a new one each week. She became sort of a “religious fanatic, “ which made my sister and I uncomfortable with how she expressed her faith.

When I was 9 or 10 years old my sister and I were adopted by the Gray family, and for the first time faith began to make sense to me. Mother Gray was a devout Catholic and Father Gray was Baptist. We primarily attended the Catholic Church, but on occasion would attend the Baptist church once or twice a year with Father Gray. When our parents were out of town on business trips, our African American nanny would first take us to the Basilica for Mass, and then she would take us to her Baptist church. Attending the Baptist service was a great experience—a joyous celebration of Jesus with the Black community.

In my early years I chose to keep my love of Jesus between myself and God and would pray in my room using a prayer book given to me by my birth mother. I was very shy about taking about my faith, or mentioning it to anyone. I looked forward to my weekly visits to my adoptive grandmother’s apartment in Minneapolis to help her clean and run errands. I would take the bus and was dropped off in front of the Basilica. Before I would walk the few blocks to Grandma’s, I would walk up the long steps of the Basilica and go inside and say a prayer at the side altar. Those were special moments for me.

BABS KOCHBENEFACTOR, MEMBER OF THE BOARD


all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength…and love your neighbor as yourself…” – Mark 12:28-31. Through the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy, our desire is to mirror Christ’s holistic care for others – body, mind and spirit. These were (and continue to be) the guiding principles we used in our marriage, to raise our family, and to manage our foundation.

We believe God has blessed us by providing us with the means to share His universal mission of bringing salvation to all people, so that they can know, love, and serve Him in this life and enter into His presence in eternal life. This is why we believe in NET and have chosen to partner with NET in all aspects of their ministry.

Why did you decide to be part of the Board of Directors?A dear friend of mine, who has served with me on various boards, invited me to hear NET’s story at a dinner she was hosting. Out of respect for her, I accepted her invitation even though I knew I just couldn’t get involved in one more organization. But after hearing NET’s compelling mission and of its beginnings, I was moved to want to be a part of this faith-filled organization that was touching the lives of so many young people—I wholeheartedly said “yes” to serving on NET’s Board of Directors. Mark Berchem, along with the gifted and dedicated staff, have worked miracles. Theirs is a story that should be told and retold, with great spiritual benefits for all who hear.

In your opinion, how is NET making a difference in the culture?It is giving our youth a solid faith foundation in which to learn, grow, come alive and to pass it on, and to live good lives in all that they do. I can only imagine what a blessing and opportunity it is to have had the NET experience! It is a discipleship of the highest degree. I’ve always wanted Catholic schools—elementary, high school and colleges—to provide the learning opportunity in their curriculum for their students to learn about a personal relationship with God and have an understanding of the Holy Bible. The team members are certainly filling that large void that exists in our schools today!

What excites me about NET?

Their commitment to renewing the faith of young people through a clear proclamation of the gospel, personal witness, and a motivation to live for Christ.

Their dedication to the evangeliza-tion & faith formation of Catholic youth and young adults and the power of NET’s witness to others.

Seeing the love and excitement the young people have for the Church and for Christ and their desire to unabashedly share the Good News with other young people.

The spiritual, Christian education that is learned and passed on.

IIt wasn’t until after I married David—a devout Catholic—that my faith took on a new significance. It was a blessing to be married to a man who desired to have the Church be the center of our marriage, our family, our business and our foundation. While raising our family, there were several milestones in my faith life that brought me to a deeper level: attending bible studies where I grew in my understanding of God’s word, my parental involvement with Convent of the Visitation School, Visitation Sisters where I learned about the heart of Jesus and the personal inner development of one’s heart and soul and became a member of the Society of St. Frances de Sales, and through my Spiritual Director, Shirley Wanchena, at Pacem in Terris.

Why is NET Ministries worthy of your support?NET’s mission is so perfectly aligned with our family’s personal mission/guidelines and those of our Family Foundation. The Greatest Commandment: “Love the Lord, your God with


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You’re Invited!May 12, 2012

Join us as we celebrate the past 30 years! Bring your family, meet past and present team members, hear from NET’s founder, participate

in Mass with Archbishop Nienstedt, & more!

Schedule: 10:00 am: Mass with Archbishop Nienstedt 11:00 am: Anniversary Program 12:00 pm: Cake Reception

When: Saturday, May 12, 2012

Where: Church of St. Joseph 1154 Seminole Avenue West St. Paul, MN 55118

30NET MINISTRIES

YEARS

1987-198819811999-2000

2011-2012

www.netusa.org/30thAnniversary

NET MINISTRIES30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Alumni UpdateNETWORKS SPRING 2012

alumni update“peace be with

you”“Peace be with you.” May these words of Christ resound in your being this day.

Shortly after Easter I had numerous meetings with NET staff, three of whom had a very similar experience: Their “real life” experience on Easter did not match the liturgical change in seasons from Lent to one of great Easter joy. Including my own experience, I would dare to say the four of us were still “stuck” somewhere on Good Friday.

When a disparity in what “is” and what “should be” invades my life and clouds my joy, I often cannot help but wonder, “What is going on, Lord?”

In this instance, the words from the gospel on Divine Mercy Sunday kept coming back to me – “Peace be with you.”Sometimes the Lord allows circumstances in our lives to make us vulnerable. Sometimes the Lord knocks, we let Him in, and He wants to go to a room in our heart we find uncomfortable. Sometimes we experience life severely, and it is the Lord allowing a severe mercy that we need.

Our lifeboat gets tossed about by the waves of life, and it stirs up areas of our heart that are unsettled: insecurity, self-doubt, hurts, fears, guardedness, unforgiveness - for ourselves and others - the parts of ourselves we don’t like or find hard to love. Jesus wants to come into our boat with Divine Mercy and speak truth, life, peace... ”Peace be with you.”

My penance in confession recently was to say “Jesus, I trust in you” 10 times. Before I even left the confessional I was crying because that is so difficult to do. My daughter Maria didn’t get the college

scholarship we were hoping for. “Jesus, I trust in you.” Now she wants to serve with the Sisters of Charity...in Calcutta! “Jesus, I trust in you.” Do I? Do I really?

Sometimes severe mercy allows us to suffer because it’s the only way God can touch those messy areas inside of us with His love. Someone once told me that fear and love do not go together, but suffering and love do. Sometimes we suffer so we can learn to receive love. Sometimes we suffer so others can receive love.

When the Israelites were freed from Egypt, the Lord led them to the desert for 40 years. Similarly, “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’ Then immediately Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards He was hungry.”

When we were baptized in Christ, we began a journey - a journey into the desert. Should we be surprised that when we said “yes” to following Jesus, that perhaps we unknowingly followed Him down the desert path of pain, suffering, endurance and agony that led to Calvary? Our journey through life is one of an extended desert. As a desert has many parts (aridity, oasis, high ground, low ground, vegetation, barren, etc.), so does our life often reflect this desert path. Our entire life. The Promised Land is Heaven.

When a woman runs a marathon, she is not surprised that her heart begins to beat more quickly, that her body breaks out in sweat, that her knees begin to hurt and her mind says at some point, “Stop, give up, you need to rest, you can’t keep going, this is too painful.” But again, she is not surprised, and she does not give up. Rather, in sheer force of will and with much grace, she pushes on, knowing

there is a goal, an end, and eventually, rest.

Jesus invites us; Jesus offers us a personal invitation: The cross is the nuptial couch to which our Savior invites us. Suffering is the touchstone of love. Yet Jesus is not indifferent to our plight. He offers us another invitation in the midst of our desert experience (trials, hurts, struggles, suffering, pain, agonies, fears, worries, temptations, etc.) “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Whatever may be going on in our lives that is inviting us to turn to prayer, or whatever is occurring that brings us to an emotional and vulnerable state, please remember this: “‘There are many, says the Wise man, who are friends in the time of prosperity - but with the advent of adversity they disappear. For one sort of friend is a friend when it suits him, but he will not be with you in time of distress.” (Sirach 6:8) But the surest proof of genuine love is shown by the man who voluntarily suffers for his friend.

Jesus not only suffers for us; He suffers with us. And so do our friends.

For those of us who perhaps have not yet had our “Lent” eclipsed by Easter joy, may we, in faith, be able to utter the words, “Jesus, I trust in you,” and hear in return, “Peace be with you.”

Christopher KrakerAssociate Director/

Program Director

Alumni UpdateNETWORKS SPRING 2012

alumni updateweddings

ALI (BAKER) JOAQUIN (03-04, 04-05) married Brad Joaquin on July 15, 2011 at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Stockton, CA.

JACQUI (QUINONEZ) SKEMP (05-06) was married to Ian Skemp in June 2011.

PAUL HOLUB (05-06) was wed to Lauren Holub on June 11, 2011 at St. Mary’s in College Station, TX.

births

MONICA (BEUTLER) BUCHHORN (06-07, Staff 07-08) and JORDAN BUCHHORN (06-07) welcomed their first child, Cora Marie, on August 8, 2011.

PHIL ARELLANO (03-04, Staff 04-06), his wife Alicia, and their daughter Sophia welcomed baby Jude Daniel into their family on December 11, 2011.

LAURA (NELSON) ZALESKI (01-02) and ROBERT ZALESKI (01-02) are pleased to announce the birth of Abraham David on March 14, 2012. He joins siblings Cabrini, Leon, Gus, and Teresa.

BETH (BLODGETT) JAMISON (03-04), JON JAMISON (03-04, 04-05), and big brother Elijah welcomed a baby boy, Xavier, on September 30th, 2011.

TATIANA GUERRERO (05-06) gave birth to a daughter, Emilia Macrina Guerrero, who was born on December 11, 2011.

vocationsBROTHER JOHN PAUL ANTOINE OUELLETTE, CFR (02-03, 03-04) will be ordained to the priesthood on May 19th at 9:00am at the Cathedral of St. Patrick in New York, NY by Timothy Cardinal Dolan.

new jobsMICHELLE POTHEN (05-06, Staff 09-10) was hired as the Administrator for College Connection for Catholics and will transfer to the position of Parish Team Administrator for NET Ministries in July 2012.

ANNE (MCINTYRE) MICHALAK (91-92, Staff 92-96) is working for NET Ministries again after taking time to raise her family. She is now the Administrative Assistant to the Development Director.

RYAN ESSINGTON (08-09, Staff 09-11) is employed at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Westmont, IL as the Pastoral Associate, which includes the roles of Director of Young Adult Ministry and Coordinator for RCIA.

LUCAS KINZEL (04-05, Staff 05-08) was hired at GE Capital in Eden Prairie, MN in August as a Strategic Consultant.

STEPHANIE LANGE (09-10) accepted a position with Life Teen in Atlanta, GA as the Store Manager of Life Teen Mission District.

alumni run-ins

MOLLY MILROY (97-98) and FR. KEITH KITZHABER (97-98) had a surprise encounter at Lourdes, France in August 2011.

Where have YOU run into other NET alumni? Send your stories,

along with other updates, to [email protected].

Have something you’d like to share? Submit your news to [email protected].

NETWORKS Spring 2012

Documents

Transcript of NETWORKS Spring 2012