GREETING FROM BERNADETTE DEMERS
Hello everyone! My name is Bernadette Demers and I am extremely excited to become part of the community here at Holy Cross! I have already experienced such a beautiful sense of community here as well as a palpable love of the Lord and the Liturgy which is so refreshing to see in today’s culture. For those of you I have met, I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversations, and I hope to meet the rest of you soon!
When I was growing up in the church, I often saw many beautiful examples of faith, yet, programs for youth were always a bit of an afterthought, and so it came to feel like no one in the church felt like I was worth investing in. I was constantly involved in social works of the church but did not know Jesus because no one took the time to make sure I knew Christ as a person who wanted to know me, and desired good things for my life. Eventually, this led to a very lukewarm attitude towards the church. In my own parish I had nowhere to go with my questions, and when things in my life began to take a turn for the worse, I had no community specific to my stage in life to support me. This lukewarm attitude turned into a belief that God was not good; if He was, I wouldn’t feel so lost.
I was left feeling his way for a long time until I met a group of Catholic young adults. They absolutely loved the Lord and spoke of His goodness, how He saw me as good, and wanted to be part of my life in a real way. I had never been told that before, and after that moment I knew that the other kids in my community needed to know how loved they were by Christ and to have a community of people living the same life as them to turn to. To witness to one another a life of holiness and to encourage one another, to be curious about the faith and to find the answers. The desire to share the beauty of living a life with Christ with those my age led me begin a period of mission with NET Ministries, where I travelled the U.S. serving the youth of our country for nearly three years.
During this time, I was exposed to the reality that my generation has become more isolated from one another than ever before. It is increasingly difficult to meet people who truly act as their authentic selves. Even less so, to find those who are invested in the faith, causing that flame to fizzle out at a young age with no support. I deeply wish that I had experienced in my life someone who took time to invest in me and get to know me. To show me that I had so much to offer the church, and that the Lord had a plan for me in that moment, not some vocation in the distant future but then and there.
After leaving this mission, I couldn’t help but remember how I felt when I was young, and the difficulties I had seen facing students across the entire country. Had I experienced someone who was unafraid to tell me and show me that I was loved by the Lord, and who did their best to provide a place where I could find faithful friends and grow to love the lord in my own way, apart from my parents, I know that my faith would have flourished much sooner. It is my sincerest hope that I will be able to provide that environment for all the youth here at Holy Cross. God Bless You All and I am so very honored to be here at Holy Cross!
~Bernadette Demers, Youth Discipleship Associate