Franciscan Teenagers Show Their Social Conscience

Group shot in St. Mary's Above Rocks, Jamaica

Teenagers often get a bad rap. The cliché is that teenagers are contrarians who watch too much TV, play too many video games, and spend all their free time at the mall. Undoubtedly some teenagers do fall into this category, but countless others do not. Take the teenagers from the youth group at the Franciscan Church of Blessed Sacrament in Burlington, North Carolina. For three out of the last four years they have won the Youth Group of the Year Award from the Diocese of Raleigh. The diocese has also awarded Blessed Sacrament’s young people with the Youth of the Year Award four years in a row.

Members of the Blessed Sacrament Youth Group who travelled to Jamaica

Yet, awards don't mean anything when there is no positive social action behind them. When it comes to social action, the Blessed Sacrament Youth Group really gets a lot done. This year, group members participated in a fundraising competition for a mission trip to St. Mary's Above Rocks - the OFM. Conv. mission in Jamaica. Sixty teenagers mowed lawns, handed out soup, and assisted at homeless shelters (amongst other activities) all without pay, hoping that their work would suffice in garnering enough points for the trip.

Jamaica's less glamourous side

When the work was done and the points were tallied, 20 young people found themselves on an airplane to Jamaica. Their trip lasted one week and kept the members busy with various chores on the mission property. The truly amazing experience for the North Carolinians was being able to connect with the youth group from St. Mary's Above Rocks. The American and Jamaican groups spent a lot of time together working, praying, and having fun. Their shared Franciscan values made for a stimulating and productive week.

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