“Right
now God is doing something special and I think it is going to have a
significant impact on the future of our Church,” says the young man in his late
20s. When you look at that impact in western Massachusetts, Steve Fydenkevez is
a big part of it. Steve is helping Young Life and the Catholic Church come
together on the ground level, developing relationships that will yield fruit in
local parishes and dioceses for years to come.
Steve
grew up attending St. Mary’s Catholic parish in Longmeadow (Springfield MA
Diocese) and was exposed to Young Life through the parish youth group’s annual
summer trip to Saranac Village, a YL camp in the Adirondacks. “The relationship
I had with my YL leader (who is now a Catholic priest actually), absolutely
played a significant role in my development as a Catholic adult,” he says. The
memory of those experiences at YL camp helped to spark a passion in him while
sitting in Mass one day:
I remember one particular morning looking around
the church and realizing that my wife and I were the only ones under forty who
were not with their parents. I knew that if we didn’t do something more to
reach our middle school and high school friends now, this entire generation would
be lost. This is the future of our Church, I could not do nothing! I knew right then that what our Catholic
youth needed is what Young Life works so hard to develop in teens - relationships
with Jesus Christ.
Steve
is recently married and works in the insurance industry just south across the
Massachusetts border. He came back to Saranac in the fall of 2016 to attend a
Young Life leader weekend. After hearing more direction from the Lord and
talking with other YL staff who are trying to bridge the gap between the Church
and YL, Steve began to direct his passion toward St. Mary’s the and opportunity
he saw there.
Since
then, God and Steve have been laying groundwork to establish a fruitful model
for YL in a Catholic parish. The process has been intentional and broad in
scope, including people of influence from the parish and the diocese. “Through
the open lines of communication both sides have continued to grow closer in the
vision of working alongside one another to reach kids,” Steve says. The
recruitment and training of college leaders has been a strong focus and Steve
notes a real symbiotic relationship between YL and the Church:
There are five colleges within a 15-minute drive
of the church. This is a very Catholic part of the country. A stand-alone Young
Life area would have a very difficult time getting into these schools and
reaching potential leaders. Working with the Catholic Church however, we have a
legitimacy that otherwise would not be possible. On the other hand, Young Life
has the tools and resources to prepare these young leaders to reach kids in a
way that the Catholic Church doesn’t have. It’s a real win-win!
As Young
Life begins to gear-up for FORWARD, our dream is to take kids “into the deep”
as they walk with Christ, and working with parishes like St. Mary’s is a
natural fit. “My dream is that
we would see a Young Life Club and Campaigners happening at
St. Mary's,” Steve says. But it’s more than just Catholics in Steve’s
vision. “It’s time for us to come together as a Christian community. We want Catholic
leaders alongside Protestant leaders reaching out to all kids in town. We’re
talking about high school kids receiving the Sacraments for the first time -
being Baptized, receiving the Eucharist, and being Confirmed - because they
were introduced to Jesus Christ through the love of a YL leader.”
Steve
is changing the missional landscape in western Mass, but the process is also changing
him. Rather than directing his attention solely to his career path, Steve is
now pouring his energy into starting YL in Longmeadow and collaborating with
St. Mary’s. “God
is absolutely present in this,” Steve says. “In all my life I have never felt
Him so much. I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve all laughed together
at the obvious presence of God in all of this.”
Having
a significant impact on the future of our Church… that’s a great dream. Having a significant impact on the lives of
young people… that’s a great dream too.
What a gift that we get to walk alongside servants like Steve who are
rolling up their sleeves to make both dreams happen.
Steve and his wife Francesca
