'Labor of Love': Teenage and young adult outreach at St. Charles Borromeo Parish builds community

John Cecil, a junior at Indiana University, left, and Marco Regoli, a sophomore at Bloomington South High School, rake leaves in Frank and Lucille Albert’s backyard in Bloomington on Nov. 8. “Labor of Love” is an outreach program sponsored by St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bloomington, where high school and college students volunteer their services to help older people. (Photo by Mike Krokos)

(Editor’s note: “Spreading Hope In Neighborhoods Everywhere” (SHINE) is a social ministry renewal that will be launched on Oct. 1, 2009, by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The following is the second in a series that will highlight how the ministry of charity is taking place in parishes, schools, agencies and other institutions throughout the archdiocese. Catholic Charities is leading the planning. To learn more about SHINE and how you and your parish can become involved, log on to www.CatholicCharitiesIndy.org.)

By Mike Krokos

BLOOMINGTON—The impressive pile of leaves in front of Frank and Lucille Albert’s home was a testament to how hard the young people were working that day.

As they raked the front and back yards, the mountain of fall leaves just kept growing and growing and growing.

At an elderly neighbor’s house next door, the scene was much the same.

Though the woman had recently moved to Florida to be closer to family members and her vacant house was still for sale, the Alberts asked the young people if they wouldn’t mind raking the leaves in her yard as well.

They quickly obliged.

Welcome to the concept known as “Labor of Love,” an outreach at St. Charles Borromeo Parish where teenagers and college-age students volunteer their services to help their fellow parishioners in need.

Begun in the spring of 2007, the effort has allowed young people at the parish to bridge the gap with members of the older generation.

“I just think it’s an awesome program,” said Father William Stumpf, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish.

“It was started by the young people. They wanted to serve the community,” he said. “It really does meet a great need for our parish.”

From raking leaves in the fall to helping a widow paint her house in the spring, members of the younger generation have opened another door for building community.

“I would hate to face this [chore] myself,” said Frank Albert, a member of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, who at 83 is retired but still finds himself maintaining the home that he and his wife have lived in since 1970.

“This volunteer thing is great,” he added before walking into the backyard to help the young people in their cleanup effort.

“The Holy Spirit is the driving force. I just make the phone calls [to get people involved],” explained Jessica Richers, a junior at Indiana University and member of St. Charles Borromeo, who spearheads the program.

On this chilly Saturday morning in November, Richers and two other Indiana University students and two students from Bloomington South High School—all members of St. Charles Borromeo Parish—are more than happy to share part of their weekend helping others.

With gloves on their hands and caps on their heads—and rakes at the ready—the group worked in tandem to tackle the chore.

A Catholic concept

Richers said the St. Charles Borromeo outreach plays off the Catholic Heart Workcamp concept, where developing an attitude of faith and service among youths is the main goal.

The Florida-based organization holds camps in cities across the country each summer, drawing upon the gifts of thousands of Catholic youths. Stressing spiritual growth through a week of service, prayer, faith-sharing and the sacraments, Catholic Heart Workcamp tries to help youths live as disciples of Christ.

While the high school students at St. Charles Borromeo Parish earn service hours for confirmation through “Labor of Love,” they also realize that helping others is what Christ calls them to do.

“I think it’s really good to help other people who aren’t able to do what we can do,” said Marco Regoli, a sophomore at Bloomington South High School and member of St. Charles Borromeo Parish.

“God wants us to help other people, and doing something like this shows me how much we can affect the world around us,” he continued. “It helps me appreciate everything our Church is.”

For Michaela Hull, a freshman at Bloomington South and member of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, the outreach effort leaves an impression, too.

“It’s the first time I’ve done this, and I’m enjoying it and getting something out of it,” she said.

“Just this one experience is helping me decide to look into other volunteer areas.”

Responding to needs

While the high school students earn service hours in preparation for confirmation, the college students who take part in “Labor of Love” get a good workout—in both a physical and spiritual sense.

“I attended the [parish] ministry fair and was interested in doing something physical outside for people,” said Peter Heidenreich, a graduate student at Indiana University who is a member of St. Charles Borromeo Parish. “This is something [that] I am pleased to do.”

While she, too, enjoys the physical workout that “Labor of Love” offers, Richers said the outreach strikes a spiritual chord as well.

“It’s really inspiring for me to give people the opportunity to bridge the gap between generations,” she said. “It also stretches us and puts everything [our faith teaches] into action.

“The biggest part is responding to the needs around us.”

John Cecil, a junior majoring in business at Indiana University, has been an active parishioner at St. Charles Borromeo Parish since his freshman year.

While he enjoys tutoring students in the sixth-grade through 12th grade at the parish school and also assists at the monthly youth Mass, Cecil says helping the older population brings him satisfaction, too.

And he noted that the feeling is mutual.

“The older generation has told me [that] it’s inspiring for them to see the youth involved,” he said. “It’s building up their faith, too.”

Father Stumpf noted that “Labor of Love” is “a powerful witness” for the parish, but added that it serves as a peer witness as well.

“It’s an extraordinary witness for the young people, having the college kids involved with our youth,” he said. “They are all really running this [program].”

More of a good thing

Though “Labor of Love” is a completely volunteer effort, Richers said most people still try to compensate the young people.

“Whenever anyone calls … a lot of people don’t understand we’re doing this for free,” she said.

Though the young people take no money, what they give to people in return is priceless.

Just ask Frank Albert.

“It does my heart good to see the kids do this, and to be able to talk to them,” Albert said. “There ought to be more of this type thing.” †