My mom used to say: “If God gives you a lemon, don’t complain about it being sour. He will make you make lemonade out of it.” When I look at the Haitian youth group here at the Boston Basilica, this is exactly what has happened.
Six years ago, we had a few kids who used to come to Mass with their parents, but they were misbehaving, talking a lot, playing with their games, and being distracted during the Mass. Even their parents used to complain about them. One day, a parent approached me and said: “Father, I feel embarrassed because of my daughter’s behavior. I won’t attend mass anymore.”
I paused for a while, thinking about what she said and at the same time pondering on these verses: Psalm 127:3, “Children are gifts from the Lord,” and what Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke 18:16, “Let the little children come to me.” Then I said to her: “The Church is the house of God, therefore don’t be embarrassed by your child’s misbehavior. Please continue to come to God’s house with her. Even David did what people did not expect him to do in the temple 5of God.” She felt relieved and continued to attend Mass.
A few months later, as my mom said, God made me make lemonade with the lemons he gave me. He did that when He allowed me to use the same kids to create a group named “Shining Light of OLPH” for the beauty of His Church. Now they behave so well, and the entire community loves their presence.
The group started on Mother’s Day of 2017 with 12 kids. There are now 27 youth in total. They range between 4 to 17 years old. In the group, we mainly help them to develop two dimensions: human and spiritual. They meet on Saturdays from 4-7 p.m. Their weekly meeting entails Bible sharing, Catholic teaching, creole and Haitian culture classes, and social activities like etiquette, dance, and singing.
To me, the youth group is a beautiful gift to the Haitian community and what really amazed me about them is the impact that they have on the whole community. They shine so brightly that you cannot miss their presence in the church. They are really involved in the church activities. They participate actively in our liturgy and our social activities. For instance, they read and dance at mass to bring out the Haitian culture to our celebrations. Also, they are the group that represents the Haitian community at the Basilica’s Annual Multicultural Fair.
When a month has five Sundays, they sing on the last one. For example, last month, they had the opportunity to sing on April 30th, which was the fifth Sunday. They did an excellent job as usual. It was a day of blessings for them because, each community held its First Communion separately, so they had the chance to sing for the first time as three of them were making their First Communion. For their sixth anniversary Mass, on Mother’s Day, they oversaw everything in the Mass.
When I thought of this saying: “Kids today, adults tomorrow” and what they already bring to the Haitian community, I consider the Haitian youth group as the future of the Haitian community, and with them, the Haitian community will have a bright future in the Basilica.
Jesus said, “Unless you become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew 18:3. Therefore, with humility, and sincerity of heart let us continue to take care of the children of God. Let them know, they are precious in God’s eyes, and important now and for the future of the Church of Christ.