The importance of Helen Polzer’s work during her past two years in South Jersey hit home on a recent evening at Haddonfield’s Christ the King Parish, courtesy of an unusually quiet group of middle school girls.
“I lead a ministry group, and I had been talking to them about wrestling with our faith, needing to engage with it instead of going through the motions,” she explained.
Normally, she would allow time for group discussion. But this particular night, Polzer gave the girls an opportunity to sit in silence, bring their thoughts and questions to God, and write a letter to Jesus. In this stillness, the girls and Polzer encountered something transcendent.
The youth realized that “Jesus wants to receive all of us – all of our questions, struggling, wrestling – and he will do that with love,” she said. “To see them open their hearts to God, and later hear about how they realized that they could be authentic and honest with Jesus, was beautiful.”
Polzer, along with Sean Farrell and Cheyenne Schuster, shared their experiences of living and serving in the Diocese during a day of prayer and festivities in Camden. In addition to having lunch with Bishop Dennis Sullivan and diocesan staff May 11, the young adults attended Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Grown in Confidence
Since Fall 2021, the three have been working in the Diocese of Camden through the Echo Graduate Service Program, a service-learning opportunity based out of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. They have been busy building community among one another and in South Jersey’s Catholic parishes through catechetical efforts, while simultaneously pursuing a master of arts in theology. As their time in the program comes to an end, the young adults said they were grateful for the past 21 formative months.
“That feeling of home, people really want to share that with you,” said Polzer, a native of Houston, Texas, and a 2021 graduate of Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. She has been serving in Christ the King Parish, Haddonfield, during her time in the Diocese.
Farrell agreed, saying, “There’s a rootedness here; people are proud to be from South Jersey.”
Farrell, who is from Pittsburgh, has been involved in catechetical ministries at Mary, Mother of Mercy Parish, Glassboro. “ECHO has provided a holistic way of learning how to be an effective minister in the Church, one that’s grounded in community, solid theology and solid human formation,” he said.
He admitted that he had struggled with sharing his faith before coming to South Jersey. After engaging in faith formation and sacramental preparation programs, as well as altar server and Eucharistic minister training, “I’ve grown in confidence being able to present [what I believe] authentically to others, and inviting them to a deeper faith.”
Schuster, a native of Blackwater, Missouri, and a 2021 Notre Dame graduate, has also seen self-growth.
“Working in a lot of different areas that I had not before, and getting to know different people from different backgrounds, has expanded my view of the Church,” she said. “Getting to know people’s spirituality and prayer styles, too, has expanded my view of God.”
While at the Catholic Community of Christ Our Light, Cherry Hill, Schuster has been leading young adult ministry programs and adult faith formation, as well as coordinating the parish’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program.
RCIA was a powerful process to be involved in, she said, as she got the opportunity “to walk in a very close way with three individuals as they journeyed to the Easter sacraments. … I saw how they responded to the teachings of the Church, how the faith made a difference in their daily lives, and the joy on their faces [at the Easter Vigil]. To be there with them as they’re beginning their lives as Catholics has been a real gift.”
In addition to their parish responsibilities, the three have made a commitment to one other, praying, sharing and learning together.
“One of the biggest gifts of this [experience] is the intentionality with which we’ve all entered into the commitment of community living,” Polzer said. “We entered as strangers, but we’ve been able to walk with one another through the various challenges of the program – and life in general.”
Guiding Lights
With any apprenticeship, there is guidance from seasoned leaders, and Farrell, Polzer and Schuster have that from Msgr. Roger McGrath, Echo formation assistant, and parish mentors Meryl Cerana from Mary, Mother of Mercy; Cathy Johnson from Christ Our Light, and Dolores Mozzillo from Christ the King.
At the start of the program, the mentors “learn how to meet [the apprentices] in the catechetical setting,” said Cerana, an eight-year veteran of the program, with Farrell as the fourth under her tutelage.
With the students diving into all aspects of a parish’s faith formation during the first year, and encountering those of all ages and backgrounds, both apprentice and mentor “get to understand what [the apprentices’] gifts are, and plug them into those places,” Cerana said. In the second year of the program, their ministry focus is narrowed and “they do their work much more deeply and take more leadership responsibility.”
At the same time, “We’re helping these young women and men discern where they’re going to apply themselves” after the completion of the program, Cerana said.
First-time mentor Mozzillo worked with Polzer in Haddonfield. “The growth that takes place in [the ECHO program] is immeasurable,” she said. “We [mentors] have walked the road together with these three wonderful students, immersed in a journey of faith.”
To Christ Our Light, “one of the greatest gifts that Cheyenne has brought is her witness,” Johnson said. “She’s been a great sign of hope and promise.”
Msgr. McGrath, who guides the apprentices in their personal and community development, sees he and the mentors as blessed to be part of the Echo program. “[The students] all feel drawn to the care of the people of God. The Echo program is designed to provide them the kinds of experiences to do just that, and we share their journeys with them.”
Next Steps
Farrell, Polzer and Schuster said they will take the experience and wisdom gained from serving in the Diocese to new opportunities.
Farrell will stay in the New Jersey/Philadelphia area, seeking a position as a high school theology teacher. Polzer will return to Texas and discern her next steps. Schuster will head to the University of Notre Dame in the fall, and work as a rector at a women’s residence hall.
Reflecting on the ECHO experience, Polzer says that for young adults who feel called to serve the Church, the program “offers wonderful support,” while also being “a unique opportunity to grow professionally, spiritually and humanly.”
Farrell said that ECHO can be beneficial for individuals “whatever they’re going to do – be it religious life, marriage, lay ministry or a [secular] job and doing it in the spirit of the Gospel. The program is going to form you well for any of those parts.”
The ECHO mentors look forward to keeping in touch with their apprentices.
Mozzillo said she is eager to see where Polzer’s path in life will take her. “I feel very confident that whatever position she takes, this experience has equipped her greatly to feeling comfortable and confident for a life of faith in the Church.”
Said Johnson, “I hope that their happiness and joy continue to be contagious for others, and that they continue to embrace wherever God leads them.”
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