Romero Center forming disciples

CAMDEN – Heating up a single serving of Easy Mac in the Romero Center kitchen, 17-year-old Billy Kennedy didn’t mind going hungry if it meant growing in who he’s called to be.

A junior at Saint Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., he and his classmates were participants earlier this month at the Romero Center’s Urban Challenge, a weeklong immersion experience to learn about the root causes of poverty and the Gospel call to welcome the stranger.

That day’s Catholic social teaching-based theme, the preferential option for the poor, had he and his fellow retreatants – which also included students from Oratory Prep in Summit, N.J. – split into “families” of four.

The $6 allotted to each group for breakfast, lunch and dinner reflected the poverty of many in the City of Camden, and Kennedy was mindful of the big picture as he shared the serving with his three fellow retreatants.

“This experience has helped me see the world in a bigger lens,” Kennedy said. “Seeing and understanding how others live makes me want to help them, as Jesus would want me to.”

He also noted how he and fellow volunteers are growing together while serving, and forming bonds with old and new friends in the process.

Kennedy was one of the 22 youth recently enlightened by the Romero Center Ministries.

The Camden-based center, born out of Saint Joseph Pro-Cathedral, provides Catholic education and retreat experiences inspired by the prophetic witness of Saint Oscar Romero, a Salvadoran archbishop who stood up for the poor and oppressed.

Founded in 1998 under the leadership of the late Msgr. Robert T. McDermott, then-pastor of Saint Joseph Pro-Cathedral, in a renovated convent, the Romero Center has remained steadfast in its goals as an urban retreat center to guide all in Jesus’ call to serve those in need.

“Those in high school and college come here and have transformative experiences,” said Teresa Garibay, director of Romero Center Ministries.

She noted that last year, approximately 1,200 participants – some from as far away as California – took part in the Urban Challenge, and accounted for 20,000 hours of service.

Garibay has been involved with the organization in some capacity since shortly after its inception and has been its leader since 2017.

Last month, on March 24, the staff and supporters of the center celebrated its 28th anniversary with Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on the feast day of Saint Oscar Romero.

Common Humanity

In the center’s Urban Challenge, participants gain an understanding of urban poverty, its causes, and the many issues that people living in these conditions confront every day. They also learn the effects of urban decay, which include a lack of affordable housing, an absence of employment opportunities, homelessness, hunger and violence.

“Before coming here, maybe these youth went in panic mode when they stopped at a red light, and someone homeless walking on the street engaged them,” said Richard Nalen, Urban Challenge associate at the Romero Center.

“The hope is that through hearing the stories of others, they leave with a new vision and understand the common humanity we all have, and say to themselves, ‘I have an obligation to take care of my brother and sister,’” he continued.

Their days begin with morning prayer, followed by departure to various service sites such as Camden’s Cathedral Kitchen to feed the hungry and the SSJ Neighborhood Center to provide assistance to families, as well as MANNA in Philadelphia, which provides nutrition education to those with serious illnesses.

Returning to the center in the evening, retreatants have dinner, education and reflection.

“Through personal experiences and the evening presentations, the youth learn the challenges of others and their stories. Their eyes are opened,” Garibay said.

“The hope is that when they go back home, they are more compassionate and more willing to advocate for the poor and vulnerable,” she continued. “What they do here, doesn’t end here.”

‘Antidote to the Darkness’

Vincent Pasqua, 16, a sophomore at Oratory Prep, will heed Garibay’s wishes.             

“I’m definitely going to take these experiences back with me up north, and figure out ways to continue to help others,” he said.

At the beginning of his five-day retreat, Pasqua spent time at STARS Adult Medical Day Care Center, interacting with seniors.

“I danced with them, played BINGO and helped to serve lunch,” he recalled. “They were excited to see that somebody cares.”

Also expressing excitement for the youth’s presence, and the future, is Nalen, who knows the Romero Center is transforming people and communities in Christ’s Gospel.

“Every day when I come in and I’m listening to the terrible news on the radio, I pull up and I see the youth jumping into the vans, ready to head out” to the service sites, he said.

“They’re so invested and enthusiastic, and an antidote to all the darkness. The Romero Center is a hopeful place.”