Sal Biase, 22, is no stranger to Saint Paul Church. He was one of a group of students from Catholic University who spent their 2010 Spring Break in Berlin, Conn., to lead the confirmation retreats.
Raised in Brick Township, N.J., which is part of Ocean County on the Jersey shore, he could walk to the movie theater, beach and boardwalk. He has one younger brother and two older half-brothers. This self-described, life-long Miami Dolphins fan is a staff blogger at Phin Phanatic (http://phinphanatic.com/).
Sal graduated in May (2012) with a B.A. in Media Studies from CU. He applied for the Youth Minister position here at Saint Paul’s because he was actively involved in CU’s Student Ministry Program. Of the 4,000 students in campus ministry, he was one of 20 who were placed in dormitories or in communities. His job was to knock on doors to get to know the residents and go out on campus.
“You’re really an advocate for Christ on campus. We did a lot of programming and fun events,” says Sal. “If you can minister effectively to college students and have their respect at the end of the year, you can pretty much work with any age group, especially highschoolers.”
His vision for a Youth Ministry program is equal parts Faith, Fun, and Fellowship, but he’s taking small steps. The first step was to form a youth group planning committee this summer. It includes students from Berlin High, Xavier and Mercy.
“I’m looking forward to getting involved in the community and being visible in their routines,” he says. “I do no good if I’m locked away in the Parish Center.”
“The altar server trip was a start, but there’s a lot more of that to come,” Sal says. Some ideas include competitive games like basketball tournaments, movie nights, sledding and hiking. “I also want to make sure the faith of St. Paul’s isn’t overlooked in our youth,” he adds. More masses on Ragged Mountain, like the one Fr. Robert organized a few years ago, is one idea.
The second step was meeting the faculty and staff at Saint Paul school. He lead a staff retreat and has already guest-taught in 5th, 7th and 8th grade religion class at the school. Sal will be the full-time instructor for one of the 7th grade public school religious education classes.
His next step is to form a parent advisory committee. “I’d like them to reach out to me because they know their kids better than I do,” says Sal.
“Saint Paul’s is a large community of faithful Catholics. I’m sure there’s going to be tons I can learn from them,” he says. “I really want to experience all this parish community has to offer.”