new world
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Bringing Snacks to
the Mystery at Work
An inauspicious work taking place in suburban Maryland among a group of CL adults clamors with meaning. Teens and pre-teens, discussions, singing, camp-outs, and… snacks–of course!–conspire toward a meaningful, and mysterious, richness.

by Roberto Amoruso

Four years ago, my friend Laura asked me to help her “do something” with the junior high school kids. I didn’t have any idea how to go about it. I did, however, have a striking memory of my experience and my conversion at this same young age because of a friendship with a priest, Fr. Paolo, who simply talked to us, played with us, and loved us. Here, years later, we too started very simply by meeting at the local school every Friday afternoon. I, Laura, and another friend Josephine (later joined by Michelle) got together to answer the question of “what to do” with these kids and these Friday afternoons. God is always answering, and our very question was the beginning of His answer. This has been particularly true in our experience with what became the “Knights” group, and still continues to be true. Our desires are not “ours” but the perceivable beginning of His answer. Then, it is left to the simple heart to understand and follow. So we started, and what happened is beyond our capabilities. That is to say, He is the one at work.
After one year of brainstorming for a name and a more defined status, we went camping in southern Maryland, where we visited the museum of St. Clement’s Island, which presents a striking history: In 1633, freedom-seeking Catholics from England arrived by ship and waited for the 25 th of March to land, so as to celebrate the first Mass ever (in the history of the original colonies) on the Feast of the Annunciation. Amazing! We understood this as a sign and since that day we call ourselves the Knights of St. Clement’s.

From hockey to philosophy. What we do together is simple–almost excruciatingly simple! We meet on Friday afternoons and begin with a snack. Then we have a discussion whose purpose is to help one another to look, to truly look (with both our eyes and our hearts) at our lives, our friendships, and at all of our surrounding reality to see what it is going on. The discussion is led by we adults, but it more truly follows the kids. That is, what is on their minds or in their hearts and what is going on in their lives is the best starting point. If they have just lost a hockey game, we might spend most of the discussion talking about sports and why we play them. If Mary (our greatest philosopher of the group) has a profound question, we might discuss some difficult questions–or tease our little philosopher and judge what makes a question important and useful. Whatever events they are living (the school performance, Christmas break, the March for Life, etc.), the kids are always urged to look, to really look and see what strikes them, and why. We ask, “What brings joy or meaning into what you are living?” We use no text except for this “formula” to get the kids to focus on looking for and recognizing Christ in their lives:  1.)Christ is proposing something to you right now, in your present circumstance, joy, or frustration; 2.) if you see this, share it with someone; or 3.) if you do not see Christ’s proposal in what you are now living, pray to the Virgin Mary. This formula has been repeated, explained, and memorized by the kids, over and over, millions of times. These discussions all began with the same question: “What did you see this week? What is He proposing to you?” It’s not that every discussion has been fascinating, with every child eager to give a contribution. At times, it was quite the contrary. But even when the kids seemed numb or unable to see or judge anything, it was the occasion to learn that we’re living asleep, with our eyes closed. We urged, “Let’s start to look; let’s start to pray.” And, little by little, our meeting together was the means of opening our eyes and hearts, developing the “eyes of faith.” For example, one 6th-grade girl sent this e-mail at the end of the year: “I wanted to tell you that lately I have been noticing the beauty in everything around me. I see how fascinating life is and how beautiful it is. I see God every day in my life now. I wanted to tell you, Father Roberto, Michelle, and Mrs. Egan, thank you for really opening my eyes.”  The discussion is actually very brief (perhaps 20 minutes) and then we begin to play!  Every absurd use of blindfolds, balls, and empty soda cans in a tiny social hall was tested and thoroughly enjoyed. Kids who had to miss our get-together (because of a commitment such as play practice) would peer into the room if they had a spare moment, just to witness the marvelous silliness they were missing.

Camping and wonder. The offer is surprisingly humble: a snack, a brief attempt at a discussion, our “formula,” and some silly games, all in the company of adults who are often over-busy or over-tired. What strikes us, what we are becoming increasingly  aware of, is that we stay together, we strive, in order to offer the best we are and have, and the result is always greater than our efforts and our desires. The best expression of what we see and experience, in mathematical terms, would be: 1 + 1 + 1 = 100. Last month, we went camping in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, at the corner of three states where two rivers join together; the little town and surrounding hills are full of beauty and history. Thankfully, life at a campsite is made up of simple things. As soon as we arrived, we started pitching tents, organizing the “kitchen,” and looking for firewood. (It is amusing to see how both kids and adults can be challenged by a tent!)

History continues.The desire we all had was to discover all the beauty that He prepared for us and we told the kids that the theme of our camp-out was “In Awe in Front of What the Lord Does.” We went for two hikes (one with striking cliff-top views), we played games, we looked for firewood, we cooked, we ate (shish-kebabs, pasta, hamburgers…), we cleaned up, sang around the fire, played more games, looked for more firewood, cooked more delicious food. Then, on the last night, we looked at the fire, at the stars, and at one another and were filled with wonder. We began a discussion, asking the kids what they had seen in those days. We marveled that their responses were full of such beauty and understanding. We wondered… and the greatest wonder was perceiving the Work, the Action in each action. Upon our return, parents were ready to welcome their kids back, and each child’s happiness was a gift for everyone. Historic Harpers Ferry taught us that history still continues and we are part of it. The other three leaders–Laura Stohlman, Josephine Egan, and Michelle Ratti–and I would summarize our experience thus: we just bring the snacks and then we wait and watch. Every Friday presents us with a new and beautiful surprise. We bring the snacks for the Mystery who is always at Work.
(In collaboration with Josephine Egan, Laura Stohlman, and Michelle Ratti)