Diocesan ministers share their faith

By JAMIE MCCLURE, Globe Intern
Sept. 13, 2007

Those new to ministry in the Diocese of Sioux City decided to become involved for a variety of reasons, but all have the common desire to share their faith with others.

Among those with new ministry positions this year is Andrea Jenson, a junior at Morningside College. Her many good teachers inspired Jensen to become involved with her faith. Those teachers answered her questions while she was growing up and now, she said, she wants to give back the faith she was taught to other people.

"My parents, especially, brought me up well and taught me a lot," said Jenson. "I also had many different leaders who helped me when I attended camps and retreats."

Jenson said it's important to practice what you believe in and "do something with the gifts that God has given you."

"Church wasn't enough for me," she said. "I had to pass on the gifts I was given to others."

A native of Pocahontas, Jensen began teaching parish religious education classes as a freshman in high school. She also was involved in Camp CAYOCA and Discover and Search Retreats. She spent this summer as a Totus Tuus teacher and previously she was a participant and worker for the Christian Leadership Institute.

One of the benefits for Jensen of being a Totus Tuus teacher was receiving internship credit through Morningside College. She said she was looking for something to do with ministry for the summer and it sounded like a good option to get involved and meet a lot of people.

"It's important for children to learn about their faith because I think that our faith is something central we should base our lives around and it's just as important as learning to read and write," said Jenson.

"My goal as a teacher of the faith is to bring people closer to Christ and to the faith," she said.

DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUACATION IN MARCUS

Two others who have new ministry positions this year are Sherill Glassmaker, director of religious education at Holy Name Parish in Marcus, and Laura Anderson, pastoral minister at the Holy Trinity Parish in Fort Dodge. They have volunteered in the past but are now part-time/full-staff working for parishes.

To Glassmaker, being involved in the faith "is a way of life and being involved is a way to pass on to others what I know, especially to the next generation - the youth."

She has been involved with the church for 20 years, beginning her faith journey with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program.

"I felt that the religious formation program was my calling because ever since I joined the Catholic faith, I have been involved primarily with young people and my goals are to pass some of the faith on to them."

Currently, Glassmaker is the director of religious education for preschool to 12th grade. She was hired in April of this year and is beginning her duties this fall. She previously worked as a volunteer DRE for the elementary school program for the former Maryhill Visitation Parish.

"I hope to empower the catechists and parents this year to work together toward faith formation for all of the students in the Holy Name Parish," said Glassmaker.

Her goals for this year are to "help the people in the parish to work toward a catechetical program so they have something to put their time into and to help them find what they are looking for."

Children should be involved in their faith, she said, because they are the foundation of society's future to live as Jesus lived and taught.

PASTORAL MINISTER IN FORT DODGE

Anderson has been the pastoral minister at Holy Trinity Parish for two months and she has been a full-time paid minister for the last two years. She is also involved in many other activities including baptism preparation, campus ministry, Hispanic ministry and marriage enrichment.

"I did a lot of volunteer ministry work, and I loved it," said Anderson. "So, I decided that's how I wanted to spend the rest of my life - serving God."

Anderson said religious education is important to people's faith because, "It's our response to God for all that he has done for us, and in the process - the way he created us, is that in worshiping him is how we become most human, most happy and most whole.

"Being the pastoral minister brings me closer to the faith by helping me learn that when you minister to others, you are experiencing so many different aspects of God in many different forms," said Anderson. "You have so many people coming to you at different levels and it's really amazing to see God in the poor and those with incredible gifts every day."

In her duties as pastoral minister, Anderson is reaching out to young adults by revitalizing the campus ministry and marriage enrichment within the parish. Holy Trinity Parish ministry is also working on the RCIA program and baptism preparation to make it work smoother for the community.

"I really love working for the church and for me to go into the ministry at first was a great risk, but I can't see myself doing anything else," she said.