This week, eight young adults from the Diocese of Phoenix are heading to Nairobi, Africa, as the inaugural group of Bishop John Dolan’s newly developed program, Engage your Equal (E.Y.E.) — an opportunity to facilitate global solidarity among young adults around the world and to foster a deeper understanding of the universal Church.
This service immersion experience in a foreign country is the first of three major components of the program, which also includes intentional community support among participants and implementing shared experiences into ministries throughout the diocese upon their return.
The participants, ranging in age from 20-to-33 years old, will be joined by four mentors, who will leave on June 9 for Africa and return on June 26. During their time abroad they will meet with young adults from the Together for a New Africa program, visit the Catholic Relief Services offices in Nairobi, meet fellow Catholics from the Archdiocese of Nairobi and visit the Giraffe Centra and Nairobi National Park, among other formative experiences.
The Catholic Sun will be providing boots-on-the-ground stories and insights from these young adults during their two-week trip. Click here to sign up for the weekly newsletter so you don’t miss this exciting coverage.
Let’s keep these young adults and their mentors in our prayers during this exciting time for the diocese:
Abigail Simon, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Scottsdale
Daphne Vera-Munoz, St. James, Glendale
Glenda Soto Salas, Ss. Simon and Jude, Phoenix
Grace Marie Godat, St. Anne, Gilbert
Hannah Hudgins, St. John Vianney, Goodyear
Lazmhy Gallo Hernandez, St. Charles Borromeo, Peoria
Marisa Lopez, St. Catherine of Siena, Phoenix
Taylor Robbins, Sacred Heart, Prescott
Mentors:
Fr. Teilo Lwande, pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle, Chandler
Junuee Castro, coordinator of Youth and Young Adults for the Diocese of Phoenix
Pat Markey, consultant for the USCCB Subcommittee on the Church in Africa
Abigail Standish, coordinator of Catholic Social Teaching for the Diocese of Phoenix
