Charlotte Gorant ....... Kristin Wegner ....... Kelley Pulda ......... Corey Park

Senior Sermon ..............Charlotte Gorant

Hello everyone. My name is Charlotte Gorant and I am a graduating senior this year. I attended St. Joseph’s School since pre-kindergarten and soon after my family started coming to church here nine years ago. I want to share with you my experience here, starting with my first time coming to St. Joseph’s Church. The church was warmly lit with glowing, friendly faces. The sermon was actually interesting and related to my what I was experiencing in my life (though I was young, I did listen to bits and pieces of what I could concentrate on). The people hugged each other during communion, like family, and people I had never seen before in my life hugged me and they meant it. This was weird at first but it was better than the empty nod or handshake to the left and to the right. These people hugged up and down the rows like a family reunion. I liked it here though. I really did. This was compared to the sea of crowded and meaningless faces I had spent nine years of Sundays with at the other church. On the other Sundays there was crying everywhere during the whole mass, in a special room for children, and when we left the room to go up for communion it was silent. On the old Sundays an organ boomed through the large hall as if there were no hearts to absorb the melodious sounds. During our first time at St. Joseph’s, we sat down at coffee hour, people-watching mostly. My mom and I were listening to what people were talking about and what they were like. My dad was wondering why we don’t go to church here if they give out food every week after mass. Two girls appeared in front of me, eyes wide with curiosity. They were my age and their names were Kristin Wegner and Kelley Pulda. They were so giddy and antsy to meet me as they introduced themselves that before I even had a clue what was going on, they whisked me away to give me a tour. Little did I know that I would acolyte with them, cry on their shoulders at healing services in Kanuga with them, travel through Europe on a pilgrimage with them, and now here I am celebrating graduation with them. I remember acolyting for the first time; learning when to ring the bells, close the gates, and when to bow at the altar. Everything about it was meditative and humble. While holding the water as Father Marty or Father William washed their hands to prepare the bread and wine, I would always imagine myself as disciple doing the same for Jesus. This tradition began 2,000 years ago, and the Holy Spirit in each of us keeps this practice alive as it has in the past. I felt so important, wearing the special robes and having the entire congregation turn to look up at the large cross I was bearing as I led in the procession. Then one day I became co-head acolyte, like a big sister of our St. Joseph’s family, so that I could teach the younger children and they could have a similar experience that I did. I remember the first year that I went to Kanuga, making new friends and bringing old friends from the St. Joseph’s youth community. At Kanuga we had so much fun with all of the funny skits and antics, as well as the reflective moments. The memory that remains the closest to me is that of the healing service. We all had to write down on a small piece of paper an inner struggle that we were having: whether we needed guidance, or wanted to pray for someone close to us. We talked about them in our small groups and then we came together for a short service. During the service we put our written struggles on a small barge that was lit on fire and sent off into Kanuga Lake. Then each of us, one by one, went up to ask for healing from various counselors and spiritual leaders. I was moved as I watched everyone, nearly the entire camp, go up and put their hands on the shoulders of those who were being blessed and the hands of those in front of them, surrounding them with love and the ever-connecting thread of the Holy Spirit as tears fell from their eyes. I remember walking ten miles across the beautiful grassy hills of Iona, looking out deep into the circadian rhythm of the waves of the Pacific Ocean, and feeling renewed, recharged, and ready to fulfill the life I was living. All of us that journeyed on that pilgrimage took a step away from the habits and habitat of our every day lives. We took a step away from everything, together, and came back from our explorations, impassioned with the Holy Spirit that we found in the wonder of nature, but more importantly, in each other. We were so eager to share these experiences with this church that we had as a group. We carried our luggage across planes and ferries, hostels and buses, so that we could experience the awe-inspiring architecture of the European cathedrals and be connected with that same faith that other Christians shared around the world. On the pilgrimage, we became a small family that is part of the big St. Joseph’s family that had made this pilgrimage possible for us. Why is it that we show up for church here every Sunday morning? No one told us we had to be here. We could wake up late and spend this time reading the newspaper, out by the pool or at the beach, but we don’t. Some people might say they are here because of their belief in God, but you can pray with God at any other place in the world because the Holy Spirit is in everything and everyone around us, not just in church. So why are we here? Look around you. Actually turn your head to look at the people sitting next to you, on either side. Maybe your family or a close friend is there, but look beyond them to the people in the pew in front of you, and behind, and all around the church. They are the reason you are here. The community, all of us here at St. Joseph’s church, is a giant family of up close and personal Jesus loving Christians. We are. We come together to worship and to pray because we share our faith, but also because we’re there for each other. We support each other. When a child is born and baptized, when a couple is being blessed through marriage, and when we celebrate the life of someone that has died, we are here together, in this church and with God. Everyone and anyone is welcome at this church, and not to listen, but to become a part of our community. Male, female, gay, straight, black, white, purple, tattooed or not- it doesn’t matter. There is no fine print. There are no exceptions. All are welcome. Similar to the reading from Acts: 2 , even though we come from many different backgrounds, and even though we each have our own unique experiences to bring to the table, we are united here together through the Holy Spirit. We can relate to each other through our faith, no matter who we are and where we come from. And I know that’s really special to be a part of. I feel honored to be here, with you all, as I have grown up here. The kindness, generosity, forgiveness, and unconditional love that I have experienced through St. Joseph’s, I will cherish and take with me wherever I go. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if we hadn’t came to church here, that one day, and I don’t want to. This church is my rock, my foundation, and my home, a place that I know I can always come back to in good faith. And I want to thank you for that. Without each and every one of you this would not be possible. Thank you.

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Senior Sermon ........By Kristin Wegner

This celebration of Pentecost is about the birth of the church and the Holy Spirit being instilled into Christ’s disciples, we are also using it to celebrate the seniors, the disciples that have emerged from St. Joseph’s and the birth of the church within them. I know that I personally would be lost with little faith without St. Joseph’s. My family has been a member of the church since I was 5 years old and I can still remember the feeling and the experience I had the first day I came to St. Joseph’s. I remember being led into the pre-school rooms before the service and meeting all the new children and playing games while discretely being taught Bible stories; I remember having the best time and feeling right at home. There was a consensus as my family got in the car to head home that Sunday after church, as all 5 of us- my parents and 2 sisters and me- agreed this would be our new church home. This was the establishment of the church within me. I was just old enough then to begin to grasp the meaning of church and God and Christ the Savior, I understood that I meant enough to someone that they would die for me and that God would always be listening and helping me through life. I was taught many lessons as I grew here; I can recall one Sunday school lesson of how Jesus walked on water and how me and my group of 6 year old friends were given the opportunity to try to walk on water as Jesus did and each one of us were disappointed as we stepped into a bucket of water and couldn’t walk on it. Church became what I looked forward to on the weekends-learning about Jesus and his many miracles at Sunday School, hearing the music, watching the older children at the altar and staring up at the “giant” Fr. Mike- who now only has just a couple feet on me. The biggest accomplishment and honor at that time was to make it to second grade so you could become an acolyte trained by Gigi Brewer. I envied my sisters who got to walk into church- holding the cross or the “big gold and crystal candles”- or torches as I now call them- I yearned to be able to walk in front of the church and to be part of the “ceremony”. As all of these thoughts and desires passed through my mind I failed to realize the impact that St. Joseph’s was having in my life. It became a place of comfort and safety for me, because I never felt out of place here and a feeling of peace seemed to wash over me whenever I was here. The more active I became, like when I was finally able to become an acolyte, the stronger this feeling became. I finally felt as if I was part of something and that there was a bigger picture that maybe I didn’t fully understand, but it was there. St Joseph’s appeared to hold a magic within its walls that I didn’t understand. it’s not just the actual building but it’s the people within its walls, the literal and figurative ones. Within these walls many of you sitting in his congregation made this building into a spiritual home for me; it’s more than just the building, with the stained-glass windows with depictions of various Bible scenes and Jesus on the cross reminding us all that we are loved; it’s the people that come here, that serve and worship here that make this church really come alive. I believe that a major reason that this church felt like such a home to me and my family is that my parents reconnected and met so many people. They reconnected with people like Jeanie Wyatt-Filer and the Russell-Sideris family that are not only people that my parents knew, but grew up with. Then there are the people who welcomed my family with wide open arms like Rachel and Henry Adaszak and Bobbie Smith and my Daughter of the King prayer partner, Marg Marble who made this church a homey place. These people and so many others that are sitting in the congregation today helped me grow in this church and thrive as a child as I learned how significant God and Christ are in my life. As I became older I grew more active in the amazing child/youth program that St. Joseph’s has. It began with Sunday School classes and becoming an acolyte during the school year and then VCC and Kanuga during the summer. As the programs grew, so did I. The number of acolytes grew at a staggering rate and on any given Sunday you could see at least 6 happy faces of children carrying in the crosses and torches as well as ringing the bells. A couple years ago Charlotte Gorant and I were asked by Sherry Thomas to lead the way for the newcomers, we were asked to be the new head acolytes, I believe I can speak for Charlotte when I say we both happily and appreciatively accepted the offer. While being an acolyte consumed many of my school-year Sundays my favorite summertime memory at St. Joseph’s was VCC. I can clearly remember being a participant and having the best times dancing in the gym (believe it or not were able to fit everyone in half the gym at one point!) and traveling to the class rooms to watch everyone’s favorite, Chatter the Chipmunk with his thematic adventures where Jesus always saved the day (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?), within a couple of years I was old enough to become a crew leader, which I have now done for numerous summers and none of this would not have been possible without our wonderful and patient Coordinators, Dee Zlatic and Nancy Gorant. All of my experiences as a child here at St. Joseph’s only made me more excited to join the J2A program once I reached middle school. By the time I transitioned from the classrooms where the Sunday School classes were held in the Youth House’s backrooms where I began Rite-13 I had grown enormously; My faith was grounded by the lessons I was taught in church and by the ones out of church by my family, like my parents and grandparents, who encouraged me to put faith in God, because he was the Creator of all and would guide me through life, in both the good and bad times. Rite-13 was where my relationships with the other youth began to flourish into friendships that were unparallel to any I had had before. For example, my best friend Kelley Pulda and I met 12 years ago during Sunday School at church and throughout the years our friendship grew and now we are going away to college together. The friendships grew in the group as we went on camping trips where we sat around the campfire making s’mores or traveling up to the Episcopal Conference Center, Kanuga, which is in the mountains of North Carolina. The friendships that I had with the other youth were strengthened through many events. In one fateful and miraculous summer my nephew, who I can guarantee you will all see running around after the service, was in a life-threatening accident; he was in a drug-induced coma and was in the hospital for over three months. I believe that every person in this church and every prayer they said allowed him to be with us today. It really hit home when I was told by my parents that because of the help from this congregation that people across the world were praying for a little boy whose chances were slim, but there was always hope, and so they prayed. The idea of a miracle that was once distant occurred right in front of my eyes and now AJ is a happy and healthy 5 year old. Without the prayers of everyone I’m not sure if I could being saying that right now; it showed me that while I need to have faith I need to surround myself with people who also believe and will continually support me, which is what I have at St. Joseph’s. The family at St. Joseph’s also showed their support as I went from Rite-13 into J2A and the time came for the Pilgrimage to Scotland and England. St. Joseph’s participated in all of our fundraising activities and enabled the 21 people in my group to experience something I will never forget. To walk for three miles across the mud to Lindensfairne and have my feet washed by my peers and leaders as we showed our service to one another and to be able to experience the holy island of Iona are images that will forever be engraved in my mind. Each day of the 16-day Pilgrimage opened my eyes to a new aspect of God’s dominance in the world. As I began to think St. Joseph’s could not possibly have anything more in store for me I realized how I could not have been more wrong. It began about a year after the Pilgrimage when I decided to go on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic to a church that our church and many others have been working with for a few years. My first trip to the Dominican Republic was an eye opening experience that showed me exactly how much I have to be thankful for; I realize how much I have, and how little this community did. I fell in love with the people in the town of Jalonga, especially one particular girl named Emilie, because she had the prettiest light brown eyes and a beautiful smile, but was completely misunderstood by everyone around her, because she was deaf. The most amazing thing was that I never saw her without a smile on her face and whenever she saw anyone from the St. Joseph’s group it only got wider. I became so in love with this community I went back a second time, with an equally insightful experience. The truth remains though that without the support and love from St. Joseph’s I would never have been able to do any of these things that I have just talked about. I said earlier that I once believed St. Joseph’s contained a magic within its walls, but I have now been fortunate to see that it is not magic, but it the love of the people who call St. Joseph’s home and the Holy Spirit that are within these walls. I also believe that it is because of the wonderful staff at St. Josephs, especially Fr. Marty who has continually showed me faith within our community through news clips or even his own experience in his sermons, as well as many other staff members, like Charles Milling who have kept my faith alive and going. I would also like to point out that there is a common denominator in every single one of my stories and experiences: it’s you; it’s every one of you that sit here in the congregation today, in body and in spirit. Without the support, love, and faith of everyone here I would not be able to recite any of this to you. In closing as we commemorate Pentecost today and the birth of the Church, I would like to say thank you to everyone, because without you I would not be the person I am today because my life would be so drastically different without my home, my church at St. Joseph’s.

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Senior Sermon .......Kelley Pulda

Pentecost is the season of the Holy Spirit and is known as the birthday of the church. I was brought to this church when I was five years old and then I would have never guessed what a major role St. Joseph’s would play in my life. The youth house has been my home away from home for the majority of my life. I have been shaped into the person I am because of the life lessons and the opportunities this church offers to the youth. I have been taught to be selfless and to always help others even when you don’t have much left to give. I have had the chance to do things that I never thought that I would have the chance to do, like Kanuga, the mission trips to the Dominican Republic, and the pilgrimage, I have had many great memories. I have gone to Kanuga almost every chance that I have had. Kanuga means a lot to me and is a chance for youth to gather and to learn about God in not as formal a setting as a church. We still have services but it is more youth friendly. The trip to the Dominican Republic was a chance for me to give back and try to help the people that are not as fortunate as we are. I have found God in a little girl named Emile. She has so much joy and happiness even though not many are on her side. She is a deaf little girl who will struggle in life because of the community that she was born into. One of the most prominent memories that I have with the church is the pilgrimage to Scotland and England. This is the place where I have seen God the most, when I think of God this is where I found God the most. The opportunities that I have received and the people that I have met along the way is because of this church. I have met my best friend, Kristin Wegner and many people that have helped me so much along the way. Bobbie Smith who never forgets a birthday. My wonderful Daughters of the King Prayer Partner, Marg Marble. It seems I always get a note of encouragement from her when I need it the most. All of the facilitators that I have had over the years along with the youth ministers. And Father Marty who is such a great advocate for the youth at St. Joseph’s. I would like to thank the congregation for your continued support over the years.

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Senior Sermon ........Corey Park

Hello, my name is Corey Park, Saint Josephs has played a central role during most of the years of my Life. As I look around this church, I see many faces that are familiar St Joes is changing, as is everything. Even though we see all things change, some things are constant, such as the Love and support inherent in the family. I can say that I am fortunate enough to have at least two families, my biological one, and the St. Josephs family. I started my journey with Saint Josephs when I entered the pre-school. I still hold fond memories of playing on the newly built playground and forming relationships with classmates, many of whom are still my closest friends today. I advanced all the way though 8th grade at Saint Josephs and when it was time for me to graduate I came to cherish the bond I had made with not only the teachers but all the faculty. I can still remember great experiences with each person involved in my schooling. Ms. Gerilechs Ice Cream parties, or Mr. Hill allowing the 8th grade class just to have a free day and relax. Going to school at Saint Josephs allowed me to grow up in a small environment where I felt safe and at peace. I realize now that not every child gets this experience. When I entered Atlantic High School I felt prepared not only scholastically, but also spiritually as Saint Josephs had provided me with a clear definition of myself. Despite leaving the school, I still remained involved in the Saint Josephs Community with the youth group. I was truly fortunate to have Charles Milling and Brie Hurley as my spiritual compass to aide me in my development. This became my link to Saint Josephs as I ventured out into a world outside of this small community. Despite meeting new people and being introduced to new experiences in high school I remained confident in the fact that I had SJS to fall back on as all of the members of the church acted as my support system. This support system continued to aide my development as it allowed me to go on a pilgrimage through Scotland. I am grateful to all those people that provided me with the means for that trip as it was a defining experience in my transition from childhood to adult hood. Another amazing experience was a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. These experiences took me out of my comfort zone and placed me in a vastly different environment where I had to find myself, and fully realize the trust and support of my good friends. (They also provided great experience for college admission essays and I think are a large part of my success in being accepted at several universities.) Now I am preparing to take another step in my journey. I will be entering Wake Forest University in the Fall. The motto at Wake Forest is Pro Humanitate (which means for humanity). I see now that this is same as the mission of Saint Josephs, to better educate and enlighten ourselves so that we can offer to others the light and good fortune the Lord has shared with us. As I depart to college I leave with the confidence of knowing who I am, and that the Family of Saint Josephs will be there for me, no matter what change comes.