FOR MANY HIGH SCHOOL students, a Sunday night is typically dedicated to homework, studying and preparing for a jam-packed week of school activities. But for more than 80 kids at San Francisco Solano Catholic Church in Rancho Santa Margarita, Sunday evening is the perfect time for prayer, worship and spending quality time with peers who feel like family.
“I didn’t know what my faith was when I first attended. I was just coming to hang out with friends,” El Toro High School student Edgar Puentes shared. “Summit really sparked when I met the leader Matt Franklin, who was this loving guy who brought you in not just as a friend, but almost as a family member, as another son. Just to see him introduce himself and just be this loving guy who always opens his door for everyone and anyone, it was really nice to have that invitation.”
As Solano’s Youth Ministry Coordinator, Franklin helped create a weekly event that starts with games, dinner and prayer and continues with worship, small groups and a reflection on the Gospel.
“I try my very best to make it palatable so they can understand it,” Franklin explained. “They can chew on it. They can apply it to their own life and their space in high school.”
Another unique element of Summit is the opportunity for students to lay down their burdens and share the highs and lows of life around them.
“We send them out either in twos or threes to honestly share the things that they have going on in their life, things that they would like to see God move in and just show up in a big way or even small way,” Franklin shared. “They go out together and then they take turns just praying for the needs of the individual in that little group.”
Fr. Duy Le, the church’s pastor, has witnessed countless students growing in their faith every weekend. He especially applauds the current group of attendees who dealt with isolation during the coronavirus pandemic.
“They’re thirsting for community,” he shared. “They’re hungry for our Lord and something that’s greater than what this world offers. We love them. We want them to feel at home.”
El Toro High School student Salvador Macias is quick to praise parish leadership for what they have provided to kids curious about their faith. In between studying for school and football practice, the senior makes it a priority to attend Summit every Sunday.
“I just look at everything differently,” he explained about his faith journey. “When I’m experiencing challenges or just kind of hit a rough patch, I have a home and a place here. I know that there’s something greater for me than just this life.”
After graduating from Trabuco Hills High School, Evan MacLean enrolled at Saddleback College with plans to transfer to UC Irvine. Thanks to a positive experience at Summit, he decided to pay it forward and become a leader.
“I started going out of my comfort zone and talking to new people, making new friends. Now, I don’t even know what I would do without them,” he shared about his journey with the youth group. “Even just a week without them, I’m just longing for that again. It’s just built me up so much over the past few years, just growing my faith and I’ve never been happier.”
Focusing on youth is something Fr. Duy has always been passionate about. In his young adult life, he remembers being positively impacted by youth mass and youth ministry.
As a result, he wants to make sure kids have an opportunity to open their hearts to whatever God is calling them to do.
“I think we have neglected the young generation,” Fr. Duy shared. “I think that we don’t speak their language and we don’t try to because we want them to come to us instead of the church coming to them. I want to first apologize for that. We need to try harder for them.”
For students who may have a desire to ask questions, explore and learn more about their faith, Fr. Duy invites any and all students to Solano.
“We want them to know that we are listening,” he shared. “They are everything. They are the present and they are the future. … No matter what, God loves you. No matter what, he’s proud of you. No matter what, this is your church. No matter how far you’ve gone away, no matter what you’ve done, this place belongs to you.”
Franklin is grateful to Fr. Duy and Solano’s clergy including Parochial Vicar Fr. Cole Buzon and seminarian Ivan Lopez for actively participating with Summit and the youth ministry. He also continues to be inspired by students who show up to support their peers and build a stronger relationship with God.
“They’re just like every single one of us when we were in high school when we had so many questions,” Franklin shared. “We had so many outside voices telling us what we should and shouldn’t do. What we should and shouldn’t wear. What we should or shouldn’t believe. They’re just like us. They’re all wanting the same things and they’re all asking the same questions. They want to know that there are people that care enough. And the bigger question is, is there a God that sees them, knows them and loves them even when they’re maybe in a messy situation.”
When reflecting on the success of Summit, Franklin said he can’t take all of the credit. Instead, it’s the students who deserve praise for making Sunday nights a powerful experience.
“They want to be seen,” he added. “They want to be known. They want to be loved. I think students are showing up because other students are being bold and inviting their peers to come and explore and ask questions and get a chance to experience the love of God.”