Investing in Youth

Mart Miariam Youth Group

The Regrowth of a Church Community

By Vanessa Metti

The parish of the Mart Mariam Chaldean Catholic Church in Northbrook, Illinois is home to many believers of Christ in the Chicagoland area. Mart Mariam Church is part of the Chaldean Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle, based in Michigan. The church relocated to the city of Northbrook in 2011, allowing its parishioners access to a larger church that would better equip a growing community. 

Mart Mariam Church currently holds three Masses every Sunday: one in Arabic, one in English, and the high Mass in Chaldean, in addition to an English Mass every Saturday. This church consists of many different programs and groups of all ages that are designed to bring people together to worship, love, and know God as well as build a stronger community within the church.

 The different programs our church hosts involve: an adult Bible study every Tuesday led by Father Matthew Zetouna – the parochial vicar as of August 2020; a children’s program series called ‘Getting Grounded’ for grades four and five; an upcoming series/program for children in grades six through eight; an upcoming summer camp program; and the new high school Bible study titled ‘Called to Christ’ (CTC).  

With the arrival of a native English speaker, Father Ayad Hanna, the church’s head pastor and Father Matthew have been able to emphasize a more English-based ministry by creating a more solid base of the English Mass, along with a new introduction of English servers and choir members. 

During this Lent season, the priests have also added the Stations of the Cross every Friday that is done solely in English and is carried out by the youth members of the parish, from reading the stations and singing to holding the candles and the cross. 

It is no mystery to any parish that it is difficult to bring youth members to the church, let alone keep them engaged in the different activities the church hosts. Much of that is due to the influence of social media, public schools, and (mis)guidance away from the teachings of God. 

Our youth at Mart Miriam has recently been reconnecting with God and the church community - in part, thanks to the newly added programs; however, it would be naive to deny how much the emphasis on English-based ministry has made it easier and more desirable for younger members in the church to understand and connect to God. 

Growing up in the United States, most conversations and social environments are conducted in English, which is why it is essential to introduce programs that younger members in the church can immerse themselves in. This past year has shown its challenges amidst COVID-19 and its restrictions on the church’s ability to fully open. Nevertheless, the parish has started these programs, while abiding by those restrictions, which for the majority are led and designed by Father Matthew. 

The most effective and quickly growing in numbers is the CTC high school program. It was difficult to begin with because as Father Matthew pointed out here in Chicago, “teens live far away.” He goes on, “This was a unique opportunity to bring them together. This program is so successful, and I think about it differently because it’s creating a community that builds relationships not just amongst the teens, but between the leaders and teens.”

More than that, Father Matthew points out, “It’s creating a sense of ownership of the leaders to their church and dedication, and therefore creating a relationship with their church that doesn’t rely on the presence of a priest.” That’s important.  “That’s a Mart Mariam quality, not a Father Matthew additive,” he states. 

As a member of the youth and also the Mart Mariam parish, I have been able to see how old and new members of the community are being driven to attend these Bible study sessions that have created a safe, fun and holy dynamic for teens. I was able to attend a Bible study hosted by the leaders of CTC, and seeing how active and excited many of the teens were to be there.

Their participation was amazing because I was able to experience a sense of enthusiasm and kinship that was absent for quite some time. In some conversations I had with both leaders and teens, there was an evident familial bond that was created within this smaller community. When the teens were asked why they came, a few mentioned, “coming here gives me a chance to see my friends, meet new people and become closer to the leaders but also I get to work on my relationship with God.” 

CTC meets on Wednesdays and typically consists of a lesson or talk led by a leader, then conversations in smaller groups followed by Eucharistic adoration. One of the two chairs, Jasmine Sawah, has been active with the Mart Mariam Church community since she was a toddler. Sawah mentioned how Eucharistic adoration and confession in complete silence is, “a really good time for you and God to talk; you look over your mistakes and what you’ve done which makes you want to start on a clean slate with God, pushing both the teens and myself to go to confession.” 

Called to Christ (CTC) is one example of the many programs recently created at Mart Mariam Church that has been able to bring back people that not only help build a better community within our Chaldean Catholic population in the Chicagoland area, but they have also allowed for a spiritual shift in having younger members of the church want to seek God, want to know God and understand Him better. 

Sawah said that had she had similar programs growing up within the church, they wouldn’t have lost so many youth members. The recent programs that Father Matthew and Father Ayad administer focus on recreating a communal family, tying everyone together culturally but most importantly spiritually. These programs are living examples of the effort and dedication the community is willing to give to bring back the youth and re-establish a sense of home at Mart Mariam. Maybe what we begin here can spread to other parishes and start a youth revival.