The project that four SMCHS graduates started has now been passed down to a group of students ready to spread the faith filled mission of REALministry.

In May of the 2015-2016 school year, Andrew Hoang, Beck Svensson, CJ Bautista and Ricky Cruz created a student-run ministry; The goal was to grow and nurture young people’s relationship with God. Now, the torch has been handed down to around ten 2016-2017 seniors with the hope that they will continue to fill the hearts of students with God’s light.

“[The organizers and I] prepare the testimonies, the theme and just create an event where people can come worship,” said senior Eugene Choi. “We’re not [retreat] leaders, we’re experiencing this with you.”

Originally, the ministry idea stemmed from the experiences people had from the school retreats. According to the REALministry website, “The genuine faith that is displayed by retreatants often is extinguished afterwards due to busy schedules…REALministry’s mission is to bring the ideas of retreats into the lives of young people on a more consistent basis.” By mimicking retreats, REALministry holds Ignite events (XLT-like gatherings). After Choi attended the summer Kairos, all he has been wanting to do is to ‘live the fourth,’ the day of Kairos.

“Just being able to spread the Kairos experience or help people that have gone on Kairos re-experience is amazing,” Choi said. “I feel like a lot of people will say [REALministry] is more of a Kairos thing but it’s really just about ‘I’ and God.”

Despite the fact that this ministry is student-run, those who organize the events have a mentor that is there not only to help them physically by setting up the equipment beforehand, but also spiritually by praying and supporting them.

“I’m really whatever they need me to be,” said assistant director of campus ministry Francis Cabildo. “A lot of the ministry guys would come for advice on how to do certain things. I love that [the students] are doing things on their own and if they need help in any area, I’m happy to help.”

Choi’s favorite thing about being in the ministry is that there are no adults in the room when REALministry hold events like Ignite– that and also dancing.

“Being student run really just shows how we as students can help each other and spread our own life story as an experience of faith,” Choi said. “We all have faith in us, sometimes it’s just hard to see, but with [student] testimonies, we can really just spread it.”

Speakers at events like these generally speak about a topic that they believe will help people grow closer to God. One of the first testimony speakers was senior Anton Poujade. In Poujade’s case, he felt that he needed to tell his story to prove to his audience that one can believe in something without seeing it. Although Poujade was self-conscious and nervous about publically speaking and telling a personal story, he felt the need to give this information to his audience.

“To be honest it was a little nerve racking being up there and knowing that 40-60 people were going to be staring at me and listening to my story,” Poujade said. “However, Beck Svensson, the leader or REALmin at the time, had told me that I had the opportunity to impact and change people with my story.”

Spreading God’s word and sharing an experience of faith alongside your peers “brings a special  spiritual bond that allows God to do greater things to a group of people,” according to director of campus ministry Nancy Hormuth. This is one of the many reasons why the group is so tight-knit.

“My favorite part is the friendships and comradery that [the ministry] is beginning to build,” Cabildo said. “They’re not scared to call each other out if they are not living according to the standard of the ministry — not in a judgmental way but in a very loving way. They’re really looking out for each other so that they can live out their holiness and really be saints.”

A big part of being in this ministry is handling your image. It’s important for the members to hold each other accountable for how they live with Catholic values outside of school.

“Of course a lot of people can do REALministry but you have to control your image to show that you really reflect God in your actions,” Choi said. “That can include anything from parties to just your general attitude.”

Everyone is open to joining this ministry. The next Ignite event is on Sept. 8  6:30-8:30 p.m. on the second floor of San Francisco Solano and all are encouraged to go; whether you’re skeptical of attending, stressed about the new school year or just want to feel God’s presence, make sure to go to have a memorable experience!

“Everything we do is a secondary response to the initial movement that God has,” Cabildo said. “Going to XLT is not the first step; the first step is God loving us. XLT, mass, prayer and REALministry are really just a response to the love that God has for us already.”