September - St. Augustine Catholic

“Whatever the future holds for him, we have been blessed to have
him here at Santa Maria del Mar,” his pastor, Father John Tetlow, says.
Krissy Lombardo -- A woman on a mission
While she could have spent her summer days shopping for the many
items to take to Florida State University with her this fall, instead 18-
year-old Krissy Lombardo spent four days volunteering to rebuild homes
damaged by hurricane Katrina in Mississippi. It was her third trip as
part of the relief effort, “Project Hope and Compassion.” “It makes you
feel so good about the people you are touching,” she says. “Things are
still so devastated [in Mississippi].” And that’s not all. Krissy is an honors
student and Beta Club member very active in
St. Anastasia Parish’s youth ministry. Group
activities include working at the St. Francis
House soup kitchen and visiting the retired
nuns. She also volunteers to help with the
middle school youth group and sings with the
choir at the monthly Youth Mass.
With all her works of goodwill, Krissy admits
life “gets a little crazy sometimes.” She credits
her youth director, Melody Ott, as one of her spiritual role models saying,
“I’ve watched her and followed her lead. God’s such a huge part of her
life.” She encourages other kids to get involved in the Mass because “you
can make that connection with the church so much stronger.”
Her brother, Michael, 20, who has Downs Syndrome, volunteers as
an usher at the 8:30 a.m. Mass. “I’ve loved watching him grow, too, in
this church, and I can feel myself grow … in this great community.”
Maria Sicuranza – Filling souls with music
Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine parishioner, Maria Sicuranza
loves children. So much so, that the 18-year-old is on her way to
the University of North Florida to study music education in hopes
of teaching elementary school. She volunteers in the church nursery
during the 9 a.m. Mass and afterward attends
11 a.m. Mass. This talented young Catholic
plays the flute, piccolo and some piano, but
her main instrument of focus at UNF will be
voice.
Maria has a passion for Christian music and
her favorite bands include Jars of Clay and
Sicuranza
Lombardo
Casting Crowns. She traveled to World Youth
Day in Cologne, Germany in 2005 with the
Diocese of Rockville Centre when she lived in New York, and spent
one week on a mission trip to Jamaica in March. There, she befriended
a young mute girl in an infirmary and visited an orphanage.
“When I’m older I know I want to work with kids like that,” Maria
says. “Even though they have such a hard life, they have so much love.
It’s amazing.” In addition to the music ministry, Maria was treasurer of
the Key Club and a member of the Drama Club at St. Joseph Academy,
and she worked part-time at the Shrine Shop on the grounds of
Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine.
“I do realize how much I have and how blessed I am and how lucky
I am to be here,” she says.
Jeremy Camacho – A humble servant
To find out what makes 19-year-old Jeremy Camacho so special, you
have to ask anyone who knows him. He won’t tell you. “A lot of us get
emotional where Jeremy’s involved,” says Blessed Trinity’s Director of
Religious Education, Aixa Feliciano. She also coordinates the parish’s
Vacation Bible School where Jeremy volunteers.
“He’s outstanding,” Aixa says. “He has no other reason to be here
except that he wants to serve.” As an integral part of the parish
community, Jeremy is not only a member of
the youth group, but he is a cross-bearer at the
Spanish Mass, has been involved in the spring
carnival, parish garage sale and multi-cultural
dance sponsored by the Spanish ministry. He
was active in DEFIANCE, a program similar
to the drug education program, D.A.R.E., at
Sandalwood High School, and he was trained
to be a peer mediator.
He has received academic excellence awards in several subjects,
including science, history and technology. Jeremy, who admits that he
only started to become involved in the church during high school, also
found time to balance a job in the process.
“I just find a way to have everything set up where I can do
everything,” he says. “I always find a way to do church. It’s just a very
good feeling to stay involved.”
Additionally, Jeremy was one of five youth in the diocese to receive
the St. Timothy Award this year. This award is presented by the
National Federation of Catholic Youth to those who demonstrate
the gospel by setting a positive example for others. Faith “should be
something that comes out of you; something that helps others grow
and do the right thing,” Jeremy says. “I just do what I do.”
By this month, he will have decided whether or not to attend The
Citadel in Charleston, S.C. for college. He wants to study computer
science and join the Air Force.
Blake Warfield – Serving God and country
Growing up in a military family is never easy, but it is a reality for
15-year-old Blake Warfield, whose family has attended Holy Spirit
Parish for three years. Fortunately, the stability of the Catholic Church
has remained a constant for him. His father, a Navy commander, was
deployed to Iraq in 2006 and missed Blake’s eighth grade graduation.
“It was a time of my life that was really hard. He told me that he would
be there,” Blake says. “It was something my whole family had to deal
with.” That mature attitude carries over into Blake’s church life as well.
Last year, he came up with the name of Holy
Spirit’s new youth group, TLC.COM (Teens
Loving Christ. Catholics on the Move). Since
then, he has been instrumental in recruiting
more than 20 youth to the group. He is a
teen lector and trains others for the ministry,
participates in retreats, assists with Vacation
Warfield
Camacho
Bible School and volunteers to DJ and emcee
for church functions.
“I feel that Blake has taken the challenge to come out of the ‘comfort
box’ and looking back over the year I see many wonderful growths in
his spiritual and social life,” comments Debbie Hoover, youth director
at Holy Spirit. “I look forward to him attending leadership programs
sponsored by the diocese …and those on the national level.”
Blake credits his grandmother, Charlotte Blackwell, as one of his
spiritual role models. “She does everything – says the rosary, goes to
Mass early. I’ve looked up to her my whole life. She’s helped me a
20 St. Augustine Catholic September 2007