Extension Magazine - Fall 2021

32 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Past Finalist
Inner-city ministry
transforms lives one
young person at a time
CAFÉ OFFERS CAREER AND LIFE GUIDANCE
FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUNG PEOPLE
SEEKING A BRIGHTER FUTURE
St. John Bosco famously
spent much
of his priesthood
in the streets of
Turin, Italy, helping
young men who
were abused, living on their own,
or seeking shelter and a means to
earn an honest living.
Father Edward Brienz, a
priest of the Diocese of
Youngstown, Ohio, has
spent much of his time
in the same way, looking
out for young people in
the beleaguered neighborhoods
of his city and
helping them move into
a productive and hopefilled
future.
Inside an ordinary-looking
café in a public
St. John Bosco
library in Youngstown, an extraordinary
change is taking place
within the hearts and minds of its
young employees.
Café Augustine is an outreach
ministry that offers a brighter
future for teenagers and young
adults in a neighborhood that has
some of the highest rates of crime,
drug use and poverty in the country.
The community has been hit
especially hard by the opioid crisis
in recent years, leading to an
increase in addictions, unemployment
and overdoses. Lacking family
direction, help or hope, young
people in the area are at risk of
repeating the cycle.
Father Brienz established Café
Augustine to give them the opportunity
for a safe and healthy
life. Extension magazine
first covered this incredible
ministry when Father
Brienz was named a
finalist for the Lumen
Christi Award in 2016,
soon after the café
opened its doors with
Catholic Extension support.
Now in its sixth
year, the ministry has
helped hundreds of at-risk youth.
“The harsh realities of inner-city
poverty make our presence very
much needed,” said Father Brienz.
“We have a 19-year-old boy whose
child and the child’s mother were
gunned down in cold blood by
gang members.”
From these appalling circumstances,
youth are welcomed into a
community of respect, safety and
accountability.
WHERE FAITH AND DREAMS
ARE BORN
With little to no family support,
money, job history or credit,
it is extraordinarily difficult to find
a first job or apartment, leaving
so many young people stuck with
no way out. These financial difficulties
are only the tip of the iceberg
regarding the real pain in their
lives. So many have been indoctrinated
to believe that hopes and
dreams are for other people.
“I have learned to detect fear in
the eyes and souls of our people.
Some fear being alive,” said Father
Brienz. “The only way they can be
free of fear is to be confident that
Jesus overcame the worst the world
could do. Jesus loves them. Jesus
will always love and inspire them.”
The ministry works to replace
fear with love, confidence, independence
and faith. In addition
to the benefits of working in the
café, the youth are given daily lessons,
including ethical treatment of
others, decision making, goal setting,
conflict resolution and Catholic
scriptural values. These lessons
help the youth to pursue new
employment opportunities. They
also instill kindness, respect, personal
finance and community
responsibility.
The ministry provides more than
a first job. Those in need of sup-
PHOTO ST. JOHN BOSCO ZVONIMIR ATLETIC|SHUTTERSTOCK.COM