Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Serapio.
Hi Mike, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When the world sees religion, most assume it’s all about prayers, spiritual formation, and Sunday services. While that assumption is correct, religion goes beyond what people would think it is. In fact, one of the most significant non-profit organizations are Catholics, who built schools, hospitals, care facilities, and other donor-based institutions to help those in need. My name is Mike, and I am a youth minister at Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church in Irving, Texas. As a youth minister for five years now, I work with a team of volunteers to teach the faith to our Catholic teens and, more importantly, apply faith to their daily living. We form our teens to be good citizens, good students, good stewards of their talents, and good human beings. Every year, we organize five service projects, such as park clean-ups through KIB (Keep Irving Beautiful), Thrift store work through St. Vincent de paul, sending goods to our troops through Unite for Troops veterans’ day events, Church clean up, and yard clean-ups for our immobile Church members. We also organize food drives for Catholic Charities. These events are youth-led and adult supported; the goal is to teach our teens values and morals through faith formation to help them be close to God and, through that, succeed in life.
How did I get here? My wife and I started as missionaries for a lay community called Couples for Christ from 2012 to 2017. We crisscrossed the United States, organizing CFCs in different parishes until they became self-sufficient. CFC moved us to Irving in 2013 to help Holy Family with all the needed services. In 2017, we left mission work and decided to stay in Irving to establish a stable environment for our daughter, who was three then.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Though we experienced so many consolations doing this work, we struggled in many instances. First, it was a challenge to assimilate into a new culture coming from the Philippines. Adapting to a four-season country, especially during winter, was challenging. Second, we needed to prove ourselves more to gain the trust of the people we served. I went through a certification class to teach faith formation in our parish. Today I am pursuing my master’s degree in theology to be able to facilitate effective faith formation.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the director of youth and young adults’ ministries at Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church. I am also a Catholic Musician who directs the Youth Mass in our Church. As I have mentioned, I teach our teens the faith to help them become closer to our God and become good human beings. I organize service projects to help teens understand the value of service as essential in their faith formation. I also lead praise and worship (prayer through singing) in parishes and retreats. Though I am still working on getting published in the US, I have two published praise and worship albums in the Philippines. I am blessed to have been invited to speaking engagements with CFC in the US and abroad.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid 19 taught me many things, and the top three are the following; First, I learned to value life more than ever. Life can be taken away in an instant; therefore, we need to make the most out of it. We must live a happy life and be ambassadors of it. Life is too short to waste it on negativity. Second, I have learned to love the people I am close to, especially my family. What kept my sanity during the pandemic was the presence of my family. Third, I have learned to be grateful at all times, even for the little things I receive every day. A grateful heart is a content heart.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelangelo.a.serapio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCndLyMu7p4svmX_cpfsUgEQ
