Pittsburgh native selected to head new Catholic Youth and Young Adult Ministry
Gilbert McNie’s interest in helping young people is serving him well as he becomes the first coordinator for a new program called Uniontown Catholic Youth and Young Adult Ministry. “I just love sharing my faith with these young people and giving them an opportunity to take some pressure off from high school,” he said. “Oftentimes, there’s pressure to be something they’re not: the pressure to be in the right crowd and be popular. I hope to provide an opportunity so they can be themselves. When you don’t have the pressure to be somebody that you’re not, oftentimes you can be real about your faith as well.”
McNie began working in Fayette County in August after being hired by Uniontown’s four Roman Catholic churches: St. John the Evangelist, St. Joseph, St. Mary and St. Therese.
The Rev. Michael Crookston, pastor of St. John, explained an area youth program formerly operated out of St. Therese by Sister Mary Clark called Super Sundays but waned when Clark left the area. Out of concern for local youths, the four pastors of the Uniontown churches then decided to work together to offer a new program. They wanted to provide not only an opportunity for Catholic youths to socialize but also to learn and grow in their faith. With help from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, they advertised the position and received applications from people around the country.
The churches hired McNie, a Pittsburgh native who also lived in North Carolina and Germany while his father was in the military, including a stint in Kuwait in the 1990s. The family eventually returned to Pittsburgh and McNie graduated from Bishop Canevin High School in 1999 and Penn State University in 2004, with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
But it was while at Penn State that McNie developed an interest in youth ministry and began working in that field as well as reading Catholic theology. He served as a counselor at the Ligonier Camp and Conference Center in Westmoreland County. After college, he worked with the Catholic school of Evangelization in Manitoba, Canada; a summer youth program called Ultimate for J.C. at St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe; and as a youth coordinator in Mississippi, Kentucky and then Philadelphia before coming to Uniontown.
Crookston said, “Gilbert had more experience and a way of putting himself out there. He was someone with a genuine interest and had a concern for youths.”
McNie said of the Uniontown position, “I thought it had a lot of potential to be a big success.”
Since coming to Uniontown, McNie has discovered there are challenges in working with four parishes, but there also are rewards.
For example, 65 youths attended the recent kick-off event for the high school program, which was a barbecue at Hutchinson Park in Hopwood.
“That event was pretty exciting and set the bar pretty high for Uniontown Catholic youths,” McNie said. “I’m hoping we can keep the momentum going.
“I was really impressed by the young people I have met,” he said “They were attentive and willing to participate. I couldn’t be more excited about these young people.”
McNie plans to offer a program with three types of events: social, spiritual and service.
A service event is planned for Saturday when high school youths will meet to go trick-or-treating for canned goods to benefit the St. Vincent De Paul Society. Youths will gather about 5:15 p.m. at a local home and then canvas a neighborhood near St. Mary Parish, which is located on North Mount Vernon Avenue, at the same time that children are trick-or-treating for candy. McNie believes the high school youths would be a good example to the children. A party will follow. Participants should call for more information.
The ministry also is offering youth nights for high school students in grades nine through 12 with the next one taking place from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at the pastoral center at St. John Parish on Pennsylvania Avenue. There will be teaching as well as socializing.
The program is called Emmaus for the biblical story that took place after the Resurrection when two followers of Jesus were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus and met up with a stranger who turned out to be Christ.
“There’s a certain element that we’re journeying with Jesus and don’t recognize him,” McNie said.
The coordinator would like to offer a spring retreat for high school students at Jumonville in late April or early May.
McNie also has plans to involve high school youths in a service project in July called the Micah Experience, operated by Group Workcamps Foundation that offers home-repair missions to benefit the elderly, disabled and disadvantaged. McNie hopes to take a local group to a program site in Winston-Salem, N.C.
“The kids love service projects,” said McNie, who also plans to continue work with the St. Vincent De Paul Society. “There’s something to be said about helping somebody else – not only in the giving but what you receive. It makes you feel good and benefits you. You learn something from serving people.”
McNie will soon distribute a calendar for upcoming high school ministry events in the vestibules of the four Catholic churches.
Meanwhile, McNie will coordinate a Renew International program for young adults called “Theology on Tap,” where theology can be talked about in a social setting. The first will take place from 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Fireside Room at the Titlow Tavern in Uniontown.
McNie hopes to begin a program for middle school youths in January.
He also welcomes volunteers for all these programs.
McNie has an office at the St. Therese parish center but he will be going from parish to parish for youth meetings and activities. He can be reached at 724-550-4104 or at gmcnie@dioceseofgreensburg.org for more information.