Our New Youth Ministers, Brad & Libby Dupont

My relationship with Christ has allowed me to see the country, but it has also affected how I view my own disability. I realize that I should not rely on my physical eyes, but on the eyes of my heart and the eyes of the faith that God has given me, and that I do not need 20/20 eyesight to have perfect vision for the Lord.

Libby:  Born and raised in New Jersey, I went to Mass weekly with my parents and sister, and I attended 12 years of Catholic school. In high school, I began to get involved in diocesan youth activities, but also began to develop a lot of questions about the Church. By college, I had begun to believe only the elements of our faith with which I was comfortable, while rejecting those which challenged me, or that I did not understand.
 
In my junior year of college, I spent a semester in Spain. For the first time in my life, I stopped going to Mass, and I fell away from the moral teachings of the Church. During this time, I believed that the Church and its "rules" were oppressive, and by choosing to reject them, I was free.

When I returned from studying abroad, a friend invited me to a retreat. That weekend, God showed me that I couldn't keep calling myself Catholic if I didn't believe and live what the Church taught.  I received the Sacrament of Reconciliation that weekend, and in doing so, I received God's mercy. God began to show me throughout the next year that His "rules" were really a pathway to true freedom. 

As I grew in my new relationship with Christ, I also had the desire to share it with others. I graduated from the College of New Jersey with a BA in Art Education and Spanish, thinking that after a year of service with NET Ministries, I would return home to teach art in my home state. God had better plans. I accepted a position on NET Staff as a team supervisor in the summer of 2001. 

Brad and I teamed up to oversee two teams that year. Through the course of that year, we developed a strong friendship, and eventually, we began dating.  When we got engaged last summer, it was clear that God would be calling us to a new ministry. Our desire to work with young people in a parish began to grow, and we began praying for an opportunity to work together at a church.  God answered our prayer by bringing us to St. John the Baptist. 

We were married this past June, and are excited to be starting our new life together here at St. John's. We are confident that God has called us here, and with His grace, we'll do our best to bring the love of Christ to the youth of the parish. We look forward to getting to know all of you.  Please pray for us and the young people of St. John's community. 

If you had told us five years ago that we would be in New Brighton, Minnesota, heading up a youth program, both us would have thought you were crazy! The fact that we are, though, is a testament to God's faithfulness and His plan for our lives.
     
Brad:  I was born and raised Catholic, and always went to Sunday Mass with my mom and two brothers.  In third grade, I developed a form of macular degeneration that left me legally blind.  Though I never blamed God for my eyesight, I never sought after Him for help, either, and when I entered high school, I began to fall away from the practice of my faith. Although I continued to go to Mass and never wavered in my belief in God, I did not live out what I said I believed.  While in college, my grandmother and uncle passed away, and my younger brother was involved in a serious car accident, all within a nine-month time period. This series of events led me to examine the purpose of my life more closely and ask, "What am I living for?" 

I found the answer to that question, and many more, in the person of Jesus Christ. This new relationship with Jesus created within me a deep desire to share God's love. After graduating from Southern Illinois University with a BA in History the following semester, I volunteered for two years with the National Evangelization Teams (NET).  NET Ministries, based in West St. Paul, is a Catholic youth ministry that sends out teams of young adults to give retreats to Catholic youth, grades 7-12. For the last three years, I have worked full time for NET as a team supervisor.

Working at St. John's as a staff volunteer has been part of my life for six years. Previously, I had worked in Religious Education at St. Rose for 12 years. When Tom & I took part in the Diaconate Formation Program, I was privileged to do an internship at St. John's in Pastoral Ministry. I then joined the staff as a volunteer, and my job focus was the Befriender Ministry and the Marriage Program. At present, I am the Director of Marriage Programs which means I do the intakes for couples who want to get married,  and I assign the clergy for these weddings. I also coordinate the Prepare Program which involves recruiting and training couples who facilitate the Prepare Inventory for engaged couples. The  Befriender Ministry remains a part of my focus. I really enjoy the opportunity to work with new candidates and Anne Marie Bartlett in the training program. I also lead a Communion Service at Brightondale twice a month. I really enjoy seeing these people each month and sharing my life and prayer needs with them. I also have been working with Susan Amos Palmer, Pat Keyes, and  Linda Grundtner on the Parish Picture Directory that will be sent to the publisher soon. We have spent a lot of time preparing this directory, and I hope it will be available in late fall or early winter. I don't look at my time at St. John's as a job, but as an opportunity to use my gifts and share my time with many wonderful people!