Rachel's Women's Center Potluck

One of the guests enjoying the lunch prepared by UCSD Newman Center Catholic Community members.

On January 22, 2012, the young adult group, choir, and members of the UCSD Newman Center mission-based communities organized a potluck for Rachel's Women's Center in downtown San Diego. Over the last year, through programs such as Bridging The Food Gap, the women and staff at Rachel's have become our friends and partners in our mutual work of serving God by serving others. Members and volunteers of Rachel's have attended and spoken at our monthly Second Sunday Suppers and we have visited them almost biweekly to drop off bread and food that we pickup from Panera Bread and So Others May Eat.

Salad, drinks and dessert.

At last count, there were 24 people who cooked or prepared a dish for the potluck and 14 of those who drove down to Rachel's to serve and meet the women for lunch.

Rachel's Women's Center guests enjoying lunch.

Our guests, at least 60 women, were so grateful and enjoyed the food. Some asked if we could come every weekend! Thank you all of those who participated in this event.

Here are the rest of the pictures.

2nd Annual YAG Thanksgiving (11/22)

Happy Thanksgiving Young Adults!

On Tuesday, Marisa made this beautiful turkey and about forty of us gathered at Ben's house for a beautiful, traditional, potluck Thanksgiving meal with all the fixin's.

Marisa's bird coming out of the oven after 6 hours of roasting.

Our furthest guest came all the way from Slovenia to join us. I hope you all are having a wonderful break with friends and family.

Some YAGs and parents of YAGs enjoying the food at Ben's house.

Here are the rest of the pictures.

Second Sunday Supper Recap (11/13)

For November's Second Sunday Supper, we had two special guests from Rachel's Women's Center who came to speak about their experiences with the center and all the services the center provides.

Rachel's Woman's Center is run by Catholic Charities by the Diocese of San Diego. The center provides services to homeless women including medical screening, alcohol and drug recovery, clothing, shelter, classes, and meals. The young adults involved in Bridging the Food Gap met volunteers and workers of Rachel's while handing out bread, sandwiches, and other food downtown.

Bambi, has been volunteering for the center for many months. During the day she works at Donovan Correction Facility as a Corrections Officer, mostly with men accused and convicted of violent crimes. At night and weekends, she often finds herself at the center or gathering supplies from local vendors, stores, family members, and friends for the center. Bambi told the group of young adults how grateful she was for the bread donations that have been consistently delivered on a bi-weekly basis to the center ever since the Bridging the Food Gap project was started this summer.

Janine, an apprentice working at the center described her roller coaster journey to us openly. She arrived at Rachel's in 2005 needing a place to stay and a place to recover from her alcohol addiction problems. She explained that after a fallout with her sister in 2009, she went back to Rachel's with a new determination. She is now an apprentice with the center, and now works with women who remind her of herself just a few years prior.

It was such a blessing to meet these women. They came early to celebrate mass with us. The Gospel was the parable of the Talents, and the message Father John Paul preached was that we should not live in fear and bury our talents in the ground. If we remove fear and paranoia, we can truly serve, and love openly. And real change can happen like in the case of these two women who were not afraid to share their talents with others.

If you would like to learn more about Rachel's Women's Center go to their website or you can get involved in Bridging the Food Gap by checking out this blog post with all the information you need.

YAG Core Team

Who are the YAG Core Team? 

What do they do? Why do they do it? 

How can I get involved? 

The YAG Core Team is a group of YAGs from the community that have come together to help organize and plan events for other young working professionals, UCSD alumni, and graduate students in our community. We organize Second Sunday Suppers, Third Tuesday Taizes, retreats, weekend get aways, social justice activities, other group social events, and even this snazzy blog.

We are involved in the YAG Core Team because we love this community and want to help make it even better. And WE NEED YOUR HELP! All the YAG events put on in our community are planned with the help of volunteers just like you. If you have enjoyed an event in the past, please think about helping so that other YAGs can enjoy more events in the future.

If you are interested in getting involved, please consider attending our upcoming quarterly planning meeting next Wednesday November 16th, 6:30pm in Roetter Hall or contacting the YAG Core Team  for more information!

2011 YAG Fall Retreat Recap

2011 YAG Fall Retreat participants.

This is the second year in a row that the YAG Fall Retreat was held at Foster Lodge in the Cuyamaca Mountains one hour East of San Diego.

A total of 18 young adults and Father John Paul came out for a weekend. The theme this year was The Road To Emmaus a Resurrection story that saw two disciples walking all day unknowingly conversing and sharing their experience with the risen Christ only to recognize Him when they sat down for a meal, breaking bread with Him.

On Friday, Oct 21, we arrived at Foster Lodge, to share in a home-made lasagna dinner prepared by Aaron Day. After we had all arrived, a quick ice-breaker lightened the mood, and we spent the rest of the night playing games in front of the fire.

First night in Foster Lodge in front of the fire.

The next morning, six more young adults arrived in time for an intimate mass presided by Father JP. Everyone was together, starting the day listening to the Word, breaking bread, and drinking of the same cup.

Our alter.

Throughout the weekend, building on the theme, as in Luke's Gospel, the three speakers shared stories of their faith journeys, which inspired everyone else to share theirs in small group discussions spaced throughout the day. Stephanie, Tiffany, and David gave very open testimonies of where they've been on their faith journey, where they are, and where they might go in the future.

Stephanie speaks about her faith journey.

The two disciples were on the Road to Emmaus because they were escaping hardship, feared persecution, uncertainty after the death of their Rabbi. After they recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread, they did not end up in Emmaus, but back with other disciples to share the good news and to testify that Christ is risen, defeating death, and inspiring hope and loving service in His disciples.

Afternoon free time on Saturday allowed more than half the group to take a hike along the famed Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT ran right through the lodge area, and the weather cooperated beautifully.

The hikers on the way back from Foster's Point.

After the speakers and small group discussion were completed, the group settled in for a home-cooked chili dinner, cornbread, and baked potatoes. Marisa led the group in a candle-lit, Taize prayer session with David playing the guitar.

Sunday morning, Father JP again presided over mass. He asked the retreat participants what they felt in their hearts at the moment after a weekend away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. We responded - inspired, rested, joyful, energized, blessed. God is good.

Thank you all who made the retreat possible, especially Stephanie Bussen, Father John Paul Forte, our wonderful speakers, drivers, cooks, musicians, cleaners, mice-killers, grocery-shoppers, new young adults, and photographers (me)! Here are the rest of the pictures.

Welcome BBQ: We Occupied La Jolla Shores!

The call went out, that on Wednesday September 28 all current and potential YAGgers would march to my house and Occupy La Jolla Shores Drive (in past years known as the Welcome BBQ). And more than 50 young adults heeded the message. Even Father Patrick lent his priestly presence.

We protested the unluckiness of the 99% who don't live in San Diego, and celebrated the arrival of Fall and new members of the YAG community.

We raged and set things ablaze--in specific a grill where we roasted burgers and veggie burgers.

We shouted loudly as we sang Nirvana songs on guitar hero--and some of us were not even booed off stage.

We had a list of demands which included both Stone and Karl Strauss beverages. The demands were met, and we consumed both of those San Diego local favorites for which the world has come to envy our Finest City.

At the end of the day, those who had stuck out the protests till the end marched down to the beach to observe the dying embers of the ocean's bioluminescence, and we declared solidarity and the start of something even bigger: a whole year to come of great YAG events with some of the best people you will meet in the best town on the planet.

Even if there was poor news coverage of our gathering, indeed at least it made the blogs...

-by Ben Jammin

San Onofre Campout

For the second straight year, we did our summer camping trip at San Onofre State Beach in late August. Only an hour away (in no traffic; more for those catching Friday rush hour), this is a fun getaway right over the border in Orange County.

On our 24 hours away from home not everything went perfectly. There were not enough tents, so some people slept out. The military was doing a practice artillery session all night, so we occasionally heard deep thudding of shells in addition to the rambunctious Boy Scout troop in the site next door. And there were no marshmallows so we instead roasted cheese croissants. This was Tiffany's idea, and it worked really well.  

Other than that, it was classic SoCal beach camping. Some picnicking on the beach, some camaraderie around the campfire, and yes, of course, surfing at the legendary Trestles surf break. You've seen the "save trestles" bumper stickers. You probably even have one...well, it was my first time at the break, and it is worth the hype.  

Perfect wave shape, and enough size for summer, combined with perfect weather and few crowds meant the best surfing of the summer. We did an evening session the first night, which ended in a glorious sunset. And a morning session and an afternoon session the next day. And yes, the train does go right by the beach there... 

Non-surfers stayed busy averting their eyes from the sinfully well-built surfers surrounding them. Some went for barefoot beach runs. I'm not sure what others did, maybe painted their toenails? We all ate exquisite cuisine that various people contributed to bringing. In any case, eventually the sun wore us out and we packed it up but not before a good weekend was in the record books.

- Ben Horne