Justin Fannon, a junior at Xaverian
Brothers High School, distinctly remembers
the day that Pope Francis was elected. It
was March 13, 2013 and he was home from
school that day, sick with an asthma attack.
The memory stands out because March 13 is
also Justin’s birthday. He recalls watching the
proceedings from Rome on his television and
knowing that someday, he wanted to meet
Pope Francis.
Fast forward to 2022 and Justin is an
active member of his parish church, Holy
Name in West Roxbury. During the summer
he earned the prestigious honor of being
selected for a two-year term on the National
Youth Advisory Council. This selective
council is composed of only 12 young people
from across the nation. Their input informs
the work of the National Federation of
Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) with the
aim of empowering “youth to activate their
voices and gifts as members of the Church”
(nfcym.org).
For Justin, his service is born of
frustration with declining youth participation
in the Catholic Church. He wants to see a
change, and he wants to be a part of it. “Our
faith, the Catholic Church itself, seems to be
dwindling away from us,” says Justin. “There’s
no more participation. People blame COVID,
but we need to stop doing that. Personally,
I think the Church helps people. It helped
me navigate through a lot in my life. I want
everyone to have that, because the Church
A Dream Come True, in Service of the Church
isn’t as intimidating as kids might think. It’s a
welcoming place.”
Justin was drawn to youth ministry
because of the example of his older brother.
He looked on with envy and awe as his big
brother took off each week to his parish’s
Youth Service Project meetings with a
large group of his peers. That’s why Justin
joined the same Church group when he
was old enough, only for COVID to hit and
the activity of the group to grind to a halt.
However, his youth minister, Jim Flanagan,
saw something in Justin. It was he who
suggested that Justin consider serving on the
NYAC, and it was through that service that
Justin had the chance to make his dream
from March 13, 2013 a reality.
This October, Justin and his fellow
delegates on the NYAC traveled to Rome for
an audience with Pope Francis. They met
with the Pope’s advisors in iconic St. Peter’s
Square. They went to Mass at the altar in
front of St. Peter’s tomb. And after Mass,
they were blessed with a general audience
with Pope Francis, during which the Pope
encouraged them to bring joy to the world
and keep joy alive in the Church. “That stuck
with me for the next two days, walking around
Italy, thinking about the Pope’s message,” says
Justin. “I was asking myself, ‘How can I do
that? Where? How do I even start?’”
After the general audience, the delegates
had the opportunity to personally meet the
Pope, shake his hand, and, as representatives
for all Catholic youth in America, share
their hopes for the Church with the Holy
Father. What they want to see, they said, is a
welcoming community and safe spaces within
the Church for youth to express themselves
freely. In November, Justin and his fellow
delegates traveled to Long Beach, California
for the National Catholic Youth Conference.
There they shared the Pope’s message of
joy and their hopes for the Church with an
audience of thousands of Catholic teens. Only
a few months into his term, leadership in the
NYAC has given Justin once-in-a-lifetime
opportunities on an international scale, and
he’s grateful for it.
“Meeting the Pope and shaking his hand
changed my life forever. I recognize the
opportunities I have been given, and it’s
helped me develop a real sense of gratitude
for everything I have. I’ve learned that it’s easy
in life to focus on what I don’t have; but now
I want to focus on what I can give, because so
much has been given to me.”
I’ve learned
that it’s easy
in life to focus
on what I don’t
have; but now
I want to focus
on what I can
give, because so
much has been given to me.
4 www.xbhs.com