Rocio Zamarron, Hispanic Parish Youth Services Coordinator, Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Detroit
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My name is Rocio Zamarron and I work for CYO (Catholic Youth Organization). The title that I have is Hispanic Parish Youth Services Coordinator.

What do you do in your position?

This program is new. It started almost 4 years ago. First, it started part time working with 5 parishes. My main responsibility is to promote youth ministry, help the parish develop youth programs by recruiting adults, recruiting youth leaders, and giving them the basics of youth ministry. I introduce them to the document "Renewing the Vision," which is the document that bishops along with youth ministers provided to the church in the United States. Based on that document, we developed the programs according to the particular needs in each of the parishes. We also provide them with leadership training for both adults and youth, also we try to integrate them to activities of the larger picture which is the Diocese or CYO programs. By integrating them is not just inviting them to come to participate, its to really invite them to work hand-in-hand with whoever else is already working in the diocese to bring their ideas and their input. You know their gifts; their talents to the table in the diocese and at the same time not just receive it but also providing something to the diocese so that's part of what the job has to do with it.

Does working with 5 parishes get complicated? It certainly is a lot of responsibility.

Yes, it is a lot of responsibility like in any other job; however, my responsibility is not to be the youth coordinator of each parish. My responsibility is to provide the services to each of these parishes to help them identify what kind of services, things that will be more helpful for the parishes. Yes, it does take a lot of time, it is 5 parishes. Yes, it is a lot of traveling from one parish to another one but at the same time its fine. It may be the preparation piece of the work its kind of like the one that takes more time, or can be a little bit more tedious sometimes, but when you are with people and you're in the project or in the retreat or in the training everything connects into that it's really worth it.

Can you describe the support system that helps you conduct your ministry?

The support system that I think helps in this ministry is first of all your family, that's the basic; however, when you're working you also create like a second family in your work atmosphere. I think that also is a key piece in this kind of work. My co-workers, my director, people that work in my department, in the agency and people in the diocese as well office of youth ministry or the youth ministers in the area I think are a great support. Exchanging ideas and changing ideas of how the ministry or what things are doing in their area of ministry that helps a lot; however, family is a big piece of it. I will not be able to give a lot of time to my work without the support of my family. They're a big piece of it. A lot of times, my volunteers get involved with it as well so that's pretty good because I get to work with them at the same time and that's a lot of people. Another piece is a lot of my cousins they are teenagers so they come and join the programs at the same time so it's part of my work, and so at that moment, yes they're relatives and everything but at the same time they are part of the community so there's really no difference. But yes, I like being involved in that piece.

What makes you good at what you do?

I think what I can bring to the church as first of all, I'm a people person and it took me awhile to accept that as a gift. I love it and at the same time I take care of that gift but I also take care of myself because around people, you cannot lose who you are but sometimes you need to come to find your own space. Definitely I'm a people person. I consider myself to be very active; I have a lot of initiative. I'm a person that is very positive even though I do recognize where I'm at the weaknesses in a situation but I tend to focus on my inner strength. I think by doing that, I'm able to get more things done in conjunction with the community or with a group of persons that I'm working with at that specific situation. So I think that some of the major ones the ones I can talk about right now the people person and very positive on that aspect too.

What are your gifts?

My gifts are talents that I have, and I'm a people person, positive, I tend to focus on the strengths than the weaknesses in a lot of situations. I think that's how you can get more things done even though I do recognize the weaknesses and those are 2 of the major things that I recognize that I can bring to the plate and to the community, especially in this ministry.

Why do you like what your ministry?

Why do I like what I do? I like what I do because you are not just working with numbers, you are not working just to sell the product, you are not working just to get a title or get a position but you are working to continue a ministry, a way of life that was presented to us by Jesus. You are working to spread the goodness to other people especially in my case to young people and at the same time I love my work because you also bring those young people to find new ways to continue with that spreading the word. I get to work providing or inviting people to join in a lifestyle which was presented to us by Jesus, so I'm continuing in a ministry that he presented to us by inviting other people to continue with this ministry these are one of the things that I love the most.

Do you face special challenges because you are working with the Spanish speaking community?

Each ministry is very unique, but every ministry has something basic which is Christian values. We're all going into the same direction which is trying to follow Jesus and continue his ministry and everything is around the Eucharist; however, each parish, each community has it's own needs in very unique with that – let me just highlight that. In my case, I work with a community that is bilingual English and Spanish but is also multigenerational. I'm working with young people who were just like me that are first arrivals into the US or people that are 2nd, 3rd 4th generation and may not speak a word in Spanish; however, they are very interested and very connected with their culture with very simple things like food so you have tortillas, frijoles, arroz Puertoriqueno, which is Puerto Rican rice or beans or tortillas. It's those little things that may seem that they have nothing with the ministry but it's coming from the experience, from even music, and also it's very connected—people may not speak the language anymore or know the history of their countries; however those customs are part of the culture. And experience is the best way you can connect and provide them you know the good news of Jesus. I mean you can not just come and say ok this is what we're going to follow without knowing what things are used to what are the customs so these are one of the challenges that I have. If they're from Latin America or if they have a mixture of culture from their parent's culture and the culture from the US, so it's working with 2 realities at the same time.

Yet the message you're delivering is the same message no matter what culture, right?

It's the same message. For example, World Youth Day is the perfect example. You have so many young people gathering from different parts of the world but everybody is there speaking the same language because it's the same message. Love one another, inviting young people to be the saints of the new millennium. It's the same message but it's expressed in different ways. I think that's the beauty of diversity it will be too boring if everybody will be doing the same thing. I think for some reason God made us from different colors, made us different languages, with different talents and I think that's really the body of Christ. When you put those things together, that's when you have the explosion of faith, you need diversity. In our church, in the Archdiocese of Detroit, it's very diverse. In the US, it's a mix of cultures and that's a gift, that's a gift in our church. For example, "Encuentro" is a conference that happened 2 years ago in California. At this conference they gather people from around the U.S. and you can see the beauty and the diversity of the church in US because of the different backgrounds, and expressions of the cultures and customs presented there; however, again everything was central around the Eucharist so diversity is a gift. I think we need to recognize that in our church. But not only recognize it, but make it work by integrating the community to work together. I share what I have but I also want to know what you have and that way you have a way of working.

What are some of the hats you wear in life?

My name is Rocio Zamarron. I'm the Hispanic Parish and Services Coordinator for bilingual parishes in southwest Detroit through the Catholic Youth Organization. I'm a youth minister in a sense and I'm a daughter, I'm also a student, I'm a sister, I'm also glad to say that I'm an aunt.

What else would you like people to know about your ministry, especially for those who might consider it for themselves?

I would like to say that working for the Catholic Church is a challenge but it's also a very fun challenge and you don't have to do extraordinary stuff to be working here. It's just like any other job; however, you get to use your talents in a very unique way. Very often there's different positions within the diocese and within their own parish that they can be active either as volunteers or in a professional level. There are also classes they can take just to be prepared at the professional level, just like if they're going for medicine if they're going for engineering if they're already in another area. If they're already active working, doing something different those are skills, those are talents that they can bring into the table and make it work here too. There are different positions or different areas that they can apply for--if it's at the parish as pastoral ministers or also Michigan Catholic newspaper, the radio stations, or the television stations for those who like art, music, and communications. For those who like art, we have the department related to liturgy and where they can really bring those skills into community service.

Describe the path that led you to lay ministry.

I was born in Mexico in a city that is called San Luis Potosi, which is a city that is right in the middle of the country. It's about 5 hours away from Mexico City to the north and I moved when I was 15 yrs old. I'm blessed to say that I moved with my whole family so everybody is here. We are now starting a new generation here since I have a niece and a nephew and new one coming up very soon. I've been active in the Catholic Church since I can remember. I started as a participant a little after I started as a volunteer and coordinating youth activities in the parish or involved in the catechetical classes. After this position was open, I thought it would be very interesting for me to apply for many reasons and the fact that I'm bilingual in Spanish, I think I can reach out to a wider community than just a specific number of people. I'm not highlighting that numbers are important but I can reach out and provide the services to a bigger number in that aspect and I can relate better to different experiences between those that are English speaking only and those that are Spanish speaking only. I went to school at Chadsey High School and after that I continued my studies and I'm still taking classes at Sacred Heart Major Seminary at the present. I'm taking 2 classes at Henry Ford Community College and I'm planning to transfer to a 4 year institution.

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