TAMPA—Over the three-day National Conference for Catholic Youth Ministry (NCCYM) in Tampa, Fla., Emma Ryder, coordinator for The Face of Prayer, met with seven new catechists to answer questions posed by young people about the Church and their faith. The new faces coming to the site include Catholic speaker, artist and author, Chris Padgett; Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, Sarah Hart; professor of pastoral leadership at Graduate Theological Foundation, Dr. Ansel Augustine; director of the Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Center and pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in the Archdiocese of New York, Father Joseph Espaillat II; and three Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Sr. Faustina Ferko, Sr. Josephine Garrett, and Sr. Emmanuela Le.
The addition of these seven catechists will make for a total of thirty on the site, with more to be added in the New Year. Together they answered thirty-six questions about staying faithful, facing adversity, Mary, Church teaching, Church history, the Eucharist, prayer, relationship with God, religious life and suffering.
With two hundred videos on the site since launching in September, The Face of Prayer continues to reach new milestones. Three thousand people around the country receive a daily prayer intention from Bishop Caggiano by texting PRAY to 55778, with more receiving the intention via email. Hundreds of prayer requests are received on a monthly basis. And teachers and youth ministers have been using the videos and resources in their practice.
(To learn more about all the catechists and watch their videos visit www.thefaceofprayer.com/about.)