Making Faith a Priority: Shannon and Sam surround their young family with people of faith

It’s a Friday evening and a scene is playing out in the Sheets family home
in Portage, Mich., that is familiar to many young families: Mom is balancing a nursing baby while managing the requests of her precocious toddler. Dad is readying for an overnight trip to assist his own father with some home repairs and getting a head start on bedtime logistics. The two parents swap notes over their shared Google family calendar before exchanging goodbyes.

At first glance, Shannon and Sam Sheets are similar to many other millennial couples as they juggle the demands of two jobs outside the home — Sam as an engineer and Shannon as an educator — along with the needs of their two children, 10-month-old Liam and 2-year-old Everly. In this day and age when statistics show that millennials (people born between 1981-1995) are leaving the Church and are the fastest growing group of “nones” those that choose no religious affiliation (Pew Research Center, pewforum.org), the Sheets’ are bucking that trend. For filing up the slots in their Google calendar are faith-centered activities and volunteer work.

So, how does a time-challenged young couple keep their Catholic faith at the center of their lives? And why?

The answers come naturally for Shannon, who grew up in an active Catholic household as the second-oldest of five sisters.

“We surround ourselves with people in the faith,” notes Shannon. And the why?

“I want my children to grow up with the ability to see Jesus in everyone. Sam sees Jesus in everyone and I’ve grown from his example. I’d love to provide a home where my children only hear good things about people and become like their father and see Jesus in everyone.”

The Sheets’, who are parishioners at St. Augustine Cathedral, Kalamazoo, are active in a number of faith-centered activities. Sam plays bass for “Jeremiah and the Hebrews,” the warm-up and background band for the monthly young adult program “Good News and Brews” at Arcadia Ales in Kalamazoo; Shannon helps coordinate the softball  league logistics for the Kzoo Catholic Sports Leagues. Both are recent graduates of the diocesan Lay Ecclesial Ministry Program, a three-year certification program for lay leaders [which has now been replaced by the Institute for Missionary Discipleship, see page 12]. And in December, the Sheetses will be giving the featured talk at the diocesan “Monthly Energizer” for families on “How to Make Faith a Priority in your Life.”

Making faith a priority is something Shannon learned from her own mom, who frequently volunteered at numerous activities in their community and at the parish, from working in the food pantry to helping out at St. Vincent de Paul.

“I always felt God was present in my life,” says Shannon, “but college was really a big game-changer.”

Shannon attended Central Michigan University (CMU) and it was during her time as an undergraduate that she encountered a dynamic Jesuit priest, Father Will Prospero.
“I happened to go on an alternative spring break to clean up after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina,” remembers Shannon. It was during this time she met Father Will, who was leading a large young adult group. It was also at this time that Shannon made a conscious decision to take her faith seriously.

Her involvement with her college faith group has left an indelible mark on her faith life, and Father Will’s influence was evident with her classmates as well. Shannon notes that there have been at least 10 classmates who entered seminary or joined religious life and she credits this to both Father Will and to the CMU young adult group.

“We’ve definitely had years where Sam and I have had more ordinations to attend than weddings,” she notes with a smile.

Sadly, Father Will succumbed to cancer at a very young age, but his legacy lives on in the many lives he’s touched, including Shannon’s. The ability to connect with young adults, as Father Will had, is an important topic in the Church. So much so, this past October Pope Francis convened the 15th Ordinary Synod to explore the topic of “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.”

In his opening address of the synod, Pope Francis underscored  the  importance of listening and engaging with young adults with an open mind. He said, “Only dialogue can help us grow. An honest, transparent critique is constructive and helpful, and does not engage in useless chatter, rumors, conjectures or prejudices. And humility in listening must correspond to courage in speaking. I told the young people in the pre- synod meeting: ‘If you say something I do not like, I have to listen even more, because everyone has the right to be heard, just as everyone has the right to speak.’”

The pope’s comments resonate with Shannon.

She believes that the majority of the people in the pews support young adults in their parishes, but cautions that sometimes a critical comment can impact the way they feel about their faith.

Shannon’s advice: “Just keep saying something positive” to the young adults in your parish communities.

“In teaching, we learn that when working with intensive students you have to have 15 positive comments to offset the one negative in church, I think we have to magnify that even more to attract people and make sure they feel loved,” she explains.

And while her generation is known for being digitally savvy and always “connected” to their electronic devices, Shannon believes the key to engaging young adults is through one-on-one relationships.

“I think being able to meet on an individual basis, meeting every young adult where he or she is, and showing him or her the love of Christ, would make a difference,” she says.

Her wish list? “A spiritual director or Catholic best friend for everyone.”

It’s not surprising that Shannon, in addition to her involvement with other young adults, also has a heart for young people. She taught middle school for eight years before transitioning to being a literacy coach for other teachers. And was recruited as a 7th- Grade catechist shortly after her move to the Kalamazoo area to begin her first teaching position.

“I truly believe that we can keep our youth involved by concentrating on the catechesis of Jesus and the Eucharist,” suggests Shannon. “I would love to see more outreach for teens to give them the solid foundations for our faith, help them develop their personal relationship with Jesus, and help them grow in love for Jesus and the Church.

“When you truly understand that the Eucharist is Jesus, then there’s no way you’d want to miss that.”
 

Shannon’s favorite Catholic resource:

Forming Intentional Disciples:  The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus
By Sherry Weddell
“Reading Sherry’s book on intentional discipleship was my favorite part of LEMI (Lay Ecclesial Ministry Institute). We focused on the different ways we can all help the Church. From there, we completed the Spiritual Gifts Inventory to really narrow down our strengths and ways in which we can serve the Church. It helped me see the many needs of the Church and various ways that we can all serve according to our talents that God gave us. It really made me reflect, too, and think about whether or not I was using the spiritual gifts God has given me. I used to think that we should volunteer for what- ever we were able to do, but I realize that it makes a large difference, when we serve in our areas in which we God has given us grace.”