Find your people.

That’s the advice Troy Foecking has for anyone who wants to grow deeper in their faith.

Troy is a catechist who is heavily involved with youth ministry in Heart of Jesus Catholic Parishes. He – along with his wife, Deanna – recently served as camp parents during JC Camp at Tintern, and he served as chaperone on the July excursion to the Steubenville Youth Conference in Springfield, Missouri.

While Troy is what he calls a “cradle Catholic” – baptized in the church as an infant – he credits his wife for helping him “keep the faith.”

“I probably wouldn’t be Catholic if not for her,” he said.

Troy was born in Dubuque, Iowa, and moved around a lot as a child: Des Moines; Papillion; LaCrosse, Wisconsin; Cedar Falls, Iowa; Sioux City, Iowa; and then back to Dubuque and then Sioux City again.

“That covers high school,” he said with a laugh.

Twenty-two years ago, the couple settled in Norfolk, where they’ve raised their seven boys, ranging from age 20 to 4. (They’re also grandparents to a baby girl.)

Sometime in his late high school and early young adult life, Troy said, he began losing interest in a life of faith.

“It just wasn’t – I don’t know – it wasn’t cool to me,” he said.

Troy said it was his wife who provided a positive example of passion in faith for him. She remained constant, always making the Eucharist a priority.

“She always went, regardless,” he said.

Sometime around the addition of their second or third son, Troy said, he began to feel called to a deeper relationship with the Lord, as well.  

“Having children and getting up in front of your family and God and saying I will raise this child in the faith kind of makes you want to be a better person, right?” he said.

Over time, the couple became involved in a discipleship group when their oldest was preparing for confirmation. The roughly 12 individuals involved in the group met in homes and included other couples who further encouraged them in their faith by getting them involved as camp parents for JC Camp, an annual retreat at Tintern designed for students who are about to enter high school.

The camp, he said, gives adolescents the opportunity to fellowship without the distraction of technology and “everything associated with that.”

“Our society wants to grow these kids up so fast, but they need time to play four square or play gagaball…and to grow friendships,” he said. 

He and his wife have been involved in the camp for several years now and hope to see it continue for several more.

“I tell the kids that the adults probably get more out of it than they do,” Troy said. “From a standpoint of everybody saying, ‘The church is fading. The church is in trouble.’ You look at these kids, you see how passionate they are and how alive they are for Christ. The church is fine.”

Troy said he saw the same passion among the youth attending Steubenville, a two-and-a-half-day meeting where youth from all over gather for praise, worship, adoration and faith building.

“You see them jumping around and deep in prayer and yeah,” he said. “If this is it – even if this was the original 3,000 – we’d be fine.”

This year was the first time he has served as a chaperone for the event. He said it was a “deep experience,” adding that he couldn’t help but come away from it with a desire to become a “better Catholic” after seeing how the youths connected with each other in conversations.

“We’re not meant to walk alone,” he said. “If you think you can walk alone in this life, it’s going to be a hard road. We’re made for community. That’s the thing we told kids on the way back from Steubenville – find your people,” he said. “And it helps if they’re faithful people.”

Troy said he highly recommends parents get their kids involved in activities like Steubenville and JC Camp when the opportunities arise. He also strongly recommends taking the opportunity to become an adult chaperone or leader for these activities; it’s not something anyone will regret.

“If you’re thinking about it, that’s the Holy Spirit and you need to just do it,” he said. “We’re always hunting for – specifically – male, adult counselors (for JC Camp). I know it’s a lot, to take off three days of work, but I promise you that it will be absolutely worth your time.”

 If you are interested in becoming involved in youth ministry in the Heart of Jesus Catholic Parishes, call Cari Ramold at 402-371-2621.