By Lizette M. Lantigua - Florida Catholic

SOUTHWEST RANCHES | The youths of St. Mark Parish here wanted to share the joy of the Gospel in their neighborhood � loud enough so that everyone in town could hear it!

“As part of the mission to share the joy of the Gospel and with the pope’s call to a New Evangelization, the youth group wanted to fix and ring the bell tower that had been broken and had not rung for many years,” said Gus De La Fe, Jr., 25, St. Mark’s director of Youth Ministry.

The two youth groups, made up of teens in high school and middle school, raised over $5,000 in two months by selling papal Christmas ornaments. The campaign was called: “Let the Joy Ring.”

The more than 200 registered teens in the parish youth groups set out quickly to spread the word of their campaign and raise enough money. No one remembers exactly when the bell towers last rang, De La Fe said. The church had been given expensive estimates of how much the fixing would cost. The quotes ranged from $13,000 to $20,000 between labor and renting a lift to reach the tower.

Eventually, the bells were fixed by Tirone Electric. The total cost, including parts from Verdin Bells & Clocks and the electrical work by Tirone, was $2,542.32.

“I am impressed with these young people. In every house we need to fix many things. They consider the church part of their home,” said Father Juan Pedro Hernandez, parochial vicar at St. Mark.

Andrea Garza, 15, explained how the idea of fixing the bell towers started.

“Christmas was coming up and it was a really good time for the church,” said Andrea. “We decided that what could bring us all together was taking the bells that had been broken for a long time and fixing them so we could all enjoy the music during the holiday season.”

Many of the teens were surprised by their fundraising efforts.

“It’s so surreal that we have accomplished this. I was very apprehensive because I didn’t think we would make it happen in such a short time,” said Sarah Roberge, 13. “We have not only impacted the youth group in a positive way but we have done the same for the entire community.”

The bells had been broken for so long that Jose Tañon, along with many others, thought they were there just for decoration.

“I really felt confident that we would be able to repair the bell tower because of how long it had not been working,” said the 19-year-old. “If you told someone you were going to fix it, they would say, ‘That’s great. We will help’.”

Ian Lynch, another member of the youth group, said he made sure to spread the word of the fundraiser among his peers at school since he is also the St. Mark School chaplain, a student council elected position.

“I feel very thankful for this opportunity to help fix the bell tower,” said Ian, 13. “Knowing that I helped bring joy to others in Christmas makes me glad. It also showed me no matter how small or large the task is, as long as you have faith in God it will get accomplished. “

FIND OUT MORE

• St. Mark Youth Group started in 2013. They meet every Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m., alternating between middle and high school groups. They celebrate a youth Mass the first Saturday of every month at 5 p.m. They have a Youth Ministry Music Team that sings and plays instruments for the Masses.

• The youth groups have fun nights with adoration, praise & worship, talks, activities and outings. They also participate in several outreach efforts and retreats both in-house and outside such as: High School Life Teen Covecrest and Camp Hidden Lake or the Steubenville Conference for Middle School.

• The high school youth group also leads the parish’s religious education retreats for confirmation.

• The youth ministry has plans for other outreach projects that will impact not only the parish but the community and they plan to start a young adult group in the near future.

• Youth Ministry Director Gus De La Fe said anyone interested in joining can follow the youth groups on social media and attend their next gathering or event. St. Mark Youth Group social media Instagram is @StMarkYouthGroup; Twitter is @StMark_YG; Facebook is St. Mark Youth Group and the new website is: www.stmarkyouthministry.org.