Beth: From that moment, I just learned that faith was more than reciting prayers and more than just sitting in the pew at church. Like, I had a part to play and I had a specific role and God had a specific mission for me. And so I think it really then made faith personal. Emily: Welcome back to another episode of Open Door Policy. I'm your host Emily Mentock, and I'm joined by... Fr. Patrick: Father Patrick Gonyeau. Hello, Emily. How are you? Emily: I'm doing great today, Father Patrick, how are you? Fr. Patrick: Wonderful. The last time we were blessed to record Open Door Policy, you were in sunny, Southern California. Where are you now? Emily: I'm back home in Detroit and I'm pleased to report I brought the sun with me today. It's a beautiful 60 degrees outside. Fr. Patrick: It is awesome today. Hey Emily, can I tell you about the most awesome thing that happened today? Emily: Tell me. Fr. Patrick: Over at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Detroit, we have this amazing deacon. We have a couple of — we have several amazing deacons here and one of them help arrange for Henry Ford to distribute vaccinations for the coronavirus. So we had the doors open and all these people come to the church and come into the church. It was evangelical charity. The vaccine was given, but people were also given an invitation to service to the masses for Holy Week and a missal or a Lenten booklet, you know, such a beautiful day outside and the church — we had beautiful music going. It was, it was real beautiful experience of evangelical charity. And I just praise and thank God. And I have to ask you Emily, what's God doing that you're excited about? Emily: Oh, well that's — so first of all, it's so exciting to hear that that's happening at Corpus Christi. You know, as we're recording this, this weekend the general dispensation is expiring. And we, even though, you know, not — there's still particular dispensations in place for people who are not yet able to return, but I'm just so hopeful that we are going — that we have the end of the pandemic in sight with the vaccinations rolling out across the city. And I think we'll hear also from our guest, they had some vaccinations going on recently at their parish as well. We'll get to that in just a moment. But yeah, that's so great to hear, Father Patrick, thank you for sharing that. Just to continue to hope for our archdiocese and for a safe return to mass soon. Exciting things in my life. Emily: Well we had a nice vacation. That was great. Now I'm back in Detroit. And my mom came to visit this past weekend to see a bit of my life in Detroit actually, 'cause it's my birthday today. And. Fr. Patrick: WOW! Emily: It's my first time really being like far away from home. I've shared that as a common theme, I think in every episode, all these firsts for me and my husband in Detroit, but I was so — such a joy for my mom to come and visit and I could show her parts of our life around Detroit. So walking around downtown, we went to St. Aloysius, my parish, for Mass. We got food from a restaurant in Corktown and just to show her just things in my life here was, was such a joy and she was happy to see it and see that we're doing well here in Detroit. Fr. Patrick: Well, Emily, a very, very happy birthday. I want to burst out in song, but we're going to wait later, our amazing guest, who I'll pitch it to you to introduce in just a moment, maybe she can lead a special birthday prayer for you. But everybody listening, thank you for your prayers for Emily Mentock and her husband. And she brought her life here to Detroit, I can't wait for that story to be shared sometime. She came from South Bend, Indiana (go Irish) to Detroit, but Emily, happy birthday sister. We're so happy you're here in Detroit. Emily: Thank you Father Patrick. I appreciate it. Well, I'm super excited to introduce our guest today, who is Beth Allison from — she's the parish engagement coordinator at St. Aloysius Detroit. And I hope we're able to in this conversation this afternoon, to talk a little bit about what that role is and just the gift that she is to the parish community there. But three fun facts about Beth to introduce her to our audience. The first one is that before the world shut down almost one year ago today due to the pandemic, she had traveled to seven countries in 2019. So really getting ahead on the count, knowing we were going to have to take a year off. So I'd love to hear more about those travels. She also walks or runs a mile at least one mile every day which is just good. Good for you, Beth. I sit in my chair all day for work, but I definitely need to take a page out of your book and start moving a little bit more. And then also before working in ministry, Beth was an interior designer in downtown Detroit and the new AOD Chancery was one of her last projects before she switched careers. So that's really exciting and without further ado, welcome Beth. Beth: So blessed to be here. Emily: We're so glad to be, to be joined by you today. A quick side story for the audience. So we actually Beth was not originally scheduled for our recording spot today. But I sort of a panic texted her in the middle of the day to see if she'd be open. 'Cause we really felt that we needed a guest for this afternoon to stay on track. And Beth said yes, and maybe Beth, you can share a little bit about why you said yes to recording today. Beth: Sure. So like Emily said, I got a text this morning at around 11:30 and right before that I had been in a time of prayer and my women's group for Lent is going through a Lenten journal and one of the promptings today was relying more on the gifts that God has given you. And to really kind of step out in boldness and to say yees, and then she texted me literally 20 minutes after that. And so I was like, Oh, Holy Spirit, I didn't know it was going to happen this soon. So I, of course, had to say yes after that prayer time. Fr. Patrick: Awesome. Emily: We're so glad. We're so grateful that you responded to that prompting of the Holy Spirit to join us and just can't wait to share some of your story with our listeners today. So Father Patrick, do you want to kick us off and asking Beth about her story? Fr. Patrick: Yes, but first I have a pre-question. You know, your last architecture project before you switched careers, was the new AOD Chancery. And have you ever heard the story and maybe even thought of yourself like St. Francis, he heard God say "build my Church" and St. Francis was actually like architecturally working on stuff first and then he finally felt that "No, he's not, he doesn't mean this. Like I'm going to do it in a different way." Did you ever hear that about St. Francis? Beth: Yes, I have. And what's super interesting. So kind of right before I made the transition, it was Synod 16 and I was a part of Synod 16. And it was interesting because I used to give presentations to the Archdiocesan staff about their desks and about the changes and everything. So I was a little bit of a familiar face. And so when they saw me kind of in a different context, I had some people come up and were like, "Oh my goodness, this is amazing. Now you're designing hearts for the Church." So it has a connection, like you said, with St. Francis and building the Church, but in a different way, Fr. Patrick: Praise God. Well, we can't wait to hear how the Lord has fashioned your heart, the story of how you've grown into being a joyful missionary disciple. So take it away, Beth Allison. Beth: Sure. Emily: Maybe to ask a specific question too, just about, maybe you can tell us, or, you know, as we've heard from other guests, like maybe there wasn't necessarily a particular moment, but what was your life like, kind of, before encountering Christ or before you just felt a call to kind of give your life to the Church? What was your life like before that, besides being a super talented interior designer? Beth: Sure, sure. So my family, I grew up Catholic. I went to St. Paul on the Lake Catholic grade school. And from there I wanted to go to public high school and my parents — we went to Mass every Sunday and so I've grown up in faith — and when my parents heard that I wanted to go to public high school, they said that I would have to attend Bible study and youth ministry at St. Paul if I wanted to go to public high school. And so that was kind of — Emily: A compromise. [laughs] Beth: Yes. The stipulation, the compromised for going. And it's probably one of their smartest decisions that they've made. Because I was able to — in the beginning I was a little stubborn and didn't really want to be there, but I really grew into my faith. And I think — I'll share a little bit more about how I ended up running that youth ministry program that I used to be a part of through the promptings of the Holy Spirit — but I think really going to a public high school helped me to grow in my faith because I had to kind of talk about it a little bit more, because not all of my friends that I went to high school with were Catholic. So I believe that it really helped to broaden my faith and be able to confidently share my story. And then through ministry I was able to travel, has been a really big part of sort of what's kept me in the faith. And then other people along my journey as well, that kind of started in youth ministry. Fr. Patrick: With the youth ministry experience, in your youth ministry years was, you know, that something come to mind a time in your life, maybe it was in high school where you came to a bit of a decision point or a particular difficult challenge that your faith became even more concretized. It's awesome to hear the testimony that throughout your teen years and into your early 20 years, you were brought closer to the Lord and didn't fade, which is so common. Beth: Sure. Sure. So I think in college I went to Mass almost every Sunday, but I kind of did it more out of a check box. I did it because I knew that it would make my parents happy and and I did it kind of out of a heart of gratitude, but again, it was just sort of like a check box. And so I graduated college and I was working in interior design and I started to experience a lot of anxiety. And so I had to learn how to grow with the Lord through that anxiety. And so when I was kind of in that moment one of my good friends introduced me to like actually spontaneously praying and really, she prayed over me which was super beautiful. And there were just other people that God brought into my life that really helped me to overcome that anxiety that I was feeling. Fr. Patrick: Somebody praying over you played a critical role in your walk with Jesus. Beth: That's right up Fr. Patrick's alley. Fr. Patrick: Oh my golly. I think it was ever disciple. Ooh, praise God. Emily: That's awesome. And Beth, would you say that that moment of being prayed over, or that conversation was sort of a way in which you encountered Christ in those years? Or how would you describe the moment where you kind of realized that you weren't just called to be, you know, a Catholic living out your faith, but really, you know, a joyful, intentional missionary disciple here in the archdiocese? Beth: Sure. So I think that from that moment, I just learned that faith was more than reciting prayers and more than just sitting in the pew at church. Like, I had a part to play and I had a specific role and God had a specific mission for me. And so I think it really then made faith personal. And again, I don't think I could articulate at the time that I had encountered Christ, but I do know that from sort of continuing to grow that in that moment I did. There was also another moment when I was in high school when my youth minister at the time — again, I said that I didn't really love being at youth ministry at first. And so she didn't know what to do with me during Bible study, 'cause I would kind of not be the most participatory. And so she was just like, Jesus, what do you want me to do with Beth? And so she brought us into the chapel and in that silence I was able to encounter Jesus as well. And she had to tell me that story after the fact, like, I don't even remember that being the case, but I think it's through the silence and through also kind of being prayed over, I was able to experience Jesus and then continue to grow from there. Fr. Patrick: Glory to God. Beth thank you for your vulnerability and sharing a couple of minute moments ago about the anxiety and learning to let the Lord love you and guide you through that. And I'm sure, I imagine there's somebody that's listening right now, either themselves or they're someone else that they're like, ooh, that strikes a chord. If you know, what did the Lord do for your heart? What would you say from your heart, from your experience that here's a tip or two, how to lean into the Lord's presence if you're dealing with anxiety. Beth: So through that anxiety and walking with the Lord and through being prayed over, I learned that the closer that I got to God, the more perfect I would become. Because in scripture it says "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." And so I started to really take that to heart. I started to go to daily Mass more. I started to pray with my heart more spontaneously and kind of give over my anxiety and worry to the Lord. And I saw the fruit from there. Also just being more attentive to the Holy Spirit. What does the Spirit's voice kind of sound like personally to me? And then it was sort of through that anxiety that I learned that you know, interior design wasn't exactly what the Lord was calling me to. He had a greater purpose and mission for me. And so then I was able to say yes to sort of the next steps in my walk with the Lord, which was then working for the Church. Fr. Patrick: Thank you so much for sharing that, Beth. Emily: That, yeah, that's awesome. I think that, you know, hearing you say you realize that you had a different purpose than that. Can you talk us through what that was? How did you realize your call to ministry and working for the Church and then what were some of the steps that you took to start getting involved? Beth: Sure, sure. So through youth ministry, as a teen we had opportunities to go on mission trips and World Youth Day. And so I just learned that I loved working with other people. I loved mission experience. I loved encountering Christ in those that I served. And so I was blessed to be able to go to Ecuador a numerous amount of times and then also to do some local mission as well. And so I always, that was sort of one of my kind of connecting paths that even when I was working in my interior design job, I volunteered with the youth ministry program and I helped to kind of lead some of those mission experiences. Beth: And so kind of from there, I was able to kind of discern even more that the Lord was calling me to work with young people. And so the youth minister at the time, that I was being a volunteer for, she was kind of discerning her next steps and invited me to pray about taking over her position when she left. And so I was like, Oh, okay. Like maybe all right, sounds good. I'll pray. And I did, and I had so much peace and so much joy in that decision that it was undeniable that this should be my next step. Fr. Patrick: Wow. In addition to that peace and joy after you had transitioned from your career in architecture into, into ministry, what was that like for you to go full — You had a peace and a joy. What, what was it like to go on full after it? Beth: Right. It just kind of felt right. I don't really know how else to describe it. It just felt like this is what I was being called to do next. And also just the Lord showed me the love that I have for young people and had other people speak words over me that "You really do work well with young people." And so it was just sort of like those affirmations that really led me to kind of with confidence take on this new role because I should have been filled with a lot of anxiety. I totally changed my careers. I took a pay cut. I did, you know, I did all of those things. I should have kind of experienced the anxiety that I was prior in my interior design job. And I didn't. So I just knew that this is what I was supposed to do. Fr. Patrick: It's an awesome fringe benefit. Praise you, Jesus, Prince of Peace. Emily: That is awesome. Beth, you know, in our previous guests for Open Door Policy, Chris, he talked a lot also about, you know, some of the joys of working with young people specifically. Can you share about some of your experience? We talked in the last episode that people even who are very active in their parishes don't necessarily have that opportunity to experience young people as joyful missionary disciples. But of course the letter, Archbishop's letter Unleash the Gospel makes a point to say "no bystanders" and like even youth and young people and the laity have a very important role to play in unleashing the Gospel. So can you share a little bit about your experience with that and how it's helped you grow in faith to interact with youth? Beth: So first of all, they have so much energy. And so that energy is just a beautiful thing. So I think that it really helps to keep the Church youthful and keep the Church relevant and present in the current times. They just are so lovable as well. Like they just really want to be loved. And so I just invite anyone. A lot of people think that they aren't capable of working with young people, that they're hard, but at the root of it, they just want to be loved. So if you can just show them love, they are going to respond to you and be authentic. They're sponges. They're able to enter into prayer experiences in a different way than I've seen adults and things like that. So but yeah, just showing them their love. That's really what they're looking for. Fr. Patrick: In addition to that, Beth, are there some specific things that come to mind that you found in youth ministry that this helped many to encounter Jesus? I appreciate what you shared earlier that, you know, for you, you needed to — your youth minister prayed and you were led into the silence. I'm thinking there's people listening or listening right now thinking, "How do I get them to encounter Jesus?" Any tips you have from your experience in youth ministry, in addition to just love them, love them, what else helps them to encounter the Lord? Beth: I think too, just giving them the space to ask the questions. I think oftentimes we kind of go into teacher mode and just kind of want to spit a lot of information at them. And so I think really just giving them the time to process and to ask questions. And then also teaching them how to pray, but then right in that moment, giving them time to practice that. So maybe introducing them to lectio divina, but then actually doing it right after. Or I would use silence a lot as well in working with the young people. Emily: Especially because young people don't get a lot of silence these days. Right? Beth: Exactly, exactly. And so it was just so beautiful. They could participate in silence. It was just so beautiful how they were able to enter in and then kind of what they would say after was just a gift for sure. Fr. Patrick: Thank you, sister. Emily: That's great. And you mentioned even related to your work and youth ministry that you have these mission trips or doing mission work. Share more about that and your travel experience. Beth: So the Lord has given me a missionary spirit and I'm super grateful for that. I just love experiencing other cultures and other groups of people. But what I really love is just seeing the Catholic Church around the world. And I've been blessed to be able to see that. And so it has just been a gift to see the universality and the beauty of the Church all around the world. And so it started with Ecuador, a trip to Ecuador that I went on when I was in college. Because I discerned potentially being a missionary for a year after college. But then I ended up getting a job in interior design and it didn't really happen. Beth: But again, praise God, mission experience is still in my life. And so it just looked a little different than I thought initially it would. And so I went on these trips to Ecuador and then also helped teens locally. We went to Chicago, went to St. Louis, there's teams here in Detroit. So kind of helped with at-home mission experiences as well. But then the Holy Spirit had me, led me to lead a trip to Ethiopia, Africa. And so I'd love to share a little bit of the story about how that came about. So I was in my lay ecclesial ministry training for the archdiocese and my mentor, we were talking and she was talking about how there was an application in order to — it was similar to the Ecuador Immersion trip. This is how it started. Speaker 3: And they were sending people to Ethiopia, Africa, and she was like, "Well, I don't have the time in my schedule to do it. I need to find someone else to go." And so I was like, "Well, I'll pray about it. Like, I'll try, I'll submit an application." And kind of just left it in the hands of the Holy Spirit. So the organization that was sending people, it was Catholic Relief Services, which we're all very familiar with sort of the rice bowls that you give at Lent, and things like that. It goes way beyond that, as well. But through — so I submitted an application to go on this trip it's called Called to Witness. And so CRS brings people involved in ministry on to be able to receive firsthand knowledge and experience of the countries of the people that they serve. Beth: And so I submitted my application and they accepted it and I was able to go. So in 2017, I went to Ethiopia, Africa for the first time. And it was just so beautiful. Like almost the Catholic Church at its finest. Fully mission-oriented. The people there, the love that they have for Jesus, like during Eucharistic Adoration, I've never seen anything like it because they hunger and thirst for Jesus so much that it was just so apparent through their worship. And so through that program, I had to create a global action plan of how I was going to bring the message of CRS back to my hometown and back to Michigan and the archdiocese. And so through that I helped to develop a young adult immersion experience to Ethiopia. Beth: It's been such a gift. Right now, unfortunately, because of the pandemic we weren't able to go. I ended up taking my first group of young adults. There were 12 of us that went. We were the 12, 12 disciples and — or apostles, 12 apostles. And so that was in 2019 and it was just the best, the best trip. And so I'm just super grateful for the opportunity to be able to have other young adults and other people experience what I experienced over in Ethiopia. And so, yeah, it's just been amazing. I also learned from that trip, we had some not-so-young adults come on the trip as well. And just the beauty of having more seasoned people in faith, as well as young adults kind of together, it was a really beautiful experience. Fr. Patrick: Beth there's something- oh, sorry Emily. Emily: No, I was gonna say what an amazing experience. Oh my gosh. It's so incredible. Fr. Patrick: Beth, there's something that you're describing about like the Catholic faith, the universal component, that from your many travels that has given you a deeper appreciation, and I find myself as I listened to you thinking like, "Oh, I want that." You know, I've been a few places, but — the yeah. What do you think it is from your experiences? That — if you could go a little further with that, like how it's helped you to experience the Church, and, yeah, the gift of being a Catholic disciple of Jesus and seeing that whole, "You are Peter and upon you I'll build my Church," and what that means for the world to just keep going with that for a minute, I kind of want to live vicariously, so, and maybe a few others as well. Beth: Yeah. So God had blessed me with mission experiences, but he also has blessed my family to travel together as a family. And so we've actually been numerous places together as a family and we always have a component, like, kind of a pilgrimage component to our travel. And so what's been super beautiful is that, either knowingly or unknowingly, like we've been able to walk in the footsteps of saints, which has just been so incredible. And so incredible to do that with young people, so incredible to do that with my family, with people on mission, but I'll share this story. It was so — Emily is actually in my women's group, and. Emily: I'm new, I'm a new addition. I'm so grateful. They've been so welcoming. Beth: And so we're using a journal this Lent that's walking us through some of the lives of the saints and there's a blessed Sarah and I can't pronounce her last name, but she's from Hungary. On the banks of the Danube River, there is a memorial for all the lives that were lost during the Nazi occupation and Blessed Sarah would have been one of those people that are part of the memorial. And when we went at that time, we didn't even know that that was part of the story of what we were sort of experiencing. And so it's been really beautiful to be able to walk in the footsteps of saints. We've been to Poland and with JP II, St. John Paul II, we've been to France, St. Therese of Lisieux. And so it's just beautiful to see the Church in many different aspects, but then to also walk in the footsteps of some of the saints. Emily: So amazing. Yeah. The book that — the devotional that we're doing is called No Unlikely Saints. We got it through, well, I guess I know it as an Instagram account, Brick House in the City. Just a beautiful Lenten journal for, I think in particular for women, but maybe for anyone, walking through people who, I guess you would maybe think they're unlikely saints, but the whole point of it is that there are no unlikely saints and stories that are in here, so beautiful to learn the story of Blessed Sarah and Beth was able to fall, and which was just honestly, one of the days I was doing the reflections it moved me to tears. It was, she's really incredible. We'll put her full name in the show notes, if you want to look her up, because I'm not gonna take an attempt at pronunciation. Emily: But it was just so amazing to see Beth, like follow up that with all of us in the group with a photo she had taken of these like bronze shoes along the steps, along the Danube River that just made it, even the story we were reading, which was so beautiful, come to life and seeing that there, that really it's a real place and this real woman in modern times who is now being held up as a beautiful example of virtue as a — on her path to sainthood. So that was just a great experience. Beth, thanks so much for sharing about your travels. I want to circle back to something you said about your mission trips and that there was an aspect of needing to bring it part back to your hometown. And I know that that was probably through a very, you know, official step of the action plan you mentioned through CRS, but I'm sure that even though that some of those things have been put on pause because of the pandemic I'm sure there probably are things you're bringing back to your work now and in particular your role being in charge of engagement at St. Aloysius. Emily: So I would love to just dive into that a little bit because for our listeners who don't know, engagement is one of the new areas identified under Families of Parishes as an official Mission Direct area. But Beth's role actually predates that, she was, like, our first Engagement Coordinator in the archdiocese, even before the move to Families of Parishes. So Beth, maybe you can explain a little bit about what, what that role is, what it means to you and how your experiences of engaging people in the faith from all over the world with youth in so many different settings, how that informs the mission work you do in downtown Detroit at St. Aloysius now. Beth: I have recently, July 1st, transitioned to this role at St. Aloysius in downtown Detroit. And I just love it and I'm so excited to be here. So my role at St Aloysius looks like a little bit of everything. But I'm in charge of our social media accounts, our website, and then volunteer coordination. And we have our Neighborhood Services Outreach as well. So we serve our brothers and sisters on Washington Boulevard and so I kind of help our director to get volunteers and just connect people to the parish in many different ways. If you've never been to St. Aloysius downtown, it is super beautiful. And so another way, Emily: What is it known as, Beth? What's your tagline? Beth: So it's "Everybody's church in downtown Detroit," and it is super, super beautiful. So it was built in 1930. And so the Holy Spirit has used — this role, I feel like, has kind of been a culmination of sort of the roles that I have been led to in the past. And so sort of the interior design, working with young people, and then just experiencing parish life as well has kind of led to this beautiful position that I love so much. But so our church is super beautiful, so I give church tours as well. And so I, Emily: My mom and I got one over the weekend, she was visiting. Beth: I gave Emily and her family a tour this weekend. And so it's just so beautiful, because I love art and architecture and I love, I love working with people and I love all of it. And so it's just been really great. But again, being that face also for the parish, so being very friendly and engaging and warm and welcoming, I'm the first contact for our marriage prep couples and just, you know, being that sort of constant face for everyone and because St. Aloysius is a little bit different. It's not as a typical parish in the suburbs. Because we are right in the city, our parish base looks a little bit different and sort of our ministry is a little bit different. And so how can we bring other people from across the diocese to experience the Church in Detroit and to experience the beauty of the Church in Detroit and just, you know, the Neighborhood Services Outreach as well to our brothers and sisters on Washington Boulevard and those experiencing homelessness. So it's just a beautiful way to be able to connect a variety of different people to the Church in Detroit. Fr. Patrick: Beth, have you ever been giving one of those tours and somebody says to you, "Do you have a background in architecture?" Beth: I've had some people, yes. I usually share it because it only took six months to build St. Aloysius, which is amazing. Yes. I always tell them, I kind of tell a little bit of my story. I say, "I used to be an interior designer, and I know that it, nowadays, it would take at least six months to just do one bathroom. So." Emily: That's awesome. I love to share the story of Beth and I actually, 'cause the first time it happened, we, I even shared it with the Chancery staff, because it was just such a beautiful example of our hopes for this engagement position, moving into Families of Parishes as well, that my first weekend, so moving to Detroit and going to St. Aloysius in person for the first time, Beth noticed that I was there — and she had my phone number from a previous project that we had worked on through work, but we hadn't really connected outside of that before — and then texted me or sent me, maybe sent me an email afterwards and said, "Hey, I noticed that you were in Math, like, sorry, we couldn't connect, but would love to invite you to sandwich making for Neighborhood Services later this week or next weekend," or something like that. Emily: And I just loved that because I had never experienced before, you know, as a young adult parish — kind of parish-hopping in my hometown in South Bend, that someone who would notice a young person who was not normally there in Mass and make every effort to get in touch with them so that they have that point of connection or that engagement with the parish that makes them feel more welcomed and invite them into deeper participation. So I was just so inspired by that. And I even have shared that story at work, which you know, I think hearing examples of that and how it's drawing more people into parish life is an important part of the move that we're trying to make in Families of Parishes as well. Not that I want to talk about that, I want to keep it focused on you at Beth, but it was just, it was really touching to me to feel that point of welcome when we were moving here. So thanks so much for that. Beth: No problem. Speaker 2: That's, that's it, isn't it Beth? Right there. Like, that's like, that's it. Beth: And then it goes back to when I was talking about how young people just want to be loved, we all just want to be loved. We all want to be noticed. We all want friendship. And so how can I be that person to whomever the Holy Spirit puts in my path? May it be someone in a work setting, may it be someone in a personal setting or just even a stranger on the street? And so it kind of just all comes back to showing the love of Christ and that's what it means to be a joyful missionary disciple. Speaker 2: Beth, when you said earlier — amen! Sorry, I have to amen! Preach, Beth! More! So when you spoke earlier about your face, that, you know, in my position as a parish engagement coordinator that, you know, oftentimes I'm the first face somebody will see. Couples that are getting ready for marriage prep or whatever it may be at the door. And as you said that, I was thinking about how the Lord Jesus, you know, shines, how it's Jesus looking through your eyes at others. How it's the light of Christ shining off of your face. I just thought of this scripture to just declare over for everybody listening. And and just, I think it describes your ministry, that, "The Lord bless —" Numbers Six, the blessing, the Lord, verses 24 through 26, "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace." And I think that's like a beautiful description of your ministry from what I'm hearing is you carry that shining face of the Lord for others. I think it's a really great example for all of us, another phrase for joyful missionary disciples could be heavenly engagement corps. Heavenly engagement agents. Emily, I need your help with that/ Emily: Engagement agents. Yeah, I — just, I love the term engagement too, because you know, it says in the action steps of the letter that, you know, we have a responsibility to really support and reach out to not, to those who are already engaged and how can we support them, help them stay connected, but also those seeking engagement. So those people who are walking through the doors, whether they're coming to Mass or especially, like you said downtown, Beth, about those that Neighborhood Services is serving as well, or Fr. Patrick, to circle back to your story from the beginning, those who were coming into your church to receive their vaccines, their coronavirus vaccine. So it's just, I think a really beautiful way to expand thinking about evangelization to every point of engagement along the journey of a joyful missionary disciple. Fr. Patrick: Amen. Beth, thank you for bringing that up. I'm so grateful for all of your testimony and the thing about the face. I just there's — I think everybody gets to hear today, like let your face be a billboard for Heaven, you know, but what you spoke to was so powerful. Beth, I have one more question for you. Beth: I just wanted to say too, just quickly, like, thank you for sharing that scripture. And I just want to give a little shout out to my previous boss Monsignor Halfpenny. So he ends every Mass with that prayer, and so I just want to — if he didn't take a chance on me, again, you know, I didn't really have a ton of schooling and background in youth ministry. But he was sort of my first boss in ministry. And so I'm just super grateful for his yes to taking on, to letting me lead the young people at St. Paul. And so it was just beautiful that that scripture came to your heart because he prays that at the end of every Mass. And it just reminds me of him. Emily: I love that so much. Speaker 2: Praise God. Bless Monsignor Halfpenny, Lord, thank you for him. Emily: Fr. Patrick, you had a question. Fr. Patrick: I got rocked by that story. I'm lost. [laughs] Emily: Beth, well thank you so much for sharing this, your beautiful witness with us today. Just your journey from your, from coming out of that anxiety, encountering the Lord Jesus, serving through the youth and now your travels all around the world and how you've brought that back to Detroit. We are so grateful to you for taking the time, especially on short notice today, but there was a lot of Holy Spirit involved to share that with us. This, I don't know if Fr. Patrick, did your question, come back to you? If not, it was just a fleeting Holy Spirit moment. Fr. Patrick: Yeah. It's fleeting, but I thought maybe to close you know, Beth,. Well, okay. One last — oh, these are why people are like, "Why have the episodes gotten longer?" Gonyeau.. Okay, here we go. Just really briefly, Beth, you know, your love for spontaneous prayer. I was wondering if you would lead a closing spontaneous prayer from your heart for Emily on her birthday. Before that though, if you want to sneak in a story I'm imagining in your youth ministry and in your parish engagement ministry, you probably have been praying over some people, if you have a favorite story of like, yeah, "I prayed for this young lady and this happened," we love testimonies. So there is a question, one of your favorite prayer stories and then, and then if you'd pray over Emily for us. Beth: Sure. I'm going to need a second. Let me think about it. Fr. Patrick: Yeah, take a moment. Beth: Let me think about that for a second. So this doesn't, this isn't particular to ministry but, I prayed over one of my really good friends. And it's just such a beautiful story. So again, I'm kind of new to the whole "words of knowledge" and you know, imaginative prayer and giving images to people. And so I've become more comfortable with it. But I was praying with a friend and I almost didn't share this with her because I thought it was a little bit silly and like, "Is she even going to get it," and all of these things, but it's a testament to, like, the Holy Spirit will put things on your heart and they're going to touch people. And so I had this image of her driving through the Hills of Ireland in like, what looks like a Barbie Jeep. [laughs] Beth: And so I shared, I was like, "I'm going to share this with you. And I don't know if it's going to make any sense to you." And she just like started crying and just started, she was like, it was exactly like, it was very personal to her. It was exactly what the Lord wanted to speak to her. And so sort of in my, like — when I was feeling not as comfortable about sharing that word, but then just having the confidence to be like, well, I'm just going to do it. And whatever happens happens, but then to see like how much it blessed the other person now it's like, how can I not, you know what I mean? So it just gave me a greater confidence in praying with other people, Fr. Patrick: Beth, awesome story. I know I set you up for the testimony and then prayer for the birthday lady. But quick little thing, you mentioned a phrase, "words of knowledge," and for those who may not be familiar with that, I just want to do a quick contextualization. And and then we'll roll to the blessing, you know, in the Catholic faith, we talk about how we are all baptized a priest, a prophet, and a King. And in John chapter 10 verse 27, Jesus says my sheep know me and they hear my voice. And we believe that we are able to hear the voice of the Lord often through inspired thought. The Catholic Church teaches that our conscience is a sanctuary, where we are alone with God, and God's given us an imagination that can show us things. And when we go to pray, the Ignatian tradition, for example, of meditating on Gospel passages, when we go to pray, the Lord can show us images like you described for your friend and you took a risk and said, "This is what I'm seeing for you." Fr. Patrick: And I love that testimony you just gave. We all, as a prophetic people, are able to hear the voice of the Lord. And the more that we lean into it and say, "Lord, is there something you want to tell me for this person?" Or, "Is there something you want to show me for this person?" We'll be surprised at what the Lord does. And this is part of the New Pentecost. I think in, you know, that we're experiencing Unleash the Gospel is the Church being equipped in the power of the Holy Spirit. So a word of knowledge is when the Lord reveal something to you that you couldn't know about somebody, unless they reveal that, unless the Lord revealed, like when you know Jesus with the woman at the well, "You've had five husbands," and God gives you a supernatural insight about something. And the more we ask for those, the more he can give it. Maybe sometime we can, we can do an episode on that, that the prophetic — growing in the prophetic as well. But, whoa, I'm sorry to go a little bit long, but alley-oop it back to you, Beth, for the birthday prayer for Emily. Beth: Sure. So in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, amen. Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for this day. We thank you for the gift of life. We thank you specifically for the gift of your precious daughter, Emily, today on her birthday. Lord, we just ask you to continue to guide her and to bless her and for her to be a light to the world, Lord. We just thank you for the gift that she is and for her saying yes to coming to Detroit. And we just ask you to continue to bless her and bless all those who are listening to this podcast. And we just love you so much, Jesus. And we ask this all in your holy mighty name. Amen. Fr. Patrick: Emily, can we give you a birthday assignment? Emily: A birthday assignment? Okay. Fr. Patrick: Okay, there's a beautiful worship song, and for everybody out there as well called The Blessing, it takes those verses from Numbers 24 through 26, a beautiful worship song called The Blessing. Just put it on YouTube and let it be a birthday blessing over your life and the generations to come in your family. Hallelujah. Emily: I will definitely look that up. Never had birthday homework before, but I'll take it. Fr. Patrick: Thank you, Beth Allison. Beth: Yes, thank you so much. Emily: Thank you so much, Beth. We're so grateful to you for everything and everything that we referenced and talked about today, we'll put in the show notes for our listeners and anyone who's interested in visiting St. Aloysius, everybody's church in downtown Detroit, you will see Beth's smiling face as the face of Jesus at the door. So thanks again for your time. Thank you, Fr. Patrick, and we'll see you again in two weeks. Fr. Patrick: Goodbye! Beth: Thank you. Emily: Thanks for listening to another episode of open door policy. We'll be back again in two weeks, you can find more episodes or learn more@unleashthegospel.org/podcasts. You can also subscribe to Open Door Policy on Spotify, Google podcasts, Apple podcasts, or now Amazon music podcasts.