A little more than two years ago, when I moved from Spain to Minnesota, I began to propose the Fellowship of the Keys to my students and other kids from the parish. It is a group for middle schoolers. As always, it takes time to understand where you are, who the people are before you, how to go about building something in a new place…But little by little, things began to take shape. We decided to follow a three-week cycle: during the first, we dedicate some time to a brief and simple assembly, where the kids can comment on how they have been surprised by Jesus in the days leading up to the meeting. In the second, we read about the life of saint or read their words. In the third week, we read and comment on some book that we enjoy (this year we are reading the Little Prince). Obviously, everything is introduced and concluded by prayer together, and includes time to play and sing.
Even if the structure works well, and I am moved by the dedication and generosity of the other adults who collaborate with us, every now and then I ask myself if what we are doing truly serves to educate the children to the faith.
A few recent episodes are confirming the path for me. The first goes back to the last summer vacation, which was the first ever in Minnesota along with the Knights, the communities of middle school kids. The groups came from three different cities During the final assembly, one boy commented: “I spent a good part of the last game hidden under a canoe. No one saw me and no one could catch me. But I could not win! And I understood that, when we are together, it is the same thing: if I am always just safe with those who are already my friends and I don’t take any risks, then I am at peace; but if I really want to understand the importance of what we do at Fellowship, then I must risk and follow, even with those I do not know well. This is how you win the game of life.”
“This is a piece of the body of Christ present in my life.”
The second episode is also from the summer vacation: “I am happy that we can celebrate Mass every day,” one boy says. “When I go to Mass on Sunday with my family, I don’t ever have much desire to do so. But here I understand that the Mass is perhaps the most important part of the day. Without this moment, even the beautiful things disappear while instead, through the Mass, they are offered to Jesus. And so, they can last forever.”
The third episode is from a month ago, when, reading the first chapter of The Little Prince (that of the boa seen from inside and from outside), this comment came out: “It is the same thing with our companionship! If someone is distracted and superficial, he would only see a group of kids who play games and sing. But if we are attentive to what is truly here, we can say that this is a piece of the body of Christ present in my life.”
A final comment: “The Fellowship is a special place. There are many kids from my school with whom, normally, I wouldn’t have a relationship but also I wouldn’t even want one. And yet, here, it seems that we are one united thing. Only the Lord can create this unity.”
These contributions seem to me to be the most adequate response to the questions that I have been asking myself about the meaning and the effectiveness of the method that we follow. Also for the adults who help us as volunteers, the Fellowship is a place of great beauty. What happens with the kids feeds our friendship and our faith. It is beautiful to grow with them.
