St. Oscar Romero said, “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” He was martyred for his outspoken and courageous care for the poor and marginalized in El Salvador.
CONGRATULATIONS TO SAINT AMBROSE SCHOOL ALUMNA MISS MARIA ANTONIUS; DISTINGUISHED 2020 RECIPIENT OF THE LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT AWARD.
Saint Ambrose School and Littlest Angels Preschool instituted the Light of the Spirit Award in memory of his unselfish service and in honor of his canonization in October 2018. Each year, this award is presented at our annual school Bilingual Mass to recognize and thank a person who shares the light of Christ in unique ways, as St. Oscar did.
We are thrilled to honor one of our own, Maria Antonius, with this year’s Light of the Spirit Award. Maria is a parishioner, Saint Ambrose School alumna( 2016) and a current college student at The Ohio State University. We are so grateful to Maria and even more so to her parents, Brian and Marlene, for their strong faith and investment in the faith formation of Maria and her brothers, Will and Jack, who are also graduates of Saint Ambrose School. Maria grew up at Saint Ambrose Parish. God called her to use her unique gifts and talents – as He does each of us – and she answered with a resounding Yes!
FAITH IN ACTION
We had the opportunity recently to catch up with our 2020 Light of the Spirit Recipient to see what she is working on next. She is currently attending The Ohio State University studying Biochemistry and Spanish where she continues her legacy of volunteering in meaningful ways to pour into the community around her using her talents. Please see our interview and her responses that share more deeply around the projects she has been involved with and has a passion to pour into.
- CHARGG- a women’s health and fitness organization.
- Alpha Village
- The Warmth Project
- Souper Bowl of Caring
- Community Day
- Mission Possible Trips to Dominican Republic
- Al Otro Lado
- Proposito Program for Young Women in Domincan Republic (Co-Founder)
We asked Miss Antonius how the work of Saint Ocar Romero has impacted her life.
“Saint Romero, both in his actions and words, was a big advocate for the less fortunate. I feel his message of compassion and engagement is one that has been instilled in me my whole life. For as long as I can remember, my parents have challenged my brothers and me to work hard, be grateful for our opportunities, and lend a hand to those in need. Mission Possible is a great example of Saint Romero’s message. While Mission Possible provides basic needs but also inspires community members to strive for more in their own lives, and help those around them. Education is the gateway to opportunity. This is one of the main goals of “Propósito” in which we empower young women in our communities to continue their education and the work of Christ. “
We are so blessed by your role in Al Otro Lado in conjunction with our school and mission. Can you please tell us a bit about this project and your role in it?
“Saint Ambrose Parish collects Rice bowls during Lent to help raise money for our mission communities every year. Al Otro Lado was a project started to teach Saint Ambrose students about our mission. I wanted to help our fundraising team create an authentic rice bowl campaign to bring the mission closer to home. “Al Otro Lado,” means “The Other Side”. We wanted to show Saint Ambrose students how children in the Dominican Republic grow up in comparison to their lives in the United States and wanted them to participate in a fun and engaging way. The first-year students raised over $4300.00 and this past year they collected over $2400 in just three weeks before they went to online school due to COVID-19. We are so very grateful for the support of our Saint Ambrose School Families. “
Our parish very actively supports our Mission in the Dominican Republic. We know you have had the opportunity to travel and serve there. Can you share with us about your experiences there and how it has impacted you?
“Through the generous support of family and friends, I have been able to travel and serve on four mission trips. Each year, I gain a stronger bond with our brothers and sisters in Higüey and to God. The first year was very eye-opening, I saw firsthand the cycle of poverty. Children would run to the water truck that played music in the same way that I used to run to the neighborhood ice cream truck. I have had the opportunity to move families from small homes with no clean water, leaking roofs, and community bathrooms and into a new home in our community.
The reality of how blessed I am is immeasurable. I have witnessed true poverty and oppression. It is not uncommon for older men to marry adolescent women and start having families. In these cases, young girls or women are unable to finish school because they have to start caring for their children. Together, with the help of several key people, we started a program, “Propósito,” which means purpose in order to empower the young girls in our mission communities. This past year, I am proud to say that we raised enough money to provide scholarship opportunities to send at least two young women in our program to attend university. One would like to become a nurse and another wants to study engineering!
From my very first trip, I felt drawn to the smiles and pure love and joy of the children and many of our members. Celebrating Mass in our community with our families is one of my favorite memories. While we are miles apart, we are family and more alike than we are different. I believe they have made a larger impact on me than I have on them, and I will continue to participate for many years to come. It is also one of the reasons I am continuing to study Spanish so I can improve my communication skills.” For more information on Mission Possible, and how you can get involved, please visit https://stambrose.us/mission-possible/
How did Saint Ambrose School help to shape and prepare you in ways of service to others?
“Saint Ambrose School laid the foundation for me to put God and others before myself. Saint Ambrose does so many things for the local community and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved and make a difference. I found that it allowed my friends and I to form a bond in our service. I met one of my closest friends, Haley Morgan, in kindergarten at Saint Ambrose School. Haley and I founded “Propósito” through Mission Possible to provide more opportunities for girls who weren’t blessed with an experience like ours. Growing up in the Saint Ambrose community, service has been embedded into us. We learned to understand the importance of helping others.”
Your service to others is clearly built upon your strong convictions. What do you want for your future and legacy?
“I don’t want to look back and know that I didn’t give my best effort. I am really excited about Propósito and believe that we are giving these young women a chance to stand on their own two feet and that with some early success stories, we can greatly build upon this initiative. With opportunities and a strong foundation of faith, they can create a successful path out of poverty, and the ability to help others as well.
As St. Romero said, it’s not just giving the less fortunate donations, but creating an opportunity that they can partake in and make their lives better. I hope to inspire the girls in Propósito to work towards helping others and using their God-given gifts in their future occupations and in service to others. I also wish to be a role model for current Saint Ambrose students to make their service work their own and take initiative to help build a better world.”
What an incredible witness of the light and love of Jesus Christ Who is everything for us!
Maria, on behalf of your Saint Ambrose School family, we thank you beyond words for helping us to see the good in others and for sharing your goodness with so many! We are so proud of you. May God continue to bless you and fill our world with the light of Christ through you!
