OCY Missionaries is a missionary program offered by the Office of Catholic Youth in the Archdiocese of Toronto. In 2022 a partnership was created by the OCY, the Archdiocese of Toronto and HopeStone Catholic Formation. A team of passionate people came together with the idea to unite previous missionaries known as RE:GEN and HopeStone, with the goal of pursuing Christ together and reaching more young people with the Gospel message.
To form a strong and faithful Catholic community within the Archdiocese of Toronto. An on-going calling forth from the diocese; immersing, mentoring, training and equipping disciples within the diocese to be sent out.
Responding to Luke 10:2 "He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest."
Our mission is to be connected in pursuit of Christ; connecting hearts one soul at a time and to bring others to an encounter with the risen Lord.
OCY RETREAT MISSIONARIES: Traveling across the Archdiocese of Toronto and beyond, ministering and connecting to young people in grades 5 - 12 in schools and parishes. Sharing the life-giving message of authentic love, identity, faith, perseverance and hope. Giving opportunities to young people to pursue their relationship with God and each other. Reaching these students during retreats, workshops, conferences and more!
OCY CAMPUS MISSIONARIES: Campus Missionaries serve as part of a chaplaincy team on University/College campuses; we encounter, mentor and accompany post-secondary students, sharing our faith with a spirit of evangelization.
Father Joshua was ordained in 2013 and served previously at Holy Martyrs of Japan Parish in Bradford.
Peter has been involved in youth ministry for over 25 years. Actively engaged with young people as camp director, youth minister, program coordinator and retreat facilitator. Peter continues to develop skills in videography, filming, editing and production with and for parishes. His calling is always loudest when it comes to mentoring and leading young adults on their path to Christ.
Stacey found her purpose while working with teens. This set a strong desire to grow HopeStone into a ministry that serves to authentically and unconditionally love young people. She develops programs, speaks at events, manages administration and assists in training. Her mission is to work alongside her husband Peter and commit themselves to growing God’s Kingdom one heart at a time.
Genicia has been serving as a missionary speaker and a support staff member over five years. She continues to be blown away by the transformative message of authentic love and that is why she keeps responding to the call to #BAMissionary. This year, she hopes to accompany the new missionaries in discovering their belovedness and the gift of mission. When not speaking about chastity and mission work, she is most likely learning Italian, drinking bubble tea or reading a good book.
Sunardi was raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. He initially served as a campus missionary for two years and is now a support staff member. He chose to #BAMissionary with re:gen because he experienced profound conversion during his early university days. That experience fueled his desire to do what God wills for him. He acknowledges the importance of journeying with university students, walking side by side to know, love, and serve God. He hopes to use his skills and talents to serve the mission in his new role. He has many hobbies, especially in the area of sports. A fun fact about Sunardi is that he is afraid of rollercoasters.
Born in the Philippines, raised in the Middle East, and heavily influenced by Scarborough, Keith answered the call to #BAMissionary with re:gen so that he could be a witness to God’s ongoing redemption of his desires. He currently lives in Oshawa with his family which includes a fluffy, white, Bichon Bolognese named Boyo. His hobbies include reading, playing sports, and spending quality time with his family and friends. With great difficulty but even greater support, Keith continues to practice habits in order to direct his desires beyond self-gratification and toward the love that truly satisfies: selfless and life-giving for all.
Kimberly chose to #BAMissionary with re:gen as a chastity missionary because she believes that as a society, we have settled for so many lesser goods that mock love. The result is that whenever we think about chastity or even hear the word chastity, we think that it has nothing to offer. There is a serious need to teach both Christians and non-Christians alike the true beauty of the message of chastity, and she hopes by the end of her mission year, she can change the perspective of what chastity is in the hearts of both youth and young adults, so that they may choose and strive after the greatest love of all. A fun fact about Kimberly is that she desires to be part of a Broadway musical at least once in her life, as she LOVES acting and singing.
Judel Villardo is serving in his first year as a re:gen Digital Media Missionary, feeling the call to #BAMissionary and use his creative skills for the Church and Her people - to journey with them online, especially through the mental strain of social media use. He hopes that, through this mission, he can grow deeper in his faith, nurture his skills, and launch some fun content along the way. His mascot online is a personified rock named Geo.
Andrea Nicole is serving in her first year as a campus missionary. She was drawn to #BAMissionary in re:gen because of a desire to serve her diocese and out of love for campus ministry, which supported her through her undergraduate and graduate studies. Through her mission, she hopes to share the love that Christ has given her in abundance and to witness to the joy of living in total surrender to Christ. If not working at the UTSC/Centennial Chaplaincy, she can be found going on long walks or baking for her friends, family, and the re:gen team.
Michelle is a first year Campus Missionary serving the Catholic Chaplaincy at the University of Toronto - Mississauga. She chose to #BAMissionary with re:gen because she wants to accompany university students as they grow closer to God and embrace a Catholic lifestyle. In this mission year, Michelle hopes that more people will encounter Jesus and see that following Jesus leads to a life filled with joy, hope, freedom, and peace. A fun fact: Michelle has been to 9 of the 10 provinces in Canada!
Are you interested in discovering if you are called to take on a total commitment to share your faith with our OCY Missionary family?
MISSIONARIES LIVE BY A “CODE OF MISSION” IN THEIR PURSUIT TO CHRIST.
THE CODE IS MEANT TO STRENGTHEN, GROW, CHALLENGE, CONNECT AND DEEPLY BIND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. THESE PILLARS THAT WE STAND BY ARE:
Complete the following 4 steps.
If you are feeling uncertain about if this is for you - we really want to hear from you and speak with you regarding your interest in joining the mission. Please email us to set up a time to chat.
We are all disciples called to witness. Becoming a OCY Missionary is a way for you to intentionally take a year (or more) out of your life and dedicate it to evangelization. If you feel called to witness on campus to College or University students or if you feel called toward speaking to elementary and high school students about faith, authentic love, purpose and our connection with God - please reach out to us to find out more about our mission.
All of our missionaries - both retreat and campus receive thorough training and ongoing mission support. We want to equip those called to serve as part of this mission to be the best they can possibly be. It has been our experience that missionaries receive as much as they give when they allow the Lord to transform their lives through a year of service.
It is not always easy to determine what the Lord is calling you to do in life. God has an intentional mission for all of us, is He calling you to serve our Archdiocese? Please continue to pray and consider becoming a young Catholic missionary with OCY. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for more information!
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE THE OCY MISSIONARY TEAM COME AND FACILITATE YOUR RETREAT OR CONFERENCE? CHECK OUT OUR PROGRAM OFFERINGS BELOW OR ON HOPESTONE’S PAGE. PLEASE CONTACT US AT INFO@HOPESTONE.CA TO BOOK.
WE OFFER BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL FACILITATION:
IN-PERSON RETREATS: We provide guest speakers and facilitators. While we do host a specific retreat for each grade, with enough notice, we can also personalize a retreat to your specific topic or theme. We have a list below of additional retreat topics. We do not currently have a facility of our own, our missionary team comes to you – church, school, community centre, etc. All content listed below has been developed by HopeStone CF.
We encourage Youth Minister involvement and participation whenever possible.
WHAT TO EXPECT FOR THE DAY:
Overview: This very interactive retreat focuses on what Mercy is within our faith, our schools, our families and ourselves. We travel through different stories and give practical steps to countering the cruelty and selfishness of our world. Students will be submerged in opportunities to act mercifully through physical and hands-on activities. We strive to assist students in realizing how a simple act of kindness, patience and bravery can, in fact, change the lives of those around them. This retreat is a great way to bring mercy back to the classroom.
Recommended Audience: Grade 5-8
Overview: HopeStone will come and run a Confirmation retreat for and with you. This fun, challenging and engaging day focuses on understanding what Confirmation means for participant’s with the seal of the Holy Spirit and God’s mark in their lives. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from our dynamic speakers, small group discussion, activities, large group discussions, prayer time, games and a time for Mass or Reconciliation can be arranged.
Recommended Audience: Grade 7-8
Overview: This retreat focuses on assisting students to see what happens after their Confirmation. How they navigate their lives with these new gifts. Also, a large focus on finding hope in the most hopeless of situations. Giving students a practical way to move towards the direction of finding peace and joy, when they feel suffocated and disconnected by their peers, their family and the world in general.
Recommended Audience: Grade 8
Overview: When the whole world tells you that you need to be happy, famous and comfortable, the church tells you that you were made for more. You were made to be great, to be bold and to push yourself beyond comfort. Do you know how great you are? Students will be challenged to reflect on their everlasting identities, their authentic personality traits and walking forward with their struggles. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on the last few years of their lives and how they'd like to see themselves grow moving forward.
Recommended Audience: Grade 9
Overview: This retreat is focused around our connections with our families, friends and our relationships. Looking at what drives our desire for the connections that we have from the past, present and future. Students will get to look at how relationships change, especially following a Pandemic. How students use filters to protect themselves and how they use filters to establish what they want others to know or not know about them. Students will dive into the difference of what key traits others are defining them by versus who they truly are – or want to be!
Recommended Audience: Grade 9-10
Overview: This retreat is VERY hands on! Using activities, different forms of media and a small social project. We look at the 7 themes of Catholic Social Teachings. Students will discuss their worth and exactly how their actions can affect those near and far. Focus will be given to when we are loveable, our promise as mankind and how the world needs our young people to take action.
*Can be arranged for larger groups and a large conference style event.
Recommended Audience: Grade 11-12
Overview: Students are reaching a time of major life decisions, greater responsibility and independence. This day will look at what students will truly be faced with once they leave high school and venture forward into the next phase of their lives. Equipping students with the appropriate tools to strengthen, maintain and defend their faith. Challenging students to take a real hard look into their own lives, their habits and how they will battle the secular world gracefully. Reflecting on the last few years of their lives, how do they want to change their world and the world around them for the better? What does their voice sound like?
Recommended Audience: Grade 11-12
Overview: This retreat will focus on our current situation, living through this pandemic, adapting to change, the importance of loving our neighbour, mental health and above all, holding onto hope in these difficult times. We have received many messages from young people that they feel disconnected from the world, their friends and even themselves. We feel there is an urgency to share the message of hope and inspire them to share that message with others through their faith and love.
Overview: This retreat will focus on dealing with those difficult moments or times of struggle that we have in our lives. Sometimes we may be in this moment of calm where we feel we have a handle of things, other times we can feel like we have been overwhelmed by waves and storms. We want to offer a message of hope and healing that comes from reaching out to Christ in those moments. God will never give us a situation that we can’t handle or that He won’t provide us with a way out. With God, we can get through even the toughest of storms.
(CAN BE DONE IN-PERSON OR VIRTUALLY) (CONTENT DEVELOPED BY OCY)
What to expect
These presentations below are about 45 minutes - 1 hour in length. Including a talk and a segment dedicated to Q and A.
They can be presented to small and large groups.
Minimum of two groups back to back).
Overview: We all know, or at least have heard, the word chastity before, but do we really know what chastity is? If we think of chastity and words like “rules,” “restriction,” and “repression” are the first ones that come to mind, we are not actually thinking of chastity. Through this introductory presentation, we invite youth to rethink and ponder the beauty of chastity by highlighting what it really is through the wisdom of the Catholic Church, including the thought of St. John Paul II. By the end of this presentation, we intend to redeem the meaning of chastity in youth’s minds and hearts where rather than restriction, they see chastity as freedom, and rather than repression, they see chastity as a bold way to love.
Recommended Audience: Grade 9-12
Overview: With the consumption of pornography becoming increasingly common among adolescents and young adults, one is left asking, “With everyone doing it, what’s so bad about it? What’s the harm?” Using a neurological and relational perspective, we invite youth to rethink the impact of pornography by highlighting the negative effects it has on our brains and on our relationships. As habitual consumption reduces our capacity to reason and re-wires our brain to normalize sexually objectifying people, we lose sight of the wonder and beauty of the entirety of the person. The goal of our talk is to encourage youth to think critically about the consumption of pornography and to choose real love over today’s modern counterfeit of love.
Recommended Audience: Grade 9-12
Overview: In our current society, our identity – the way we define our worth, dignity, and significance – is often based on factors that are conditional, temporary, and achievable such as our appearances and our school successes, and this outlook has severe ramifications on how youth see themselves and live their lives. Although it may encourage self-improvement, it often causes severe distress, anxiety, depression, and feelings of worthlessness. In this talk, we challenge the mainstream narrative on identity by elaborating the truth that we are made by love, with love, and for love. Through this presentation, we encourage youth, by reflecting on the beauty of God’s love for them and their main identity as beloved children of God, to live out their calling to love others as Jesus loves them.
Recommended Audience: Grade 5-8
CONTACT US DIRECTLY TO GET A QUOTE FOR YOUR RETREAT, CONFERENCE OR WORKSHOP.
For more information or to indicate your interest in becoming an OCY missionary, please fill out the form below and we will be sure to get back to you as soon as possible.
If you have questions, comments or prayer requests, feel free to use this form, or use the contact information below to get in touch with us.