Given the choice to mow lawns or lead a team in the Totus Tuus summer program for kids, diocesan seminarian Thomas Dockendorf chose the kids. And he couldn’t be happier.
“It can be a challenge, don’t get me wrong,” he said. “But yes, I definitely love working with the younger kids. I just love the joy and energy they give off. It makes me feel like a kid and gives me energy. Just the pure joy and innocence of a child reminds me of what it’ll be like someday in heaven.”
Totus Tuus, which means, “Totally Yours,” is a week-long summer youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic Faith through catechesis, evangelization, Christian witness and Eucharistic worship. The program was first introduced in the diocese in 2016.
Facilitated by four-person teams of college students and seminarians, the program aims to help young people in grades one to 12 grow in their understanding of the faith and love for Jesus.
“It’s a fun program that helps draw the youth into relationship with Jesus Christ,” said Father Doug Liebsch, diocesan vocations director. “Youth hear the name of Jesus when they go to church with their families —Totus Tuus helps them to know Him.”
There are three teams working in the diocese this summer, traveling from parish to parish, staying with different host families each week. Eighteen parishes are scheduled to host teams this summer.
The teams met at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul in May for an intense week of training before setting out for the summer.
Father Liebsch runs the program and works closely with the team leaders.
“I get to see their generosity and the Lord working personally in each of their lives,” he said. “It’s a challenging program, but it allows them to seek the Lord for grace each day to sustain them as they seek to serve.”
The leaders commit to a holy hour each day, as well as praying the liturgy of the hours and a daily rosary. They often do this together as a team during the break between the day and evening programs, Dockendorf said.
“Through all of this, they come to know the loving and present heart of Christ in a deeper way,” Father Liebsch said. “Many of the leaders say the Totus Tuus summer is the best summer of their lives.”
Shanna Dobmeier is in her second year as the parish coordinator for the camp at St. Mary’s in Upsala. She works to make sure the team has everything they need for the kids, like supplies and snacks. She also coordinates the team’s meals and host families.
Dobmeier, normally a graphic design and marketing student at St. Cloud Community and Technical College, is on-site for the week to make sure things run smoothly and gets to see first-hand the impact on the kids.
“They play games that are fun for them, but they’re also learning so much,” she said. “That just warms my heart to know that they’re having fun and learning and they’re getting so much out of this without maybe even realizing it.”
Team member Allison Grosser, a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, first applied to be a Totus Tuus team member in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis where she is a member of St. Bonaventure in Bloomington, but the program was full.
It just so happened that Father Liebsch was having trouble filling the last spot for a young woman on one of the St. Cloud teams. He heard she was interested and called her.
“The opportunity just came out of nowhere when I was really praying about it,” she said. “It was a huge blessing.”
Grosser has a passion for teaching. In high school she taught dance to younger students at her studio in the Twin Cities. She started college thinking she would continue that and open her own dance studio someday.
She loved the mentor aspect of it and being a leader for others, she said.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t really have anyone that led me,” she said. “So, I wanted to be that person for others. I just really had a love for that, and then since going to college, it’s turned into a passion for leading others in their faith.”
“Being that person for others has strengthened my faith,” she said. “I know how Jesus has transformed my life, and I want to lead others to him. I’m just really inspired to keep working with youth and sharing the faith with them.”
Pictured above: The Totus Tuus team leads a dance to wrap up the day July 9 at St. Mary in Upsala. (Dianne Towalski / The Central Minnesota Catholic)
