Become a part of Team Ireland!

My name is Claire Russell and I have been a missionary for Youth for Christ Ireland since 2019. I have a deep love for this country and her people, and am hoping to get citizenship within the next few months in order to remain here for the long haul. I also love coffee, any other coffee lovers? 

The Lord has been opening some incredible doors in Ireland, from Christ centred retreats in schools, to providing a space for the parish youth group to meet. 

When I first moved to Ireland six years ago, I could never have imagined how this ministry would unfold. We had a youth centre in the middle of the town which was thriving. Our space was filled 3-4 days during the week with a max capacity of 90 young people. Three nights a week the team and I were in different parishes running confirmation programmes in partnership with the local priests. Then, all of a sudden, all that came to an end with COVID.

When we were finally allowed to start working face to face again, all of our momentum was gone and we were left with a pile of rubble. There was nothing to do but rebuild. And it was in that rebuilding that the Lord started to do something new.

While about 75% or people living in Ireland would consider themselves Christian, only 11% believe Jesus was a real person. Our mission became clear: bridge the gap. About three years ago we started to get calls from schools who heard we ran retreats. Now, before COVID we would host the odd retreat here and there, but this soon became a clear opportunity for bridging that gap.

What better way than to enable young people to encounter Jesus, participate in their faith, and learn a bit more about who Jesus is. Fast forward to today and our retreat ministry is kicking into high gear. We’re now able to expand this aspect and provide confirmation retreats for younger students as well. But that’s not all that’s been happening.

Sadly, a few years ago we hosted our last drop in session at our youth centre and were forced to close those doors forever. Not long after, I was approached by my parish priest who wanted to offer a space to us to use to facilitate the parish young people in their own faith journeys. Only two months ago did I take up this mantle and what an absolute privilege it has been to walk alongside Mullingar young people in their formation process. As the youth group gains more and more traction, my hope is that this space becomes a meeting place for young people where they get to participate in each other's lives, encounter Jesus, and really grow deeper in their faith. As I become more rooted in this community, I would like to bring the young people on a pilgrimage where they can meet other young people from around the world who are also passionate about their faith. We’re not quite there yet, but baby steps!

An area around which I am particularly passionate about is Biblical literacy. Over the past few months I have been able to develop and deliver for my parish a Biblical Literacy Course which made reading Sacred Scripture engaging, interactive, and accessible. My hope is to continue to teach this course for other groups around the country.