Bill Gavin - Youth Minister
Hi! This page is a way to help to introduce you to myself (Bill Gavin). I have been involved in full or part time youth ministry for 15 years (St. Mary of Sorrows, Queen of Apostles, etc.) and currently teach religion full time at Bishop Ireton High School. Getting into Youth Ministry is a long story (very long actually), but it all began shortly after I graduated from college. I had left the Catholic Church for about 4 years, having gone to other churches and even stopped going to church altogether. I even thought I was an atheist/agnostic for about a year and 1/2 . God didn’t give up on me, though, and through a long and circuitous route I made it back to the Catholic faith.
My first impulse to Youth Ministry was because I felt a real call by God to help young people navigate the often-dangerous waters of adolescence. I had made many poor decisions as a teenager and had gone through many tremendous changes in college, and, consequently, felt a need to help those who were just beginning the journey through the teenage years. I began helping at Queen of Apostles parish with Fr. Peter Nasetta, a Youth Apostles priest working in the Diocese of Arlington. I worked there for 2 years, also attending graduate school at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. After much discernment, I decided to go to Princeton, New Jersey and attend Princeton Theological. I began there in the fall of 1994, but learned quickly that I was one of the few Catholics enrolled and found my faith immediately challenged. Ironically, though, this experience greatly strengthened by Catholic faith and identity. I worked part time at Princeton University as an assistant to the chaplain, and read and read and read Catholic books from 1994-1997 (to be perfectly honest, often neglecting my other studies in the process). I ran the R.C.I.A. program for 2 years, which was another tremendous opportunity to solidify my own faith.
In 1997 I returned to the D.C. area and immediately felt like a fish out of water. In my search for a Catholic Christian community I came upon the Youth Apostles Institute, a mixed community of the faithful that does Youth Ministry (primarily in the Arlington Diocese) in the spirit of St. John Bosco. This was a great fit and I have made many wonderful friends over the years through this community.
It was this summer that I met (or re-met) my future wife, Gina. Gina and I have known each other since 1975 – when we were both in kindergarten together. We both went in different directions for many years, but then reconnected by the grace of God in July of 1997. 2 years later we were married at Queen of Apostles, though one month after another major milestone, the early death of my father due to pancreatic cancer.
From 1997-2005 I was the full time Youth Minister at St. Mary of Sorrows in Fairfax, VA (I also ran the Confirmation program there). I know a lot more about Youth Ministry than I did back in 1997, but am still learning more every year.
My personal interests are pretty much everything. I played soccer and basketball in high school and soccer in college; love all sports (playing a lot of football and baseball growing up as well). I also play guitar and can juggle – almost as good as Fr. Peffley J. My lovely wife and I are the proud parents of 4 boys -- Aidan (7), Martin (5), Abraham (4) and Nathanael (2). They are the joys of our lives! My new love is gardening – I think there is a green thumb that runs in our family (my great grandfather started a nursery in Chicago that is still in the family – after almost 100 years).
My favorites:
- Bands – “Third Day” and “Building 429”
- Saint – Saint John Bosco
- Trip – Going to the Holy Land back in 1997
- Thing to do – Hiking and gardening
- Sport – Soccer and football
- Bible Passage – John 21 and the story of Jesus and Peter by the sea of Galilee.
Random Stuff about Bill or that Bill has done and/or can do:
- Plays guitar – not super well, but I tend to surround myself with better players to mask my mistakes
- Gone white water rafting on numerous occasions
- Climbed a 15,000 mountain in Colorado
- Has three siblings – a brother and two sisters
- Was the mascot (for a year) for the men’s basketball team at Mary Washington
- Can juggle – including clubs, hammers, knives and other sharp objects
- Cliff jumping off a 60 foot cliff (not recommended)
- Traveled throughout Europe and the Holy Land
- Been in a rock band in college – Easy Piranha!
- Played soccer in college
- Referees (on occasion) for a men’s league in Fairfax
- Catch multiple quarters off his elbow
- Led a Church music group for six years
Things that Bill has not done:
- Gone hang gliding
- Been in the circus – only Rob Tessier from All Saints can claim that
- Met the President of the United States – though I have come close.
- Gone scuba diving under the Arctic ice shelf
- Put together a Myspace or Facebook page – thank God!
- Taught Physics or Rocket science
On a serious note, I would like to end with the lyrics of a song by Building 429 that captures my feelings about my life.
Thanks for reading and please pray for me!
To see the video for this song, check out:
http://www.onlylyrics.com/lyrics_video.php?grid=11&id=1006668
I’ve been so busy, I missed the reasons
I missed Your love, and I nearly missed it all
Still You’ve loved me, and You’ve healed me
You’ve given all and it brought me to Your cross
I stand only because You’ve given me grace to walk
Only because
You carried me
You carried me
You carried me through it all
And I believe
Yes I believe
You’ll carry me all the way home
Cause mercy covers all
I know the scripture,I’ve known the songs
I sang the words from my hollowed heart
But You’ve spoken softly through the storm
I’ve heard Your voice and I’ve felt the calm
I stand only because You’ve given me faith to walk
You carried me
You carried me
You carried me through it all
And I believe
Yes I believe
You’ll carry me all the way home
Cause mercy covers all
I know that you love me
I’ll never doubt it I can’t live without it
Your mercy has found me
I am astounded, I can’t live without it
You carried me
You carried me
And I believe
Yes I believe
You’ll carry me all the way home
Cause mercy covers all
Mercy covers all
And I believe
And I believe
I believe
That’s me at Workcamp 2008 in Youngstown, Ohio.
