The Netters are back at Providence Academy and everyone is wondering how this group will compare to the great group we had last year! Over the past couple days of researching and talking to Mr. Richard Carrillo, I learned a lot about the process of the Net Team that most people don’t know. This includes all the crazy places that they come from to share in worship with us. Mr. Carrillo is the choir director but what you didn’t know is that he’s also very involved with his faith. He goes out and talks to different parishes and diocese, he’s in a men’s group, and he is always trying to help us to be better in our prayer life.
The Netters this year come from all over and arrived at Providence Academy on September 15. We will have eight; Jimmy, Mike and Amanda from Ohio, Catherine from Minnesota, Damien from California, Corey from North Dakota, Sarah from Wyoming and lastly Martha all the way from the UK. Net picks these people from the training center and decides who is best for what place. The staff there divides them up and they are sent off to serve.
The Netters put a lot of effort into making our faith fun and something we want to learn more about. They set up Net retreats, presentations, social events like ice cream socials, movie nights, they have small groups, Bible studies and tons more. The most important thing to note is “They truly care about the students and people they are meeting and talking to. They really want to get to know you and are interested in the community”, says Mr. Carrillo. Even though it might seem like all they want to do is convert you to believing in Jesus or making you a Catholic if you’re not, that isn’t the case. Sure, they want to make you aware of their faith and help you grow in it, but they really do just also want to know you as a person and help you with anything you are struggling with.
We at Providence have had a lot of success with the Netters over the years and the attendance at the lifelines they hold has tripled! Our own Colleen Irwin and Grace Garvey were so inspired by the work the netters do that they joined themselves. Grace went all the way down to Texas, while Colleen was sent on a travel team all around the south and east coast. Like them, you just need to open up to your faith, even if it’s not very strong or you have no idea what you are looking for. These eight people can really help you maintain a personal relationship and give you tips on how to ask God for help and know him better.