Gabriela Balbuena

Youth Yarumal Missionaries

2021-22: Our Savior Church in Bronx, New York, is served by the Yarumal Missionaries, a Catholic Mission Society from Colombia, South America. “Cafe con Cristo” is aimed at serving youth in the parish community with the main goal to improve the spiritual, cultural, and lifelong community formation. Project leaders have a vision of helping the local parish community and broadening the worldview of young people in the parish to increase awareness towards those who are less fortunate in North America and beyond.

Cafe con Cristo with Youth

2022-23: The “Cafe Con Cristo” Young Adult program has grown over its first grant period. The group meets on a biweekly session in a safe space within the church, and has grown from three to 21 participants. Sessions include bible study, prayer worship, counseling, and many different talents are shared by our young adults. During the summer a group of 12 individuals was able to travel to Michigan and do missionary work, which was a dream come true for the parish community since it’s never been done before. Their goals are to grow as group, and have the opportunity to help more within the US northern region and Latin missions.

Mission of Hospitality: Evangelization through Home Gatherings in the Bronx

2025-26: The project, “Mission of Hospitality,” will engage the Cafe con Cristo young adult ministry in a year-long evangelization initiative rooted in hospitality, accompaniment, and cultural encounter. The young people will go into 12 households, where families voluntarily open their homes to host dinner, conversation, prayer, and relationship-building. Many families in the parish have expressed a desire for deeper connection with the Church but face barriers such as long work schedules, language limitations, transportation challenges, and unfamiliarity with parish life. Hosting gatherings in their homes allows faith-sharing to unfold naturally in a setting of dignity, comfort, and trust. Each gathering will include a culturally-rooted family meal, Scripture reflection and faith-sharing, communal prayer, testimonies from young adults, sharing resources and invitations to parish life. Grant funding will support meal costs, hosting stipends, transportation, materials, leadership formation, and coordination. This project strengthens parish-family relationships, empowers young adult leaders, and practices evangelization through hospitality, a deeply biblical approach that meets families where they are.