My Ascent into The Ascent

Luke Boucvalt

This is no ordinary story.

Most people believe that Jesus is only found through going to Church, praying, or spreading the word one’s self. After Mass, my priest always mentions a CYO activity after mass, and I never thought anything of it before. But little did I know that what I thought would be just another CYO group, would end up being a weekly routine of reflection, compassion, and fun.

I had already known Mrs. Flynn, and there’s no doubt that we had a great student-teacher connection from the start. She was everything I’d hope a teacher would be. Energetic, faithful, and most of all a great leader. She had invited me to “The Ascent” some time around Thanksgiving last year. It was a campfire with food and so, of course, I obliged. Once I had arrived, I never thought I would go back since “youth groups” weren’t really my thing, but “The Ascent” is completely different. Once I was there, I felt calm and content. Almost as if I had found what I was needing all my life. This was a truly extraordinary experience that I knew I had to cherish. Mrs. Flynn runs “The Ascent” with her husband and they have built up this family of children and teenagers that aspire to learn more about God and his will.

I could never forget some of the amazing nights we’ve had like the campfires, our Superbowl LIV party, and our constant outside activities. But while having fun is a big focus, an even bigger one is learning more Christian values and living to be a better person. We constantly learn from the Flynn’s, and we’re under their wing the whole time. They’ve shown me that anything is possible through prayer, faith, belief, etc. There’s nothing I feel can’t be accomplished with pointers from them.

We’ve talked about how we like to be loved since love is such a crucial thing in the world today, and we learned different ways to love one another. I personally like receiving gifts or an object from someone so that way I know that person is always there. I also learned that advice or words of encouragement are not what I like to hear. Simply because I’m not the best at listening to what actually needs to be listened to. I guess I need to work on that.

Overall, “The Ascent” is something that everyone should experience. It changes people in the best way possible. Without this I feel that I would still be searching for something. This truly showed me a new way of looking at life and living the best way. I’m a changed man after going here every week. And that is my ascent into “The Ascent.”