FrancoisJoyce Francois, regional coordinator for youth ministry for the Archdiocese of Detroit, was among two recipients of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry’s Gospel Values of Justice and Peace Award, which were presented Dec. 1 at the biennial National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry in San Jose, Calif.
The Gospel Values of Justice and Peace award is given to “a person who provides models and programs to educate the church community in fulfilling its responsibility to educate youth for justice and to call young people to action on behalf of others” and whose “life models the Gospel values of justice and peace,” according to a description from the conference.
Francois serves as director of youth ministry for the archdiocese’s Central Region, helping coordinate conferences, youth ministry events and service projects.
In addition to organizing the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in January, which attracts hundreds of young from around the archdiocese to perform acts of charity in the city of Detroit, Francois also is the founder of YFACT ("Young Faith Activators of Christ's Teachings"), which gathers young Catholics from the city to plan retreats, service projects and initiatives throughout the year. Francois also was a driving force behind the first all-archdiocese Hispanic Youth Conference, which took place last spring at the University of Detroit Mercy.
“All of her work flows through her passion for promoting justice and peace initiatives, especially for the young people she serves in Detroit," said Laura Piccone-Hanchon, who serves alongside Francois as a regional youth ministry coordinator for the archdiocese's South Region. “These awards only happen once every other year, so it’s just an extra special honor that it went to someone from right here in the archdiocese.”
For several years, Francois has helped organize an annual youth mission trip to Ecuador, in which students work to raise funds and provide manual labor. During their 2016 trip, apart from helping build a chapel for the Diocese of Riobamba, students went out in groups of three to evangelize the local community, which Francois said at the time “fits well with (the Archdiocese of Detroit’s) Unleash the Gospel theme.”
As part of the trip, students work with local Ecuadorians to build long-lasting relationships that extend beyond just service work, Piccone-Hanchon said.
"Some young people come back and continue on in a more intentional way in their own communities, and a lot of them continue corresponding with different people they met in Ecuador," Piccone-Hanchon said. “Ministry that’s relational like that tends to last and have lasting impressions on people throughout the rest of their lives.”
In addition to her work locally, Francois also serves on a task force sponsored by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry — the U.S. bishops' arm related to youth ministry — that seeks ways to engage in ministry to youth on society's margins.
