SAN DIEGO — “It touched my soul. I felt the Holy Spirit with us the entire day.”
That’s how Allie Mazur, a 35-year-old member of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Encinitas, described the inaugural “Frassati Service Saturday.”
She was one of about 45 young adults, who spent around 90 minutes on Nov. 22 encountering the homeless in Balboa Park.
Organized by YCP San Diego, the local chapter of Young Catholic Professionals, the event took its name and inspiration from St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, who was canonized Sept. 7. The Italian saint, who died at age 24, had a great love for the poor.
“The purpose of this event was to help people in YCP be able to approach our friends on the street in a way that brings them closer in fellowship and to invite Jesus in, as well,” said Christian Cordon, YCP San Diego’s director of evangelization.
“We are hoping to help (these homeless individuals) experience the dignity of having a conversation,” he said, “and, if Christ is mentioned, all the better, but first and foremost to form friendships.”
Cordon said that the service day was modeled after Frassati Fridays, a homeless outreach that he had experienced at the San Diego State University Catholic Newman Center.
Frassati Service Saturday represented a change-of-pace for YCP San Diego. The organization’s recurring events for Catholics in their 20s and 30s include its Executive Speaker Series, where a Catholic speaker reflects on his or her faith and career; networking happy hours; and half-day retreats.
“Based on the turnout and feedback from attendees, we are very excited to add this to our regular programming moving forward,” said Claudia Buccio, YCP San Diego’s assistant director of marketing, who shared plans to hold Frassati Service Saturdays quarterly. “We hope to continue finding opportunities to give back to those who often feel unseen and unheard.”
Cordon considers the inaugural event “a great success.”
“(The participants) wholeheartedly approached this event with an open mind and heart,” he said. “They are what made this event successful, their compassion and love for Christ and his children.”
The service day originally had been scheduled for Nov. 15, but it was postponed one week because of inclement weather.
“So many weekends go by when I wonder what I can do to give back more,” Mazur said.
As soon as she saw the announcement about Frassati Service Saturday, she said, “I didn’t hesitate to put it on my calendar.”
Young adults met around 2 p.m. at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, where they were greeted by YCP leadership team members and a life-sized, cardboard image of St. Pier Giorgio.
The young adults helped to assemble care packages, consisting of a bottle of water, a pair of new socks and a granola bar packed inside a resealable, plastic freezer bag.
The event opened and closed with prayer. Participants were divided into groups of three, with at least one male in each, and given pointers on how to engage with the homeless as they distributed the care packages.
After reconvening at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, each group shared its experiences.
The day was about more than addressing material needs.
“I initially thought we would simply distribute supplies,” said Corbin Ulloa, a 27-year-old member of St. Mary Parish in Escondido, “but the real impact came from the conversations, the storytelling and the chance to help others feel seen and valued. It made the experience much more personal and meaningful.”
He described it as “a deeply humbling and spiritually enriching experience.”
“I encountered Christ in people and moments where I least expected to see him, which broadened my perspective and strengthened my faith,” Ulloa said.
“I thought it was great,” said Sam Suyemoto, 32, of St. Brigid Parish in Pacific Beach. “We had real conversations, and it made me step outside of my own life for a bit and engage with others. It was also good to pray with one person we encountered.”
Suyemoto said that a takeaway from this first Frassati Service Saturday was that some things are “easier to do in numbers.”
“Just as Jesus sent disciples out two by two, there was wisdom in the small groups we split up in,” she said, “because they provided safety for us and were less intimidating to those we were approaching.”
Buccio said that her group met a woman who had fled a “toxic relationship” and a man who had been run over by a car in another state before making his way to San Diego.
“These were just two examples of folks who opened their hearts and shared their stories,” she said. “Sometimes, all a person needs is someone to listen and not judge, to see them for who they are, not where they live.”
Mazur recalled a touching moment of her own.
“One of the men let me tie his shoelaces after we gave him some new socks to put on,” she said. “He put them on right in front of us, and I bent down to lace up his old shoes. I almost cried, but didn’t let him see that. And then, we helped direct him to the closest soup kitchen.”
Mazur said that she had come to the event without previous experience with homeless ministry, but left feeling “so eager to stop and talk to the next homeless person I see this week. I want to bring them hope.”
She feels emboldened to “hop in my car, go to a local park, and bring some water and a smile to someone in need.”
