For most of his life, Jose Fernandez considered St. Mark’s church a required destination that disrupted his Sundays – a place he went only to make his mother happy. Now a young adult, he sees that the parish’s youth programs changed the course of his life by setting out a clear career path and giving him an understanding of his faith.

His story and so many others were on display during a recent Sunday evening event in the basement of the church on Dorchester Avenue, where more than 100 youth, parishioners, and neighbors joined in the launch of the St. Mark Dorchester Youth Fund. Teens and church leaders envision the effort serving all ages with after-school programs, homework help, tutoring, faith formation classes, and trips abroad.

“What we’ve been doing for the last five years as this has grown has been great, but we’ve been reactive, and we want to be more proactive,” said Rev. Marcos Enrique, the pastor of St. Mark’s parish. “That’s why we’re trying to draw in more people and to get more funding.”

Father Marcos arrived at St. Mark’s six years ago, and last year he placed his emphasis on providing a welcome place and programs for young people and expanding the parish boundaries west to Blue Hill Avenue and Grove Hall.

“What started as a summer program turned into a youth group and that turned into a children’s program, and those things gave birth to trips abroad and older kids wanting to give back,” he said. “So, what we now have is a pipeline. We can continue to serve the 60 kids we have now, or we can dream bigger with more programs for more kids, because they are out there.”

Reezahnny Veiga-Rodrigues and Gabby Rodriguez, two leaders in the teen youth group that has formed at St. Mark’s parish over the last few years following a summer camp in 2021 looking to get kids out of the house and off Zoom.

Marcos and parish operations director Kiara Perez believe they can emulate other successful faith-based programs with their own twist.

“I would hope we get to a point where we don’t have enough space here in the church to fit all of the programs,” the pastor said. “I see what they’re doing at St. Peter’s Teen Center in the Dorchester community with a lot of the Cape Verdean population. I can envision doing it on this side of the neighborhood with a somewhat different population and in our own way.”

Fernandez, now in his third year studying criminal justice at Northeastern University, wasn’t even a participant in the youth program. He was a volunteer teacher recruited at the time by then-new Father Marcos.

“When they started the summer camps in 2021, my mother wanted me to ask Father Marcos if he needed any help teaching the kids,” Fernandez shared with the crowd while fighting back tears. “I went up after church and was hoping he would say they were, ‘all set,’ but instead he told me he could really use my help. Little did I know that work with the kids would be a catalyst for an amazing transformation in my life.”

As the son of a single mother and a teen who fought off loneliness and a feeling of not being loved or belonging, Fernandez said he’s all-in on helping prevent that experience for the younger generation.

“We have the opportunity to give young people hope here,” he said. “St. Marks can be the vessel for young people who are not seen.”

He was joined in the sharing by 19-year-old Lilly Cadet, now an education major at Curry College and a life-long parishioner of St. Mark’s, who was also emotional in describing how her life changed in getting involved after 2021.

“Stepping into this program changed everything for me,” she said. “I found my faith again and the program helped me see the church in a new way. I was more motivated to study and I really grew as a person.”

Other teens in the program, like Reezahnny Veiga-Rodrigues and Gabby Rodriguez, said their experience at St. Mark’s summer camp led to trips to Rome and Portugal, and the unexpected formation of a tight-knit youth group – something the church hadn’t seen in years.

“We grew up in this church and when Father Marcos arrived and started the youth programs, we got more involved and are now coming here three times a week and it’s really helped us be more interested in our faith, too,” said Veiga-Rodrigues, who lives in the Talbot-Harvard Triangle neighborhood in the parish’s expanded boundaries.

“We don’t know where we would be otherwise,” she said. “I have a lot of friends who do different things than I do and don’t understand why I’m here.”

Rodriguez said they find the program to be a great place to unite with friends from other places in the neighborhood, like from school or the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester.

“We want to bring new people; we don’t want to just keep the same group of kids,” she said. “We’re all here welcoming everyone, even if you’re not Catholic. It’s a good way to bring all of us in Dorchester together in a safe place and then we can get to know each other.”

On this Sunday evening, the normally stale St. Mark’s church basement shed its fluorescent lights and spartan décor for a more elegant look with purple mood lighting, black curtains, and hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Already, partnerships with community service officers from C-11 (Dorchester) and C-6 (South Boston/Dorchester) have blossomed, with a bowling trip to Boston Bowl.with the kids earlier this month the latest example.

CSO Tommy Porter, Gabby Rodriguez, CSO Ayesha Lawton, and Reezahnny Veiga-Rodrigues.

Community service officers Tommy Porter and Ayesha Lawton attended the event and felt that what they saw could be a great new program for the youth in their area.

The occasion was deemed a total success with the bonus of an “amazing start” –$14,500 raised as an initial effort. A June 29 Youth Enrichment Gala was announced for more fundraising, with details still to come.

Claudio and Ellie Beltre with Charo Infante.

Mauricio entertained the crowd on the saxophone all evening, playing a variety of well-known songs and jazz standards. Seth Daniel photos

Kailenne Genao and Gilberto Perez.

Jose Fernandez said he didn’t participate in the youth group but came on as a volunteer teacher. It changed the course of his life, he said while fighting off tears.

Maria Isabel Del Rosario, of the Berklee College of Music, performed on the violin and sang several songs during the event.