CUMMING—After a full day of school, nearly 20 children arrived at “The Little House” at St. Brendan the Navigator Church for a healthy meal, tutoring and fellowship. 

Hot vegetable soup and tortillas made by parish volunteers awaited the elementary and middle school students following a day of learning. After sharing a meal together, students begin their homework, with some receiving one-on-one tutoring and others completing their assignments on donated Chromebook laptops.  

This is a safe place to come after school where kids are fed healthy food and do their school work, said Veronica Ruiz, who oversees the new after-school program at the Cumming parish.  

Before her role at St. Brendan, Ruiz worked with an after-school program in Clarkston with the Missionaries of Charity. Having been inspired by the experience, she wanted to bring something similar to St. Brendan, where she works as director of Hispanic Ministries and Faith Formation. 

After telling parishioners about her dream of an after-school program, many offered ideas and advice to help get it started.  

“That’s typically the Holy Spirit, the way he works,” said Father Matthew VanSmoorenburg, LC, pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Church. “He organizes the events so that we can follow the trail.” 

Named for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the SEAS program began over the summer, inviting children from first through eighth grade with educational risks to the parish four days a week for Bible study, faith formation and educational activities.  

After a successful summer, SEAS became an after-school program, meeting for two hours each school day. For the last few months, Ruiz has enjoyed watching everyone build relationships.  

“Before they were strangers, now they are bonding with the teachers (and) the teenagers that volunteer their time,” she said. “It becomes a huge community.” 

Next Generation Focus 

Nancy Trejo is thankful for the SEAS after-school program, where her son, fifth grader Anthony, is progressing academically. The family has been involved with SEAS since the summer.  

Trejo is a fan of the program because she sees all the students learning. While her son enjoys math, he is receiving more support in reading. 

Jesse Trujillo grabs a meal after arriving at an after-school program supported through a partnership with Next Generation Focus. The nonprofit helps to tutor and mentor students in the greater Atlanta area. St. Brendan the Navigator began offering the program this year. Photo by Johnathon Kelso

The SEAS program serves academically underperforming students in elementary and middle school. These students are underperforming primarily due to a lack of resources, such as access to the internet and the need for additional tutoring, explained Ruiz. 

SEAS partners with Next Generation Focus (NGF), a community-based organization that provides educational, relational and financial resources to help children receive a quality education. NGF’s SmarterMe is a low- to no-cost program that incorporates learning activities based on the school district’s standards and provides skills to help students with self-esteem, leadership, teamwork and more.  

Local high school teens are recruited as SmarterMe tutors and mentors. By working with SmarterMe, teens learn about social responsibility, service and develop the skills necessary as they transition into young adulthood, as explained on NGF’s website.   

It takes both sides–someone to provide the money and space, and another to provide the academic programming, Ruiz explained.  

SEAS has 18 students enrolled in the after-school program, but has room for up to 30. While all enrolled students are Hispanic, the program is open to all nationalities and students from various schools. Ruiz hopes the program will fill to the maximum capacity soon. 

St. Brendan the Navigator is close to two Catholic schools, Pinecrest Academy and St. John Bosco Academy. It is also surrounded by about seven trailer parks. Many of the parks’ residents are parishioners of the neighborhood church and some are part of the SEAS program. 

Each family is interviewed before joining SEAS. This is when a family’s needs are discussed, so the parish can help address some of them. This includes faith formation for sacraments, ESL classes for parents and receiving goods from the parish food pantry. 

“When you start to provide those things that the church is supposed to provide for them, they come as family groups,” said Father VanSmoorenburg. “Any program we do is, in the end, an opportunity to evangelize. And as Christians, that’s the church’s mission.” 

As SEAS families become more involved in the parish, parishioners from other ministries also support the after-school program, from volunteers cooking healthy meals to catechists helping to supervise activities.  

“It’s beautiful teamwork,” said Ruiz. “Everything is connected, which is really beautiful.”   

Trejo and her son have grown in their faith by being involved in the SEAS program. They talk about God more together as Anthony is taking faith formation classes. She is also bonding with other parents in SEAS. “It’s good for the family,” she said. 

Working with SEAS has given Ruiz a lot of hope for the future. She encourages other Catholic parishes to consider similar programs. 

“Every parish can do this,” she said.