By Catholic Stewardship Consultants
www.CatholicSteward.com
Skyler Tanicala’s parish involvement goes back further than most can say — second grade, in fact. That’s when he started in the children’s choir and joined the youth choir at Immaculate Conception Church in Lihue, Kauai. He has been involved ever since.
“One day, my mom just told me, ‘We’re going to help out for the children’s choir, and I want you to sing,’” Tanicala said. “And that’s how it all started.”
The Kauai High School senior also plays the piano at church.
“I just feel really happy serving my community and the Lord,” Tanicala said.
He’s also served as a lector since fourth grade, is an altar server and helps with youth events.
Tanicala truly cares about serving the Lord and the people of Immaculate Conception.
One weekend, he was asked to serve because the nuns, who had planned to lead the music, were sick. Skyler helped plan the music, and the youth choir sang.
“It went really well, even though we had no time to practice,” he said. “We went over the songs right before Mass, and everything ran smoothly.”
With his love for technology and heart for service, Tanicala volunteered at an event helping older adults learn technology skills. That experience inspired him to bring a similar event to Immaculate Conception.
“So, I set up workshop sessions, teaching things like how to avoid scams or make strong passwords,” he said. “I also did one-on-one help with phones and computers.
“It was a great experience, not just for the adults but for me, too.”
Some of the attendees still text Tanicala when they have technology problems.
“It’s built a bond I never expected to have with adults in my parish community,” he said.
After graduation, Tanicala plans to stay in Hawaii for college, majoring in information and computer sciences. He wants to continue to find ways to serve.
“I’ll be finding a new parish family at college,” he said. “But I definitely hope to keep serving and staying involved.”
Tanicala appreciates everyone at Immaculate Conception. They’ve made a difference in his life and have helped him grow in faith.
“They’ve encouraged me to serve in so many ministries,” he said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better community.”
“I love how many different types of people you meet,” Tanicala added. “You may not know much about their background, but we are all connected by the same faith. That’s beautiful to me — to see how faith bonds us and to hear people’s stories.
“Those relationships are special, and I think it’s important to make those connections by helping out in the church community.”