Catholic Youth Ministries to Benefit from Endowment

The Corydon Democrat

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

The C.J. Smith Memorial Endowment Fund has been created by friends 
and family members at the Harrison County Community Foundation to 
provide support to the New Albany Deanery Catholic Youth Ministries 
for projects in Harrison County.

Callistus John Smith, Jr. (C.J.) was born January 14, 1956 and was a 
native of Starlight, Indiana. He was a 1974 graduate of Providence 
High School. C.J. was active in all aspects of the St. John’s 
Starlight Catholic Youth

Organization (CYO) youth ministry, especially leadership, athletics 
and drama. He was treasurer of the CYO as a freshman and president 
his sophomore year. By his junior year in high school, he had been 
elected vice president of the New Albany Deanery CYO, where he 
received their Outstanding Service Award. On the night of his 
graduation from high school, he was presented with a special 
“Principal’s Award.”

“Courage, sensitivity, determination, responsibility, faith, pride 
and leadership are all outstanding qualities for any one person to 
have; however, C.J. Smith Jr. at the young age of 18 possessed all of 
these qualities,” said Jerry Finn, lifelong friend of C.J.’s.

C.J. lived for three years having full knowledge that he had terminal 
cancer. It was his strong faith in God and in himself that enabled 
him to endure the physical and emotional suffering. On Jan. 9, 1975, 
C.J. died of lymphosarcoma, just five days before his 19th birthday. 
In those three years, C.J. kept a journal in which he wrote, “I don’t 
think God intended for us to find all of the answers, but I think He 
intended for us to use the intellect He gave us to keep trying.”

The New Albany Deanery Catholic Youth Ministries established its 
highest award to youth, the C.J. Smith, Jr. Memorial Award, in memory 
of a beloved friend and leader. Additionally, a separate young adult 
fellowship was awarded for the first time in 2002, and continues to 
be awarded annually to engage young adults in youth ministry.

The mission of the New Albany Deanery Catholic Youth Ministries is to 
connect adolescents and young adults in Harrison, Clark and Floyd 
counties to a living relationship with Jesus Christ. They have a 
vision of empowering young people to live as disciples of Jesus 
Christ in our world today, draw young people to responsible 
participation in the life, mission, and work of the faith community, 
and foster the personal and spiritual growth of each young person.

The Foundation provided a matching gift to create this fund and any 
additional donation is eligible for a dollar for dollar match, up to 
$25,000.

Anyone who wishes to make a donation to the C.J. Smith Memorial 
Endowment Fund may contact the HCCF staff at 738-6668 or mail 
donations to the Foundation, P.O. Box 279, Corydon, IN 47112. Checks 
should be made out to Harrison County Community Foundation with the 
name of the fund in the memo line.