Arcoiris: Teens on fire with love of Christ

By Carissa Krautscheid 

Imagine teens gathering each week at their parish. Imagine youth who are in love with Christ. Imagine young people leading one another towards joyful holiness. 

What you’ve been imagining is Arcoiris, a peer-led ministry that focuses on evangelizing the youth. 

Fr. Emilio Chapa is the spiritual director of Arcoiris and the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Yuma, where Arcoiris is offered in English and Spanish and for teen and young adult groups. He explained that this ministry is centered on two retreats for new participants and returning peers, who also gather weekly to support one another on the journey towards holiness. 

Arcoiris is similar but different to Cursillo: there are talks, teachings about the faith, prayer, Adoration, Mass, Confession. Weekly meetings and annual retreats are peer led and coordinated. 

“Arcoiris is specifically geared towards getting youth engaged,” said Fr. Emilio. “It has been effective in our Diocese for quite a while.” 

Over 10 parishes across the Diocese offer Arcoiris to the youth of Yuma, Somerton, Maricopa, Nogales, Parker, Casa Grande, San Luis, and Tucson. 

The ministry revolves around four pillars: youth evangelizing other youth; youth evangelizing parents; encouraging Vocations; and extending the movement to where it doesn’t exist. 

Even if teens find themselves on retreats unwillingly, Fr. Emilio encourages them to stay through the end. “By the end of the retreat, they’re on fire!” he said. “It’s amazing to witness the transformation.” 

“Arcoiris gets kids on fire,” said Fr. Emilio. “They really want to serve. We encourage them to be involved in the parish because we want them to be youth that are prayerful, learning more about their faith, and involved in the Church. I see them active in the Church, serving at Mass, doing fundraisers, helping at parish fiesta. They put on live performances of the Stations of the Cross and the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe.” 

Additionally, continued participation in the parish community “furthers their discernment, whatever it is: priesthood, religious life, or sacramental marriage,” said Fr. Emilio. The retreats help teens and young adults gain more clarity about God’s calling for their lives. Two of the Diocese of Tucson’s newest priests were active in Arcoiris: Fr. Luis Pablo Ochoa-Escarrega and Fr. Abundio Colazo-Lopez. The Diocese’s newest seminarian, Ivan Monge, was active in Fr. Emilio’s group at St. Francis in Yuma. 

The name Arcoiris means ‘rainbow.’ Fr. Emilio explained the context, “A rainbow has different colors. So it is with our young people: they’re not all the same; they have different qualities and personalities.” The ministry’s logo depicts this rainbow; the cross that unites us all together because Christ is the one we follow; and three kids holding hands as they pursue Christ together. 

“The strength of Arcoiris is catechesis with joy. We even teach the kids to dance; they just fall in love with their faith. I love to see the kids falling in love with Christ. It is life changing for them!”