South Omaha Youth Group Making an Impact: SPP Alum Brian RIVERA Shares His Experience 

Sts. Peter and Paul Alum Brian Rivera credits a personal encounter with Christ as the reason he’s so passionate about sharing his faith with other young people in the area. 

Brian, who graduated from Creighton Prep, is now a leader in the South Omaha Youth Group that was formed three years ago. In the past four months, he says he has seen the group transform.

“Most members have been coming since day one, but now our relationships with each other have evolved from recognizing faces to deep friendships,” said Rivera.

Membership is open to 14-18 year olds and represents Catholic high school students from Gross Catholic, Creighton Prep, Mercy, Marian and Roncalli Catholic, in addition to students from Omaha South and Bryan High Schools. Several former Consortium students participate in the group in addition to Brian. 

The South Omaha Youth Group meets weekly in the basement of St. Mary Catholic Church at 36th & Q Streets. Attendance varies per week. When the group started, Rivera said attendance was around 15-20 per session. Now, 35-50 teens gather weekly to discuss various tenants of the Catholic faith, helping them grow in relationship with Christ and each other. 

Leaders have developed a repeating four-week program: Spiritual Night, Witness Talk Night, Social Night and Youth Night. In past meet ups, teens have heard witness talks from fellow members, as well as explored questions about the kerygma, what it means to be created in His image and more.

For Brian, Sts. Peter and Paul played a key role in laying the foundation of his faith and helping him begin to understand it more fully. He attended Mass every Sunday with his parents, in addition to All-School Mass every Wednesday. He said his teachers were great role models of the faith.

Then, in high school, he struggled his sophomore and junior years. He says he prayed each night, traditional prayers like the Hail Mary and Our Father to help during tough times. But he particularly remembers one night, in a bad place, when he prayed in desperation, surrendering everything to the Lord and asking Him to help. 

Two days later, driving home from school, he heard a sound coming from the backseat that could not have been his backpack moving around. It prompted him to pull over. In that parking lot, Brian said he physically felt the presence of hands on his shoulder and a hug from the back, along with hearing the words “I’m here for you, Son.” 

Shortly after that experience, he attended the Steubenville Conference and says his time in Adoration there compelled him to share his love for and service of the Lord. 

Brian is one of eight leaders in the South Omaha Youth Group. 

When asked what he enjoys most about participating, he said he enjoys going to Adoration with other members. “It’s hard to get a moment of peace and silence in our society, and I find a lot of us really enjoy that time.” 

“I also remember a social night when a big group of us went to Spare Time. We played laser tag together, and it was cool to play and bond on a friendship level. But one of the very best moments for me as a leader came from a bowling event we hosted. So many kids, between 40-50, came interested in learning more about the group. I felt so happy that many teens were interested, and 90% of them came back to a future meeting,” said Rivera. 

The Omaha Catholic School Consortium is happy to see this group grow and make an impact on our South Omaha community. 

According to Brian, “The youth are here – ready to serve now, not in the future.”

We are proud to call Brian among our many impressive alumni doing great things. You can learn more about the South O Youth Group on their Instagram page.