Jennifer Osorio’s service to her parish, St. Patrick, Racine, began as a choir member – but quickly moved into moved into other areas (Submitted photo)
Jennifer Osorio
St. Patrick, Racine/Catholic Community of Eight in Racine
Quote: “Si Dios quiere.” (God willing.) “It emphasizes trusting God’s timing in different events of my life. Whenever something doesn’t go as planned, there’s a reason for it, and it’s not God’s plan what he has in store for you.”
Family: Parents Miguel and Ofelia Osorio, two sisters and Yuki, a tabby cat.
Summer favorite: Running, kayaking and badminton. “I hope to use my kayak more this summer and be on the lake, walking the trails at Grant Park in South Milwaukee, and riding my bike.”
Dream for the future: A dream would be for communities living in poverty to have access to clean water, food, stable housing, and ongoing help, support and resources.
Work world: Financial analyst for a manufacturing company.
At 22, Jennifer Osorio has achieved much in her young life, but nothing compares to her deep, abiding Catholic faith, which she attributes to her parents and the example they set for her and her sisters.
“My parents are the ones who instilled the faith in me from a young age,” she said. “They have been the steady foundation of my spiritual life, encouraging me to grow in my relationship with God and continue to learn about scriptures and the Church. Whenever I have a question, problem or doubt, they are there to give me the words I need to continue moving forward.”
A member of St. Patrick, Racine, Osorio is a 2020 graduate of Horlick High School and graduated in December from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside with a bachelor’s in business management and marketing.
“I am the first in my family to graduate from college,” she said. “I am a first-generation Mexican American. I was also a Tolton Scholar recipient (through the Archdiocese of Milwaukee) and plan to pursue a master’s degree in the fall.”
Osorio began volunteering with the parish when she and her family joined the choir nine years ago, which propelled her involvement in other volunteer work which she continues to make time for with even as she works full time.
“I started out singing like everyone else in my family, and I don’t have the greatest singing voice, but then that led to me learning chords on a keyboard; the choir director would teach me. I had always wanted to play piano but never got to take lessons and learn, so that was my opportunity,” she explained. “Then I began playing chords on the keyboard at Sunday Mass.”
Osorio serves as a lector and a substitute catechist when her parents are unavailable to teach. Additionally, she and her family help with the annual parish festival.
A recipient of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s 2024 Archbishop’s Vatican II Award for youth & young adult leadership, Osorio now helps coordinate a yearlong program called Vital Parishes after attending training last fall. Vital Parishes is a partnership program with the Instituto Fe y Vida.
“We have a pilot program this year with five parishes participating in this training program,” said Fr. Juan Manuel Camacho, Pastor of St. Patrick and the other seven parishes that make up the Catholic Community of Eight in Racine. “This is an effort to energize our Hispanic community within the parish to evangelize.”
“We help equip adult leaders/parents to support and be able to involve young people in the life and mission of the Church/parish but also support them in their continuing spiritual growth in their faith and service,” said Osorio. “It encourages a culture of inclusivity and diversity and inspires young adults to be a part of this community and have a closer relationship with God.”
Through her involvement in Vital Parishes and the Instituto Fe y Vida, Osorio will be traveling to Rome at the end of July for the Young Adult Jubilee as part of a pilgrimage with other young adults from around the country.
“It will be an encounter with God and an opportunity to deepen my faith alongside many other young adults. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to be part of this Jubilee, which occurs every 25 years,” she said. “I hope to be able to take the prayer requests of the community with me and also learn so much and take my experience and share it with others when I return.”
When she isn’t working or volunteering, Osorio enjoys reading, something she had no time for while in school, and is working her way through her extensive book list.
“This summer, I also picked up gardening, and I am hoping by the end of summer, I will have some fresh-grown peppers and other veggies to enjoy and share,” she said.
