Easter Funday: Popular community builder for Co-Cathedral young people
April 14, 2025 at 9:05 a.m.
UPDATED April 14, 2025
There’s Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and, around St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, there’s Easter Funday, too.
For a couple of hours before the Co-Cathedral ushered in Holy Week with the Palm Sunday Vigil Mass April 12, the parish held its third annual Easter Funday, when parishioners ages 10 and under gathered in the parish hall to play games, dance, take photos with the Easter Bunny and have fun.
Jeanne Marinello, youth group coordinator, said besides enjoying the fun, the children get to see teens, most of whom are in the youth group, serving their parish.
“Our little ones get to see the hands of the older kids at work, helping to thread the tapestry that makes up this parish,” she said. “The younger kids look up to the older ones, and in the spirit of the season, this event brings kids of our parish together [to] have a good time.”
Started by a teen
Easter Funday was initiated three years ago by youth group member Carmine Steffens as an outgrowth of the annual Easter egg hunt that had been held for the youngsters prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the pandemic restrictions were lifted and regular activities around the parish resumed, interest and participation in the Easter egg hunt waned, Steffens said, “and I felt that I should do some kind of fun activity for them at Easter where they could meet new people and hopefully, bring them closer to the Church.”
“The Easter season is a season of hope, and by doing something that would bring children together in a fun way, it’s my hope that they’ll grow and see coming to church as something they’ll want to do and not something that they have to do,” Steffens said. He added that his own experience of attending parish events as a youngster was a motivator for his wanting to become more involved in the parish as a teen. Along with youth group, he has been involved as an altar server and catechist.
Carmine Steffens, right, who started Easter Funday in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, assists fellow youth group member, Jaxon Atkins, during the 2025 celebration held April 12. For Easter Funday 2025, Steffens and five fellow youth group peers – including Jaxon Atkins, who was this year’s Easter Bunny – worked together to make the day happen. They organized the parish hall so that while the parents watched or took cell phone photos and videos during the hourlong event, their children participated in games like “Red Light, Green Light,” and “Simon Says,” renamed to “Easter Bunny Says.”Something for the younger kids
“This is a really nice way to bring families together,” said Nicole Ives, as she watched her three children – Sienna, 9, Arianna, 7, and Dominic, 2 – laughing while enjoying the games. “This is a good community event.”
As the Richmond sisters, Eloise, 9, and Frankie, 7, diligently hopped, skipped and jumped, during “Easter Bunny Says,” their mom, Kristen, remarked on how nice it was for the parish to have an event for younger children, who otherwise would be there only for religious education instruction and Sunday Mass.
“This is cute, and the fact that Easter Funday is run by older kids is cool,” Richmond said. She said it’s her hope that Eloise and her “leader type” personality will someday want to get involved and lead programs like Easter Funday for future children in the parish.
A young St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral parishioner enjoys having her picture taken with the Easter Bunny during the third annual 'Easter Funday' April 12. Mary Stadnyk photos
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UPDATED April 14, 2025
There’s Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and, around St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, there’s Easter Funday, too.
For a couple of hours before the Co-Cathedral ushered in Holy Week with the Palm Sunday Vigil Mass April 12, the parish held its third annual Easter Funday, when parishioners ages 10 and under gathered in the parish hall to play games, dance, take photos with the Easter Bunny and have fun.
Jeanne Marinello, youth group coordinator, said besides enjoying the fun, the children get to see teens, most of whom are in the youth group, serving their parish.
“Our little ones get to see the hands of the older kids at work, helping to thread the tapestry that makes up this parish,” she said. “The younger kids look up to the older ones, and in the spirit of the season, this event brings kids of our parish together [to] have a good time.”
Started by a teen
Easter Funday was initiated three years ago by youth group member Carmine Steffens as an outgrowth of the annual Easter egg hunt that had been held for the youngsters prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the pandemic restrictions were lifted and regular activities around the parish resumed, interest and participation in the Easter egg hunt waned, Steffens said, “and I felt that I should do some kind of fun activity for them at Easter where they could meet new people and hopefully, bring them closer to the Church.”
“The Easter season is a season of hope, and by doing something that would bring children together in a fun way, it’s my hope that they’ll grow and see coming to church as something they’ll want to do and not something that they have to do,” Steffens said. He added that his own experience of attending parish events as a youngster was a motivator for his wanting to become more involved in the parish as a teen. Along with youth group, he has been involved as an altar server and catechist.
Carmine Steffens, right, who started Easter Funday in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, assists fellow youth group member, Jaxon Atkins, during the 2025 celebration held April 12. For Easter Funday 2025, Steffens and five fellow youth group peers – including Jaxon Atkins, who was this year’s Easter Bunny – worked together to make the day happen. They organized the parish hall so that while the parents watched or took cell phone photos and videos during the hourlong event, their children participated in games like “Red Light, Green Light,” and “Simon Says,” renamed to “Easter Bunny Says.”Something for the younger kids
“This is a really nice way to bring families together,” said Nicole Ives, as she watched her three children – Sienna, 9, Arianna, 7, and Dominic, 2 – laughing while enjoying the games. “This is a good community event.”
As the Richmond sisters, Eloise, 9, and Frankie, 7, diligently hopped, skipped and jumped, during “Easter Bunny Says,” their mom, Kristen, remarked on how nice it was for the parish to have an event for younger children, who otherwise would be there only for religious education instruction and Sunday Mass.
“This is cute, and the fact that Easter Funday is run by older kids is cool,” Richmond said. She said it’s her hope that Eloise and her “leader type” personality will someday want to get involved and lead programs like Easter Funday for future children in the parish.
A young St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral parishioner enjoys having her picture taken with the Easter Bunny during the third annual 'Easter Funday' April 12. Mary Stadnyk photos