Fr. Vito Crincoli, LC, became a member of ECyD back in 1992 – 30 years later, he is back as the Director of the Leadership Training program in Washington, DC.
A year after becoming a member of ECyD over 30 years ago, Fr. Vito entered the minor seminary of the Legionaries of Christ, and professed his first vows in 1999. Since then, he has studied and served in Rome and Mexico, returning to the United States in 2021 to become the Director of Leadership Training Program in Washington, DC, a program designed to equip youth with the tools to integrate leadership skills with a Christian worldview in order to make a positive impact on society.
Building on the strong foundation that the previous Legionary priests and consecrated women in DC had already built, Fr. Vito realized that much of his ministry in ECyD would involve working with the parents as much as the kids and young adults, and in his role as the Boys’ ECyD director, this meant engaging the fathers. He soon noticed that what truly inspired the dads involved was not to simply act as supervisors of the boys, but to be real participants in the mission, and to see their service to ECyD as a true calling.
“There’s a mystique being created here, that this is not just about being a chaperone – the dads are responding to a vocation,” says Fr. Vito. “A big part of my ministry here in the director’s role is to accompany the dads in understanding the importance of their vocation to fatherhood.”
The recent Top Gun Father & Son Camp was an excellent opportunity to invite the dads to become more engaged in the mission and community of ECyD. In October, 40 fathers and sons came together for a weekend of faith-filled activities. In full commitment to the theme of the camp, special guests included Top Gun pilot, Commander Adam Farber, and Midshipman Alex Mills, both of whom spoke on the topics of faith and fortitude, and had a tremendous impact on the fathers and sons throughout the weekend. At the end of the weekend, the dads were presented with their own set of wings by Midshipman Mills, which they then passed on to their sons.
Another recent opportunity to involve both the ECyD boys and their families was the Faith and Football event with the Washington Commanders. Earlier this year, Fr. Vito unexpectedly received a phone call from Roman McLane, a representative for the team who offered the ECyD group the chance to attend a game and then spend time with some of the players and directors of the team, including cornerback Michael Davis, team president and former NFL player, Jason Wright, and team alumni, Tim Hightower and London Fletcher.
About 25 ECYD boys and parents had the opportunity to meet the players and alum and hear how they have integrated their faith into the game of football and into their lives. This was followed by a time for questions and autographs.
“It was an exposure to good role models who showed the boys that you can love Jesus Christ, and you can love football, and be dedicated to your career.”
ECyD also recently hosted a Flag Football retreat and High School Metro Mission serving and evangelizing those on DC’s metro lines. On the weekend of the Feast of Christ the King, Mission Youth DC organized a downtown mission that included four different tracks. One group of families went door to door asking for prayer requests, another group prayed outside of an abortion clinic and volunteered at a crisis pregnancy center in Virgina, and a group of college students and adults served hot meals to the people of Anacostia. And one group of high school students, most of whom were LTP or Challenge and Conquest leaders, went on the first DC metro mission, going into the metro lines to ask for prayer intentions and hand out cookies and drinks to those in need.
One of ECyD’s largest events in the DC locality is the Christmas Toy Drive, hosted by the LTP and Conquest and Challenge groups. Working with local schools, the group is collecting new, unwrapped toys for children in the community, and then the groups and parents will gather at a local parish on December 14th to host a free “store” where families in need can come and shop for Christmas gifts while their kids are cared for and entertained by older ECyD members. This year, the Christmas Toy Drive is expected to serve about 200-300 people struggling to make ends meet during the Christmas season.
To find out more about all of the exciting things happening in ECyD in the DC locality, visit their website at LTP in DMV, or follow them on Instagram.
