{mosimage}TORONTO - Before his teen years, Robert Chan, 25, began attending Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Chinese parish of downtown Toronto for the past 40 years, and soon found a social haven with other Chinese youth in the altar servers’ club.

Little did he know that more than a decade later he would join hundreds at the altar servers’ club 20th anniversary Sept. 26 to celebrate a success story.

“I am really thankful for having the opportunity to see how our altar servers’ club developed over the years,” he told The Catholic Register. “It’s been a blessing to see the kids grow and to see them be inspired by actions of the senior members of the club and follow in their footsteps.”

{mosimage}TORONTO - In countries such as Canada, the Catholic Church may not be facing a crisis, but neither is it reaching its potential, says Richard Rymarz, a professor of theology at St. Joseph’s College at the University of Alberta.

Kim Gottfried, director of chaplaincy at Toronto’s Ryerson University, wants to change that.

{mosimage}TORONTO - Nine-hundred students at St. Michael’s College School walked to conquer cancer at their first event in honour of a beloved past school president.

The students raised $17,000 which they will donate to Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation on behalf of the late Fr. Daniel Zorzi, C.S.B., their school president who died of cancer at the age of 48 in January.

{mosimage}OAKVILLE, Ont. - The importance of going to Mass and God’s plan for their sainthood became clear to Grade 8 students from the Halton Region through dynamic presentations to boost their faith.

The Halton Catholic District School Board’s 2,100 Grade 8 students were welcomed to Mary Mother of God parish in Oakville for the board’s first youth leadership rally Nov. 17-19.

{mosimage}TORONTO - The Office of Catholic Youth of the archdiocese of Toronto has unveiled its travel plans for World Youth Day 2011, including details about four major formation events.

The trip will begin with two days in Rome in early August, where pilgrims will visit St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. The next five days will be spent in Cintruenigo, Spain, for “days in the diocese” where pilgrims will pray and interact with a local parish and its families, followed by seven days in Madrid Aug. 15-21 for the World Youth Day celebrations. The OCY will take a maximum of 120 pilgrims between the ages of 18-35.

{mosimage}TORONTO - Catholic students from across Toronto sat in silence as John Bransfield and Joey Ivory, a young engaged couple, described their tragic struggle with homelessness.

The couple was asked to speak at the annual Social Justice Symposium, hosted by Brebeuf College School on Dec. 11, at Toronto’s University of St. Michael’s College campus.

{mosimage}St. Marcellinus Secondary School quarterback Brandon Bridge is living his dream. The 17-year-old Mississauga athlete was selected and contacted several weeks ago as one of 45 junior players from four continents to play on the World Football Team for the annual “Team USA vs. The World” football game Jan. 30 in Ft. Lauderdale.

Bridge has led his school team, the St. Marcellinus Spirit, to back-to-back senior high school championships. He played for Team Canada in an event in Canton Ohio last July and suspects he was selected for the World Football Team because of that exposure.

{mosimage}TORONTO - The Canadian committee of the World Youth Alliance marked its recent inception by hosting speakers Feb. 27 on the topic of refugees, immigrants and multiculturalism in Canada.

The World Youth Alliance, based in New York City, is an international body of youth promoting human dignity at the United Nations and in communities around the globe. The conference was the third of its kind — similar conferences were held in 2008 and 2009 in Ottawa and New York City — but the first planned and executed by an organized Canadian committee.

{mosimage}In August, the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace will take its first combined French-English group of young adults to the Philippines.

The “Young Adult Solidarity Trip” aims to expose young adults to the reality of the global south and teach first-hand what Development and Peace does through its programs and partners.

{mosimage}MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Thirty-five Dufferin-Peel Catholic schools were excited to receive a total of $78,594 through the Ministry of Education’s Student Voice Program this month.

The program, now in its second year, provided financial aid to Grades 7 to 12 students at more than 850 schools across Ontario this year.

With the funding, the Dufferin-Peel schools will be able to move forward with 73 projects to help students become more engaged in learning and interacting with their communities.