Speaking Out

The last day of Steubenville Toronto focused on translating all the things Steubenville participants had learned throughout the event into their daily lives. It was a theme that permeated all of the day’s proceedings.

Days before the Steubenville Toronto weekend, I wracked my brain thinking about what the theme of the conference could mean. Limitless is such a big word, but after experiencing the conference, I think that was the point.

Steubenville Toronto greeted me with crowds of people — a sea of colourful t-shirts, distinguishing each group that bustled among the different vendors. As I entered Roy Thompson Hall Friday afternoon, I felt the electrified hum of young people, reuniting with old friends from conferences past, making new ones, and expecting to encounter the Lord in a new way.

Pope Francis’ unprecedented encyclical on climate change was forceful. Many Catholics, myself included, were pleased to see the Pope address this complex but increasingly important issue.

I have known for a long time that I wanted to go on a mission trip.

Attending Catholic schools and going to Mass every weekend, I have always been taught about the importance of charity. For the longest time I thought charity meant simply giving to the less fortunate. However, in Grade 7, I got involved with Me to We and Free the Children which changed my understanding of what charity really meant.

A year can pass quickly. As I enter the final months of my one-year term as a Youth Speak News correspondent for The Catholic Register, I am astounded to think that’s it’s been almost a year since I sent off my application to be a part of the 2014-15 YSN team. The journey has seen me grow in faith, writing ability and awareness of both the local and global nature of the Catholic community.

Throughout my undergraduate experience I was actively involved with many leadership opportunities on campus. In my final year, I was blessed with the opportunity to help shape the future of my alma mater.

For high school seniors, the end of the school year is approaching. While this normally brings relief and excitement for the summer, high school graduates face the uncertainty of what is to come. Starting university or college is, after all, a leap into the unknown.

In today’s dating world, men who want to wait until marriage for sex are unicorns. People say they exist, but no one you know has ever dated one.

Over the years, I’ve been on a lot of dates. There’s been many that went nowhere, and three that turned into somewhat serious relationships. As a practising (if somewhat lapsed) Catholic over the last five years, I had certainly never dated a unicorn.

This past month, I was fortunate enough to  travel around Europe for three weeks. I spent time in Berlin, Milan, Venice, Paris and Barcelona. I came home with great pictures, and even greater stories. From amazing feats of architecture, to historical sights, to everyday street life, I had the opportunity to sample the diverse palate Europe has to offer.