Chicago’s Michigan Avenue was alive with spirit, laughter and heart on the last weekend of July. While the rock festival Lollapalooza drew many tourists to Chicago, for me and other young women, Nunapalooza took centre stage. The annual Come and See weekend retreat, hosted by the Daughters of St. Paul, was held on the same weekend and in the same city as the music festival, but it called young women to come together for a different purpose: to better know God. 

When a friend broke up with her long-time boyfriend, I asked her what she would do next. She replied, “I need to take some alone time and figure myself out.” An admirable thing to do, especially right after breaking up with the boyfriend.

I had the honour of attending the very first Steubenville Conference in Toronto. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but as the weekend unfolded it was evident this wasn’t going to be an ordinary youth conference and that I was about to be changed spiritually. Together with young people from all over Ontario, I came face to face with God.

TORONTO - Toronto’s most anticipated Catholic youth conference this summer may be sold out, but teens without tickets can still get in on the action.

It’s June and I’m headed towards my final year in university. Rather than simply enjoying my summer like my peers, I’m looking at my options. 

The Alpha program in Canada wants no Catholic left behind, especially the younger generations.

I’ve always been one for planning my life ahead of schedule, even years in advance. I tend to go overboard often. The evidence is all over the day planner I use at school: a scribble in the margins here, a small number there, all marking just how long I have until the important dates coming up on my life, like graduation or signing up for classes for my first semester of university.

A jar of freshly squeezed juice or a bowl of fruit are my constant companions as I walk through my school or pause for lunch. The lingering smell of sweet oranges, berries or bananas often draw the attention of those around me.

Ontario’s Catholic students have invited Pope Francis to share with them in a province-wide Mass to be held May 7.

TORONTO - In the Christian folk music scene, many know Joe Zambon for his distinctive beard as much as they know him for his music. For his latest album, his fifth, Zambon took his beard and his music back home to record with his brother.

My first year of university is finally over. Academically, I held my head above water, but socially, I found myself unable to fit in. I am enrolled in a Life Sciences program, where there isn’t much racial diversity. As one of the few black people, I found myself struggling with my self-identity.

Sometimes I think everything in life is wonderful: nature, places, people. Then I hear stories of destruction, whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual, and I s ometimes believe this isn’t a world where I want to be living; it’s a world that seems like a nightmare from which I can’t wake.

I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario in April to see the exhibit “Revealing the early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art” that has been running since mid-March. The exhibit showcases a collection of religious panels, pages, books, stained-glass windows and altar decorations made by artisans in and around Florence, Italy, during the 14th century. Although these pieces were created centuries ago, we can still find a connection to God and the Catholic community through these works.

I attended Catholic elementary schools, and when I was in Grade 8, I was choosing a high school to attend. The most popular question people asked me was whether I would choose to attend a public or a Catholic high school. I knew that whatever school I chose — public or Catholic — it wouldn’t mean I’d lose my faith. Catholic schools aren’t a place where you’re forced into your faith, but rather taught how to strengthen it.

Updated 03/11/13 - Corrections on volunteer appreciation event title

When in a conversation regarding anything political, I’m often told to keep my religious beliefs to myself and out of the conversation.