{mosimage}OTTAWA - Putting his personal and spiritual reflections to music once again, Joe Zambon successfully released his second CD, You Are I Am.

We’re a generation of youth missionaries, taught not only in church but in high school youth groups or campus ministries that it’s important to share your faith with others. I remember clearly the call to “propose” the faith rather than to “impose” it. Yet often, to share that faith we need to deepen that faith, which can involve throwing ourselves headlong into an organized evangelization or mission project. World Youth Days, Catholic youth conferences and mission trips are all increasingly part of the natural culture in our  universal church, which ultimately presents a different kind of faith test: fund-raising.

Addiction comes in all forms: addiction to drugs and alcohol, to chocolate, and yes, even cellphones.

I wanted to think that I’m not addicted to my cellphone, so I took a quick look at my trusty Oxford dictionary hoping that my frequent use somehow fell short of the qualifications. No such luck.

Addiction comes in all forms: addiction to drugs and alcohol, to chocolate, and yes, even cellphones.

I wanted to think that I’m not addicted to my cellphone, so I took a quick look at my trusty Oxford dictionary hoping that my frequent use somehow fell short of the qualifications. No such luck.

A few weeks ago, I hopped on a Greyhound bus, heading to a friend’s wedding, and as luck had it, landed a seat beside a Jamaican reggae and gospel artist.

As he learned that my knowledge of both his music and culture were limited, but that we shared a common Christian faith, he excitedly began to sing excerpts from songs on his latest CD, snapping his fingers and even clapping to keep the beat — I’m sure to the discomfort of some passengers, to the amusement of others.

I once prayed the rosary while sitting in a tree. That might sound a little bizarre, but as a student on a secular campus I often found myself getting creative in the search for a place to simply be with God.

TORONTO - The archdiocese of Toronto’s Office of Catholic Youth is offering to fully subsidize the cost of attending its annual youth rally July 23-25 in Midland, Ont., for up to five youth from every parish in the archdiocese.

“If you have sent groups in the past we hope you will see this as a way of saying ‘thank you’ for your support.

“If you have never sent young people we hope you will take advantage of this promotion and give us the opportunity to connect with youth or young adults from your community,” the OCY said on its web site.

The archdiocesan weekend provides catechesis, prayer, Mass, live music, a movie and more, usually for teens and older youth ages 19-25. But for the first time, the OCY has also built in a special component for young adults ages 25-35.

When Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School student Jonathan Andrade took on a Grade 10 religion art class project last year, he didn’t expect to finish as a finalist in Toronto’s Hot Docs “Doc It!” showcase for documentary films by youth.

But to his surprise, he did, and last month, continued the editing process for his short film Game On in anticipation of his school’s own  ‘Just’ Docs Media Festival which takes place June 9.

“I hope they get some laughs, first of all,” Andrade said of the six-minute film. “And I hope it shows that (gaming) is a problem, even though our movie was very lighthearted.”

The Catholic Register played host to its Youth Speak News correspondents in Toronto for a weekend of professional development, faith deepening and fun May 28-30.

Writers on this year’s team made their way to Toronto from as far away as St. John’s, Nfld., and Saskatoon, and from various cities across Eastern Ontario to deepen their knowledge of Catholic media in Canada.

TORONTO - When she volunteered for the Toronto archdiocese’s Office for Refugees’ Catholic refugee sponsorship conference in January, 25-year-old volunteer Emily Anderson noticed a marked absence.

“I know from experience volunteering with other organizations that there is often a lot of youth involvement, especially with mandatory high school volunteer programs, so I saw a real void and thought it’s probably because there’s not really an outlet for the youth to know about these kind of circumstances,” Anderson said.