Youth Speak News

From a young age, we are taught that acceptance and love are important values of the Catholic faith. But although we are taught to treat those who are different from us in the same way we’d want to be treated, how often are we around such differences?

Raised by a Catholic family and attending Catholic schools in Mississauga, Ont., I was always encouraged to embrace differences — but no one around me was actually all that different. It wasn’t until I left this community to attend university that the world was presented to me, quite literally. Upon arriving at the University of Western Ontario, I was placed on the “global village” floor in residence. I soon realized that this was finally my chance to put the Catholic values I grew up with into action.

My residence is designed in a way where some floors have themes. For example, the “music floor” is full of music students and is always alive with melody. I, however, was surprised to learn that my placement was on the global village floor. The floor, set aside for international students as well as many Canadian students of different backgrounds and faiths, would become my home.

At first, I was confused. What was so global about me? I thought there might have been a mistake, but I began to observe and learn from the cultural and religious diversity on my floor. For instance, one girl found a Sikh temple near the university and routinely makes trips to practise her faith. Another wears Buddhist amulets for protection and safety in her time away from home. Religious symbols can be found throughout the residents on my floor, such as a small statue of Hanuman brought by another floor mate, which is a Hindu figure said to help everyone in our global village stay focused in their studies.

My roommate, who is also Hindu, spends 10 to 15 minutes every morning in rituals and prayers. I’ve also begun to use this time to reflect and pray myself, making our room a true fusion of beliefs.

On the outside we in the global village may look like a disjointed group of young people. But, if anything, our differences bring us closer together. We’ve even decorated our floor, hanging up a number of flags and maps. In fact, it is not uncommon to find people lingering in the halls, pointing to the various regions on the map they come from.

Having spent more than a month with the people on this floor, I no longer question why I was put here. I know that I bring a unique perspective to our village. I also know that as I learn about all their habits and rituals, they learn about mine as a Catholic youth. This is what is meant by multiculturalism and acceptance. This is what I was taught in school.

I am proud to say I have made the world my home and I pray that others get a chance to do so as well.

(Hurren, 18, is a media, information and technoculture student at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont. Read more about him at youthspeaknews.org)

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - With his telenovela good looks and his “call me Chico” invitation, no one would guess 22-year-old Francisco “Chico” Gonzalez had skirmished with the police before landing in a special program for at-risk youth.

Chico’s barrio, Jorge Dimitrov, was settled in 1982 after Lake Managua flooded and forced people out of their homes. Now, new generations are being born and raised in his neighbourhood.

VICTORIA, B.C. - Students at the University of Victoria (UVic) marked the blessing of its first Newman House, a residence and spiritual home for Catholic students on campus, Oct. 9.

Victoria Bishop Richard Gagnon presided over the blessing on the anniversary of the day that Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman was received into the Catholic Church. About 30 students and community members were in attendance. The Newman House, which is all male this year, opened for students at the end of August.

“God is blessing me and all the residents with this opportunity to grow in our faith, evangelize the campus and strengthen our resolve to live a faith-filled and holy life,” said Jeremy Côté, 22, the house leader. “I feel that this house has really become a home to me already, both for the people here and the atmosphere of community.”

TORONTO - Everything about the porn industry is fake, former Playboy TV producer Donny Pauling told an audience of about 175 students at York University on Sept. 27 at a lecture organized by its Catholic chaplaincy team. 

Partnering with Matt Fradd, founder of the Porn Effect, a web site dedicated to fighting pornography, the two exposed painful secrets surrounding Pauling’s old business.

“I’m sorry if you think porn’s not a big deal,” Pauling said. “I think it is a big deal.”

What would happen if I said yes to God and gave up one summer for His glory? That is the question I set out to answer when I said yes to Impact Canada.

Impact is a 15-week missions trip with Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO). Every summer, students gather in a different Canadian city to carry on the new evangelization. Alongside 56 university students from across the country and under the guidance of a dedicated CCO staff team, I spent my summer in our nation’s capital sharing God’s love.

Through living in community, working in a parish and being surrounded by people on fire for Him, I came to find new purpose in my life.

TORONTO - About 25 young adults took to the streets during Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s yearly all-night art festival, to explore the spiritual connections behind the exhibits.

The group gathered as part of Hike and Prayer, organized by Faith Connections, a ministry for young adults run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto.

“It was an opportunity for young adults to meet each other, to reflect on the spiritual side of art and to participate in the city of Toronto,” said program director Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt.

For many, summer is a time to travel to the most exotic places in the world and experience their beauty. But for two Catholic youth, such a journey was taken for an entirely different reason.

Ashley Khan and Karena Ahwai-Mohammed, both students in the concurrent teaching program at Toronto’s York University, decided to spend their summer in Fiji, an island in the south Pacific Ocean. Starting last June, Khan and Ahwai-Mohammed spent three months working on community projects in Sawakasa, an impoverished village only an hour away from Suva, Fiji’s capital.

“Fiji seems like paradise but there is such poverty, especially behind the resorts,” said Khan. “There are people who do not have access to water for days and don’t have resources for the education system.”

During their time there, Khan and Ahwai-Mohammed mainly worked on school renovations, including sanding and repainting walls and doors, and building a rain water catchment near the school from which the children can drink.

While completing the projects, both stayed with a host family and lived in the same conditions as any other Sawakasa resident.

“We stayed with the most loving family with four children who treated us as if we were part of the family,” said Ahwai-Mohammed.

“The family that we stayed with didn’t have that much when it came to material possessions, but they had strong faith in God and appreciated everything that they did have,” she said.

“As long as they had God and their family, they were happy and satisfied, which has inspired me to be more appreciative for everything I have.”

Khan said the pair shared in the poverty of their hosts, bathing in the river because there was no running water and living in houses that had lizards and a variety of bugs.

But their positive attitude and the entire trip was inspired by their Catholic values, said Khan.

“Making a difference is truly an image of love, Christ’s love for His people,” she said. 

And now, Khan belongs to an even bigger family.

“Even though I live in Canada, my family in Fiji will always be a part of my life and I will continue to watch out for them,” she said. “I’m planning to send a help package for Christmas with things like school supplies, toothbrushes and toothpaste.”

Their experiences in Fiji have also helped the pair to grow, both spiritually and personally.

“My overall experience was a rewarding one,” said Khan. “I’ve learned peace, humility, to be content with what I have and the importance of unity and family. This experience has led me to continue making an impact in my own community through the Church. It was the beginning of finding my true self and being able to do what I passionately love doing.”

Looking back on the experience, Khan recommends Catholic youth be more selfless in their everyday lives.

“Have a vision and persevere with it, always keeping God first,” she said. “By adopting an attitude of gratitude and giving, we begin to change the lives of those around us.”

(Hurren, 18, is a Media, Information and Technoculture student at the University of Western Ontario. Find out more about him at our YSN blog, youthspeaknews.org)

Stumble into Toronto’s St. Cecilia’s Church one Sunday evening and you can expect to find a rare gem: a bilingual Vietnamese and English Mass where most of the attendees are young people.

This Mass is just one of many events hosted by Youth and Young Adults (YaYA) as a way to help young Vietnamese-Canadians preserve their distinct cultural and Catholic heritage.

Created last March and inaugurated with the celebration of Mass in May, YaYA is based out of St. Cecilia’s, a parish whose large Vietnamese community led to the add-on name of “Mission of the Vietnamese Martyrs” in 1993.

Many parishes are facing the challenge of trying to keep their attendance up. Cultural parishes, though, are facing an even larger battle. As the parish’s older demographic passes, they take the culture with them. The question then becomes how to renew interest in the church while also maintaining culture.

My parish, a Lithuanian parish in Toronto, is facing this problem. Cultural parishes are important because they provide a place to reinforce the culture and learn about our history in a religious setting while keeping the faith.

My church has done so much for me in terms of reinforcing my Lithuanian culture.

What do you see when you think of the unknown? A dark forest or an impenetrable fog?

Whether by hesitating to socialize outside our circle of friends or by becoming too accustomed to daily routines, it isn’t surprising that we like to avoid risks. However, many good things await in the unknown and God doesn’t want us to miss out on them. 

There’s nothing wrong with occasionally losing some control over life and embracing unfamiliar situations. After all, God is in control and has a plan — even if it isn’t always obvious to us.