Youth Speak News

As World Youth Day quickly approaches, youth from all over the world are busy preparing for the celebration of the Catholic faith in Madrid, Spain. Millions of people will take part in a transformative worldwide encounter with Pope Benedict XVI during the week of Aug. 16-21.

Never having attended a World Youth Day, I am so excited to experience this year’s extraordinary opportunity to deepen my faith and grow closer to Christ during this week-long event.

When I first signed up to attend World Youth Day with my parish’s youth group, I admit that the idea of travelling to the beautiful city of Madrid with my closest friends quickly convinced me to take part. I didn’t stop to think about how the World Youth Day pilgrimage could have a potential effect on my life and faith.

TORONTO - On Wednesday, July 13, I participated in Street Patrol, a weekly volunteer program to feed the poor and homeless of downtown Toronto. The initiative, which has run for 16 years, is based out of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and commonly consists of a group of between 20 to 40 youth and adults. Participants gather at the church with sandwiches and other food, and walk through the downtown core, searching for those who could use a meal and a smile. The following is a log of my experience that evening.

4:08 p.m. – I’m standing in front of the Loblaws cheese section, frantically searching for Kraft Singles. I’ve already picked up a loaf of bread and some cold cuts for the sandwiches I’m about to make and give to the poor downtown. But I can’t seem to find the cheese I’m looking for. Provolone it is, then.

4:44 p.m. – After heading home, I begin to put together the sandwiches. Short a couple slices of bread and left only with the ends, I tell myself that I shouldn’t give anything to the homeless that I wouldn’t eat myself. Since I won’t eat those, neither will they. But perhaps my dad will. I sneakily switch them for a couple of slices from another loaf in the kitchen.

5:41 p.m. – I’m back at Loblaws after realizing that I still need paper bags for my “bagged” meals. They only sell them in packs of 100 — I have eight meals. I buy them anyway.

STEUBENVILLE, OHIO - More than 2,000 high school students filled the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s gymnasium, all dancing with their hands in the air and singing at the top of their lungs. Their screams and cheering were not for a well-known singer or band — they were praising and worshipping God.

A flock of bright green shirts stood out among the large crowd, holding Canadian flags and banners during the annual Steubenville Catholic Youth Conference July 15 to 17. The youth were representing St. Joseph the Worker parish in Thornhill, Ont.

“It was very emotional and it’s great to be around people who have the same intentions as you do faith-wise because I’m usually around people who aren’t as into the faith as I am,” said Kristina, 15, a parishioner at St. Joseph the Worker.

This is the first year the youth group attended the retreat in Steubenville, which has been taking place for more than 30 years. Held every summer, the youth conferences — split up into different sessions throughout the summer — host some 40,000 teens from across North America. A three-day event filled with praise and worship, guest speakers and celebration of the sacraments, its main purpose is to bring high school students to a life-changing relationship with God.

OTTAWA - Helping others and loving your neighbour is an important message in the Bible — one that was seen in action at the Catholic Immigration Centre of Ottawa’s 7th annual Community Cup.

The Community Cup revolves around a recreational soccer tournament where newcomers to Canada and residents meet to develop relationships and celebrate diversity while an international food bazaar, live music and kids activities serve as a backdrop to the day.

“As a community, we have the ability to ease this transition for newcomers — by making sure that our neighbours feel welcome, that they have support when needed and that they know that they belong,” said Carl Nicholson, executive director of the Catholic Immigration Centre. 

NEWARK, N.J. - It was just past 10 p.m. when a dozen young adults pulled up in two minivans at Newark Penn Station. Nervously, they began to walk around the station, bagged meals in hand, saying “midnight run” to anyone who looked like they could use one.

For Meg Fraino, the organizer of this group of young Catholics on Salesian Gospel Roads (GR), the poverty in Newark was a new yet familiar site — she began her work with the Salesians in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Between Newark, New Orleans, Haiti and other sites, Fraino has attended or directed eight different Gospel Roads programs, week-long service retreats for young people. The latest was GR Newark, which ran from June 25 to July 3 and hosted 15 university aged young adults from Toronto and across the United States.

Gospel Roads is a three-stage program that has grown from a single service trip in South Orange, N.J., in 2001. The first stage is offered about six times a year across the United States for high school students as an introduction to service, while the second is a smaller, more refined experience for university aged youth offered twice a year. The third level takes place in Haiti and Mexico, where the service is needed most.

When I was 17, I took my first pilgrimage to Antigonish, N.S., for the Steubenville Atlantic Catholic Youth Conference. I had never been on a pilgrimage before so I really didn’t know what to expect. Would it really make a difference in my life or just turn out to be a fun trip to Nova Scotia?

I soon discovered that not only would the pilgrimage have a huge impact on my life, but it would also help me come alive in my faith and act as a stepping stone on my journey to knowing God more closely.

My pilgrimage to Nova Scotia was more than just an outward physical journey; it was also an inward spiritual journey toward the heart of the Father. It gave me an opportunity to step back from the business of everyday life, refocus my priorities, gain a different perspective on life and look deeper within myself than I normally would. It called me to conversion and challenged me to take greater steps to both learn about and grow in my faith.

The Acts of the Apostles is quickly becoming my favourite book of the Bible. Yes, we have the Gospels, in which Christ shows and tells us how to live. And we also have the Letter of James, which is very practical in telling us how to live our Christian lives on a daily basis. But if you want to see what God can do to a person who opens up their lives to Him, look no further than the Acts of the Apostles. They receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and they are off to the races, converting thousands to the love and truth of Christ.

But there is an interesting part of the book where St. Paul and his companions “went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6). Here are the Apostles, on fire with the Spirit, ready to sacrifice their lives, and the Spirit says, “Don’t.”

The Holy Spirit telling someone to not spread the Gospel might seem odd. But I take it a step further and imagine the Spirit not only telling Paul “don’t,” but also telling him “not yet.” Jesus’ last command to His Apostles was to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). But the truth is that sometimes people are simply not ready to hear the full power of the Gospel. Whether it is because they are too stubborn, jaded or have hardened hearts from years of pain and struggle, sometimes people are not ready to be exposed to it. And in fact, sometimes openly telling someone a key point about the Catholic faith could push him or her further away from God.

TORONTO - Young adults in Toronto will have the opportunity to be stewards of the Earth at this year’s Hike and Prayer.

Run by Faith Connections, a ministry for young adults run by the Sisters of St. Joseph, this year’s annual hike takes place July 9 with the theme, “The Green Spirit of the City.” Participants will have an opportunity to hike and reflect at the newly renovated Evergreen Brick Works, a community environmental centre in Toronto’s Don Valley.

“Young adults are eager to learn and share with each other about how they can better care for the Earth and all of creation in their daily lives,” said Kelly Bourke, interim program director of Faith Connections. “The hike will give young adults an opportunity to meet new friends with similar concerns and to learn and share about ways to connect ecology, faith, good food and a greener approach.”

Evergreen Brick Works, run by Evergreen, a national charity, has transformed the site from a collection of deteriorating heritage buildings into one of the top 10 finalists in National Geographic’s Geotourism Challenge in 2010. The site was recognized for connecting city dwellers with nature.

VICTORIA - Young people are learning how to defend their faith in Victoria thanks to a new Catholic apologetics group — and it’s just for girls.  

Real Women in Christ was founded this spring and meets once a month to discuss the reasons behind Church teachings.

Laura Pearse, a mother of nine, was inspired to start the group after she noticed her older kids were being challenged to defend their faith by atheist arguments at the secular universities they were attending.  

“I realized that they had a lot of faith, but they were unable to really know their faith and have answers when they were faced with a lot of criticism,” she said.

Pearse set out to form the group so that her youngest daughter, Olivia, who will be entering Grade 9 in the fall, will be prepared post-graduation.

Henrick Sales had butterflies as he approached the mic. A Catholic in a synagogue, and younger than most in attendance, he probably felt a little out of place as he took the stage.

But as soon as the 19-year-old opened his mouth and began to speak, the nervousness disappeared.

Sales, or ‘Shoolie’ as he’s known in the world of spoken word, was one of more than 200 people to send a submission to the 10th Annual Creative Writing Contest for the Homeless and Marginalized, organized by Jewish charity Ve’ahavta. On June 12, at Toronto’s Congregation Habonim, he delivered “I Am,” an original poem that won second place in the competition.

“It’s a poem about people who face hardship, like friends and people I know and their struggle with homelessness,” said Sales. “They’re actually just like us, they’re just not as fortunate as us and that makes a lot of difference.”