Youth Speak News

‘Light the advent candle one, now the waiting has begun.’

At the age of three, I was a refugee.

To commemorate the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Youth Speak News team reflected on the seven corporal works of mercy and how they incorporated each work into their daily life.

As a young Catholic, I’m finding that it is important to surround myself with as much of a Catholic presence as I can. I’m in my last year of high school, and I’ve noticed that through the past few years it’s gotten harder to hold steady in my faith.

Combine a little walk, a little prayer, three churches and group of young people from a variety of faiths, and you have the makings of a pretty interesting Sunday afternoon in downtown Toronto.

When presented with barrages of violent and destructive images, sometimes the only place to look is away. To say that it is a challenge to witness these horrors is an understatement, but to go beyond that and work against these horrors is what makes heroes.

Listening to a group of Toronto Catholic elementary students recite a poem in his native Portuguese, José Luís Carneiro couldn’t help but smile.

As Nov. 5 approaches, I become increasingly excited. No, it is not my birthday, but my name day, called “imieniny” in Polish.

The joy of faith, while usually not associated with sports, can be seen in the journey of the Father John Redmond High School Redhawks cheerleading team.