Youth Speak News
Twelve university students from across Canada gave up their spring break to warm hearts in a cold climate as Catholic Christian Outreach conducted its first mission to the Yukon.
Lenten lessons in freedom from desire
By Kathryn Nundal, Youth Speak NewsA few days ago, while glancing through my calendar to plan my schedule for the next few weeks, I noticed March 5: Ash Wednesday. Lent starts in mere days, and I must confess, I wasn’t pleased.
Journey through darkness leads to light
By Virginia Mervar, Youth Speak NewsTORONTO - Cardinal Thomas Collins brought The Divine Comedy to life for students at the University of Toronto in Mississauga.
Confirmation Chosen to help keep kids in church
By Sarah Swist, Youth Speak NewsChris Stefanick, a 14-year youth ministry veteran, is troubled by the exponential drop in teens attending church.
Social change from pocket change
By Enrique Olivo, Youth Speak NewsLast month, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that she would raise the province’s minimum wage to $11 up from the $10.25 that it has been for the last four years. Reactions to the announcement have been polarizing. From economists to high school students, everyone has either praised the announcement as evidence of a government that is helping those in need, or have condemned it as a move that will doom those in poverty, which is what the wage increase promises to erase.
Student seeks hands-on social justice
By Andrew Thies, Youth Speak NewsIf Sam Caldeira Slavec wanted a hands-on method of tackling global justice issues, she got one. On a trip to Nicaragua, she helped clean and repaint walls, put in a new roof and mixed cement for an addition to a school, a room for children with disabilities.
Filipino students go back to school
By Catholic News ServiceQUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES - Biology major Seary Balliard is finding there’s a lot more to a university education than knowing how the parts of the human body function. She is also learning about the human psyche and the compassion it can share.
Diversity, not division for unity
By Zita Lee, Catholic Register SpecialEditor’s note: this is the third place entry in the annual essay contest for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity sponsored by The Catholic Register and the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement-Graymoor. Zita Lee, a Grade 12 student at Markham, Ont.’s St. Brother André Catholic High School, took third prize.
To go or not to go above and beyond
By Melissa Oro, Youth Speak NewsTo graduate from high school in Ontario, a student must complete at least 30 academic credits (18 compulsory and 12 optional), achieve the provincial literacy requirement and perform a total of 40 volunteer hours. All this information was given to me when I started Grade 9.
Pop culture distorts supernaturals
By Stephen Johnson, Youth Speak NewsAngels and demons have fascinated the public since biblical times, but are still portrayed inaccurately in film and on television. In January, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones hit theatres and the ninth season of Supernatural, after a short break, re-started on TV, each with accurate and inaccurate depictions of these creatures.
The Bible before bedtime
By Kathryn Nundal, Youth Speak NewsThere are two pieces of advice in regards to a healthy spiritual life which my confessor loves to give before bestowing absolution — pray regularly and take a little time each day to read from a piece of spiritual literature. He suggests the Bible. After hearing this, I return home with renewed zeal, eager to put this w h o l e s o m e advice into practice.