Youth Speak News

TORONTO - Roy Tugbang, a classically trained singer and Grade 12 student at the Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, is fundraising his way to the World Championships of Performing Arts.

TORONTO - Former Ryerson University head volleyball coach Dion Rugosi is inviting young adults to combine sport and spirituality.

Whether I’m roaming the streets of downtown Toronto or scanning through Instagram pictures online, I notice religious symbols are increasingly being used as fashion statements.

In an industry where media plus young people equals entertainment, two Catholic production companies — Vocation Boom and Spirit Juice — are adding spirituality to the equation.

I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario in April to see the exhibit “Revealing the early Renaissance: Stories and Secrets in Florentine Art” that has been running since mid-March. The exhibit showcases a collection of religious panels, pages, books, stained-glass windows and altar decorations made by artisans in and around Florence, Italy, during the 14th century. Although these pieces were created centuries ago, we can still find a connection to God and the Catholic community through these works.

Argentina will send more pilgrims to World Youth Day 2013 in Brazil than any other foreign country, according to organizers. Members of the local organizing committee for World Youth Day say that, with the recent election of an Argentine Pope, they expect up to 2.5 million young people at the international event in Rio de Janeiro.

MISSISSAUGA, ONT. Catholics need to realize that being pro-marriage does not mean you are anti-gay, an Office of Catholic Youth forum was told.

TORONTO - St. Joseph’s College School’s upcoming Multicultural Night continues a tradition of raising funds for Haiti begun more than two decades ago.

The web site Catholic Memes has become a rallying point for Catholic apologists, while angering antitheists, poking friendly fun at Protestants and entertaining ecclesiastics.

I attended Catholic elementary schools, and when I was in Grade 8, I was choosing a high school to attend. The most popular question people asked me was whether I would choose to attend a public or a Catholic high school. I knew that whatever school I chose — public or Catholic — it wouldn’t mean I’d lose my faith. Catholic schools aren’t a place where you’re forced into your faith, but rather taught how to strengthen it.