Rocking for God at Diocesan

Youth Day

By Marie Elena Giossi

Local teens received the message and motivation to follow the narrow way of the Lord at Diocesan High School Youth Day, held at Bishop Loughlin M.H.S., Fort Greene, April 28.

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” was the theme of the event, which was sponsored by the diocesan Faith Formation Office and Alive in Hope Foundation. The day included an opening ceremony, keynote address, several presentations and closed with Mass.

Marie Elena Giossi 

Loughlin students perform a skit about a young woman struggling to choose the narrow path in life.

Nationally known speakers Chris and Linda Padgett gave an hour-long talk titled, “Too Young for Love.” The Padgetts, who have been married over 16 years and have eight children, shared their journey from promiscuity to purity.

Rather than preach about what teens should or shouldn’t do, they simply shared their story about how their amazing relationship was almost ruined when it took on a physical dimension that they weren’t really ready to handle.

“We were living on the wide path … doing what we wanted to do,” Chris said regarding their early courtship in high school. They started having sex, skipping school, neglecting their family and friends and their lives began to unravel.

In college, Linda grew closer to God while Chris started using drugs and cutting himself.

“I wanted to do the right thing,” Chris said, “but I thought I’d gone too far from God’s love.”

Through a series of events they could only attribute to God, Chris eventually asked God to help him start anew. And the couple decided that the way to restore their relationship was to eliminate sex. They learned to pray together, avoided graphic movies, dressed modestly and started hanging out with friends to resist temptation.
“By the time we got married, we had been 100 percent pure and chaste with each other for two years,” Linda said. “The flesh is so strong, you have to let your spirit grow and let that take over.”

“Deep down, everyone, even the guys, wants an awesome, meaningful relationship,” Chris told the teens. “You’re going to get made fun of for something in life, why not get made fun of because you’re rocking for God?”

Ways to Rock for God

Teens learned ways they could rock for God in today’s world at four breakout sessions, conducted by Jeff Hicks, youth minister at St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Albans; Father Kevin Sweeney, vocation director; seminarian James Rodriguez and the Jornada Movement; and Chuck Chesnavage, religion teacher at Cardinal Hayes H.S., Manhattan.

Although only a few dozen teens and chaperones turned out — with the most attendees from the Canarsie cluster parishes: Our Lady of Miracles, St. Jude and Holy Family — Marilyn Santos, diocesan coordinator of Adolescent Faith Formation, expressed her confidence that Jesus was among them.

Epiphany Rapper

“You young people are the present and future of the Church. … We’re going to have a good time and we’re going to praise and worship Jesus,” she said.

Bishop Loughlin’s Campus Ministry, headed by Melissa Altman and Bert Fitzgerald and assisted by various students, was instrumental in facilitating the day with Santos.

Loughlin seniors Melanie Cope and LaToya Pearson opened the event at 1 p.m. with synchronized praise dancing that enabled those gathered to transition their mindset from the world outside to the celebration of faith inside.

Several Loughlin students then performed a skit depicting a young woman’s struggle to choose the narrow path that leads to Jesus.

Junior Joseph Arroyo and senior Kyle Hepburn-Peters, members of Epiphany, a rap group that promotes positive messages, then teamed with senior Ian Minerve, Jr., a krump dancer and recreational rapper, to pump everyone up with their original song, “Head to the Sky.”

After a lunch of hero sandwiches and cookies, teens came face to face with Saint Michael’s Warriors, a New York City-based Christian dance company. Several women warriors used dance to manifest the joy that comes from prayer, sacraments and a life joined with God.

Teens closed the day praising God during a 7 p.m. Mass at Queen of All Saints. Father Bryan Patterson, STL, director of the Faith Formation Office, was the main celebrant. Concelebrants included Father Sweeney, and Father St. Charles Borno, parochial vicar, Our Lady of Miracles.

This was a new experience for Vita Zhylyak, Tetyana Matishynets and Yana Stehura, juniors and active members of the Newman Club at Sheepshead Bay H.S. The young women, all members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, were excited to take part in this event, which they heard about from Newman Club moderator, Bob Fasano.

Dale Bascom, 15, and his sister, Nalisha, 17, who attend the Church of God on Fulton St. were invited by their friend, Melanie Cope, a Loughlin senior.

Loughlin freshman Angelique Avin had such an awesome time at Junior High Youth Day with her buddies from St. Jude’s, Canarsie, last year, she said she wouldn’t have missed this day, especially since it was right in her own school.

Youth Day surpassed all expectations for Loughlin senior Ian Minerve.

“I loved it. All of the speakers were down to earth, informative and they got us involved.

“I loved the workshops. I went to one on vocations. It was cool to learn about our calling. I won’t forget this man Stanley (Celius) who graduated (from Loughlin) and how he said his calling is to be a priest.

“I haven’t gotten my calling yet but we learned that our calling will come to us. We’ll know what we’re called to do and it’ll be what we want to do,” said Minerve, who hopes to attend Boston College in the fall and choose a career that will enable him to help others.

Stella Maris Inducts National Honor Students

At a simple ceremony in their Rockaway Park school, 12 Stella Maris H.S. juniors were inducted into the National Honor Society. To gain membership, a junior or senior must be an advanced Regents student with a cumulative average of 88 percent. Principal Geri Martinez, left, congratulates the juniors, pictured, from left, Rita Regan, Breanna Proscia, Melissa Julien, Ashley Gleason, Tara Iannotti, Meghan Wheeler, Jennifer Furno, Danni Fitzgerald, Darlene Espina, Shana Barnes, Rendy Auguste and Adetola Adegbite.

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