The annual Friars Student Writing Contest, a partnership for many years between the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement-Graymoor and the Register, has seen three Toronto high school students honoured for their take on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Philip Maslowski, 15, took top prize followed by Julia Carnovale, 18, and Opeyemi Oyeniyi, 17, in third place.

Students were invited to write on the theme of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, John 11:26, which is based on the conversation between Jesus and Martha upon the death of Lazarus, Martha’s brother. The 2025 theme was chosen to coincide with the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the first Christian ecumenical council. The theme encourages people to reflect on the Nicene Creed, which was adopted at the council.

“This year I was highly impressed by the thoughtfulness and creativity reflected in the submissions to our writing contest,” said Karine Sciborowski, office coordinator with the Office for Interreligious Dialogue and the Office for Promoting Christian Unity and Religious Relations with Judaism with the Archdiocese of Toronto.

“The students’ faith is evident through their writing, and it is quite inspiring. It has been a joy to read their work.”

Maslowski is a Grade 10 student at Fr. John Redmond Catholic Secondary School who is also an altar server and lector at St. Teresa’s Parish. He was instantly interested in the topic when he was informed about it from the Toronto Catholic board’s Agnes Machura.

Carnovale, who hopes to be a social worker, attends Grade 12 at Michael Power/St. Joseph’s High School. She was influenced by her religion teacher to enter the contest and also credits finding the Lord once again after distancing herself from Christianity.

Oyeniyi is in Grade 12 at Francis Libermann Catholic High School and drew inspiration from making donations to a local homeless shelter in taking on this task. She hopes one day to be a lawyer.

BY PHILIP MASLOWSKI

This miracle narrated in John 11:26, whereby He raised Lazarus back to life, was staunch proof, out of many, that Jesus Christ indeed has the power of giving life anew. Then, when Jesus told Martha “Do you believe this?” He was calling her — and each one of us — into action to exercise faith in Him as a raiser of the dead, even in the very moment of one’s death. 

It’s a question lying at the heart not only of the story of Lazarus but of the whole theme of Christian unity reflected in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This is a word to a world that is divided, to many who face spiritual and physical death: “Do you believe this?”

It calls us to professions of belief in Christ and to discipleship in lived life for all those who are suffering. A miracle on the order of the raising of Lazarus is sorely needed in today’s divided, struggling and pained world. Spiritual death caused by illusion, separation and alienation has caught individuals and societies worldwide off guard. This is articulated through the fracturing of the different Christian denominations-inconsistency in unison, even among those believing. 

The inner struggle of the Body of Christ reflects a mainstream malady: an erosive breakdown in interpersonal relationships, with a move toward increased loneliness. These are individuals who have personal burdens that over-stress their will to live, addiction, problems with mental health, poverty, losses of loved ones — the factors that may render people deadened spiritually.

These are the places where the life message through Jesus Christ is needed

This is actually the miracle of Lazarus, an invitation to hope for the Christian regarding participation in God’s work of healing and resurrection. That “Do you believe this?” of Jesus had more the value of an interrogative: Do we believe He can change human lives, restore relationships among people and give newness to life when all is failing? Answers may be given to such a question in our variety as individual persons and faith communities: First, that we must profess Christ has the power to bring life to the places of death. A belief which invokes action on our part — in prayer, service and reconciliation. 

And that translates, on this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, into reaching across the denominational line so as to heal such divides and promote dialogue.

We can participate in giving life to the Church by keeping unity within our communities, always remembering we are one body in Christ, called to cooperate for the sake of the Gospel and spread throughout the whole world.

We are also able to give new life to sufferers by showing our care and compassion. Like Jesus, we have to weep with Mary and Martha over the death of Lazarus, comfort the mourners, the afflicted. A place of healing which a faith community may offer — a place of experiencing love and grace in Christ. Which means, when we serve, reach out to the marginalized and pray for those who hurt, we are literally bringing into the life of another the promise of new life in Christ. The little question “Do you believe this?” is hardly an affirmation about the doctrine but rather about how Jesus’ word forms and shapes the way we come into being and relate to each other in the world. 

We need, in response, to commit to being agents of resurrection — carrying God’s healing and transformative love in a sorely needy world.

BY JULIA CARNOVALE 

The miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, as recounted in John 11:26, is a profound testament to His power to bring new life where there was once only death. Today, this miracle is needed more than ever in our modern world, where people often experience forms of spiritual, emotional and social “death” — isolation, despair, poverty, injustice and disconnection from God and one another. 

As Christians, we are called to be agents of new life and embody Jesus’ compassion and power in a world that so desperately needs His healing touch.

One place where this miracle is urgently needed is in communities suffering from the effects of violence and injustice. Many people today are like Lazarus, entombed in systems of oppression, facing the darkness of hopelessness and fear. Whether they are refugees fleeing war, individuals suffering from racial injustice or families trapped in cycles of poverty, these modern-day Lazaruses are waiting for the voice of Christ to call them into the light of freedom and new beginnings. 

As faithful communities, we can be instruments of this resurrection by advocating for peace, justice and systemic change while providing practical support and solidarity to those in need. Moreover, this miracle is needed in our personal lives and relationships. Many of us experience “death” in the form of broken relationships, whether due to misunderstandings, pride or grudges. Jesus calls us, like Martha and Mary, to bring our wounded relationships to Him and trust in His power to heal what seems irreparable. Through humility, forgiveness and open-heartedness, we can participate in the miracle of reconciliation, bringing new life into our homes, friendships and communities.

Our faith communities can also participate in bringing new life through outreach to those who are spiritually disconnected. Many people feel abandoned or alienated from God, but like Lazarus, they are waiting to be called back to life by Jesus’ love. 

We can be Christ’s hands and voice in this world, reaching out to those who have lost faith, offering companionship, prayer and an invitation to experience God’s life-giving grace once again. We are called by God to love and support one another so it is our duty to help the poor and suffering as we are well and able to.  

In conclusion, just as Jesus restored Lazarus to life, we too are called to bring resurrection to the world around us. This task requires prayer, faith and action as we allow Christ to work through us to heal, restore and uplift those in need. 

BY OPEYEMI OYENIYI

A couple of days prior to the end of last year’s Christmas holiday, my friends and I spent three days purchasing ingredients, baking treats and delivering them to the homeless and vulnerable individuals that visit the Good Shepherd Ministries charity as an escape from the everyday hardships of life, especially during those frigid winter months. 

Witnessing the sheer joy and gratefulness visible on the faces of those who were watching us bring the desserts into the cafeteria was something that stuck with me for the rest of the day. It made me realize that this small act of kindness, something so simple to us, was the complete opposite to those on the receiving end of our gesture. 

Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life was nothing short of a miracle, one that was made possible through Martha’s belief in the Lord. Our act of giving to the less fortunate was miniscule in face of one so monumental and transcendent, and yet, it made a significant impact on the day of those who enjoyed those treats. 

Christmas is the season of giving, and I, as well as the rest of the community can embody this theme year round through benevolent acts of charity that perform small miracles within the lives of those faced with destitution and hopelessness. 

Within the Gospel quote, John 11:26, Jesus asks Martha a profound, and searching question: “Do you believe this?” This question, one so spiritually intimate, invoked an equally powerful response from Martha: “Yes, Lord,” solidifying the sheer faith and trust she had in Jesus. 

Martha was challenged by Jesus in this quote, similarly to how this passage challenges us, the followers of the Christian faith, of our trust in God and our ability to commit to it. We as Catholics cannot merely profess a superficial belief in the Lord and should instead demonstrate it throughout our lives by embodying the likeness of Jesus Christ to the best of our abilities. 

In an age of prevalent discrimination, it seems as if a miracle is needed to rid the world of oppression, but we, as well as the Catholic Church, must rise against it as true believers of Christ and begin to work towards the path of a unified, peaceful world. 

Like Martha, we must courageously answer “Yes, Lord” when asked of our belief in our Father, and strive towards following in Jesus’ footsteps by performing everyday miracles within the lives of those we encounter daily.