Elementary and secondary school students will participate in the program, and will learn more about their faith through the Gospel.

Program coordinator Joseph Di Fonzo said Totus Tuus provides an opportunity for participants to actively participate in their faith. “I’m excited for [Totus Tuus] because I think it’s fulfilling a need — that is, the need for young people to see and witness older young adults — to see people who are in love with Christ and the Church,” he said. “I think young people desperately need these examples today.”

Park said that the teachers will gain spiritual benefits from the experience. “You hire university-aged students and train them to be teachers — catechists. But you’re also helping young adults become missionaries, in a way, and to take on the commandments of our Lord more seriously,” he said. “You’re giving them an opportunity to deepen their relationship with Jesus.”

Four young adults — two females and two males — will lead each session.

Agnes Ng, 22, a University of Toronto student in the faculty of music and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, will be one of 16 teachers for Totus Tuus.

“It was through parish programs that I met a lot of wonderful people and learned how even I could help communities in need,” said Ng. “All these experiences helped me become the person I am today, so I really want to share that with the people I will have the pleasure of meeting over the course of the Totus Tuus program.”

“I truly believe that my calling is to work with children and youth in whatever way I can,” said Ng. “So Totus Tuus is another step on my journey in building my relationship with God.”

Students from Grades 1 to 6 will have day sessions, while students from Grades 7 to 12 will participate in the program for two hours in the evening. Sessions are tailored for each age group.

For both programs, the teams will have the opportunity to gather in prayer and classroom discussion on various topics. For example, one session will be based on the examination of key elements in the sacraments of the Eucharist and Confession. Students will look at a variety of sources, including articles from The Catechism of the Catholic Church and passages from the Bible.

For Di Fonzo, the goal of Totus Tuus is to help young people become closer to Christ, which will, in turn, encourage each young person to engage in his or her faith in a special way, whether it is being inspired to pursue a religious vocation or personal invitation from God.

“Hopefully, [young people] will grow more in love with the person of Christ, because that’s what we want all of them to do at whatever age they’re at,” he said. “If they can become closer to Christ, then the program will be a great success.”

(Gagliano, 20, is a life sciences student at the University of Toronto.)