Youth Speak News

Just over a year into a global pandemic, churches in the Archdiocese of Toronto began holding Masses again just in time for Easter — albeit with 15-per-cent seating capacity. The past year will go down as a significant event in the history of the modern Church in Canada, and leads to questions about the nature of theological approaches to history itself.

When she discovered she was pregnant again in 2020, Nicole Meinen was scared, stressed and didn’t know who to turn to for answers.

Ah, it’s nearly that time of year! As well as experiencing the showers of April and May, college and high school students will navigate a deluge of final essays, exams and capstone projects. Thankfully, there’s a saint we can turn to for intercession to navigate the formidable final six to eight weeks of term.

Ceandra Nugent, 20, and Nathaniel Auger, 21, first met at St. Joseph’s High School in Barrie, Ont., but it was only after working together at a local Tim Hortons that their journey together began. Now dating for five months, the two have a message to share about finding unity within relationships that have differing religious-cultural worldviews. 

The advent of social media has been positively embraced as a means of connecting people across long distances. It has also revolutionized marketing and public relations in unprecedented ways.

Young female Catholic university students in Canada are spiritually readying themselves for “navigating” through university culture, life and setbacks with the March 27-30 UNIV Inspire Congress — an annual international Catholic youth conference for high school seniors and college students held during Holy Week.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, my siblings and I started viewing movies and TV shows that we grew up with and developed a game: we would try and see which jokes, ideologies, portrayals and topics will eventually get cancelled according to today’s standards and practices.

Verses 1-17 from Chapter 15 of John’s Gospel provide a simple yet elaborate explanation of our sacred relationship with God. 

The vine provides its branches nutrients, support and endurance amidst hard conditions. This anecdote portrays man’s dependence upon God. As we experience stormy climates in our life, our Lord is our strength. Yet, why do some plants bear good fruit whereas others bear bad fruit? What differentiates a nutrient-rich environment from a toxic one?

Imagine a circle with lines radiating around it. As the lines move farther away from the circle’s centre, they move farther apart from each other. The Sisters of Grandchamp, a religious community that led daily reflections during this year’s Week of Christian Unity, shared this analogy to help Christians understand how unity rests in abiding in Christ.