Speaking Out

Advent is such a busy time of the year that what the season is all about can sometimes get lost among all the out-of-the-ordinary things that have become part the countdown toward Christmas.

Taking time to reflect is one of the hallmarks of the Advent season, which prompted us to dig into The Catholic Register Archives to see how our Youth Speak News writers have tackled this special time of year. From the Dec. 19, 2010 issue, Jason Coelho, then a Grade 12 student at Brebeuf College in Toronto, presented his own timeless view of this special season:

Music became a big part of my life at a very young age. When I was only a few years old, I would sit by my father while he played the piano and sing to my heart’s content even if I did not know the words to the song. Then, when I was five, I began the wonderful adventure of playing the violin. With music so deeply ingrained in my heart, St. Cecilia, patroness of music and musicians, became a special figure who continues to inspire me.

Months of heated debate ended at a recent Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) meeting when trustees voted to include new terms into the board’s code of conduct. 

I have never once set foot on a school bus. I have never been taught in a traditional school at all. This is because ever since I started kindergarten, I have been homeschooled.

If there is an over-used excuse for neglecting our duty to pray the rosary, it would be busyness. 

Teens in the Ontario’s Diocese of Pembroke are learning about love and sexuality in a radically different way than might be expected in today’s culture.

What’s orange, black and spooky all over? It’s the scarily carved out pumpkins that began appearing  on front lawns and porches as soon as the clock struck midnight on Oct. 1.

A few weeks ago, the Globe and Mail ran an article about the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s ongoing debate on whether or not to include the terms “gender identity, gender expression, marital status and family status” in its Code of Conduct. Prior to that, I had attended a meeting purely out of curiosity at the Catholic Education Centre in Toronto at which this matter was discussed, so I wasn’t surprised to see a secular newspaper pick up on the issue. 

The unknown is frightening. I think that is one reason why many people are afraid of the dark. We do not know what is lurking out there. It is not familiar and reassuringly clear like the daylight.