Youth Speak News

I’m something of an expert at first-year. I’ve been a first-year three times, a second-year twice, a third-year once and now I’m going into my last year at Brock University — unless the Lord has other plans for me. (Please Lord, don’t have other plans for me).

Last week I came across an article that claimed consecrated hosts were for sale at an online store.

The article claimed that a vendor sells many items for satanic black masses, including “real Catholic hosts consecrated by a priest.”

Youth ministers have to be a jack-of-all-trades in a parish community. 

They work as a bridge between parishes, schools, parents and priests while empowering youth to be full, active and conscious participants in the parish. 

St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica is more than just a historical monument. For the faithful people of the Archdiocese of Toronto, it is an expression of honour, worship and tradition.

When I was young, I did not clearly understand why every May, Vietnamese girls would dress in the traditional Vietnamese áo dài, hold bouquets of flowers and dance in front of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary before Masses in May. 

Being a young Catholic often means straddling a line between being part of the secular world and embracing who you fundamentally are in the Divine Plan. 

After graduating high school, most people think they only have two options: college or university. But what about neither? 

Growing up, there wasn’t the option to not go to church. In our household, if you don’t go to church, you don’t get to celebrate Christmas or Easter, which are two pretty big holidays for a young kid.

As a young adult, Emma Lim had a lot of questions about her faith. But she didn’t have anyone to talk to. Now working as a psychotherapist, she confronts these questions with her clients every day. 

There was one important lesson my friends Matthew Remedios and Monika Cyfko learned while volunteering at our parish’s summer camp — youth need this kind of bonding and faith experience all year round.