Youth Speak News

Editor’s Note: Our student interns asked employees of the archdiocese of Toronto’s Catholic Pastoral Centre how they define chastity and how  they teach it to their children. 

TORONTO - Jacek Kowal slides Christopher West’s Theology of the Body into his CD player when he drives from Ottawa to visit his girlfriend Marlena Hardy in Toronto.

Spring fever always seems to hit me really hard. When the sun starts to shine a little brighter and the snow starts to melt, I can’t help but get excited. Actually seeing my deck again and not a blanket of white is encouraging each time I look out the window. I love it when I can walk outside without gigantic boots and wear just a light jacket instead of a huge parka. It always makes me smile to feel the sun’s warmth on my face and not have to cover it up with a scarf. I just love spring!

TORONTO - The organizers for World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, Australia, have discovered that the Toronto experience holds some valuable lessons. As the officials from Down Under who were in town just before Easter learned, the two cities have a lot in common.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Nishaat Hussainbhoy understands the value of a good Catholic education after having grown up in the United Arab Emirates, a predominately Muslim country with limited freedom of expression.  

AJAX, Ont. - Broken doors and smashed windows, rusted paint and water-stained walls are just a few of the images etched into 15-year-old Matthew Provenzano’s memory of what Hurricane Katrina left in her wake.

Imagine getting the chance to study astronomy at the Vatican Observatory. It may seem hard to do, but it isn’t so hard for Nathan Deg, whose dreams have recently become a reality.

All my life I have struggled against traditional limitations placed on leaders in the Catholic Church. It was always taken for granted that those who wanted to pursue religious lives were restricted to the traditional roles of priests or nuns, but I know I am meant for the married life, so I never thought of becoming a religious.

MONTREAL, Que. - Laura Hughes walked into a Taizé prayer session by accident and has been hooked ever since.

I was flipping through channels the other night when a new TV show caught my eye. The show was about a group of girls auditioning to be the next Pussycat Doll by singing, dancing and showing off their personalities... whilst being half naked in heels. Whoa!