Youth Speak News

I hated catechism class as a child because I had to miss Saturday morning cartoons. But more than that I hated when catechism class ended because it meant I would have to wait. 

TORONTO - The Three Musketeers, Swiss Guards, medieval knights — members of the Heralds of the Gospel have heard it all. When they wear their scapular in public they can’t go anywhere without attracting attention. 

TORONTO - The rapping friar from the Bronx returns to Toronto to perform at the You Are the Light of the World Rally on Feb. 28 at the Ricoh Coliseum.

I could feel the undertow of the Pacific Ocean pull me further into the waters as I attempted to yell out to my friends for help and tried to catch a glimpse of someone on shore. I couldn’t help but ponder whether these moments would be my last. With barely time to say a prayer, I was being toppled over by huge waves which moved my body in every direction. Minutes later, as if by the hand of God, a wave pushed me close enough  to shore so that I could grasp hold of the ground again. A near-death experience was not how I expected my Peruvian mission trip to end.

Editor's Note: this is the second place winner of the Friars' Student Writing Award sponsored by Franciscan Friars of the Atonement and The Catholic Register. Gregory Drozdzal, 16, is a Grade 11 student at St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto. The contest is held in conjunction with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Over the coming weeks, we will publish all six winning essays.

At Mass, I often listen to people as they say the Our Father and the Apostles' Creed, wondering whether they ever stop to think about what those words mean. It's funny how you can recite prayers without paying attention to the important words you say. Sometimes when saying repetitive prayers like the rosary, I find myself just going through the motions, either because I'm worried about school or just not focusing, so I stop myself and consciously reflect.

It has been said that every journey begins with one step. Sacred Scripture brings to life the courageous and bold journeys Jesus and the apostles took in an attempt to evangelize the world and spread their revolutionary teachings of love and social justice.  Yet their journey began with one simple and courageous step. A few weeks ago, Pope Benedict XVI travelled to Turkey in a noble attempt to connect with the Muslim, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian faiths.  His journey, like his predecessors' 2,000 years before him, began with one simple and courageous step.  Every   day, we, as Catholics, set out on a new journey. Not knowing who we may meet on the road of life or where we may end up, we place our faith in the God who created us and loves us.  Life is indeed a fascinating journey.

TORONTO - Peter Grbac  of Toronto has won the fifth annual Friars' Student Writing Award contest for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which runs Jan. 21-28 this year.

Do you find yourself tripping over your words more than usual lately in the effort to appear politically correct? Over the past Christmas season, more than in previous years, I was especially aware of the awkward "holiday" jargon such as re-naming the Christmas tree a holiday tree to try and be more inclusive. To me, it is obvious that we belong to a society whose members are so fearful of stepping on toes that they often do not step out at all.