Youth Speak News

Like most charities across Canada, the Arctic Rose Foundation finds itself operating in a landscape that is, and will remain, uncertain for some time.

As we move into the winter months, we notice the drastic reduction in the number of daylight hours. Each of us is almost guaranteed to have heard that common refrain: “It gets dark so early now!”

With the second wave of COVID-19 dismantling the equilibrium between joy and gloominess, a night of music, prayer and testimony was organized to help Calgary youth take part in the Advent experience.

Social media has fundamentally changed the world. While it has sparked generational, international connectivity, it has also been a gateway to a never-ending stream of controversy. Nowhere has this played out more than in one concept: cancel culture.

In times of adversity, people often search for some light to shed understanding and comfort. For 13-year-old Rachel Bearisto, this light was a new Christmas tradition begun amidst the restrictions COVID-19 has forced upon the holiday season.

Our world has been in a state of unceasing evolution since the dawn of time. Yet amidst all this change and progression, one thing has remained steadfast and constant for humanity: suffering.

Clothed in traditional blue and white garments, radiating a great light and youthfulness, the Mother of God appeared to Cosmo Femia in a dream, beseeching in imploring words: “You have a big responsibility, all those souls in your hands; will you bring them to my Son?”

As many Canadian provinces experience some version of a second lockdown, “normal Christmas is, quite frankly, out of the question,” as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told us during a Nov. 20 press conference.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has certainly not been kind to churches across Canada, with British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario public health agencies restricting in-person services for a second time due to the unrelenting second wave.

One can never have enough good guidance in this tumultuous world. Intercession through the Mother of God is never in vain.