Youth Speak News

OMG. This tiny, seemingly harmless acronym is just one variation of a phrase that has invaded our everyday lives, from conversation to television scripting to instant messaging.

As I was sitting in on a group discussion, the topic of same-sex relationships arose. The majority of people in the discussion were Catholic and all had pretty strong opinions on the subject. This is to be expected, though what is not to be expected was some of the rude and hurtful comments I heard in that conversation. The fact that someone I know is gay was sitting right beside me made the whole experience that much worse.

When I was three years old, I was unable to organize my thoughts and speak either French or English. My dad spoke to my brother and me only in French. My mom spoke to us in English.

{mosimage}ST. MALO, Man. - Talitha Lemoine was an average 12-year-old Catholic, becoming disinterested in Mass, when she first heard about the Catholic School of Evangelization (CSE) in St. Malo. She attended several summer and winter camps there, before eventually becoming a counsellor.

{mosimage} TORONTO - Intrigued by a candlelit basement chapel filled with Gregorian chant and burning incense, 11 teens gathered at St. Francis de Sales Church in Newark, Ohio, for what would become the first Dead Theologians Society meeting.

My friends and family in the audience, the lights brightly shining on my face, my classmates all watching attentively as I walk across the stage to receive my high school diploma. I feel a sense of accomplishment, a rush of gratitude and much uncertainty of the unknown. I shake hands and walk back to my seat, wondering what God has in store for me.

TORONTO - I was walking along Queen Street in downtown Toronto with my friend and dwelling on the fact that I had flooded the entire grocery store where I work by leaving the produce hose on. I was scared about what I had to face the next day at work and upset that I made such a careless mistake.

{mosimage}TORONTO - A new booklet has been published to reach out to youth and teach them about the various vocations within the Catholic Church. It’s Your Call features stories from people living out their vocations who wish to enlighten people on what they love so much about their calling.

Having just finished four years of university, I know a thing or two about working on Sundays. Often, I would give myself time to sleep in, sleep off a week of classes, tutorials, assignments and incredibly late nights, but then it was time to get up and at ’em for a long day of work. For many young people, church is not even a thought worth entertaining during the school year. “Are you kidding? I have four essays and two presentations to finish by Thursday!”