In an open letter to the parishioners at Youngstown St. Patrick, David wrote:
The time I spent at the DYC was enjoyable and enlightening . While there I learned new ways to connect to God, balance my life, and was fortunate enough to be able to talk to Bishop George Murry and even take a photo with him!
After we opened with our keynote speaker Ben Walther, who began the day by talking about mercy and getting us excited, everyone had the opportunity to move into workshops and learn more ways to use mercy and faith in our everyday lives. First I went to the Digital Spirituality workshop, where I and a couple dozen other students learned from Justin Huyck about how we could digitally connect with Catholicism and utilize technology for spiritual purposes. He showed us a wide variety of apps that can help us with prayer and self reflection, one of which-Reimagining the Examen- I got from the app store. As a result, I also follow Pope Francis, under username franciscus, who is often photographed with a quote of his translated in multiple languages underneath.
After lunch, we moved into the gym of the building for the Mercy in Motion portion of the day. I had read that there was a game of Giant Jenga being offered by The Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who put forth the question: Is there balance in your life? Not far along I was joined by Will, a student of Mineral Ridge and whom I’d met earlier that day and his friend, Paul, and we created a game that lasted almost the whole forty-five minute time slot, with one of the Sisters helping every now and again. It made me reflect on how keeping balance can’t completely be done on your own, sometimes you need family, friends, and God’s help to make it along the way.
Finally, I was able to ask Bishop Murry, after he gave a speech, about how to approach someone who is uncertain or an atheist who may come to you and ask about your religious beliefs. He told me that if they are open to listening to what you have to say, then tell them why your faith is important and what you see in the Scriptures that makes you believe as you do, and if they are not truly open to your opinions, then end the conversation quickly. Having personal experiences in school with such matters, it made me feel good to better understand how to approach such a situation, not only in school but also throughout life as I’m sure I will.
All in all, the DYC gave me renewed confidence in my faith. I was able to learn not only more modern applications of my faith, but also practical solutions to issues that recently had begun weighing on my mind.
{David is a junior at Warren G. Harding High School. David is one of the teens who is helping to revitalize Youth Ministry at St. Patrick.}
The time I spent at the DYC was enjoyable and enlightening . While there I learned new ways to connect to God, balance my life, and was fortunate enough to be able to talk to Bishop George Murry and even take a photo with him!
After we opened with our keynote speaker Ben Walther, who began the day by talking about mercy and getting us excited, everyone had the opportunity to move into workshops and learn more ways to use mercy and faith in our everyday lives. First I went to the Digital Spirituality workshop, where I and a couple dozen other students learned from Justin Huyck about how we could digitally connect with Catholicism and utilize technology for spiritual purposes. He showed us a wide variety of apps that can help us with prayer and self reflection, one of which-Reimagining the Examen- I got from the app store. As a result, I also follow Pope Francis, under username franciscus, who is often photographed with a quote of his translated in multiple languages underneath.
After lunch, we moved into the gym of the building for the Mercy in Motion portion of the day. I had read that there was a game of Giant Jenga being offered by The Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who put forth the question: Is there balance in your life? Not far along I was joined by Will, a student of Mineral Ridge and whom I’d met earlier that day and his friend, Paul, and we created a game that lasted almost the whole forty-five minute time slot, with one of the Sisters helping every now and again. It made me reflect on how keeping balance can’t completely be done on your own, sometimes you need family, friends, and God’s help to make it along the way.
Finally, I was able to ask Bishop Murry, after he gave a speech, about how to approach someone who is uncertain or an atheist who may come to you and ask about your religious beliefs. He told me that if they are open to listening to what you have to say, then tell them why your faith is important and what you see in the Scriptures that makes you believe as you do, and if they are not truly open to your opinions, then end the conversation quickly. Having personal experiences in school with such matters, it made me feel good to better understand how to approach such a situation, not only in school but also throughout life as I’m sure I will.
All in all, the DYC gave me renewed confidence in my faith. I was able to learn not only more modern applications of my faith, but also practical solutions to issues that recently had begun weighing on my mind.
{David is a junior at Warren G. Harding High School. David is one of the teens who is helping to revitalize Youth Ministry at St. Patrick.}