HAMMOND – In recent decades, leaders of the Catholic Church and laity have placed much emphasis on youth outreach – from World Youth Day events to diocesan educational and fellowship initiatives.
What happens when youth are encouraged to provide seasoned Catholics with their own thoughts about where they are in their faith journey and what help they need to be missionary disciples of Christ?
Such an exchange took place at Bishop Noll Institute on April 26, during the “Symposium on Youth Evangelization: An Exploration of ‘We Proclaim Jesus as Lord.’” The interactive event involved the Hammond school’s sophomore theology students who reviewed, discussed and then presented their observations and action steps related to Bishop Robert J. McClory’s 2022 pastoral letter “We Proclaim Jesus As Lord!”
Dozens of 15- and 16-year-old BNI students, who are in the second semester of symposium creator and theology teacher Kevin Driscoll’s course “The Church: Christ in the World Today,” provided deep reflections and soundbite-sized feedback about the call “to be missionary disciples.”
Ten principles of missionary discipleship, drawn from the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, include guideposts ranging from (No. 1) “We proclaim Jesus as Lord,” to (No. 10) “We should embrace a sense of urgency in this work.”
In his pastoral letter, Bishop McClory writes that these descriptions, “apply to the challenges we face today with respect to the Great Commission to, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.’” (Matt. 28:19-20)
Warriors sophomores gathered in the auditorium where the symposium would be bookended by personal comments and prayers of commission by Bishop McClory. Driscoll described the event as having an atmosphere of trust and inspiration.
“The (students) often hear me say, ‘trust the process,’ which usually refers to my classroom process about dialogue and respect for everyone,” Driscoll said as he monitored the student-leader exchange. “For the symposium, the process also includes the movement of the Holy Spirit, which I believe strongly is guiding the conversations and results throughout this project.”
According to Driscoll, the teacher prepared students for the pastoral letter with classroom instruction which included chapters on the transmission of truth through the Apostolic Succession, the centuries-old evangelistic mission of the Catholic Church and the critical call to young people to carry the banner of faith in a world sorely in need of the Good News.
At the symposium, sophomores were assigned to breakout sessions which met in classrooms, each hosting a discussion about one of the ten principles. Students including Hailey Wojtaszek and Megan Virosztko led a discussion in room 219.
The teens first explored ‘How can someone your age relate to the specific principle?’ For the second breakout, they focused on identifying practical ways the principle could be lived.
Regarding principle No. 6, “Healing and reconciliation are central to our efforts," Wojtaszek said, “Our group discussed that a lot of people are suffering and the whole point of trying (to evangelize) is that forgiveness is the key path.
Wojtaszek continued, “After the break for lunch, we redefined three points that can make that known to people: we can have more compassion, we should stay true to our faith – because in the bishop’s letter, he said that the Church should be used as an instrument of God’s mercy – and we have to remember to pray for each other and bring more healing.”
Returning to the BNI auditorium, Zekiel Zukley joined fellow Warriors who were selected by their peers to be symposium spokespersons: Jonathan Johnson, Alexandra Magallanes, Sophia Nowacki, Jasmine Sarkanovich and Diana Torres-Cruz.
Bishop McClory utilized brief breaks to prepare remarks based on student presentations, his observations and interactions with students. Out of the gate, he thanked the youth for their efforts and for opening themselves to explore topics with a degree of vulnerability.
Zukley interacted with the bishop on stage before his classmates. The bishop remarked, “Already, the answers that I hear are cause for great hope.”
The teen later said he appreciated the bishop’s earlier prayers, his explanation of his inspirations for the letter and for his “down-to-earth” responses to topics such as loneliness and uncertainty, which made him most admiring of the vocation the bishop chose.
“(The bishop) is able to articulate, probably better than any of us, his faith journey,” said Zukley. “He was a lawyer, and he chose instead another route and chose to become a priest. I think about that a lot.”
During his remarks to the sophomore class, Bishop McClory spoke about a Catholic street evangelization ministry where people “try and share God’s love” in a personal way.
“With resources about the truth of the Catholic faith,” Bishop McClory said, “(the evangelists) approach pedestrians in a friendly manner asking, ‘Do you want a holy card?’ or ‘Do you want a rosary?’”
Confrontation is to be avoided, he said, “If it becomes an argument, it’s not where we want to be.”
Instead, lending an ear to a stranger can pay spiritual dividends, “Sometimes the tears come down and (a person says) ‘you’re listening to me.’”
The bishop encouraged the youth to adopt a prayerful spirit of accompaniment with those with whom they are walking life’s journey, recognizing “where people are at,” and deciding that “I’m going to walk where you are, and I’m going to love you … keep walking and stay loyal and faithful.”
“You need to do what I heard you say – you need to authentically be yourself, authentically sharing faith with others,” Bishop McClory said.
After the students were dismissed from the symposium, several queued up to speak to and receive a blessing from the bishop. Two classmates and future entrepreneurs had a special prayer request.
Beethoven Chavez told the news to friend Brett Reed that Bishop McClory said a prayer for the success of their business endeavors.
Chavez said he has a well-thought-out-plan to market snack concessions. After participating in the day’s interactive sessions, he made a commitment to putting his faith in action by pledging to be fair to customers and ethical in business practices.
“The bishop’s a holy man … and we want to do our business the right way, too.”
BNI Principal Lorenza Jara Pastrick credited the school’s sophomore theology teacher for coordinating an engaging event for a particularly lively class of students.
“This was all Kevin Driscoll; he was compelled by the Holy Spirit and he threw out this idea and I said let’s make it happen.”
For more information about the pastoral letter “We Proclaim Jesus As Lord!” visit dcgary.org or contact the Pastoral Center at (219) 769-9292. To reach Bishop Noll Institute, visit bishopnoll.org or call (219) 932-9058.