Kansas City-bound, teens will learn much to share

More than 250 young people and their chaperons from the Albany Diocese will travel to Kansas City, Missouri, later this month for the National Catholic Youth Conference.

Titled "Take it to Heart," the conference -- with an expected attendance of 16,000 participants -- will be the largest gathering of Catholic youth in the country.

The delegation from the Albany Diocese, which includes Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, is the second largest group going from the state, said Mary Harrison, associate director for youth ministry for the Office of Religious Education.

Diocesan input

The teens will participate in three days of workshops, service and prayer experiences. Bishop Hubbard and three teens from the Diocese will participate in "Shaping the Third Millennium," a forum on the voice of youth. Three others from the Diocese will participate in a liturgy forum, and six local youth will participate in a training track on domestic violence.

At a recent meeting for those going to Kansas City, Michael McCune, a youth from St. Matthew's parish in Voorheesville and a participant in the last National Catholic Youth Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, told teens what to expect.

"It's not going to be a vacation," he said. "There will be a tight schedule, and time goes by quickly. But you'll meet people from all over. The people I traveled with [to Minneapolis] are a lot closer. It brings people close together."

Opportunities

St. Matthew's youth minister Jeanine McCune, Michael's mother, is looking forward to the opportunities this conference will provide.

"I hope they have a good experience, and I hope they listen to other viewpoints," she said. "I hope they see they can make a difference. They know they are responsible to come back to make a difference."

Those who went to Minneapolis did just that, she said. Those teens are now full-time catechists and serve on the parish youth council.

Meeting others

Living in small towns, kids can sometimes loose sight of the size of the Church and the cultural differences that exist among Catholics. Attending conferences like the one in Kansas City helps them "see the underlying tie" of faith, Mrs. McCune said.

"It's important to give them an opportunity to see that there are Catholic young people all over the country," she added.

The delegation from St. Matthew's is double the size of the one that traveled to Minneapolis. Mrs. McCune attributes that to the example of the young people who attended the last conference and who then spoke about their experience at an information meeting for other teens.

Paying their way

The Voorheesville teens traveling to Kansas City have been raising money over the past two years to attend the event. Fundraisers included window washing, car washes, bake sales, a candle party, pancake breakfasts and movie nights.

Other parishes have held unique events to raise money for the trip:

* St. Pius X Church in Loudonville sponsored a dinner theater, which included a play written, directed and performed by the youth of the parish.

* Youth at St. Clare's Church in Colonie set up the new Home Place store in Albany. The store paid the youth ministry program an hourly rate for each volunteer who worked. Some put in eight-hour days for two weeks.

* Youth at Corpus Christi Church in Ushers will participate in a life-size Monopoly game on Nov. 9 to raise money for the trip, said youth minister Erin Cencula. The nine teens traveling from there were responsible for contributing one-third of the money for the trip; the parish contributed another third; and the fundraiser is expected to raise the remainder.

Expected outcome

Ms. Cencula said the youth conference presents teens from her parish with several opportunities.

"It's great for them to see the Church outside their own community," she said. "It's an opportunity for personal growth and for a spiritual experience. It will be enriching and a time of growth."

Mrs. Harrison added: "It gives them permission to share their faith."

(11-06-97) [[In-content Ad]]