Sesquicentennial Youth Rally celebrates -- and wows -- teens

More than 600 teenagers and youth ministers from 100-plus parishes descended on the Siena College campus in Loudonville April 26 to celebrate the Sesquicentennial of the Albany Diocese.

As the sun shined on the campus and rock bands played outdoors as part of Siena's Earth Day celebration, the teens prayed, sang, learned, ate and danced together in celebration of the generations that came before them and the future that lies ahead for the Church at Albany.

"Today, we celebrate the seventh generation of the Diocese," said homilist Rev. George Fleming, associate pastor at St. John the Evangelist Church in Schenectady. "You are the generation to bring Vatican II to light."

Involved youth

Just as it took two generations for automobiles to go from design stage to personal use and two generations from the invention of computers to wide-spread personal use, it took two generations to put the visions of Vatican II into practice, Father Fleming explained.

Vatican II's call for involvement of the laity in the life of the Church could be seen at the festivities, part of the year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese.

The event, planned by the Diocesan Youth Council and the Office of Religious Education, featured entertainment, workshops, meals and prayer experiences planned by the youth themselves.

Keynoter

The highlight of the day, according to many of the young people, was a keynote address by musician Tony Melendez. Mr. Melendez (interviewed in the April 10 issue of The Evangelist) was born without arms. Despite his disability, he learned to play the guitar with his feet.

Mr. Melendez entertained the crowd with songs like "This Little Light of Mine," "Reach Out and Touch Somebody," and Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven." He also spoke of his life of overcoming tough odds, such as living with an abusive alcoholic father, his reluctance as a teenager to be involved in the Church, and his days as a street musician.

Mr. Melendez brother Jose, who is his manager, told of being a teenager and being tired of having a handicapped brother. After overhearing Jose's revelation to their mother, Tony came downstairs with a Frisbee to play with his brother, who had never seen him use his feet to play that game. Tony threw the disc at Jose's nose.

Message of hope

"My younger brother taught me that being handicapped and disabled is when you say 'I can't, I won't,'" Jose said. "Remember the power you have in your hearts and souls. We believe in you."

That message was reiterated by the musician, who said, "If a person like me can do what I'm doing with just 10 toes, imagine what you can do with 10 toes, 10 fingers and the Lord. Don't say you can't because you can."

Commenting on Mr. Melendez' performance, Sarah Stomieroski, a parishioner of St. Peter's Church in Saratoga Springs, said, "I've never seen anything like it before." When asked what she learned from Mr. Melendez, she said, "To keep doing whatever you're doing and never give up."

Drew Stapleton of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Latham said, "Tony was impressive, to say the least."

Workshop activities

The young people were also able to chose from 27 workshops to participate in. Two popular ones were "Another World" and "Finding Our Faith in the Force."

"Another World," an experiential simulation of what it would be like to visit a foreign land, provided an opportunity to look at prejudice and inequities.

Daniel Della Rocca, from St. Francis de Sales parish in Loudonville, said the workshop taught him some lessons. "It's not always easy to go into a different culture. It's hard for immigrants to come into the United States," he said. "We shouldn't make fun of people because they're different."

Asha Santiago, a parishioner at St. Mary's Church in Oneonta, said the workshop provided her with tips for dealing with different cultures. "If I'm around a different culture, I'm going to observe them to understand better and to make myself feel more comfortable."

"Finding Faith in the Force" was a workshop developed by Robert Noel, a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Church in Schenectady. A devoted fan of the "Star Wars" trilogy, he began to see connections between the mythology of the movie and the Gospels.

In a room decked with "Star Wars" posters and figurines, workshop participants watched clips of the movies and learned how the trials of Luke Skywalker paralleled those of Jesus, the Apostles and of all people.

Prayerful moments

Dressed in the diverse styles of their generation -- bell-bottomed jeans, tie-dyed tee shirts, girls' hair pulled back with a scrunchie or shaved on the sides and dyed purple, boys in khakis and a plain t-shirt -- the teens celebrated a Eucharist planned by the youths of the Otsego/Delaware counties deanery.

The procession included clay jars filled with incense, multi-colored banners with flowing ribbons, candles and liturgical dance. Music for the Mass included trumpets, drums, flutes and keyboard, as well as singing by the participants. The recessional song brought participants to their feet, clapping and dancing.

During the day, applause also gave an indication of who the teens' role models were. They gave Mr. Melendez, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard and Father Fleming standing ovations at different times during the day.

Jonathan Catlett of St. James Church in Chatham shared his insight to why the day was important: "It really shows that there's a lot of youth out there. It makes me want to go back to my parish and do things."

(05-01-97) [[In-content Ad]]