What happened to teen ideals? They are now in law school

By PAT PASTERNAK- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

When he was 15, Matthew Kennedy of Coxsackie thought the adult world was confusing to teens. In November 1988, when The Evangelist published its first teen issue, he wrote an essay explaining how he felt.

To him, people appeared to have little regard for the needs of others. He wrote, "We frequently strive for our individual successes rather than striving for the fulfillment of God's desires for us."

He believed that forgetting or overlooking those less fortunate, and stepping on and over each other on the climb to success was not in accordance with God's wishes. He felt strongly that the general lack of respect for each other in society was the norm, rather than the exception. He thought that the Catholic Church, along with the rest of adult society, needed to stop sending mixed signals to teens and start encouraging them to share their talents with those in the Church and the larger community.

Time passes

Twelve years later, Mr. Kennedy still believes that individualism is rampant in society; but as he has matured, he has taken some positive steps to allay the problem.

"I still think that those who succeed financially are held in too high esteem in our society," Mr. Kennedy recently told The Evangelist, adding that those who work with the less fortunate are not rewarded in the same way.

"In society's view, ministry work is laudable but recognized only as a fringe or extracurricular activity, rather than a true profession for someone."

Law career

Having recently graduated from Georgetown University in Washington D.C., Mr. Kennedy is now attending Brooklyn Law School. He credits his decision to become a lawyer to a Jesuit priest who was his academic advisor at Georgetown.

"When I was thinking about what to do with my life," Mr. Kennedy said, "Father Bernie [Knoth] suggested that because of my proficiency in Spanish and other strengths and skills, I might want to choose a career where I could be of help to others. For me, becoming an attorney seemed to fit that criterion. I thought it would offer me an opportunity to implement the Jesuit ideals of community action and social justice that I was taught at Georgetown."

While at college, he continued his faith journey by being a lector and Eucharistic minister at the campus church. He thought it important to remain in touch with the Catholic faith tradition he learned growing up as a parishioner at St. Mary's in the Greene County town. In addition, he volunteered his time to be a peer advisor to incoming freshmen.

Faith and perspective

Mr. Kennedy firmly believes that his faith has helped him keep things in perspective.

"One of the reasons I chose to be an attorney is because I see that career as an opportunity to help the poor and disenfranchised who have no voice in society," he explained. "The way they are treated is unjust. I want to do something about that."

Mr. Kennedy, who has a passion for seeing that things turn out right, plans on returning to Coxsackie to establish his own law practice, one that will be available to people who otherwise could not afford the services of an attorney.

"I want to offer a low-cost alternative to those who are on the fringe of our society. I see a great need for these things to be done," he said. "I can do them. That's where I'll find my niche."

(11-09-00) [[In-content Ad]]