Youths, Bible meet at Jubilee Congress

The Oct. 6-7 event, sponsored by the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis at the suggestion of Bishop Howard Hubbard, was attended by representatives from 43 parishes, 10 deaneries and four Catholic high schools. Twenty-one priests volunteered to spend time with the youth over the course of the two-day conference.

Held at St. Matthew's Church in Voorheesville, the event was modeled after the National Youth Congress, held last year in St. Louis. Emcees for the local event included Rev. Anthony Maione; Jennifer Jones of St. Pius X Church, Loudonville; and Lindsey Cencula, formerly of Corpus Christi Church in Ushers.

Both girls, now high school seniors, had attended the National Youth Congress with Bishop Hubbard and were part of the core team that developed the diocesan program as part of the observance of the Jubilee Year.

Into the Bible

"We felt it was a really powerful experience for people our age. We wanted to be able to bring back as much as possible to the teens here in our own Diocese," said Ms. Cencula, who moved to Greenville, South Carolina, with her family after last year's experience. "I wanted to be a part of this event because it is the first of its kind on a diocesan level."

"It would be nice if we could make this an annual event," said Ms. Jones. "One of the biggest inspirations we had at the National Congress was to see how other Catholic teens from around the country quoted Scripture by chapter and verse. Very few Catholic youth in our area can do that. Most of us don't even know how to read the Bible. We were so empowered by what we learned. It was wonderful!"

Busy sessions

This latter event, an ice breaker hosted by Maureen Smith, pastoral associate of youth ministry at Immaculate Conception Church, Glenville, helped to familiarize teens with general Bible facts, people and places.

A recent study at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., discovered that only about 20 percent of Catholic youth read the Bible in contrast with about 60 percent of Protestant youth. The National Catholic Youth Conference, in an effort to change that statistic, initiated the National Youth Congress.

'Enriching'

"The National Youth Congress was one of the most meaningful and enriching experiences of my life," he said in his opening address to the teens. "Over 200 young Catholics attended from all over the country. They had been given Scripture verses ahead of time to read and think about. At the congress, they discussed and applied the meaning of these readings to their own lives, using poetry, art, music and literature. It was truly phenomenal."

But the Bishop had concerns about the lack of Catholic youth that read the Bible.

"Catholic youth don't know or understand Scripture very well," he told the group. "To be Catholic means to understand the whole story of our Church -- and that includes Scripture."

He called upon the teens to take time to read passages from the Bible and reflect on them in order to open their minds and hearts to what God is saying to them.

"The word of God, when listened to sincerely, can deeply change our hearts and our lives," he told the group. "When you go home to your family, parish and schools, be willing to share what this experience has been for you. Like St. Paul, St. Francis, Mother Teresa and our Pope, I urge you to herald the Good News in our day."

(10-19-00) [[In-content Ad]]