Spiritual Summit Youth rekindle faith at event through talks, games, music, Mass

By Paul J. Peyton Correspondent

EDISON — A keynote address by a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, games, videos, the sacrament of reconciliation and a Mass highlighted the annual diocesan Youth Day at St. Thomas Aquinas High School March 12.

Eighty students from 18 high schools and/or parishes in the diocese attended the event, said Megan Callahan, director, diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

The five-hour event concluded with Bishop James F. Checchio presiding at the closing Mass.

Jeff Beer of Fiat Ventures, a Warren-based Catholic youth ministry that facilitates retreats, conducted games throughout the day including Kahoot, which tested the teenagers’ knowledge of the Catholic Church.

Father Joseph Napier Malachy of Georgia, a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New York in May 2020. As one of the priests selected to travel and preach for the National Eucharistic Revival, he entered the gymnasium with the Blessed Sacrament and carried it to a makeshift altar lit with candles for adoration, then spoke to the students about the mystery of the Eucharist.

“There is a doubt that exists in each of our hearts, I don’t care who you are, I don’t care how strong your faith is, there is a doubt that exists in our hearts [and] our humanity of whether God is really good, whether we can really trust him, and whether he really loves us,” Father Malachy said.

“God, because he is good and loving, doesn’t just give us grace and things at one point on the journey, but all along the way. And he knew that we need to hear again and again that he loves us. So, what does he do? He says I’m going to come to you again, again, and again. How? Through this mystery of the Eucharist. Every time you go to Mass, Jesus is coming to that altar again.”

Father Malachy explained how the Communion wafer is “no longer bread, but this now is the presence of God Almighty, the creator of the universe,” admitting “this is a radical plan” since you cannot see the Lord with your eyes.

“The only thing that can reveal to you the truth of who is here and what is here is hearing…When God speaks reality changes,” Father Malachy said.

After Mass, attendees knelt around the altar and the Eucharist and received he sacrament of reconciliation while “Goodness of God” was sung by Marisel Rodriguez and band members Raul Chapa and Matthew Lester.

Before the liturgy, Beer said it is not something to go to be entertained, telling the teenagers to “insert yourself into the Mass.”

“There is deep, deep beauty and truth in the words of the Mass,” he said. “Every time you say, ‘Amen,’ you are saying, ‘I believe, I believe what was just said.’”

In his homily, Bishop Checchio noted, “People always ask me about our youth. How are our young people? So, it will be nice to tell them what a beautiful day that you had today.”

The bishop left the altar to the recessional hymn, “Your Grace Is Enough.”

After the Mass, Bishop Checchio said: “It’s always good to see our youth come out and engaged in the faith.”

Brandon Gafanhao, a sophomore at St. Aquinas High School, said: “I enjoyed the Mass today. It was good that we were able to give ourselves to God and that Bishop Checchio would come and do the Mass with us. I was just grateful that I was able to volunteer for this opportunity.”

“I thought it [Youth Day] was lovely. It was fun,” St. Thomas Aquinas senior Amanda Doggett said. She described the music as “perfect” for the retreat.

“I thought it was a really good experience. I came into it not knowing what to expect,” St. Aquinas sophomore Jonathan Howarth said. “It was like stepping out of my comfort zone,” he said, noting it was the first time he did a reading. “It was really great…I’m definitely going to volunteer again next year.”

Callahan said she was happy with how Youth Day unfolded.

“I thought it was beautiful to see the youth engaged and attentive to Father Malachy, the games, and to see this and [the] adoration [of the Holy Eucharist], it was really beautiful,” she said. “And to see so many going up for confession was also really, really beautiful.”

“I am very grateful to all who came together to make this day possible!” Callahan exclaimed.

Top photo below: Emily Chave carrying the cross, leads the procession into the St. Thomas Aquinas gymnasium at the start of Mass which concluded the diocese's Youth Day, March 12. The priest following Chave is Father Joseph Napier Malachy. Bishop James F. Checchio presided at the Mass. Proclaiming the Gospel at the ambo is Deacon Jose Diaz. Presenting the Offertory gifts to Bishop Checchio are St. Thomas Aquinas students John Lacko, a freshman, and junior Sophia Llaguno. Besides Mass, the annual event included a talk by Father Malachy on the mystery of the Eucharist, games, and music, The students attending were also able to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation.

QIf someone is dying, can anyone hear their confession and offer absolution? (Fredericksburg, Pa.)

ANo. Only an ordained priest has the power to forgive sins sacramentally in Jesus’ name. Even in an emergency, nonordained laypeople are not able to confer absolution; nor can Catholic deacons, even though they are ordained.

Interestingly (and only if there is a real danger of imminent death), a priest who, for a variety of reasons, may have lost his priestly faculties can still validly confer sacramental absolution upon a dying penitent. A “faculty” in this sense is the permission from the legitimate authority, (generally the local diocesan bishop), for a priest to celebrate certain sacraments. For some sacraments, including the sacrament of penance, this faculty is needed not only so that the sacrament may be licit, but also for its validity (see Canon 966 of the Code of Canon Law).

To be sure, most parish priests you encounter will indeed have the faculty to hear confessions. A priest might lack this faculty in a few unusual scenarios, such as being deemed incapable of the good judgment needed to counsel penitents appropriately (e.g., perhaps due to severe physical or mental illness), or if he is under some sort of canonical punishment like excommunication. In some situations, even a priest in good standing may not have the faculty to absolve certain egregiously grave sins (such desecration of the Blessed Sacrament or making an attempt on the life of the pope) in a particular instance.

However, in danger of death, the Church’s law itself is the authority giving the faculty to grant sacramental absolution. As we read in Canon 976: “Even though a priest lacks the faculty to hear confessions, he absolves validly and licitly any penitents whatsoever in danger of death from any censures and sins, even if an approved priest is present.”

That being said, hopefully you never find yourself in danger of death and without a priest! If this happens, the best thing to do is make a sincere act of contrition and have trust in God’s mercy. But this also underscores the importance of going to confession regularly, so that we’re always as prepared as we can be should the unexpected happen.

QOur whole Mass is the “Novus Ordo” in English, but the pastor insists on using Kyrie eleison and also has us chanting the “Lamb of God” prayer in Latin. Does this invalidate the Mass?

(Ocean Pines, Md.)

AIt is perfectly valid to use Latin chant in the “Novus Ordo” Mass. Often Catholics will refer to the pre-Vatican II missal as the “TLM” or “Traditional Latin Mass,” but this is somewhat of a misnomer. All our liturgical prayers are originally written in Latin, and translations are always made from this Latin “master copy.” So technically, the “Novus Ordo” is also a Latin Mass.

As Latin “Roman” Catholics whose faith comes to us by way of the ministry of the apostle Peter as the first bishop of Rome, Latin is our traditional liturgical language. Even while it is important that we be able to follow along with the litur- gy and understand what we are praying, it is also good to keep in touch with our heritage. As the Second Vatican Council document “Sacrosanctum Concilium” says: “… steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them” (No. 54).

Jenna Marie Cooper, who holds a licentiate in canon law, is a consecrated virgin and a canonist whose column appears weekly at OSV News. Send your questions to CatholicQA@osv.com.

Clockwise from top, far left: Bill Grippo, coordinator for the diocesan Metuchen Cursillo Movement, welcomes the more than 50 Cursillistas and guests at a Lenten Retreat at Mary, Mother of God Parish, Hillsborough; Deacon Sal Bonfiglio gives one of the keynote addresses. He spoke about God’s mercy and love. Society of Divine Vocations Father Cyril Adim Offiong, parochial vicar, St. Cecelia Parish, Iselin, gives the main talk. Members of the Metuchen Cursillo Movement Secretariat include: front row from left: Denyse Giannone, Mary Wolfram, Veronica Collingwood, Bill Grippo. Back row Ken Wolfram and Linda Ambrosio.