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NOVEMBER 10, 2011 Volume LXXXVI • Number 2 www.evangelist.org
SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
Words to Live By
As our Catholic School Spotlight series nears its conclusion, we highlight St. Pius X School in Loudonville: Page 24
In his monthly column, Rev. Ron Rolheiser offers some “mini-creeds” to anchor faith: Page 4
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T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E D I O C E S E O F A L B A N Y
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Special Issue: Catholic Teens
This annual issue highlights the faith and activities of teens across the Albany Diocese — 15 including the winners of our “What’s on Your MP3 Player” contest! — Pages 7-1 CHILDREN’S CHOIR
Teens help kids make joyful noise BY ANGELA CAVE STA F F W R I T E R
PRINCIPAL JAMES LEVESKAS lets students at St. Ambrose School in Latham feel his freshly-shaved head — a look he got after they met his fundraising challenge for the school. See more photos of this and the “Race for Education” on page 15. (Nate Whitchurch photo) POPULATION
SEVEN BILLION AND COUNTING
BY MARK PATTISON C AT H O L I C N E WS S E RV I C E
Washington — The United Nations chose Oct. 31 as the date of the birth of the 7 billionth person inhabiting the planet. The exact date when that number was reached may be in dispute: How many people really live in Lebanon, which hasn’t taken an official census in nearly 80 years? How do little brothers
If the members of the children’s choir hold their sheet music at their sides, it means they don’t understand the words. That’s one signal Megan Serian, 14, has learned to spot as she co-leads the choir of small singers at St. Michael the Archangel parish in Troy. “If they don’t understand a song, a lot of the time they’ll just not sing,” she discovered. The singers are more vocal when they’re bored, Megan said: for example, one boy made up a silly song about his fondness for sitting. Megan and her friend Olivia Koonz, a fellow singer, actor and freshman at Columbia High School, started the group for children in kindergarten through eighth grade last year. The two perform Broadway tunes at area nursing homes in a parish song and dance group. “They’re excellent,” said Barbara Berger, faith formation leader, who encouraged the girls to lead the choir. “They’re both very patient, very animated, very
focused.” The choir of about 23 children has practiced every other Sunday since last month. With help from the parish organist and music minister, Megan and Olivia have taught songs they chose from the hymnal and songs the children know from Vacation Bible School or the parish’s summer sports camp. A performance at the parish Christmas pageant is planned, and the children’s choir will eventually sing at monthly liturgies. “We don’t just choose songs that sound great; rather, there’s a meaning to it,” said Ms. Berger, who’s taught the teens about the parts of the Mass. More and more parish youth have been asking about joining. Ms. Berger might break the choir into different age groups.
and sisters born surreptitiously under China’s strict “one family, one child” policy get counted? Dates aside, how do we provide for the care and feeding of 7 billion people — not to mention their dignity? “What will it take for them to produce enough food?” asked Bob Gronski, a policy adviser with the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. “If they don’t
have enough income to produce the food, then what do they do?” Gronski added: “Then energy becomes more expensive — scarce in some cases — [and] water resources become more expensive.” Gronski said Americans must ask, “Are we really able to take care of our own needs?” He explained: “One kind of food cannot feed a population. All
OLIVIA AND MEGAN
“They are doing really well,” Megan said of the singers. Olivia and Megan have observed that all children learn differently and need to be accommodated. Some are new readers, so the girls made oversized poster boards to help teach them the lyrics. Others have special needs and can’t sit still for long. “It’s taught me a lot about patience,” Megan said, “because sometimes we’re so busy rushing through life that we don’t realize that they don’t understand what comes so easy to us. It’s also taught me about having fun.” Olivia has taken a lot of cues from Megan. “It really helped me with my leading skills,” Olivia said. “My goal is to see how far the kids will go. I get enthusiastic, too. It gets everyone going and I’m happy and they’re happy.” Megan said her faith has been enriched by a new understanding of songs she’s known since she was young: “We sing a lot of songs about how good God is. The songs we sing teach them that God is a very forgiving person.” kinds of food have to be grown here. In the United States we depend on these imports from Mexico and other places. But are they [in Mexico] able to take care of their own needs? These are the questions we should have been asking all along.” According to the United SEVEN BILLION AND COUNTING, SEE PAGE 17
November 10, 2011
SHOUT-OUT
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T H E E VA N G E L I S T
SERVICE WITH A SMILE
TO CATHOLIC TEENS!
This special issue is devoted to teens — with a special emphasis on music, the subject of our annual contest. Check out these stories and more on young Catholics:
TOP, SENIORS IN A peace and justice class at LaSalle Institute in Troy pose with items they collected to send to soldiers for the holidays. Middle, students and faculty from Siena College in Loudonville are commissioned as Catholic Relief Services (CRS) campus ambassadors to educate their communities about poverty worldwide. Below, Reyers Brusoe of St. Mary’s parish in Amsterdam grins after winning third place nationally in the Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s youth arts contest, for which he wrote “Lend a Hand,” a song on addressing poverty (read a previous story at www.evangelist.org).
® Winners and runners-up in our “What’s on Your MP3 Player” contest share songs that inspire them (pages 12-13) ® A teen plans a career combining music and service (page 11) ® Teens from the Albany Diocese head to NCYC, the National Catholic Youth Conference (page 14) ® How to stay safe online (page 8) ® Did you know some saints were teenagers? (page 9) ® Combining the Jewish and Catholic faiths in one family (page 10) ® Photos highlight teen service and scholarship (pages 7, 8, 15)
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November 10, 2011
K OF C SCHOLARS
CATHOLIC TEENS
THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS’ Albany Council No. 173 has awarded $1,000 scholarships to three students attending Bishop Maginn High School in Albany: sophomore Alex Ziembiec, junior Kia-Raja Smith and freshman Isiah Anderson. They’re pictured with grand knight Paul Vogt, Bishop Maginn co-head of school Joseph Grasso and K of C trustee Jim Byron. YOUNG FAITH
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Imagine what a miracle the telephone felt like at the turn of the 20th century. All of a sudden, people in Atlanta could speak with friends in Chicago without leaving their living rooms. The world shrank. The telephone changed the way people related to the world. Using a telephone is common sense. That wasn’t always the case. Historians note that people in 1915 had to be reminded they didn’t need to scream into the receiver to talk to someone far away, or that they needed to watch what they said on the phone in a room full of people. It seems funny now, but with every advance in technology, people have to adapt their strategies to stay safe and polite. When cell phones started becoming popular, people would answer calls anywhere — in meetings, at dinner, in class. A few years ago, your school and your state probably had very few rules about cellphones; now, teachers and police enforce strict policies in the classroom and on the road. Now, social networking is rewiring our world yet again. Facebook, for example, is radically changing the way people relate to one another: Everyone’s doing the internet equivalent of answering their phone while driving, or yelling into the receiver in a roomful of people. Internet safety and etiquette starts with this central truth: Whatever is posted online, everyone will eventually see it, and you will never be able to take it down. Anything online lasts forever. What does that mean for teens? First, if you wouldn’t want your mother, coach or principal seeing your status update, photo
or link, don’t post it online — ever. Even private pages and phones can be hacked, as celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson and Vanessa Hudgens have discovered. It’s better to keep those things to yourself. Likewise, it’s tempting to post that hilarious photo of you and your friends doing something that may not be completely legit — but before you tag away, think of what a future employer might think. A 2009 study by CareerBuilder.com found that 35 percent of employers decided not to offer a job to a candidate based on their Facebook or Twitter profiles. Protect your digital rights online. Whenever you sign up for a service on the web or get an account on a content-sharing site, read the usage agreement, even if it’s long and boring. Some services lay claim to rights to use your photos, words and creative expression however they want; others will access personal information and sell it. Make sure that what’s yours stays yours. Resist the temptation to overshare. Checking into Foursquare is the equivalent of going into a crowded coffeehouse and posting your whereabouts on the wall complete with blinking neon lights. Your friends and family will see it — and so will a whole bunch of strangers who may not have the best of intentions. Don’t “friend” or add people whose identities you can’t verify in real life. Just like you wouldn’t hand over the keys of your car to a complete stranger, don’t hand over your personal information to someone you don’t know. You don’t have to swear off technology completely to stay safe on the internet — but, like those pioneers of the past, you do have to be smart.
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November 10, 2011
CATHOLIC TEENS VOLLEY TO SERVE
NEW BOOK
You can relate to these saints BY CASEY NORMILE
THE VARSITY GIRLS’ volleyball team from Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady held a clothing drive at the school recently to benefit Schoharie County victims of the summer’s tropical storms. The teammates delivered the clothes to Schoharie High School; while they were there, they also participated in a breast cancer benefit tournament, winning third place and a “best team spirit” plaque.
Deciding to follow Christ as a teenager can be an unpopular decision. Many teens face not just the usual challenges of adolescence, but also a culture that’s uncomfortable with organized religion and unsure of what is right and what is wrong. But as author Colleen Swaim, 29, researched the lives of the saints for her book, “Ablaze: Stories of Daring Teen Saints,” she discovered eight young Catholics who lived lives of extraordinary virtue, despite the pressures of society and age. “If we look at the times these people were living in, they were difficult, very much like our own,” said Mrs. Swaim. “But they also lived in times of serious strife — sometimes, when one could lose their life if they witnessed to Christ. This gives us hope because if they can do it, so can we.” Liguori Publications had mentioned the need for a book on saints for teenagers to Mrs. Swaim and her husband and fellow author, Matthew. Mrs. Swaim knew that her experience as a high school English and religion teacher at Newport High School in
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Newport, Ky., had given her some insight into the minds and spirituality of teens, so she offered to tackle the book project. The author aimed to introduce teens to saints representing both genders and all continents — saints who are wellknown and unknown, but all of whom were young. Mrs. Swaim even bounced ideas off her students about which saints to include. Together, they came up with eight young Catholic saints: Ss. Maria Goretti, Dominic Savio, Stanislaus Kostka, Teresa of the Andes, Alphonsa and Kitizio of Africa, plus Blessed Chiara Luce Badano and Blessed Pedro Calungsod. “I loved researching the lesserknown saints,” Mrs. Swaim told The Evangelist. “I had to order a lot of books in foreign languages from all over the world and contact those directly associated with the saints and their beatification efforts. It shows that these people aren’t all famous figures, but they’re all accessible. You just have to break through to find real people.” Even in their time, the young saints experienced the trials of peer pressure. But Mrs. Swaim
noted that they also exerted “positive peer pressure” on their friends and family. She told The Evangelist that though sometimes saints seem untouchable, they actually have a lot in common with teens today: • St. Dominic Savio, who died at age 14 from illness, was tempted by pornography and skipping school. • St. Teresa of the Andes was only 19 when she entered religious life as a Carmelite novice. She passed away only a few months later from typhus. But back when the future saint began high school, she’d written in her diary about hating her classes, calling her classroom a “dungeon” and hoping it would be “reduced to ashes.” “She was so melodramatic,” Mrs. Swaim remarked. • Blessed Chiara Luce Badano is a fairly recent figure. Born in 1971, she was 18 when she passed away in 1990 from cancer. While she loved athletics, she found school challenging. Though she put in a great deal of effort into her studies, her grades were still poor. “She failed one of her classes, but that just shows that you
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don’t have to be perfect. Your grades don’t have any effect on God’s love for you,” said Mrs. Swaim. “These saints give us inspiration that this is possible.” As for young Catholics today, the author be-lieves that the Church’s em-phasis on youth ministry and Blessed Pope John Paul II’s love for and focus on the youth of the world has made the perfect situation for young Catholics to thrive. Mrs. Swaim told The Evangelist that the same kind of holiness achieved by the eight young men and women in her book can still be reached by teens today. “No matter what our age, we’re all called to sanctity,” she said. “The fire that was lit by Pope John Paul II is continuing and we’re calling for all youth to become ablaze.” The sequel to “Ablaze,” which will examine the lives of even more young saints, will be published in summer 2012.
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November 10, 2011
CATHOLIC TEENS FINDING FAITH
Jewish teen has interfaith family BY ANGELA CAVE STA F F W R I T E R
The Jewish roots of Catholicism are taken seriously in Benjamin Davis’ interfaith home. While his mother, Lisa McGarvey-Davis, is a catechist at Sacred Heart parish in Castleton, 17-year-old Benjamin aspires to connect with his Jewish faith by traveling to Israel. Benjamin’s bar mitzvah came at age 15 — two years later than usual — after years of discernment and studying Hebrew. “It’s the time when you become a man,” Benjamin said of the ceremony. “When I was 13, I wasn’t at that point. [By 15], my life was more important to me than it had been. I was comfortable with who I was. [The bar mitzvah] meant that I felt a part of something.” Benjamin attended his mother’s Catholic parish and his father’s Jewish synagogue as a child. He and his brother were four and six, respectively, when asked which faith they wished to follow. They chose to emulate their father, Barry. His younger sisters chose their mother’s Catholic faith. Benjamin started Hebrew school in 2000, but paused the
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process to focus on school. His mother started teaching her boys and other children about the Old Testament and Jewish holidays in her home. “We were celebrating all of the holidays anyway,” she remarked. When it came time to prepare for a bar mitzvah, Benjamin’s interest waned. “I looked at it more as something that was taking up my Sunday morning,” he remembered. He considered converting to Christianity, but then he attended a friend’s bar mitzvah: “It just seemed like a really great experience. A lot of it is focused on how you should treat one another. I thought it was good morals to be following.” In eighth grade, Benjamin began teaching himself the Hebrew alphabet. He met with the rabbi at Congregation Berith Sholom in Troy weekly for half a year and his parents joined him for an eight-week family preparation program. Mrs. McGarvey-Davis commended Rabbi Debora Gordon of the reform congregation for allowing her family to pursue Judaism, since it’s traditional in the Jewish faith for children to follow the faith of their mother.
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“We were not her normal family type,” Mrs. McGarvey-Davis said of the rabbi. In fact, she said, the rabbi inspires her work as a catechist: Mrs. McGarvey-Davis encounters many families who are struggling with bringing their children up in the faith, and “I always want to be the person to welcome and encourage them.” Benjamin and his mother agreed that the benefits of an interfaith family outweigh the challenges. “I’ve actually really enjoyed the whole experience,” Benjamin said, “because I’ve been able to celebrate all the holidays and get a wide variety of different points of view. “My friends would say I’m so lucky because I get double the presents [by celebrating Christmas and Chanukah], but that’s not really how it works,” he continued. “I had the choice to choose if I wanted to be Jewish or not. A lot of people don’t have that.” To Benjamin, the biggest difference between Christianity and Judaism is the emphasis on Jesus. He still attends Mass occasionally to hear his mother and sister sing.
BENJAMIN’S BAR MITZVAH (MITCH D. WEISS PHOTO) “It’s a very different atmosphere” than going to temple, he said. “There’s a lot of emphasis on prayer and worship. When I go to temple, it’s much more about current issues and what can be done to help” with issues like the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Mrs. McGarvey-Davis said her interfaith marriage has made her Catholic faith stronger “because I had to actually choose then to practice my faith.” The similarities between the two faiths have enriched her experience at Mass: Catholic congregants stand in reverence when the Gospel is proclaimed; Jewish congregants stand when the ark is opened to remove the Torah scrolls. Catholic congregants use consecrated wine and
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bread for communion; Jewish congregants consume blessed grape juice and challah bread after services. “Jesus was Jewish and he was raised as a Jewish boy, so what I’m doing is raising a Jewish boy,” she said. “I think it has really enriched our life.” Benjamin is proud of his ability to read Hebrew: “I think it’s just part of being Jewish.” He picked Menachem — which means “to comfort” — as his Hebrew name and will add it to his legal name when he turns 18. Benjamin recently started a job as an activity aide at a Jewish Community Center and plans to study film in college. He looks forward to eventually making a pilgrimage to Israel, “to be in a place where you’re no longer considered a minority.”
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November 10, 2011
CATHOLIC TEENS COLLEGE LIFE
Music and service are her twin goals BY ANGELA CAVE
STA F F W R I T E R
At just 18 months old, Bridie Schnore often lulled herself to sleep singing “Jingle Bells.” By age four, her parents were convinced she was destined for musical greatness: She sang along with German and Italian arias during her mother’s weekly vocal lessons. “She was always very linguistic,” said Bridie’s mother, Mary Beth, noting that her daughter also spoke in full sentences at 14 months old. Bridie started violin lessons at age five. She learned technical competence before gradually learning to read music. Today, the 18-year-old is an accomplished violinist and a freshman music education major at The College of Saint Rose in Albany. A Glenville native, Bridie practices her Catholic faith through service and music.
Gifts from God “Music is a way of praising God. When you sing, you pray twice,” she told The Evangelist, quoting St. Augustine. “I just use the talents that God gave me.” Bridie aims to become a college professor of music and
work with others who feel the same way. Already, she has taught weekly violin lessons, helped conduct the chamber orchestra at her high school and aided the second-grade catechist at her parish, St. Joseph’s in Scotia. Bridie’s violin career took off around sixth grade, when she was accepted into the prestigious Empire State Youth Orchestra as a string ensemble member for two years. She then moved to ESYO’s repertory orchestra for three years and ultimately played for its youth orchestra, the most advanced group. During her junior year of high school, she played “Scheherazade” by Nikolai RimskyKorsakov at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City. “It was really beautiful there,” Bridie said. “I was really grateful to play where so many people have played.” She filled her time at ScotiaGlenville High School leading orchestras and singing in a select choir and drama club; she’s also played at Masses at St. Joseph’s. Bridie’s love for violin intensified when she attended a month-
BRIDIE AT THE STAGE DOOR OF CARNEGIE HALL AND IN CONCERT long music camp sponsored by the New York State Summer School of the Arts and staffed by the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Play all day “That’s when I knew I wanted to play every day of my life,” she said. “I want to teach people about music because music’s been really important in my life. It’s another way of helping” people. Saint Rose was a natural fit — and a familiar one, as she knew many of the professors from their collaboration with ESYO. Bridie’s choice of college also pleased her mother. Music students perform on Fridays, and Mrs. Schnore has already been in the audience. “I miss Bridie terribly,” Mrs. Schnore said. But “I love that she’s only 20 miles away.” Bridie is taking classes in music theory and learning how
to play other instruments in addition to taking courses that are core requirements. Music students must practice their main instruments two hours a day; other instruments, half an hour each day. Bridie and 10 other students were chosen to attend a 10-day mission trip to Washington, D.C., in January. They will live in a homeless shelter and work with So Others Might Eat (SOME), an interfaith, community-based organization that helps the poor and homeless. The students are already learning about “food deserts” — parts of the city where healthy, fresh food is hard to find — and possible solutions.
SALT service
“What inspired me was the SALT program I did in high school,” Bridie said, referring to the Albany Diocese’s Service Action Learning Teams, which engage Catholic teens in community service and social justice. “I wanted to do something where I could see the impact I have on people.” Upon returning from SALT, Bridie’s knowledge of and passion for Catholic social teaching impressed her mother. “She cried all the way home,” Mrs. Schnore remembered. “It was emotional being exposed to so many people [who need help]. She said, ‘Mom, it was so sad.’ She got a lot out of that program.”
It is never too early to ask God to guide you in the discovery of your vocation in life.
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November 10, 2011
CATHOLIC TEENS RUNNERS-U UP
Only three winners could be chosen for The Evangelist’s “What’s on Your MP3 Player� contest, but so many talented teens submitted interesting song choices, some of the runners-u up deserved notice.
S
RACHEL FAY, 16 Junior, Home-schooled St. John the Baptist parish, Valatie • “Blessingsâ€? by Laura Story includes a line about blessings coming through raindrops that helps me remember the little things in life are what really matters. This song helps remind me that, no matter what we do, God is full of forgiveness. One line sticks with me: “We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love.â€? I doubt God sometimes. Even though I know He has a plan for me, it’s hard to find Him during the bad times. “Blessingsâ€? reminds me to pray and give thanks to God for every little blessing He has given me. • “Keep Breathingâ€? by Ingrid Michaelson is a song I started listening to during a time of dismay, when — like the refrain says — “All we can do is keep breathing now.â€? It’s out of our hands; we have to put our faith in God and trust that he knows what to do. One line, “I want to change the world...instead I sleep,â€? is like that moment when you know you have to tell a friend something they don’t want to hear. That’s when I pray that God will make sure I do the right thing, even if I’m not sure what it is. • “Courageousâ€? by Casting Crowns is about standing up for what you believe, helping others and building strong relationships. God sent us here to help each other. This song also makes
me think about my relationship with God: Is it as great as it could be? What can I do to work on it? • “Your Grace is Enoughâ€? by Matt Maher puts me in a great mood and reminds me that God loves me. “Great is your faithfulness, o Godâ€? means God has faith in us and will forgive us for our sins. Jesus always has our backs. Also, even the strong need someone to guide them at times. Sometimes it’s hard to realize that God’s grace and love are all we need. I don’t know where I would be without God.
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KATELYN EASTERLING, 15 Sophomore, Averill Park High School St. Henry’s, Averill Park • “The Climbâ€? by Miley Cyrus really empowers me. The message is about the journey and how well you live your life. It reminds me that God will always be there through the voyage, holding my hand. This song also reminds me that everyone makes mistakes and making a bad decision doesn’t mean God is going to frown upon you. • “A Thousand Milesâ€? by Vanessa Carlton makes me think that just because you can’t always see things doesn’t mean they aren’t there. It makes me feel like I should never give up on anything. Whenever I hear this song, it gives me hope and tells me it’s OK to miss people that are no longer in my life. It makes me think of heaven. • “Keep Holding Onâ€? by Avril Lavigne is a very emotional song for me. It makes me think of helping someone through a difficult point in their life, the way others have helped me. When people come together, almost anything is possible. • “Fireworkâ€? by Katy Perry empowers me to be myself. This song states very clearly to be who you are, because “an original is always worth more than a copy.â€? “Fireworkâ€? makes me think God made us all different
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so we would be individuals. No one should try to be anything but themselves — after all, everyone else is taken.
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EMMA BRICELAND, 17 Senior, Ballston Spa High School Corpus Christi parish, Round Lake • “The Breath You Takeâ€? by George Strait says that life isn’t the breath you take, but the moments that take your breath away. This song definitely is germane to faith and believing in yourself. Strait’s words soothe me and leave me feeling hopeful. When I am frenetic and stressed out with school, I take a deep breath and think about the things that take my breath away. • “My Wishâ€? by Rascal Flatts: All of the lyrics in this song are words of encouragement. It says to find God’s grace in every mistake and know that somebody loves you. Flatts tells his audience to dream big and never give up when life doesn’t go the way we planned. I like listening to this song before I compete in figure skating. I like to think God is singing to me, encouraging me to perform at my best. It calms me down so my nerves don’t get the best of me. • “Christmas Shoesâ€? by Newsong reminds me how to be a good person. It is about a boy who wishes to buy shoes for his Mama but does not have enough money. A man covers the bill and realizes God sent him that boy to remind him what Christmas is all about. This song depicts the real Christmas spirit and how everybody should act. We all need to remember to be good Samaritans. • “Sleepsongâ€? by Secret Garden says, “May there always be angels to watch over you, to guide you each step of the way.â€? Before I go to sleep, I always listen to this song. It is comforting to know that there is always an angel watching over me and helping me make decisions. I know God is always with me too, sending these angels.
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MEGHAN KANE, 14 Freshman, Bethlehem Central High School St. Thomas the Apostle parish, Delmar • “What Love Really Meansâ€? by JJ Heller reminds me how amazing God is and how much He loves us all. If you feel as though the world is against you and no one cares, God cares. If you feel you need to change yourself to impress someone, know that God loves you just the way you are. If you have sinned and think that you will never be loved, think again because God
will forgive you and never stop loving you. As it says in the song, God will love you for you. When I listen to this song, I know that God loves me, and the mistakes I have made and will make will never change His unconditional love. • “Free to be Meâ€? by Francesca Battistelli is true and inspiring. Being yourself doesn’t always come easily. People can be quick to judge and feeling accepted is something that many people, including myself, strive for. Many teens (girls especially) are pressured to be someone they are not. In this song, she sings that she’s free to be herself even though she’s not perfect and life isn’t perfect. • “Angel By Your Sideâ€? by Francesca Battistelli inspires me to reach out. There may be a time when all someone needs is someone to listen or tell them that everything will be okay — but sometimes you can’t say that, and sometimes words can’t help. Maybe what that person really needs is an angel: someone who will be “the strength they can’t provide on their own.â€? You can be that angel. Sometimes God needs to act through people in order to get to someone who needs help. • “Strongerâ€? by Mandisa helps me know that everything will be all right. When you have a parent who has cancer, the word “strongâ€? takes on a whole new meaning. Before, maybe you pictured a guy with big muscles; but after you see a loved one go through something as challenging as cancer, that person comes to mind. I am a firm believer in the saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,â€? and this is basically what she’s singing about. Life is full of struggles. This song gives me something that, sometimes, is the only thing that can help: hope.
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KERRY LOSERT, 15 Sophomore, Academy of the Holy Names, Albany Mater Christi parish, Albany • “Where is The Loveâ€? by The Black Eyed Peas stuck with me [because of the line,] “The truth is kept secret; it’s swept under the rug. If you never know truth then you never know love.â€? This has taught me to be more courageous and loving. Also, because of this song I found a small tree that had no sunlight in the forest, dug it up and planted it in a park. Without love, that tree would not have survived. • “Morningstarâ€? by AFI has helped motivate me when I don’t feel like waking up in the morning. Because of this song, I decided to go to church more. • “Riseâ€? by The Flobots is
about freedom and taking charge. This song has taught me to take responsibility for my actions and be strong when it is needed. For example, because of this song, I invited a girl to my table when she was sitting alone at lunch. • “The Graduation Song (Best Friends Forever)â€? by Vitamin C has helped me stay strong when I was feeling blue about leaving friends to go to different schools. Even though friends leave, you can still stay together and be best friends forever.
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ERIC BALSCHUNAT, 16 Junior, Queensbury High School Our Lady of the Annunication parish, Queensbury • “Amazing Graceâ€? by The Dropkick Murphies is a classic song that conveys the saving power of God. If I’m having a bad day or have done something wrong, this is a good reminder for me to put my trust in God and He will send me on the right path again. • “Turn Turn Turnâ€? by The Byrds puts a Bible passage to music. It is a simple message that God has a plan. Sometimes bad things will happen, but with the bad comes the good and in the end God’s plan will turn out for the better. “There is a seasonâ€? puts an emphasis on the ongoing process of God’s plan. “Turn turn turnâ€? — reminding me of a clock or the earth spinning — shows how natural God’s plan is. The song encompasses the balance we can find in the way of the Lord. • “Power of Soulâ€? by Band of Gypsys is joyful and inspiring. The verses use metaphors to talk about a “high-flyingâ€? type of person and a “jellyfishâ€? who has no backbone. Drive and conviction are needed to be true to the Lord. God gave us free will and the power to do good. He didn’t just leave us as “jellyfishâ€? in His creation. With the gifts God gave me, I can do anything I set my mind to! • “I See the Lightâ€? by Hot Tuna is an affirmation that God has revealed much of Himself to us. With His light in the world, we can truly live in it, have our sins absolved and gain a deeper understanding of the Lord. It also is about how we can, with the help of God, find our way in life. This song inspires me to find God’s plan for me on a daily basis, reminds me of how good it feels to do His will and makes me glad that He has a plan for me.
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T H E E VA N G E L I S T
November 10, 2011
CATHOLIC TEENS
When someone does something that makes me feel worthless, I’ll listen to this song, as Taylor sings about how one day, I’ll be accomplishing great things, while those who hurt me will be nothing but mean. • “Back to December” by Taylor Swift reminds me that it’s impossible to say you have never hurt someone, but it’s very seldom that we as human beings will admit our wrongs. For some, it’s embarrassing to admit that they weren’t right and that they made a mistake. “Back to December” is an honest apology for hurting someone, and that shows a lot of bravery. The lyrics encourage me to admit my wrongdoings directly and not just shrug them off. It also gives me a reality check that even if my apology is as sincere as it can possibly be, life with that person may not ever go back to how it was before I made my mistake. • “Innocent” by Taylor Swift says that forgiving someone isn’t always an easy task. Taylor Swift penned this song after Kanye West interrupted her award acceptance speech. Whenever I listen to the song, I
always think to myself, “If she can forgive someone for embarrassing her in front of the world, I can forgive this person for the little things they did to me.” Even with that motivation, it can still seem impossible to forgive and forget. In those moments of uncertainty, I remember all the times that I’ve wanted forgiveness and received it, and that brings me the faith and courage that I need to do the right thing. • “Change” by Taylor Swift shows we’ve all had points in our life where we ask ourselves if all the pain is worth fighting through. It’s important that we get back up and try again. This song’s references to the future are usually all I need to tell myself that fighting for the life I want is always worth it. We should all fight each other’s battles, because that is a true act of love for one another.
• “Drifting” by Plumb is one of my favorite songs because when I feel alone or far from God, I listen to this song and it brings me back to Him. I think the song is trying to explain that no matter how bad things get, there’s always something that can bring back the good. “Drifting” reminds me to pray more and keep close to God, so whenever things in my life don’t happen the way I want them to, I remember that things aren’t as bad as they could be and that I have a Father in heaven who loves me and is willing to forgive me for the things I do wrong. • “Manifesto” by The City Harmonic is a song I listen to almost every day because of the joy and peace it brings me. This song reminds me of my faith and encourages me to strengthen my relationship with God. Part of the lyrics are from the “Our Father,” which is my favorite prayer. “Manifesto” helps me remember my faith as a Catholic and how good that faith is. This song encourages me to think about how good our God is and all the good things he blesses me with. • “Be Not Afraid” by Robert J. Dufford tells me that even in my darkest and scariest times I’m not alone. Jesus is always with me, even when it feels like I’m alone. He never leaves our side. If I’m scared, sad, or angry, I sing it; when I listen to “Be Not Afraid,” I feel as if Jesus is talking straight to me. I don’t want to overreact to someone just because I’m having a bad day, and by listening to this song I know that everything isn’t as bad as it seems. • “How Great Thou Art” by Daniel O’ Donnell: I like to listen to this before my cross-country
summer, they discussed how others can judge you based on things like religion or how you look. The youth group leader said, “You are a beautiful child of God, and He loves you when others do not,” and they played this song. It showed me that God really does love you, no matter what. He works miracles and gives you hope when it looks like there is none. I listen to this song every day, and I cry every time because it is so powerful and helps me remember that when you feel like you have nothing, you always have God. • “Alive Again” by Matt Maher, I interpret as sometimes, people can drift away from their faith and do things that may make them forget what is really important in life, or they feel distant from God. I have felt that. The chorus of the song says: “You
called and you shouted, broke through my deafness. Now I’m breathing in, breathing out, I’m alive again.” Before I went on my first mission trip two summers ago, I had lost the strong connection with God that I really wanted. But God’s plan for me was to go on that mission trip, build my faith and reconnect with Him — and when I came home, I was a totally different person, for the better, because I was “alive again” with a stronger faith in God. • “What Love Really Means” by JJ Heller is about a young boy, a woman whose husband has left her and a man in jail who is waiting to die, who each ask God to send them someone who will love them for them. We all can feel alone and that no one loves us. But if you pray and talk to God, He will give you a path to
follow. As the song says, He will love you for you, not for what you have done or what you will become. This song really makes me believe that no matter what, I can always rely on God to listen to me and answer my calls. • “When I Leave” by JJ Heller: A lot of high school juniors are talking about what they want to study in college and what they want to do as a career. I want to do something that will make a big impact on other people, just like so many people I know have made a huge and inspirational impact on me. As long as one person can look back on their relationship with me and say that I really helped them in some way, I would be happy for my entire life. This song really shows how I feel about that. God has put people in my life that have impacted me in a big way. This song
CONTEST WINNERS
This year’s new contest asked Catholic teens, “What’s on your MP3 player?” Teens sent playlists of five songs that connect them to God, remind them to pray or get them through hard times, along with descriptions of how the songs help them. Entries ranged from Broadway tunes to Christian songs, classic rock to country. Here are the three winners. • “Speak Now” by Taylor Swift is about two words that are commonly heard at wedding ceremonies. The silence that follows is the final moment where anyone can voice their reasons the two should not be united in marriage. The lyrics in this song are based on Taylor’s idea of how she would handle planning to intervene in a marriage that was destined to fail...unless it was she who was marrying the groom. This song has a deeper meaning to me. It makes me really consider saying things on my mind. It’s common to not speak your opinions because you’re worried about it coming out wrong or you’re nervous, but that’s what makes the act even more courageous. There will be many times when I’ll have opportunities to make an impact through what I say, but only if I am willing to take those chances. • “Mean” by Taylor Swift: Life is full of people who will hurt you, through physical means or words. It’s inevitable and painful. It’s sad that we have to live in a world like this, but the only way to get through is to take each hurdle as it comes.
MARIA HARTZ, 15 Junior, Scotia-Glenville High School St. Madeleine Sophie parish, Schenectady
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NICOLE ST. ONGE, 16 Junior, Hoosick Falls Central School Immaculate Conception parish, Hoosick Falls
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KATHERINE EXUM, 13 Eighth-grader, WindhamAshland-Jewett Central School St. Theresa of the Child Jesus parish, Windham
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meets, because it makes me feel a lot less nervous. It’s like a message of praise to God, exclaiming how great and amazing He is! “How Great Thou Art” also humbles me and helps me not to be too proud of myself, because without God, none of the things I do in everyday life would be possible. Without God’s love and forgiveness, I would not be the person He helps me to be. • “Trust In Jesus” by Third Day helps me to place my trust more in Jesus. Jesus is always there for us when we need Him. If we place our trust in Him, we don’t have to worry about any of our problems. This song inspires me to try to live a life more like Jesus did and to carry out my responsibilities as a Catholic: to love others as myself. It makes me think of the life Jesus lived and what He did and does for us. I can put all of my trust in Jesus and have a worry-free day, because He is my Lord forever. reminds me that as a person, you should be one to remember, and you should do good for other people. When God calls you home, you will have left the world in an improved state, because you did everything you could to help change it. • “For Good” by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth is from the Broadway musical “Wicked.” The song says that certain people are put into your life for a reason, and you should cherish them. They will make a big impact on your life. I have many people in my life who helped change me for the better. I think about what my life would be like if God did not make our paths cross. Everyone you meet can make an impact on your life if you let them — and if you feel like you need someone inspirational in your life, pray to God and ask for one. I did.
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T H E E VA N G E L I S T
November 10, 2011
CATHOLIC TEENS NCYC-BOUND
LOCAL YOUTH
Teen leader
Teens psyched for national conference BY ANGELA CAVE STA F F W R I T E R
High school senior Allison Deutschman knows dozens of Catholic teens preparing for confirmation — but only about five of them attend Mass weekly. One way to change that, she hopes, is by attending the National Catholic Youth Conference next week. NCYC is a biennial, three-day experience of prayer, community and empowerment for Catholic teenagers and chaperones. This year’s gathering will be held in Indianapolis, Ind. “I really want to use this opportunity to bring things that I learn there to my church,” she said of NCYC. “I’m looking forward to having a better grasp on my faith. I want to meet new people, hear new stories. “In a small town, you get so focused on you, your beliefs, and how it affects you. [NCYC] makes it easier because I feel like there are people who understand what I’m going through.” Allison will join 197 other teens and 78 adults from the Albany Diocese at NCYC to boost her faith with more than 20,000 young Catholics from around the country. Bishop
Howard J. Hubbard will attend the beginning of the conference, Nov. 17, to celebrate Mass for the diocesan group. The conference costs between $600 and $1,000 per person. Many parishes and youth have spent the year fundraising. Allison, who attends Mohawk High School and Herkimer County Community College, first heard of NCYC when she attended the diocesan Christian Leadership Institute (CLI) at Pyramid Life Center in Paradox. “CLI was life-changing for me,” she told The Evangelist. “I’ve made so many friends that I’ve kept in touch with more than I do with the friends from my own town.” Many of them, she added, will also be attending NCYC. Allison looks forward to hearing some of her favorite Christian bands at the conference. “It’s cool because it’s not your organ music,” she said. “It’s Christian rock; it’s pop. It’s more relatable.” The theme of this year’s NCYC is “Called to Glory,” a reference to the scriptural theme for that weekend. “They want everyone to get together and just praise Jesus,” Allison said. She’ll miss two college tests while she’s gone, but “it’s worth it
in my opinion.” Leigh Jason, a junior from St. Therese Chapel in Gansevoort, a mission of St. Clement’s parish in Saratoga Springs, will room with Allison. “I’m hoping that it’s just as fun as CLI was,” Leigh enthused. “I’m interested in expanding my religion. I know that it helps me through life and helps me make my decisions.” Leigh is a catechist for kindergartners at St. Therese and hopes to learn more about ministering to young children. Matthew Lee, a junior at Stillwater High, is a sacristan at All Saints on the Hudson parish in Mechanicville/Stillwater. He moved to the area from Texas over the summer and wants to make new friends at NCYC. He went once before, when NCYC was held in Kansas City. “It was pretty fun,” he said. “It got me closer to God.” This will be the first NCYC experience for Molly Maguire, a senior from St. John the Baptist parish in Walton. She’ll attend NCYC with teens from St. Peter’s parish in Delhi and Holy Family Church in Downsville, a mission of St. John the Baptist. Molly has attended the March
THE T-SHIRT local youth will wear to NCYC was designed by Audrey Keefe of St. Thomas parish in Delmar and Bethlehem High School. NCYC sessions and workshops will be streamed live at www.ncyc. info/index.htm. for Life in Washington, D.C., a few times with her family and enjoyed seeing thousands of Catholics with the same values: “You see how important these things are to people.” Darryl Scott, a sophomore at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady, heard about NCYC at a music and liturgy camp at Pyramid Life Center. A member of the music ministry team at St. Clare’s parish in Colonie, he said he struggles with faith and wants to “try to figure out who I am as a person. “If there is a God, then why does bad stuff happen in the world? I never seem to find an answer to that. I want to hear other people give their thoughts on our faith.”
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Shannon McShane, a high school senior, joined the youth group at St. Thomas the Apostle parish in Delmar to stay in touch with a friend who attended. But after she went to NCYC two years ago, Shannon’s attitude toward the group changed. “Youth ministry should be for my benefit,” she explained. “I felt I had a responsibility to be a leader.” Shannon will be one of 80 teens serving as “animators” — singers, dancers and speakers — at this year’s NCYC. She auditioned via video and trained in Indianapolis over the summer. “That is just the ultimate prize for me, to know that I have an influence on 22,000 teenagers at once,” Shannon said. One highlight of her first NCYC trip was a workshop on abstinence and teen pregnancy. The presenters were a man who had waited until marriage for sex and his wife, who lost her virginity at a young age. “It was really cool to hear their stories,” Shannon said. “My boyfriend at the time was watching the same thing. It really influenced me and emphasized that I wasn’t the only one” abstaining. In addition, seeing Catholics dance made the faith “seem very believable, which I think is important for teenagers nowadays.” (AC)
15
T H E E VA N G E L I S T
November 10, 2011
CATHOLIC TEENS ON YOUR MARK...GET SET...SHAVE!
ST. AMBROSE SCHOOL IN LATHAM had tandem events recently: first, the shaving of principal James Leveskas’ head to honor a fundraising challenge that students won; second, the Race for Education to promote Catholic education in the Albany Diocese. Above left and middle, pre-kindergartners start the race and firstgrader Gerard Farrington runs laps; at left, Isabella VanDecar and Katelyn Delancey from the pre-K run together. Top right, Mr. Leveskas awards an iPad to top fundraiser Ramza Ryan; at right, the third-grader starts the haircut with help from Molly O’Brian. (Nate Whitchurch photos)
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