Brad Farmer, left, and Gene Monterastelli of APeX Ministries present their quirky style of catechesis called “Christian vaudeville” at Diocesan Youth Day, Oct. 22, at St. Ann Church in Kaneohe. (HCH photo | Darlene Dela Cruz)
Hundreds of energized young Catholics gather in Kaneohe for a day sparked by the Spirit
Story and photos by Darlene J.M. Dela Cruz
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Saints and super heroes, unite!
With enthusiasm more energizing than a Starbucks double-shot, and spirits set afire, hundreds of faithful at Diocesan Youth Day Oct. 22 flooded St. Ann Parish in Kaneohe with a wave of worship and grace.
The event, organized by the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, drew 347 youth and 92 adult chaperones from 31 Island parishes, two parish schools and the Hickam Air Force Base community. Diocesan Youth Day activities included music, Mass, small group sessions, and a keynote presentation where juggling and ninjas and the Catholic faith made perfect, powerful sense together.
Diocesan Youth Day is an off-shoot of World Youth Day, which was initiated by St. John Paul II in the 1980s. The late pope encouraged creating regular gatherings for young Catholics to provide them with opportunities for faith-building and fellowship.
The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry website describes the “principal objective” of Diocesan Youth Day as making “the person of Jesus the center of the faith and life of every young person, so that he may be their constant point of reference and also the inspiration of every initiative and commitment they make in their life.”
This year’s Diocesan Youth Day theme was “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” The theme is a verse from the Gospel of Matthew, one of eight “Beatitudes” on humility and compassion taught by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount.
The theme as well ties in with the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which began last Dec. 8 and will end on Nov. 20, the Feast of Christ the King.
Diocesan Youth Day at St. Ann Parish began with busloads of youth arriving in chilly Windward Oahu at 8:30 a.m. A rockin’ praise and worship session revved things up early on the parish lawn.
Bishop Larry Silva celebrated morning Mass. He was joined by more than a dozen concelebrating priests. The bishop noted that Diocesan Youth Day fittingly fell on the Oct. 22 feast day of St. John Paul II.
Bishop Silva linked his homily with the day’s reading from the epistle to the Ephesians. The Scripture passage says, “Grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” These unique gifts comprise the body of Christ.
“The body of Christ is still growing and maturing, and that’s because we are all growing and maturing in Christ,” the bishop said. “You are wonderfully made. But there is so much more to that wonder.”
A group of youth from the Hickam Air Force Base Catholic community clap and sing during a morning praise and worship session at Diocesan Youth Day, Oct. 22 at St. Ann Church in Kaneohe. (HCH photo | Darlene Dela Cruz)
He urged the youth to reach out to others with the gifts and graces they have. The bishop suggested helping friends who are struggling in school or classmates who are being bullied. Young Catholics can also pray for those in need.
“What a difference Jesus — you — can make,” the bishop said.
Bishop Silva at the end of Mass gave away a backpack filled with goodies from Krakow, Poland, where he and a small group of Hawaii pilgrims attended World Youth Day in July.
The day’s keynote speakers were Brad Farmer and Gene Monterastelli of APeX Ministries. Since forming their ministry in 1996, Farmer and Monterastelli have brought their lively and witty form of catechesis — nicknamed “Christian vaudeville” — throughout the U.S. and to several countries.
In between impressive balancing acts with chairs, balls and bowling pins, Farmer and Monterastelli told the youth that they are all “super heroes,” destined to fulfill the “super hero secret mission” God has given them.
“What is it about the super hero that draws us in?” Farmer asked. By recognizing the “dignity of the human person,” he explained, super heroes tap into something that can spark amazing change. Catholics, in a similar way, are given such graces at baptism.
Farmer said the saints — ordinary people who “invited the Holy Spirit to activate their powers” — are his favorite super heroes.
“To be a saint means you need to live deep in reality,” he said. “You are the light of the world. You are the super heroes of today. Become who you were created to be.”
The youth enjoyed a hearty lunch afterward and spent the afternoon at “breakout sessions” with various speakers.
A few days after the event, several Diocesan Youth Day attendees shared with the Hawaii Catholic Herald their reflections on the experience.
Wesley Perreira, 15, from St. Joseph Parish in Makawao, Maui, said he came to Diocesan Youth Day to “celebrate my Catholic faith with youth from around the state and also to meet new friends in the process.” Perreira’s favorite part of Diocesan Youth Day was the praise and worship session.
Alysha Naone, 17, from St. Michael Church in Kona said, “singing and dancing for the Lord energized me for the rest of the day.” She said Diocesan Youth Day taught her “the power of words. The speakers at the event told stories that left me awed and thoughtful.”
Haly Calventas, 17, of St. Ann Church in Kaneohe said the most memorable Diocesan Youth Day lesson for her was that “God comes to us in so many ways.”
“I feel like oftentimes, we’re so caught up in ‘the next big thing,’ failing to slow life down a little, and to look for God providing,” Calventas said. “Thing is, we never go a day without our needs being met.”
“I definitely felt the Holy Spirit among us all throughout this day,” she added. “As I look at our church, I see explosions of God’s love everywhere.”
