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youth attend rally
On Oct. 28th 140 youth gathered from the North and North Central Deanery for the Jr. High Rally at All Saints in Lewiston. The anticipation of attending, for many, their first retreat was so exciting and filled with holy excitement. Taylor Riener said, “I can’t wait to spend this day with all my friends learning about my faith.” It is through a simple invitation and a “yes” that a heart can be changed, and faith can be grown. The youth entered the All Saints hall with great cheers of welcome and high fives from various high school youth who volunteered to help. The sound of praise music filled the air as Alex Street sang words of blessing and worship. The youth knew instantly that they were invited into this sacred space and were a part of a celebration of faith. Miranda Klapprich told me after the event, “I loved the music, it was my favorite part of the day!” The theme for the weekend was “The Pursuit”. Each youth proudly wore a shirt with this logo on it. The words were given meaning as Popple, the dynamic duo spoke and entertained throughout the day. Their way of teaching and preaching was so perfect for the Jr. High audience. They actively engaged the youth in skits, songs, competitions, words, and games to enforce the three major points within the day’s theme. Our MC for the day was Kristin, she also added greatly with her energy and unending enthusiasm. With all of this holy power we knew it was going to be a great day! Popple introduced the first talk by emphasizing the fact that God pursues us daily. They invited youth to act out the scripture passage of 1 Samuel 3: 8 where Samuel hears God speaking to him in the night. The youth were reminded of their worth in God’s eyes and then asked to share with assigned saint groups their uniqueness through active discussion. It was interesting as a leader to see how difficult it is for a young people to talk about their gifts. They can talk about their dreams of what they want to be, but to mention the greatness of who they are is very difficult. This session was a great reminder of how God sees and pursues us for who we are, not what we think we should or have to be. The St. Mary’s High School youth from Cottonwood put on a skit to portray the importance of Confession while emphasizing God’s love and mercy in our lives. Many of the priests throughout the North Central deanery graced us with their presence as they opened their hearts to the Jr. High youth for the sacrament of Confession. Tyler said, “I love confession. I wanted to stay in the church and just sit. It felt like home”. It is here that God heart pursues us, and we say, “Speak your servant is listening” like Samuel did. The second point that Popple made was that “We pursue God”. The importance of prayer, Sacraments, Adoration, Mass, youth group, and making positive decisions for faith were stressed. This talk echoed the importance of actively making decisions to grow toward God has to do with free will. If we choose to move toward God, we will mature in our faith and grow in our relationship with Him. This topic was again discussed in our Saint groups as we shared about choices and ways to step out in faith as a Jr. high youth in today’s world. The final and third point for the day was what about taking what we learned and putting it into practice in our daily lives. Popple stressed the importance of evangelization and being prepared to share your faith with others. As a means of preparing and equipping the youth for this active engagement, each small group gathered and prayed over each other. This powerful action of prayer gave each of the youth an opportunity to not only voice their own needs but also to pray for the needs of their peers and friends. It was a powerful and moving moment! I saw tears and hearts ready to move out into deeper waters. These moments are what spark the fire and make God’s pursuit and our pursuit of Him join forces to build his Kingdom! The finale was joining as a large group to celebrate Mass. The peace and joy that flows from spending a holy day together flourishes as the Eucharist is elevated and our hearts take on new hope because we know the pursuit is real and we are in it fully! 
Local youth who attended the Jr. High Rally on Oct. 28. Photo submitted by Debbie Chicane. |
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