News

Youth urged: Dive into life, faith and trust in Jesus' help

Sixth in a series on Bishop's Appeal

	BUILDING PROJECT: Alicia Hurning drives a screw into a window flower box with the help of Kristin Strand at the Dive-In Youth Conference at St. Bernadette Church, Appleton. Both girls are from Oconto. Some 210 high school youth and adult chaperones attended the conference, which was sponsored, in part, by the annual Bishop's Appeal under way in diocesan parishes. (Rick Evans photo)

Editor's note: The annual Bishop's Appeal supports numerous services to help parishes, individuals and families. One of these is youth ministry through the Department of Total Catholic Education.

APPLETON -- Life and our faith are both best experienced by diving-in, not by watching from the sidelines, diocesan high school youth learned last month.

Stepping Together in Faith 2003 Bishop's Appeal
Related articles ... from Feb. 28, 2003 issue: • Helping parishes to build House of the Lord from Feb. 21, 2003 issue: • Theology talks tap into young adult interests from Feb. 14, 2003 issue: • Appeal helps couple make adoption possible from Feb. 7, 2003 issue: • Weekend helps couples avoid marital rocks • An Appeal based on the Gospel from Jan. 31, 2003 issue: • Stop and consider all the people Appeal helps • Pie chart showing how contributions to Bishop's Appeal are divided • TEC enriches and plants seeds

Some 210 youth and adult chaperones plunged right in by bringing non-perishable food for St. Anthony Parish, Neopit, and St. Michael Parish, Keshena, and by participating in Mass, an interactive village and interacting with speakers.

Chris Padgett, keynote speaker, at the Dive-In Youth Conference at St. Bernadette Parish in Appleton, had the group laughing and crying as he urged them to do like Peter -- get out of the boat and trust Jesus (Mt 14:22-33).

When we feel like we're sinking because there are waves all around us and the storm seems too big, we need to trust that Jesus can lift us out of any circumstance if we get out of the boat and put ourselves in God's hands, he said.

The goal isn't to walk on water, but to have faith, fix our eyes on Jesus, jump in and trust him, said Padgett, 32, lead singer of the Christian band, Scarecrow & Tinmen.

"Chris Padgett was a phenomenal speaker," said Luke Ambrosius of St. Thomas More Parish, Appleton. "He is so aware of how to get teens to listen to him and knew how to talk to us. He is really a person working for God."

Tony Pichler, youth ministry consultant in the diocesan Total Catholic Education Department, said "Chris Padgett's talk coincided with what Dive-In is all about. We want the students to venture out and try new things. We want them to get out of the boat to experience and learn things about themselves and others and to learn about their faith."

Amanda Stary of St. Bernard Parish, Green Bay, said she "wanted to attend this year's Dive-In to learn about my faith and how to get along with other people."

Anna Vosters, a Dive-In planning committee member and youth minister at St. Thomas More Parish, said it's important to have a faith-centered event so students can be educated, share their thoughts with each other and learn about God in the liturgy.

"Students today have a hunger for spirituality and we hope they opened their hearts and allowed God to transform them," Vosters said.

Dive-In included workshop on drugs, alcohol and homelessness, cultural diversity, abortion and eating disorders.

Ann Schalk, an alcohol and drug counselor and case manager at Community Outreach Temporary Services (COTS) in Appleton, spoke on "Drugs and Alcohol: The Path to Homelessness." She was accompanied by a recent COTS' client who told how he got into drugs, ended up in jail and eventually living under a bridge.

"I think we opened their eyes that it's not fun living on the streets," Schalk said. "They need to know what could happen to them and what can lead to homelessness."

Bishop's Appeal What: Bishop's Appeal, the Green Bay Diocese's annual fund-raiser to support diocesan programs and services offered to parishes and individuals. Where: All parishes in the diocese. When: Right now. How: Making a cash, check, credit card (Mastercard, Visa and Discover) or pledge donation. Materials have been sent to homes and also are available through parishes. Some employers offer matching gift programs, for which Catholic Charities may qualify, since it serves the general public; additional information is available through Human Resources departments. Theme: Stepping Together in Faith. Target: $4.8 million.

"The group was very intense and asked a lot of good questions," said Schalk, who told how COTS helps clients to break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and homelessness."I don't think they realized how many homeless people we have in the Fox Cities area."

Allie Leaf of St. Thomas More Parish said he learned how harmful eating disorders can be at a workshop led by Kay and Sharon Rorabeck. Kay's daughter -- Sharon's sister -- Shannon died of complications from anorexia. The two women discussed warning signs of anorexia and what teenagers can do to help.

"I feel that if I touch one person's life enough for that person to stop and get help then I made a difference," Kay said. "It took me a long time to be able to talk about my daughter's anorexia and I feel by doing this I'm doing a eulogy for Shannon."

At Peace Park, an interactive village, students could make a rosary for peace, trace their hand-print for a wall of peace, sign a peace pledge, tie-dye a shirt, build a planter for the Fort Howard Neighborhood Family Resource Center and pray in the Peace Chapel.

"By doing our handprints and showing solidarity, I felt that I was joining with others for peace," said Danielle Lardinois of St. Bernard Parish, Green Bay.

Pam Marsh, coordinator of Religious Education at St. Joseph Parish, Sturgeon Bay, said, "The speakers were outstanding and spoke with such feeling. Their sharing about personal experiences made the presentations truly real to the youth and adults."

The day ended with liturgy held in the church and included the music ministry choir of St. Matthew in Green Bay.

Dive-In is partially funded by the Bishop's Appeal. Other sponsors are the Knights of Columbus-Abbot Pennings Council No. 9355 of De Pere, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross-Bay Settlement and Teens Encounter Christ.