ROCKFORD—The 2015 Catholic Youth Summit welcomed more than 1,500 youths accompanied by more than 250 adults to the Physical Education Center at Rock Valley College Oct. 25, treating them all to a day of calm and of craziness.
In two talks, keynote speaker Mary Bielski told students how “Jesus ninja’ed into my life,” assured them that “God’s got a plan for you,” and encouraged them to “take a chance” by responding to the Father’s call with the knowledge that God is the answer to every question.
Father Keith Romke, diocesan director of vocations, introduced a time for adoration with a demonstration — whacking a hammer at a freestanding wall on stage. On it were some of the youths’ shouted-out suggestions about what holds us back from God and keeps us from seeing Him.
“There are things out there that make it hard for us to believe,” Father Romke said. “Keep pulverizing those doubts that exist in your heart” about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, he added, while banging a hole in that representative wall of doubts.
The Arise band, headed by Paul Vogrinc, set the various tones throughout the day. Times of dance and conga lines, beach balls bouncing through the room and even a bit of break dancing from Master of Ceremonies, Deacon Kyle Manno, more than once settled down with amazing speed by a call to prayer.
Bishop David Malloy participated in both the sacred and the silly at the summit. In place of a question-and-answer time, this year featured a game: “Are You Smarter Than a Bishop?” Bishop Malloy teamed with two students to compete against two other teams of youths drawn from multiple parishes. The boys’ and girls’ teams were helped along with yelled-out answers from the audience.
Multiple choice questions ranged from basic faith topics (“How many times does the priest say ‘The Lord be with you’ during Mass?”) to pop culture (Which saint was featured in the movie “Frozen?”), and there were a few questions that required the youths to flat-out guess the answer (“How long was the biggest muskie ever caught by Bishop Malloy?”).
Those answers, by the way, are Four, St. Joan of Arc, and 45 inches. The students did well – but at the end they had to admit they were NOT smarter than a bishop.
At Mass that morning, Bishop Malloy shared that one purpose of the summit was to help participants resist feeling that they are alone in their faith.
“It’s hard to stand alone, to believe alone, even (for) adults,” he said, encouraging them to look around the room. “I hope this day helps you resolve (those) doubts. I hope this day strengthens you as a disciple. Be strong. Don’t let doubts overwhelm you. Christ will help you. Your Catholic faith is true.”
Encouraging them to read or re-read the final “Chronicles of Narnia” book, “The Horse and His Boy,”
Bishop Malloy quoted Aslan, its Christ-lion, “Tell me your sorrows,” and encouraged the youths to bring their trials to Jesus.
“Yes, life’s real. Life’s tough. But Jesus is there,” he said. “It is knowing that Jesus is with you, it is knowing your faith (that) little by little you will understand the Who-You-Are that’s hidden from you.”
At the end of time, Jesus will ask each person, “Did you love me?” Bishop Malloy said, giving examples of how to love Jesus.
Then he described that moment in the book when each person has to step forward and gaze into Aslan’s face. With that look, some of their faces fell, the bishop said.
“But others lit up because the moment of joy that you and I look for explodes upon them!” he said, noting that they grabbed one another’s hands and RAN into the kingdom – running in, and in, and in, “because nobody wants to just stand by the door …
“We need to be fully in,” Bishop Malloy said. “That’s what this day is all about!”