Reflections on World Youth Day

Alisha Hafner of the St. Jude of the Lake Council in Mahtomedi, Minn. said, “World Youth Day was simply AMAZING! Words cannot describe how I felt from the enthusiasm of all the pilgrims around me. It was such a moving experience to see so many young people gathered together for the same reason.”

“The most valuable lesson I learned at World Youth Day was to just take a step back from everything going on and remember the reason I was there… It was so easy to get caught up in the excitement of everyone that sometimes I forgot the reason for everyone's excitement. Being in such a beautiful place, such as Sydney, added so much to World Youth Day, while at the same time sometimes distracted pilgrims from the message of World Youth Day. Overall, World Youth Day was a spiritual growing experience for every pilgrim present.” - Alisha Hafner

Here is a photo Alisha submitted of her group. This is the Saint Helena WYD Group, Minneapolis, Minn.

Alisha Hafner and her tour guide, Simon.

Reflections on World Youth Day

Jacqueline Noggle of the Saint Helena group says that “Adoration at the vigil was my most favorite moment because I could feel the holy spirit more powerfully then I have ever felt Him before. I felt this overwhelming sense of joy and hope I couldn’t stop smiling.” Above is a photo of Jackie's World Youth Day group from Saint Helena's Parish in Minneapolis, Minn.

Reflections on World Youth Day

Matt Kuettel of St. Anthony and Maria-Hilf Council in Saint Paul, Minn. said, "While seeing the Pope was an experience that will not be forgotten, I think that hearing his words has affected me more. The Pope is a very holy man, and while he is the vicar of Christ, he is not Christ. His words, however, are more important because he has been given the authority to speak for the Church, and under the guidance of the Spirit, his words are never wrong."

Matt says that his favorite moment of World Youth Day "was praying in front of Christ in the Eucharist at our Catechesis site. There was a real peace and beauty in the church and prayer was easy. Listening to Christopher West and other speakers were also great opportunities to continue my conversion to Christ."

"I am very grateful to Catholic Aid for all they did to help me go to Australia. Their financial support helped me acquire the funds necessary to make the lengthy trip and I am a better person because of it; thank you Catholic Aid." - Matt Kuettel

Reflections on World Youth Day

Kelsey Schlichting of the St. Joseph in Miesville, Minn. said, "Upon arriving in Sydney, the excitement grew more and more with each new country flag I saw. We finally came to Olympic Park which was the location which would be our home for the next week and a half. It wasn’t just our home, but also the home of 5,000 others from around the world. The dome we stayed in housed people from all around the world -- All the way from the unfamiliar country of Togo, all the way to our neighboring state of Wisconsin. This was a defining point of the trip for me. Walking into this dome, (it resembled an air plane hanger), and see sleeping bags and air mattresses, and rows and rows and rows of people upon more rows of people. To realize that this was only a small fraction of how many people were attending this event, and I was part of it. I was part of it all. Every night when we came 'home' to the dome, there was a relief that flooded over me kind of, to see all the other people there, knowing that I wasn't alone in this. I wasn't the only other person on this pilgrimage to strengthen my faith. I wasn't alone."

Kelsey talked, too, of her faith being strengthened, "My faith was strengthened immensely on this trip. I didn't realize during the trip itself, but afterward, I realized how much closer the trip and its excursions had brought me to Jesus Christ himself. The priest we traveled with preached to us one day about getting closer to Jesus and knowing Him. He told us that Jesus knew us so well, and he loved us so much… we don't know him like he knows us. Once the priest had said this, my eyes opened a little bit wider to everything. I brainstormed ways for me to gain a closer relationship with Jesus. This is only one of the ways my faith was strengthened in this journey I took."

Reflections on World Youth Day

Andrew Vandal is from the SS Joseph & Elizabeth Council in Sykeston, ND. Here's what he had to say about his experience:

My favorite moment was when we started meeting the other WYD pilgrims. The most memorable was when I started making international friends with my light-up Frisbee.

My most valuable lesson I learned is that no matter what race you are from, or the color of your skin, all the pilgrims in Sydney believed in the same risen Christ. I could see it in every pilgrim’s faces that they were ready to meet St. Peter’s successor and proclaim their faith with him.

It was a thrill to see the Pope. I could feel the Holy Spirit radiating from him. You could tell from his smile that he was happy to be there. I got close to fifteen feet away from him when he came to the Randwick Racecourse.

It was fun to be around other people from other nationalities because then you could find out who was the first missionary of their country and other things about them. I also had fun trading trinkets with the different countries.

What I was reminded of again about my Catholic Faith is that no matter who you are or where you are from, somewhere in the world someone is praying for you.

Catholic Aid Association Names Youth Volunteer of the Year

Two outstanding, young individuals were recognized with a first-of-its-kind award by the Catholic Aid Association Saturday, August 2, for the hours of service and fellowship they have given to their peers, community and Catholic Aid local council.

Kevin Young, of Avon, Minn., and Lori Overman of Freeport, Minn., were named the winners of the 2008 Youth Volunteer of the Year Award and received their plaques and gifts in front of the 400-delegate body of the 125^th Annual Convention of The Catholic Aid Association at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.

“The award is the first of its kind in recent memory by Catholic Aid. These young adults are so generous with their time and energy. We want to recognize and encourage these traits in all of our members,” Fraternal Director Kathleen Moriarty said.

Catholic Aid asked for nominations of young members (ages 18 - 30), who have, through example and accomplishment, provided outstanding volunteer service to his or her community and/or council throughout the past year. Both winners exceeded expectation in their involvement, and Catholic Aid was proud to honor them.

Kevin Young is a recent graduate of Albany High School and a successful athlete. He was a member of the Huskie’s state runner-up football team in 2006 and 2008, and has represented his school at the state track and field meet.

“Kevin is a team motivator and team leader,” Huskie Track Coach Scott Daninger said. “He’s a great role model and contributes to the success of each person on the team by his encouragement and commitment.”

In addition to athletics, Young is also an honor student and a member of the National Honor Society, with which he assists in organizing service projects with the student body. He also balances a part-time job and a leadership role with the youth group at St. Benedict’s parish, where helps teach religion to sixth-graders and contributes to his Catholic Aid Council activities. St. Benedict Youth Group Leader Geralyn Nathe-Evans nominated Kevin and described him as “A young man of integrity and an amazing witness to others.”

Kevin plans to attend North Dakota State University in September to study civil engineering.

Overman too, is a recent high school graduate and academic luminary. Lori graduated Valedictorian of Melrose High School and held numerous leadership roles within her class. She was Captain of the Speech Team, President of the National Honor Society, Treasurer of the Band Council, a leader in the 4-H Club and was crowned a Stearns County Dairy Princess in March of 2008. She continues to be a promoter of dairy products, including as a dependable helping hand on her parents’ dairy farm.

Lori’s exceptional service is given not only to the local community, but to the global community as well. She has completed two mission trips to San Rafael, Mexico, inventoried the books of the Sacred Heart Elementary School library, walked for MS, given in Project Give a Gift, and more.

“Lori is dedicated to her family, school, community, and parish,” said Overman’s nominator, Kathy Welle. Lori will also attend North Dakota State University in the fall, to study accounting.

Thanks to the efforts of Overman and Young, it’s a high bar that has been set for future winners of the Catholic Aid Youth Volunteer of the Year Award. The Catholic Aid councils and communities that have benefited from their efforts thank them, as does the entire Association, for the example they set. Congratulations.

About The Catholic Aid Association

The Catholic Aid Association, founded in 1878, in St. Paul, Minn., is one of the largest fraternal life insurance companies in the upper Midwest. Serving more than 74,500 members and 160 active councils, Catholic Aid has a presence in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin. It offers life insurance, annuities and IRAs to its members and strives to be the provider of choice for their financial well-being. Catholic Aid is also a leader in support of the whole Catholic community, offering fraternal benefits such as fundraisers, youth events, scholarships and matching grant programs for Catholic parishes, schools and religious education programs throughout its territory. Through programs like these, Catholic Aid helps every generation of the Catholic community thrive and grow.

For more information about the Catholic Aid Association, call 651-490-0170 or 1-800-568-6670, or visit the Web site at www.catholicaid.org.

Theology on a Stick? What is it?

Catholic Aid became an official sponsor of 'Theology on a Stick.' This is a really great event that is presented by the Cathedral Young Adults (CYA) of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. They have brought spirituality into the pubs through their successful “Theology on Tap” series. Now they’re bringing faith to the fair for five nights.

Dubbed “Theology on a Stick,” the evening event features an exciting mix of questions about God, the meaning of life, and how to enter fulfilling relationships. Each topic is followed by a question and answer session and the CYA’s traditional “grill the priest” open Q&A. All events take place at St. Bernard’s diner, The Bulldog Lodge, located just inside the Snelling Avenue entrance to the fairgrounds, at the southwest corner of Dan Patch and Cosgrove Avenues. CYA volunteers will be handing out “Theology on a Stick” souvenirs each of the days the evening event will be held which include Friday, Saturday and Wednesday nights of the fair from 7 to 11 p.m.

Friday, August 22
Saturday, August 23
Wednesday, August 27
Friday, August 29
Saturday, August 30