Hundreds of teens share, learn at youth rally

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press

PAXTON – Youth expressed enthusiasm about God and their peers at a gathering where they were encouraged to maintain community, evangelize and pursue heaven.

Asked her impressions of the 2024 Diocesan High School Youth Rally, held Sunday at Anna Maria College, Alayna Zambrana, a 15-year-old from St. Louis Parish in Webster, said, “I got to learn more about God and I got to meet new people.”

When youth were asked why they came, Rita Hannoush, 17, got right to the point: “Jesus.” She told The Catholic Free Press later that she liked the talks by keynoter Monét Souza and sitting with a friend from St. Paul Dio-cesan Jr./Sr. High School.

About 200 people, mostly youth with some adult leaders from at least 20 parishes attended, according to Timothy Messenger, director of the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

In addition to the keynote talks, the rally included Mass with Bishop McManus, men’s and women’s sessions, music and icebreakers.

Our mission is to get to heaven and bring with us as many people as we can, Bishop McManus said in his homily.

He told the youth about Blessed Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at age 15 and is to be canonized. The bishop said Carlo had a way to get to heaven: Frequent reception of Communion, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, regular confession, praying the rosary and loving God with all your heart, soul and mind.

Speaking about receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, the bishop told listeners they would have that privilege at Mass; they would receive not something but someone. Illustrating the need for confession, Bishop McManus said that if we say we’re not sinners, we make a mockery of the cross; “If there is no sin ... there is no reason why Jesus went to the cross.”

Keynoter Monét Souza, a speaker, host for CatholicTV and voice actor, made a variety of points and threw prizes out into the audience for teenagers who answered a question or read aloud a Scripture she displayed on a large screen.

She challenged the youth to be “unapologetically Catholic” and to use and multiply their talents rather than hiding them. She warned against doing the bare minimum in one’s faith life.

She asked listeners what’s on their minds if heaven isn’t. Having homework, a boyfriend or girlfriend, or video games in the forefront of their minds instead can keep their eyes off heaven and be a detriment to their salvation, she explained.

“So many people do not know Jesus”; America has become mission territory, she said. She told of being a witness to people she worked with. She wore her crucifix, and didn’t mention Jesus, but girls shared their problems with her, she said. She spoke about living “on mission” by how you dress and how you love.

If the devil doesn’t get you in high school, he’ll try when you’re in college, with temptations, Ms. Souza told the high schoolers, urging them to keep “community” around them.

She suggested adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and praying to the Holy Spirit, and gave the teenagers a QR code to scan to contact her ministry for spiritual support.

Mr. Messenger reiterated the point about living “on mission,” and said, “Jesus is calling you” to discipleship now. He told the teenagers they can respond by attending Mass, religious education classes and youth group gatherings, and by joining the Diocesan Youth Discipleship Team which meets monthly for a meal and discussion about the faith.
Mr. Messenger announced that a new program – Discipleship Training for Adult Youth Ministry Leaders – would start Nov. 7.

Christopher Arcona was among adult leaders who came with youth to the rally. A religious education teacher at St. Bernadette Parish in Northborough, he said it was nice for youth and adults to take time out to reflect on their faith. He also liked the keynoter’s unpopular reminder of Satan’s presence in the world and the struggle to stay on the right path.

Siobhan Hart, a 16-year-old from Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Webster, said she was delighted to unexpectedly encounter her friend Emmaline Gumlaw at the rally.
“We empower each other in our faith,” she explained.

“When you get together, there’s just something magical,” added Emmaline, a 14-year-old from St. Anne and St. Patrick Parish in Sturbridge. She said classmates “actively dismiss my faith,” but attending the rally with people who share her experiences of faith “makes me feel closer to God.”

“I don’t have any Catholic friends,” said Molly Morse, 13, of Annunciation Parish in Gardner, adding that she’s usually the one telling her friends about the faith. At the rally, she found Catholic peers.

“It’s great to get to learn from them and hear their experiences,” she said, explaining that it will help her teach her own friends about the faith.