By
BETH LONGWARE DUFF
Fairfield County Catholic,
July 14, 2007
With
the promise of high energy inspirational speakers, great music, and plenty of
pizza, the organizers of the second annual Eucharist-centered youth rally
in the Diocese of Bridgeport are hoping to attract hundreds of teens to "Fan the Fire"
of love, peace, joy, and service.
The
one-day event will take place on the grounds of Saint
Rose of Lima Parish in Newtown on Saturday, August 18, from 10
a.m. to 9 p.m., and all teens entering grades 8-12 are invited.
Bringing
People to Christ
Rodd
Blessey, the parish's youth minister, says the motivating factor behind everything
he does is bringing people to Christ - and the rally is no exception.
"We
were doing youth group all summer and taking our kids on retreat, but once we
came back there was nothing to do," he explains. "They wanted to share with their
friends the experience they had on retreat, but they couldn't. So we started
having concerts back in 2003 to enable them to invite people from all over and
get them involved in a youth group."
Each
year Blessey added a new element - Mass, Adoration, Reconciliation - until the
gathering blossomed into a day-long event. In 2006 he teamed up with Fan the Fire,
an organization that began nine years ago in Pennsylvania, to organize its first
rally in Connecticut. Five hundred students and adults from the tri-state area
participated, including representatives from 27 parishes in the diocese.
"It's
an outlet for youth ministers to bring their kids together with a huge crowd of
other kids who are the same as them to learn more about their faith and figure
out their relationship with God," Blessey says.
The
2007 Fan the Fire CT Youth Rally is presented in association with the Catholic
Youth Foundation, a non-profit apostolate dedicated to providing resources and
retreats to youth ministers and teens, and the Diocese of Bridgeport's Office
for Pastoral Services and Office of Vocations.
Chosen
to Love
The
theme for this year's rally, "Chosen to Love" (John 15:9-17), is a reflection
of Pope Benedict's XVI's encyclical letter on the topic of love (Deus Caritas
Est), in which he wrote that we must be "persons moved by Christ's love,
persons whose hearts Christ has conquered with His love, awakening within them
a love of neighbor."
THE
HIGH SCHOOL APOSTLES group gathered on June 23 for leadership training and spiritual
renewal, in preparation for the "Fan the Fire" youth rally. (PHOTO BY SISTER
PATRICIA GONZÁLEZ-ORBEGOSO)
In
addition to fun and games designed to appeal to the young participants, plenty
of time has been set aside for praise and worship led by returning Martin Doman,
a nationallyknown worship leader from the Diocese of Harrisburg, PA. Deacon Ralph
Poyo of Raleigh, NC, will present the keynote address. A youth minister for 20
years with an energetic and passionate style of communication, he's a popular
speaker at retreats, rallies, and church missions around the country.
The
star attraction on the entertainment side will be Catholic music and hip hop artist
Oscar Rivera (a.k.a. IIX), a native of Waterbury. Workshops will be led by host
Scott Anthony and several priests from the diocese, including Father Hernán Bohórquez,
chaplain at Kolbe Cathedral High School; Father Peter Cipriani, spiritual director
at Notre Dame High School; and Father Peter Lynch, director of vocations. Sister
Alejandra Keen, director of the Office for Pastoral Services, will join them.
Empower and
Express
"It
will be an opportunity to share the joy of being together and to grow in their
Catholic identity, to empower the youth to live and express their faith," notes
Assistant Director of Pastoral Studies and Rally Organizer Sister Ana Montoya.
Scheduled events
include testimonies, a Eucharistic Holy Hour with recitation of the Rosary, and
a closing Teen Mass celebrated by Bishop William Lori, who is expected to spend
five hours at the rally. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will also be available
throughout the day. The day will be capped off by a pizza dinner.
A
new addition to this year's rally is a prayer campaign that was recently instituted
at Saint Rose. "The Sisters here have come up with a big mural that will be in
a tent at the event," explains Blessey. "Kids can spend a moment praying for
Pope Benedict, and each time they do that they can add a piece to the mosaic.
At the end of the day all the prayers will create a picture that we're going
to take a photo of and send to the pope."
Passion
to Help
Blessey
concludes that the impact of the rally is important to the future of the Catholic
Church.
"It's
a passion youth ministers have to want to help these kids out, to share our faith
with them and give them the tools to succeed in life," Blessey says. "What it
comes down to is this is a huge community event that we want to expand to as
many people as possible - not for ourselves, but for the kids. Coming together
for one common reason - that's just awesome!"
(The
$30 per person admission for Fan the Fire includes entry to all the day's events
as well as the pizza dinner. Groups should bring a bag lunch. Registrations will
be taken on a first-come, first-served basis; space is limited. Additional information
can be found at www.fanthefirerally.com,
or by e-mailing Rodd Blessey: blessm an@charter.net.)
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