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: blessman@charter.net.)
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