Polish Youth

Some people may not know that Chicago is the second city of Poland, with more Polish people than any city in the world apart from Warsaw. So what happens to the teens who grow up and go to school in the USA but have their roots somewhere else? This was the second time the Archdiocese of Chicago held a specifically Polish youth festival.

Venue was the grounds of a Dominican Sisters house in Justice IL, although it appeared they had chosen a bad date for an outdoor event. The previous day tornadoes were threatened for Chicago, and this Saturday, storms were highly likely. Our dedicated ACTS prayer team (and surely many other Polish people) prayed about the weather, and there was no rain while we took in and set up the equipment.

A few minutes before our time to start, the heavens opened and it was clear there would not be enough room for everyone under the shelter of the pavillion where we were. Some people had umbrellas, and others rushed inside. I suppose you might call it a "captive" audience! By the end the rain had died down somewhat, and undaunted, they were talking about how they might make their festival even better next year.

Aurora IL

We discovered that Aurora is the 2nd largest city in Illinois. It is pretty rare for us to go to a parish with no active youth ministry or youth minister, but a family event with a majority of adults present means the message can go a little deeper and if necessary go a little longer than for the younger teens we usually minister to.
In the diocese of Rockford this was apparently the most original event to launch a "Why Catholic" program which many parishes present this fall. It was a good theme on which to share personal experiences of growing up as a Catholic and some of the things we all go through. One 5 year old boy said he wants to change the world, but his parents won't let him because it's dangerous! Yes it is, and so it should be.... "dangerous faith" is the expression I believe, which can indeed change the world!
After a slightly more mellow than usual start, by the end young and old together were praising God freely. All seemed well pleased, and in fact the elderly seemed just as enthusiastic as our usual teens do after the event. We talked about going into their local schools next time, and so this is a parish we should be visiting again before too long.

Western Springs, IL

At this suburban parish they have a long tradition of home groups for teens, but this year they decided to kickoff the program by gathering them all together for a big event, something they never tried before. Their order was for fun, high energy, and music! We ended up with about 300 kids, from 8th graders to High School Seniors. With a lot of new kids, it was important to spend a good chunk of time on icebreakers, and all ages entered in together enthusiastically. We had a whole bunch of American Idol hopefuls singing everything from Silent Night to Mary Had a Little Lamb, and one fast runner trying to beat the waves.
Once we got into the musical segment, they applauded loudly and all stood for prayer. It can be a little tough finding just the right mix of message for such different ages, but it seemed like everyone went home happy. We hope to work with this parish again and build on what we have started.