|
|
|
|
Congratulations to this year’s award recipients!
St. Thérèse of Lisieux Vocation of Love Award: Anjuli Baldwin
St. Francis Xavier Missionary Zeal Award: Byron Chan
St. Joseph Man of God Award: James Pereira
St. Dominic Savio Heroic Virtue Award: Andrew Jahn
St. John Beloved of God Award: Joshua Doucette
St. Gianna Beretta Molla Woman of Integrity Award: Maddy Pierce
St. Clare The Humble Servant Award: Sarah Harps
St. Peter Rock of the Church Award: Dante Ursini
Blessed Pier Giorgio Verso L'Alto Award: Sebastian Muggeridge
St. Maximillan Kolbe Love through Service Award: David Dupuis
St. John Paul II Reaching Out to Youth Award: Andriano De Luca
Don Bosco Heart of Youth Ministry Award: Luc Filion
The FYM Office would like to thank…
- Archbishop Prendergast and Bishop Riesbeck for presenting the awards and being present for the celebration
- Arianna Di Giacomo-Maika (Don Bosco Gala Chair) and the other members of the Diocesan Youth Ministry Team (Carol Rheaume, Andre Morill, Adele Costanza and Kathleen Boskill) for planning, decorating and cleaning up!
- Marc Moreau for his inspiring talk on youth ministry
- The Sisters of the Queenship of Mary for the creative presentation of the delicious food
- Sydney Foote and Joe Murphy for their excellent job as MCs
- Everyone who came out to celebrate youth ministry!
Click here to see all the photos from the gala.
|
|
|
“The Family That Prays Together Stays Together”: A Vocation Story
|
|
|
By John and Elaine Boskill
Elaine: John and I have been married for thirty-one and a half years and have raised six children. We have experienced many beautiful aspects of married life, but also many difficult aspects that challenged both of us a great deal: miscarriages, job changes, financially hard times, and moving the family on a few occasions (including from Saskatchewan to Ontario). We do not believe that our marriage would have survived all the trials we had to face (and some we are still facing) had it not been for our Catholic faith- the Eucharist, prayer, the sacraments and adoration. Praying together as a couple and as a family has kept us together.
When John and I were dating, he told me that if we ever got married, God would be first in his life, I would be second and any children we had would be a close second. I was expecting him to say I would be first in his life, so it took me off guard when he said God would be first in his life. I knew he was right, but the language of God being first in a marriage was a new concept to me. It took many years of married life to understand exactly what that meant. What I grew to understand was that when God is first in your life-because God is love-you learn to love like God does-selflessly. In marriage, that means putting your partner before yourself.
John: When Elaine and I moved into our first home, we brought with us our own “right” way of doing things-little things like which side of a double sink to wash in, or whether the sheets are tucked in on the end of the bed, and bigger things like who pays the bills or how to discipline and form your children.
We even had different styles of prayer and had to learn to respect and include each of our styles of praying together as a family. Elaine liked spontaneous prayers and I liked structured prayers. We taught our children the blessings of both and included both in our night prayers. When each of our mother was dying of cancer, the family prayed the rosary together. This brought unity within the family.
As well as praying together, another very important daily act that Elaine and I have tried to model is to always reconcile before going to sleep at night. Sometimes it meant a few late nights! We have also tried to teach our children the importance of restitution (making up for what we have done wrong). Sometimes when they were young, the person who had been wronged was given the right to choose the restitution (with parental approval).
John and I have always been involved in our parish communities, in ministries, sacramental preparation and faith studies. When our children were younger we tried to expose them to other Catholic families and youth events, and helped organize events at their various stages in life. Working for Catholic Christian Outreach has given us another opportunity to be involved in leading University students to know, love and serve God.
The family that prays together stays together, and we would like to add the community that prays together stays together!
Suggested reading: The Power of a Praying Husband , The Power of a Praying Wife, The Power of a Praying Parent and The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children, all by Stormie Omaritian.
|
|
|
The Dark Side of Technology
|
|
By Deacon Gerard Vardy
Deacon Vardy is a deacon in the Archdiocese of Ottawa and a certified counselor at Whitestone Clinic, which offers counselling and psychotherapy, specialising in sex addiction therapy.
|
|
|
|
Smart phones, tablets and computers can improve our daily life, but they also have a dark side. When we spend more time on social media or playing games than we do interacting with real people, or we can’t stop ourselves from repeatedly checking texts, emails, news feeds, websites, or apps- it may be time to reassess our technology use.
Here are some potentially harmful online behaviours to look out for:
Online relationships: The addiction to social networking, dating apps, texting, and messaging can extend to the point where online friends become more important than real-life relationships. Because online friends tend to exist in a bubble, not subject to the same demands or stresses as messy real-world relationships, few real-life relationships can compete with these neat, virtual relationships.
Online compulsions: The addiction to gaming, gambling, stock trading, online shopping, or bidding on auction sites like eBay can often lead to financial and job-related problems. While gambling addiction has been a well-documented problem for years, the availability of Internet gambling has made gambling far more accessible.
Compulsive web surfing: The addiction to watching videos, playing games, searching Google, or checking news feeds can lead to lower productivity at work or school and isolate us for hours at a time. All this compulsive use of the Internet and smart phone apps can cause us to neglect other aspects of life, from real-world relationships to hobbies and social pursuits.
Sexual addiction: Internet pornography, sexting, or messaging services can impact negatively on your real-life intimate relationships and overall emotional health.
Dr. Patrick Carnes defines sexual addiction as any sexually-related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes stress on family, friends, loved ones, and one’s work environment. Sexual addiction has been called sexual dependency and sexual compulsivity. By any name, it is a compulsive behavior that completely dominates the addict’s life. Sexual addicts make sex a priority more important than family, friends, and work. They are willing to sacrifice what they cherish most in order to preserve and continue their unhealthy behavior.
All forms of technology and behavior including the Internet can be addictive because, like drugs and alcohol, they can trigger the release of the brain chemical dopamine and alter mood. And just with using drugs and alcohol, a person can rapidly build up tolerance so that it takes more and more time in front of these screens to derive the same pleasurable reward.
Compulsive use of technology, including online internet use for pornography could be a sign of deeper problems. If you or a loved one are troubled by addictions, it is important to get help and discern those underlying issues.
|
|
|
The Poverty of Loneliness
|
|
|
|
By Patricia Marsen-Dole, Office of Social Justice, Archdiocese of Ottawa
There is a great and growing poverty emerging in our immediate community. This poverty is loneliness, or the lack of relationships that affirm the meaning and purpose that we all must find in our lives. This poverty is especially prevalent among people who have retired or lost their employment, whose spouses have departed, whose children and close friends have moved away or died. One reason for this loneliness is a lack of planning for aging that includes accepting and growing from losses.
A significant facet of aging is a poverty of meaningful relationships in the lives of frail older people living alone, in the lives of those isolated by caring full time for a loved one, and of course in the lives of those suffering alone the early stages of dementia or other major health challenges such as Parkinson’s disease. These are the frail elders in our neighbourhoods whose dignity and place in the community needs to be affirmed each time any of us, younger or older, spot or even hear of someone who needs practical help or just a friendly relationship. These are the many challenges the strong and healthy among us can meet by bringing to others the empathy and hope we experience in our relationships with Christ.
If you are interested in taking part in the Friendly Visitor Ministry, which aims to provide regular contact to shut-ins and their caregivers, please contact Patricia Marsen-Dole (pmarsendole@archottawa.ca).
|
|
|
Spend February 20 celebrating family life with Archbishop Prendergast!
12:15 Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica
1:00 Hotdog lunch
1:30-3:45 Shuttle buses between the Cathedral and the Rideau Canal
Ice skating
Hot chocolate served along the canal
Suggested donation: $5/person, $10/family
Free parking for participants from 12:00-4:00 in Cathedral parking lot.
To help us plan, please register in advance.
|
|
|
|
|
EWTN Family Conference, April 1. Save the date!
|
|
|
Upcoming events at a glance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
