RALEIGH - As storm clouds cleared, young adults from throughout the diocese gathered Sept. 23 at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral to celebrate a special Mass with Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama.
Despite the last-minute cancellation of a planned, pre-Mass “palooza,” due to Tropical Storm Ophelia, people stepped in to make the evening memorable.
Volunteers welcomed each person at the door with a flyer and smile. The young adult choir filled the cathedral with its heartfelt music. High school seniors volunteered their talents as lectors and seminarians were an inspiring presence as the altar servers.
Even the 600 hamburgers that were prepared for the picnic did not go to waste. The Knights of Columbus donated them to sisters and brothers in need at The Women's Center and Catholic Parish Outreach.
Abigail Ward, the leader of N.C. State University’s Catholic Campus Ministry group, shared the inspiration behind this event.
“This idea came up about a year and a half ago: ‘Oh, we should have an event for college students and young adults to come together with our bishop … what a better way than to come together for Mass?’ It’s good to remember that we are not alone,” said Ward.
Ward knows that these young adults are a powerful presence in the Church.
“Young adults are the next generation of the Church. The time is now,” said Ward. “What a joy it is that we get to usher in the next generation of young people. We shouldn’t just sit around for someone else to do it. We have the power to do that.”
Bishop Luis also expressed his hope at the joy and energy of young adults during his homily.
“Looking at all of you, I have such hope,” said the bishop as he stood before the many gathered in the cathedral. “Young, full of energy, with the ability to dream big. Don’t let the world steal your dream. Don’t let the world destroy your joy. Don’t let the world destroy your hope. Accept Jesus’s invitation.”
The bishop stressed that young adults have an important mission to bring the joy of Christ to their peers.
“You are young, and you are surrounded by a lot of young people in your colleges and universities. Your classmates, your roommates, they need to find in you … hope. Hope comes in the way you see life and in the way you dream what Jesus dreams,” he said.
Bishop Luis offered some profound encouragement for times when “storms and clouds of daily life challenge us.”
The bishop reminded those gathered to stop and listen.
“Not what you want to listen to, but what Jesus is trying to say to you. Stop and listen. Not to what the other person is telling you but what your heart is saying to you. Don’t be afraid to listen to the voice of your own heart. Don’t be afraid to be challenged by God’s word. Not in the way you expect him to talk to you but in the way he wants to talk to you. Let him give you what he wants to give to you,” the bishop said. “In the middle of the storms of daily life, there is always hope.”
He closed the Mass with a simple but powerful challenge: smile when you receive Jesus.
“Sometimes we look sad when we are coming to receive Communion. Less than one percent of the ones who come to receive Communion are smiling when they receive Jesus. You are receiving him whose love is transforming, and there is no joy?”
The message was one that the participants took to heart.
Ward said, “I love every time the bishop mentions that we need to love, and that God is love and that we need to smile. If I know the joy that is Jesus, then I have no reason to not smile. I have no reason to not share his joy.”
High school senior Maggie Draper reflected on the joy of being at the Mass saying, “Why else are you here other than to be loved by God? This is almost as close as you are going to get to Jesus. I feel like it’s really important to show that.”
She connected with the bishop’s message about the importance of expressing our joy through a smile.
“It’s nice for people outside of the Church or people not sure if they belong in the Church to see people in the Church looking happy to be here and happy to be part of it,” said Draper.
With a smile, she added, “So, I need to start smiling more.”
With over 400 people in attendance, the narthex was packed after Mass with young people greeting Bishop Luis, chatting with the priests and laughing with friends.
“I knew so many people. It’s so fun to see everyone,” said Caitlyn Jennings, a freshman at N.C. State. “I got to invite so many people, a bunch of my friends.”
Jennings is an active member of N.C. State’s CCM and helped package the miraculous medals that were passed out to everyone after Mass. She spoke about what being part of CCM means to her.
“I’m here because of CCM. I am trying to stick to my faith as much as I can. I grew up Catholic. It’s my favorite thing ever, and I don’t want that feeling of feeling like I’m straying away. So, I’m doing as much as I can.”
She said that she desires to “keep [her] relationship with God and the Catholic faith strong.”
This event is only part of what the growing young adult community is doing in the diocese.
Young adult leader Lizzie Gildner shared her excitement. “There is a wave of conversion among young people. I think it is going to benefit the church immensely and bring about reverence and revival,” she said. “We are the future of the Church. When a young adult encounters Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, their life is completely changed.”
Young adults will have the chance to encounter Christ in a special way at the upcoming Eucharistic Congress October 21. Many said that they are already making plans for the diocesan-wide event and look forward to growing deeper in their faith.
Quotes from Young Adult Catholic Palooza Event on September 23, 2023
Bishop Luis Quotes
“It’s nice to see cathedral with young people. Young people with a lot of expectations in life. Dreams, big dreams but at the same time finding a way to make their dreams a reality. Confronting the challenges of life today.
“What was it that Jesus did that made the people upset? You know the answer? His mercy, His love, and His compassion. That is what made the people upset…envy. Unable to see the great things Jesus did without envy. Jesus was acting in love, compassion, kindness, and mercy, and people react with anger, frustration, unable to open themselves to the great things that were happening.”
“The challenges of the weather of our lives: clouds, rain, winds. What can we do? Stop and listen. Not what you want to listen to but what Jesus is trying to say to you. Stop and listen. Not to what the other person is telling you but what your heart is saying to you. Don’t be afraid to listen to the voice of your own heart. Don’t be afraid to be challenged by God’s Word. Not in the way you expect Him to talk to you but in the way He wants to talk to you. Let Him give you what He wants to give to you.”
“You will be one more in the crowd or you will make a difference with who you are. When you try to become who you are, you will wake jealously in other people because today the world cannot see someone who is happy and able to smile. The world today tries to steal from us that gift. The gift of joy and the gift of peace.”
“You are young, and you are surrounded by a lot of young people in your college and university. Your classmate, you roommate, they need to find in you…hope. Hope comes in the way you see life, in the way you dream what Jesus dreams.”
“Let Him draw on your face the joy of being touched by Him. Our souls and our hearts need to be embraced and our souls and our hearts are hungry to be loved. And Jesus offers all that to us. Not through the text, not through the cell phone, not through the cloud, not through social media. Jesus offers us [love] in our spiritual journey when we make time for Hiim. Be transformed, be touched, be free, and experience love and life.”
“Looking at all of you, I have such hope. Young, full of energy, with the ability to dream big. Don’t let the world steal your dream. Don’t let the world destroy your joy. Don’t let the world destroy your hope. Accept Jesus’s invitation…being touched by Him transforms our life.”
“Sometimes we look sad when we are coming to receive Communion. Less than one percent of the ones who come to receive Communion are smiling when they receive Jesus. You are receiving him whose love is transforming and there is no joy?”
Abigail Ward Quotes (NC State Catholic Campus Ministry Leader)
“This idea came up about a year and a half ago: ‘Oh we should have an event for college students and young adults to come together with our bishop.’ We thought, ‘What a better way than to came together for Mass.’ It’s good to remember that we are not alone.”
“Young adults are the next generation of the church. The time is now. We should not let our youth hold us back from anything.”
“I love every time the bishop mentions that we need to love, and that God is Love and that we need to smile. If I know the joy that is Jesus, then I have no reason to not smile. I have no reason to not share His joy.”
Fr. John Curran Quotes (Chaplain at NC State)
“Msgr. Ingham sent a Saturday morning message: ‘If all you do is celebrate Mass, you’ve done the most important part. The rest will follow.’”
“Msgr. Jerry Lewis’ closing words were gold. We are a family, all. Our skin color, age, background doesn’t matter. We’re brothers and sisters. And Bishop Luis and Msgr. Lewis both emphasized, ‘You young people fill us with such joy and hope!’”
“Ophelia washed out our Palooza picnic, but she (the Holy Spirit) showered immense grace upon our entire diocese last night at the Diocesan-wide Young Adult Mass with Bishop Luis at the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral.”
Lizzie Gildner Quotes (Young Adult Leader at Our Lady of Lourdes)
“I think it’s important to gather as a community of young people to pray and worship and glorify God thorough the Mass.”
“We are the future of the Church. When a young adult encounters Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, their life is completely changed. There is a wave of conversion among young people. I think it is going to benefit the church immensely and bring about reverence and revival.”
“The bishop was talking about being joyful and having smile and I think that is so important in society today to carry about our lives a joyful presence.”
Maggie Draper Quotes (High School Senior)
“It’s really important to keep young adults gravitated toward the church because so many people are just leaving. They’ll just stray from their faith for a little while and then they’ll come back later. I’ve heard so many talkers who are like, ‘Yeah, during my college years I started to move farther away from Jesus and the Church.’ Some of them have found their way back and some people just haven’t been able to do that. I think it’s really nice to hear those stories of young people who were able to find their way back, but I think it’s also important to not stray from the church to begin with. Events like this are really cool and having a good catholic ministry on a campus it such a nice resource to have.”
“I really liked what he said about smiling and trying to look open and happy.”
“Why else are you here other than to be loved by God? This is almost as close as you are going to get to Jesus. I feel like it’s really important to show that.”
“It’s nice for people outside of the Church or people not sure if they belong in the church to see people in the church looking happy to be here and happy to be part of it. I know personally, when people don’t look welcoming or friendly or happy, it’s really hard to be able to talk to them and get to know them or even be part of the group they’re part of because it seems really hostile. I think it’s important to remember. So, I need to start smiling more.
Caitlyn Jennings Quotes (Freshman at NC State)
“I’m here because of CCM. I am trying to stick to my faith as much as I can. I grew up Catholic. It’s my favorite thing ever, and I don’t want that feeling of feeling like I’m straying away. So, I’m doing as much as I can.”
“I knew so many people. It’s so fun to see everyone too. I got to invite so many people, a bunch of my friends. Really just keep my relationship with God and Catholic faith strong.”
