With fellowship, faith and fun under the sun, youth from throughout the Diocese of Camden came out for the Diocesan Youth Congress on Saturday, June 12, at Absecon’s Carlo Acutis youth center.
The events of the day took place on the grounds of the youth center that bears the name of a young man who used his computer programming skills to spread devotion to the Eucharist before he died at the age of 15 from leukemia.
When blessing the new center last October, Bishop Dennis Sullivan described Blessed Acutis as a young person with an uncommon devotion to the church but who was a typical teenager in many other ways. Fittingly, this year’s Youth Congress seemed designed to appeal to the spiritual potential of typical South Jersey youth, with opportunities for worship, recreation, reflection, discussion and sustenance for the soul and body.
Rebekah Hardy, campus minister at Rowan University, Glassboro, and Jeff Shields, youth minister at Saint Rose of Lima Parish, Haddon Heights, led the young church in outdoor Eucharistic adoration.
Women religious joined youth in cornhole and soccer. Diocesan priests were available for confession throughout the afternoon. A food truck providing summer staples such as burgers and ice cream was parked all day on the campus.
All these were the prologue to the keynote speaker, Jimmy Spilker, director of Camden County Young Life, an ecumenical, Christ-centered youth ministry, and parishioner at Christ the King Parish in Haddonfield.
The joyous occasion was capped by Mass celebrated by Father Robert Hughes, diocesan Vicar General.
In their words to the approximately 60 gathered youth, both Father Hughes and Spilker challenged them to utilize their God-given talents to build up their parish and communities.
“We are many faces, many gifts, many talents, one church,” noted Jose Rodriguez, diocesan director of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministries.
“I’m super grateful for those who participated. It was an opportunity for young people to talk, and be heard,” he said. “I’m grateful and looking forward to next year.”
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