CYPRESS HILLS — Andy Chantes has been a part of Jornadas de Vida Cristiana for five years. In that time, he said he had gained a deeper understanding of the power of prayer, which led him to participate in a Mass for Peace.
“I wanted to take part in the Mass because of what’s going on throughout the world,” said Chantes, treasurer of the Jornadas movement, an ecclesial group serving Latino youth and young adults. “I personally feel like there is a lot of hatred and violence in the world, and I think celebrating this Mass is one of the most amazing and beautiful things you can do.”
On March 25, Blessed Sacrament Church in Cypress Hills opened its doors for an evening of prayer hosted by the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry and the Jornadas movement.
The Mass was celebrated by Father James Kuroly, the diocese’s director of youth and young adult ministry. He said the Mass was an important opportunity to commemorate the Franciscan Jubilee Year Pope Leo XIV proclaimed in January. The jubilee year started January 10 and ends on January 10, 2027, marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s death.
During his homily, Father Kuroly highlighted St. Francis of Assisi as an example of what it means to be an instrument of peace. He asked the young adults in the pews to follow in his footsteps and resist becoming desensitized to violence.
“I look at these young people today, and their life has really been a life filled with wars and conflicts,” Father Kuroly said. “How easy it is to be accustomed to that instead of being challenged as St. Francis was challenged and as he challenges us to be an instrument of peace.”
Johnny Galindo, a new member of the Jornadas movement, said it was important to attend the Mass not just to pray for an end to wars, but also for an end to the violence people experience in everyday life.
“Obviously, there’s a bunch of conflicts around the world, but it doesn’t have to be a major war. It can be anything that is harmful. It could be physical, psychological,” the 19-year-old Galindo said. “It would be nice if there was peace around the world, no matter how big or small it is.”
Felix Perez, president of Jornadas de Vida Cristiana, said he understood Father Kuroly’s message, adding that he encourages his youth group to be instruments of peace.
“We teach our kids to be peacemakers in their schools and in their homes. Not everyone has the easiest time, so we teach our kids to be there to help others to show others that they are not alone,” Perez said. “We teach all the kids in the Jornadas movement to love your neighbor the way that God told us to and to love them like you love yourself.”