FRESH MEADOWS — Catholic students from across Brooklyn and Queens got to skip their second period on Weds., Feb. 28, spending the morning instead in faith celebration and prayer.
Piling into school buses, 550 students from throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn traveled to Holy Family Parish for the Junior High Eucharistic Youth Rally, a day of singing, worship, and Eucharistic adoration. Pews were filled, and some students had no choice but to stand along the sides of the church, as Bishop Robert Brennan guided them through a spiritual journey.
“It’s very encouraging to be among the young people. You see their energy, you see their reverence. It’s just beautiful in the way they prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and the way they responded to the music,” Bishop Brennan told The Tablet.
The Eucharistic Youth Rally was part of the Lenten Pilgrimage, a program designed to encourage Catholics to visit a different church in the diocese each day during Lent.
However, this event was especially catered towards enhancing the spiritual growth of the Catholic students. Academy members had been encouraged to bring toiletries to the event, which would be donated to the Little Sisters of the Poor and Missionaries of Charity, who serve the elderly and poor of the diocese.
For Natalie Palumbo, a seventh grade student at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy, the rally allowed her the chance to be more open about her faith, alongside other like-minded young people.
“I felt more open and clear about God and my feelings about being a Catholic,” she said. “It made me feel like God was always around me.”
Deacon Kevin McCormack, the superintendent of schools for the diocese, applauded Father Sean Suckiel, the pastor at Holy Family Parish, for his leadership in setting up the Eucharistic Youth Rally, which has not been held since the pandemic. The event, Deacon McCormack said, allowed students to understand the importance of faith, open their eyes to God, and experience the Holy Spirit.
“We give [students] the opportunities to see that the world is bigger than just their appetites. That there is something more gracious involved in everything they do,” Deacon McCormack said. As he watched the students pray and sing, he felt they took advantage of that opportunity.
The rally happened near the halfway point in the Lenten season, as the participants continue to prepare for the Easter season. Elijah Gindler, an eighth grade student at Holy Family Catholic Academy, was an altar server during the celebration. The event served as a chance to meet students from other schools. This Lenten season, he is giving up social media, and is looking forward to Easter because he will get to serve during Masses.
Julian Rojas, an eighth grade student at St. Kevin Catholic Academy, gave up chocolate and sour candies for Lent. He greatly enjoyed the music at the rally, which was led by Francisco Torres, who called upon the students to sing along with him.
“The songs were really beautiful. Everything was beautiful and really connected us to Jesus,” he said.
Beyond Eucharistic adoration and prayer, the morning included calls to action by both Bishop Brennan and Father Ralph Edel, the chaplain of St. Francis Prep. Father Edel served as the keynote speaker for the rally, and he emphasized the importance of “finishing the story” of one’s spiritual life.
“When he was talking about our stories, it connected me back to my school,” Isabella Vizcarrondo, a seventh grade student at Xaverian’s Genesis program, said about the keynote address. “Today was really inspiring. It added a fun little twist to it.”
Studies have shown young adults start leaving the church around the age of 13. However, Bishop Brennan has a “mantra” — there are certainly too few people attending church, but those who are involved have a deep, true faith.
“We can’t lose sight of that, and what we need to do is encourage those who are really making the effort,” he said.
Domenico Bolkovic, a seventh grade student at St. Kevin, is one of those passionate young people. He reads the Bible every day, and says that everything he does is to “give Glory to God.”
“I think it’s great to see me, my friends, and the next generation of students at Catholic academies … being present at the Eucharist and truly understanding what God is trying to present to us,” Domenico said.