By Victoria Edwards­­­

“Lord I’m amazed by you, how you love me.”

These were just some of the words that I heard echoing through Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Manhattan, on All Saints Day.

This past Saturday, I was given the opportunity to attend Catholic Underground, run by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. I had heard about Catholic Underground before through my campus ministry program at St. John’s University, but I never had the opportunity to go before.

I boarded a bus along with Father Marcin Chilczuk, Deacon Peter Stamm and other parishioners from both Sacred Heart parish, Glendale, and Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Ridgewood.

Upon arrival at Our Lady of Good Counsel, I was amazed by not only the beauty of the church itself but at the variety of people there!

I was expecting to see a large group of older people and for the adoration to be very quiet. I was so surprised when I walked in and saw large groups of young adults, just like myself, who were excited to take part in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament!

Throughout the holy hour, the music provided by the Friars encircled me and filled me with this feeling of peace and serenity.

The repetition of certain phrases and songs made it a very meditative space where you could really connect with God and strengthen your relationship with Him.

After adoration, we were invited to head downstairs for a concert; the performers are normally a modern and contemporary Catholic singer. This past Saturday, we had the pleasure of watching Tori Harrison perform. Her songs and inspiring story filled me with a sense of hope for the future of the Catholic faith. Maybe our faith isn’t dying out.