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When Parishioners Shine

When St. Vincent de Paul Parishioners Shine!

Gabi Simoneit receives the Manus Christi Award (Hands of Christ):
Presented to seniors in high school, the Manus Christi is awarded to young people who have exemplified Christian leadership in their parish and the diocese. Gabi is involved in Parish Youth Ministry at St. Vincent de Paul, she has participated in such ministries as Mission Camp, Xtreme Faith, and the Pumpkin Patch. She also shares her gifts as a Catechist and many other ministries at St. John de LaSalle Parish.

The Bohendwa family (originally from the Congo)
The children are preparing to become members of the Catholic Faith and will all be Baptized at the Easter Vigil. The older children will receive all their Sacraments that evening. The younger children are welcomed into the Sacramental Preparation at Catholic Academy of Niagara Falls. The children are pictured with their Godparents along with Mr. & Mrs. Bohendwa (third from the right).

Catholic Virtue Award
Alex Terry receives Catholic Virtue Award from his school presented by Fr. Bob at mass. Congrats!

Witness The Spirit
October 2013

. . . witness the enthusiastic spirit of our faithful young people
. . . witness the caring and persevering spirit of dedicated adults who work with them
. . . witness the evangelizing spirit of youth ministry in our diocese
. . . witness the supportive spirit of our own Bishop Malone who gathered with the young church

Joel Congi – Discipleship Award
Peter Fatourus – Companion on the Journey Award
Tina Huber – Commissioned as an Associate with the Sisters of St. Francis @ Stella Niagara

Young Christians at Work

Part of every day is spent in direct service in places with people who are in need.

The rest of the day is spent learning about Catholic Social Teaching through hands-on activities and group discussions about issues including power, violence and interdependence.

Shared work, prayer, and community living are also essential components of this experience.

Recipients of the Manus Christi Award

“Hands of Christ”
2012

Eagle Scout Projects
(The Way of the Cross)
2011-2012

Niagara Catholic
Joey Mundier
Parishioner Bethany Pyska attends Niagara Catholic High School

Former Diocesan Youth Board Member Krista Dean

(Now the Vice President of our Parish Pastoral Council)

It’s that time of year again; Convention time! A time for celebrating, learning and worshiping. It’s also a time for many of the diocese’s God-loving local Catholic youth to come together for a wonderful weekend beginning Feb. 18 to share our faith of the same belief in Jesus Christ. As this approaches, I reflect on how we as young people came to this point, and how we got so involved in our faith. Youth groups in the Diocese of Buffalo have shown to be so involved and so willing to show our faith. Without local youth groups, convention would not be possible and we may not know how to express our faith with others. Parish youth ministry is such a great way to teach the upcoming leaders of the Church many skills that are needed to live a faith-filled life.

By being involved in our faith, we also get the opportunity to make a difference in the community, and interacting with meeting new people. Youth groups and events such as convention allow diverse youth to come together in a setting that might not happen in the normal everyday at high school. This teaches us how to become more accepting of a person with different interests from ourselves, but realize that we all possess one strong similarity: the love for God. Being able to do that in a local youth group may suffice for some places, but not for the Diocese of Buffalo.

Hundreds of young people join at the Adam’s Mark Hotel to meet new people, have a great time, and share our love for God just as we do in our youth groups. So basically convention is an absolutely huge youth group meeting in one weekend.

Now, all this fun that we have, and all of the learning we also acquire comes from the leadership of adults. Youth ministers around the diocese make it their first priority to make sure all of their young people are growing in their faith. Many youth group leaders introduce us to the idea of convention and other activities the diocese provides for youth. Without their hard work, dedication and care, we as young people would not be able to show our faith in God, and become young leaders like many are in this area today.