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Youth for the Future – Be a part of it
Have you ever felt like there was something missing in your life? You don’t quite know what it is, what that void, however big or small, is meant to be filled by, but you just know that you’re lacking something? I had that feeling and in a way, I know it’s not completely full yet but I know I’m getting there. It’s crazy really, if you ask anyone who knows me they will all agree that I would be the last person to become so passionately involved in trying to encourage young people to embark on a journey of their faith. Little did they know that I would throw myself so enthusiastically into the challenge that I had set myself.
When the word got around school that I was organising a youth Mass, there were a few raised eyebrows and looks of puzzlement. “Really?” and “Megan why?” were the most common questions. “Because I want to” I would answer. Crikey! No one would believe I attended a Catholic School.
The Mass turned out really good anyway. However I would be lying to you if I said that I didn’t have my doubts; scared that no one would be interested, that I would have to do the Mass all on my own, terrified that I would be singled out as some kind of religious freak. But well – it turned out God was on my side after all.
A lot of my friends got involved too. We had musicians, dancers, singers, readers and actors – the whole works. What did I do? Well……I like to call myself the director. The truth is I had help from all angles. Judi (Hallam Diocesan Youth Co-ordinator) helped me put my ideas across and interact with the young children from feeder schools, Mrs Shay (our School Chaplain) helped me encourage people to get involved, Geraldine (Youth Co-ordinator from Youth 2000) encouraged and supported me 110%, my mum (bless her) helped me brighten up the church with the primary school children’s art work and my friends – well I couldn’t have done it without them basically. I’m sure you are all aware of the saying ‘Friends are angels in disguise.”
I think that most young people today have completely the wrong idea about Christians. I don’t know – it’s like they think we go around with our rosary beads and crucifix, quoting the bible and blessing people. I bet they think we’ve got hymns on our ipods too. If only they knew!
Teenagers like me, and yes I will honestly put myself into this category, are under constant ridicule from other teenagers. ‘Bible bashers’ is a label I’ve heard more than once. It is a shared belief among other young people out there that being religious in any way is not ‘fashionable.’ Apparently we don’t know how to have fun, don’t know how to enjoy life, we spend all out time praying, visiting churched. Yeah right! Just look around and stop being shallow minded and stereotypical.
Being a part of a parish or school youth group is a rewarding, self-fulfilling and fun opportunity. There is a huge variety of ways you can involve yourself in parish life, from sharing the eloquent sign of peace at Mass and making a cup of tea for an old lady to climbing the Pyrenees mountains in France with thousands of other parishioners from all different walks of life and joining the mission groups for a gap year with a difference.
I believe that for me – just a normal, typical 16 year old girl – the inspiration began at Savio House on the year 11 retreat. I had a fantastic time there which I will never forget. I have always been pretty religious I suppose, I mean that’s the way I was brought up; I went to church, I said my prayers. But my heart wasn’t really in it until I went to Savio. The experience was so sensational, overwhelming and life-changing. It tugged at my heartstrings in so many different ways. It excited me, made me want to cry, laugh, smile, shout, dance all at the same time. It made me look at myself differently, question myself. What kind of person did I want to be? What was important to me? Who was important to me? I realised I wanted to become a better person. It was so far beyond anything I had ever experienced before in my entire life. I knew it was special and I wanted to share this with other teenagers like myself. And so the Mass was the perfect starting point for me.
You know that experience when you can envisage something perfectly in your head but when you try to explain it to someone it never seems the same? Well that is what making this Mass come to life was like for me. The Mass was going to be a celebration of Mother Teresa’s life and I was playing ‘Another Day in Paradise’ by Phil Collins no matter what anybody said. I suppose it was foolish of me however to believe that it would be sufficient enough for me to simply write a few lines, have some young children with no shame wandering around the sanctuary with Phil Collins serenading the congregation.
Without inflating my ego I did do my research and I was familiar with the structure of Mass. It was easy for me to strip out the minor (and perhaps more tedious) sections of the Mass, leaving the bare essentials and plenty of room for myself to experiment. Boy, should the Priest be quaking in his boots right about now!
By far the scariest experience of it all was going back to my primary school with Mrs Shay to ask for help from the younger school children. I felt like something from the land of the giants with all their cute little faces gawping up at me. Finding teenagers my age who were originally from the same parish as me and trying to get them to take part proved harder than I anticipated. Still, we all have those special friends which I have spoke about before who we can rely on for help no matter what; granted it wouldn’t have been fair for me to give them the most embarrassing jobs.
If you think that because Mass takes place every week they magically come together overnight then you would be very much mistaken. There was an entire day of hard, intense, whip cracking rehearsals which included musicians, singers, dancers, readers, actors. And all the while I stood telling people what to do, where to sit, how to move. I had all the power, I felt just like God must do sat up there on his red throne.
What I will say is that all the hard work and commitment paid off tremendously. The Mass was fantastic and the atmosphere was thrilling. I have received nothing but great feedback for the Mass. People have thanked me for getting involved, doing things a bit differently. I just felt proud, it was a privilege. My friend Harriet, one of the angels I mentioned earlier commented that “the Mass had a really uplifting atmosphere and I had a great time. I definitely think more people should get involved in Youth Masses. Megan has proved that can be lots of fun!”
In conclusion, this is my plea to you - Be a part of it. You have no idea how inspiring, self-fulfilling and rewarding it is. Involve yourself as little or as much as you like. I know it might be scary, but take a risk. Embarking on this journey of faith is so exciting. Follow your heart and you never know – God might just find you!