Teens called to live their faith at
‘Holy Spirit University’

By Mary Ann Wyand

“Holy Spirit University” was the theme for the 2006 Archdiocesan Youth Rally, which was three years in the making.

Two years ago, teenagers from parishes in central and southern Indiana celebrated the life and teachings of Jesus during a youth rally titled “Shout it Out” that culminated with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at Roncalli High School and Mass at nearby St. Jude Church in Indianapolis.

Last year, they learned about God the Father during a youth rally with the theme “Got Pop?” that also was held at the Indianapolis South Deanery interparochial high school.

This year’s rally on March 5 at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis focused on being “Schooled in the Holy Spirit” to complete the theme of the Most Holy Trinity.

For the past two years, some of the youth rally participants got to share their musical abilities during a talent show at Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis on the night before the rally.

Last Sunday, more than 550 teens from 10 deaneries learned about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and enjoyed an entertaining keynote presentation by APeX Ministries co-founders Brad Farmer and Gene Monterastelli based in Washington, D.C.

As Farmer and Monterastelli juggled balls, bowling pins and well-timed jokes, the teens learned memorable lessons about life and faith.

“Whether we recognize it or not,” Farmer told the teens, “… we owe our existence to the Creator. Everything that we have, everything that we are, every good gift that we receive, comes from our heavenly Father.”

Catholics are fed in a special way by the sacrament of the Eucharist, he said, which nourishes us, sustains us and transforms us.

“Our Creator gives us the opportunity to be nourished by him,” Farmer said, “… and we become transformed. … We want to do something for him. We make a gift of the talents that he has given us [and] we give them back to him.”

Farmer shared the story of the sudden death of his 11-year-old sister, Brittany, from complications of cerebral palsy when he was young, and how his faith sustained him during that painful time in his life.

He said her saintliness and cheerfulness inspired him to do something significant with his life, so he started APeX Ministries with his friend to help young people grow in their faith.

“I get excited about the lives of the saints,” Farmer said. “Their lives were surrounded by the miraculous and the mysterious. Where did they get this power? It’s because they went to the school of the Holy Spirit. They graduated from Holy Spirit University. They lived in imitation of the greatest superhero that ever walked the face of the earth—the person of Jesus Christ.”

Farmer reminded the teens that the Spirit of God enabled Jesus to heal people, walk across a lake and feed 5,000-plus people with a little bit of bread and a couple of fish.

“Everything that Jesus said, everything that he was about, was motivated by the Spirit of God,” Farmer said. “That same Holy Spirit is still alive today. When you invite the Holy Spirit into your life, miraculous things start happening. When you let the Spirit of God become the motivation for everything that you do, life gets really interesting. … In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that you are the light of the world.”

Monteraselli showed the teenagers how he escapes from a straightjacket, told them about his learning disabilities and reminded them that God helps them overcome obstacles in their lives.

“I have no idea what burdens and what obstacles await you on the other side of that door,” he said. “That is part of the struggle of life. … That is a fact of life. There are times when you are going to feel ill-equipped to deal with obstacles. But when you walk out that door, you’re not walking out the door alone. You’re walking out as community. You’re walking out with the Holy Spirit inside of you.”

Because we all are members of the body of Christ in the world, Monteraselli said, “the way you interact with your friends, your parents, your teachers, your co-workers, the person you like the least, is the way that you are interacting with the body of Christ … and the way that you will be the body of Christ to others.”

The rally also featured music by Grace On Demand, a skit about Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit by Archdiocesan Youth Council members, performances by Altar Boyz and the Dance Refinery dancers as well as workshops about a variety of relevant issues for teenagers.

Father Jonathan Meyer, archdiocesan director of youth and young adult ministry and associate pastor of Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish in Greenwood, was the celebrant for the youth Mass.

“We are about to encounter Jesus Christ,” Father Meyer said at the beginning of Mass. “We are about to encounter him in his flesh and blood. We are about to encounter the Most Holy Trinity, spoken to us from the Word of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. … Rejoice in the fact that you have faith, and that is a beautiful, beautiful blessing.”

The Holy Spirit continues to strengthen the faith of people, he said, just as “the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert,” where he was tempted by Satan but triumphed over him.

“We believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the mystery of the Trinity,” Father Meyer said, explaining that baptism is our weapon against Satan, who still tempts people to sin through the culture of death prevalent in contemporary society.

“We believe that Jesus’ death on the cross brought us eternal life and salvation,” he said. “… It is through the waters of baptism that we die with Christ and rise to new life with him. … We’re all going to die, but we’re promised eternal life. That’s the covenant that God made with us.”

The Church calls us to 40 days of prayer, fasting and service to others during Lent, Father Meyer said, to remind us of our call to worship God.

“When Jesus died on the cross, that was God’s victory over Satan,” he said. “Satan was crushed on Good Friday.”

Satan wants us to feel isolated and inadequate in life and tries to alienate us from God, Father Meyer said, but God is always with us so we are never alone.

“We are God’s children,” he said. “You’re God’s creation, and because of that you’re beautiful, because of that you’re good, because of that you’re smart and gifted and loved. And because of the cross of Christ, you’re forgiven. … Jesus came to this earth to make us the body of Christ. … If you are baptized, you are never alone.

“ … At Holy Spirit University today, we are called to return to our baptism,” Father Meyer said. “During Lent, God wants to drive us into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights for one reason, and that’s to conquer Satan in our life, to conquer the demons and the spirits that keep us from living in the freedom that we have as God’s sons and daughters. … May we who desire to be schooled in the Holy Spirit receive the gift of life. May we who are baptized live our faith, and may we who are never alone stand united as the body of Christ.”

Encouraging the teenagers to consider a religious vocation as a priest, brother or sister, Father Meyer told them that “God is calling many of you to serve him, to answer his call.” †