Youth at Utah Catholic Conference hear about young saints who serve as models
DRAPER — About 60 young people from across the Diocese of Salt Lake City participated in the youth sessions of the Utah Catholic Conference on Sept. 21 at the Skaggs Catholic Center in Draper. They came from as far away as Saint George Parish in St. George and as close as St. John the Baptist Parish, which hosted the event.
The day began with a keynote address by Jon Leonetti, a nationally known Catholic author, speaker and radio show host. Leonetti had been scheduled to speak only to the youth that morning, but ended up addressing the adults as well when their presenter had to cancel because of an emergency (See story above for a summary of Leonetti’s address).
After the keynote, the young people gathered separately for the rest of the day. As part of their program, Father Gustavo Vidal, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish, shared with them the lives of three young saints: Blessed Carlo Acutis, St. Maria Goretti and St. Jose Luis Sanchez Del Rio.
In the past year the diocese’s Blessed Carlo Acutis Apostolate, of which Fr. Vidal is director, acquired relics from Blessed Carlo Acutis and St. Maria Goretti. In mid-September Fr. Vidal traveled to Mexico, where he was given a relic of St. Jose Luis Sanchez Del Rio for the apostolate.
These three young saints can be examples to today’s youth, Fr. Vidal said. Like St. Maria Goretti, who forgave the attacker who ultimately caused her death, “we have to respond in the same way, [regardless of] how people are treating us,” he said. “What is she teaching us with her example? Do forgiveness. Forgiveness is very good. It is very hard to forgive, and forgiveness is a gift from the Lord, and sometimes when we have a very hard time forgiving a person we have to ask the Lord; we have to pray to give us the grace to forgive.”
During the presentation on the three young saints, Bishop Oscar A. Solis stopped by to see the youth and spoke to them briefly, expressing appreciation for them being at the conference.
“It’s a wonderful moment for all of us to make the world know that there are young Catholics who believe in God,” Bishop Solis said. “You are the witnesses that there is a God who loves us, cares for us and saves us, and I want you to know that, because we need witnesses, people like you who need to preach the Gospel, that there is a God who loves us, and I hope that it will be witnessed by your own faith and the way you live your faith with joy and gladness.”
Following Fr. Vidal’s presentation, the young people had an opportunity to venerate the relics of all three saints and to touch their medals and rosaries to them. An item touched to a first-class relic such as part of saint’s body, or to a container holding such a relic, becomes a third-class relic.
After lunch, the youth heard from National Alliance on Mental Illness representatives Mindy Lathen and Charlotte Frandsen, who discussed myths surrounding mental health. They also shared resources for those who are struggling with mental health challenges, and told their own stories.
Leonetti finished out the day with a talk on faith, love and the nature of true freedom; this presentation was given only to the youth.
True freedom “is not found in doing what we want,” Leonetti said, quoting John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. “Rather, true freedom is found in having the right to do what we ought.”
“I am truly free when I freely choose the good,” Leonetti said. “When we choose to live by the good, what is holy, what is virtuous, that’s when we are at our absolute best.”
Studies have shown that many people are deeply unhappy despite possessing an abundance of earthly goods, he said. “The reason why he [John Paul II] says we’re so unhappy is because we’re trying to fill ourselves with everything that’s less than us.”
As the highest creation of God, humans can only truly be happy by recognizing that God is enough, Leonetti said. St. Theresa of Avila, he said, would “look at her sisters, and she said, ‘My dear sisters, God is enough.’ So, when the whole world tells you you need more, you need to look a certain way, you need to feel a certain way, you need to have this many followers, I want you to be reminded that in God is where I find who I am, is where I find my deepest fulfillment.”
Leonetti concluded his talk by calling the youth to lives of holiness and love, as modeled by the saints.
“Become saints … there is no other meaning, reason, purpose to your life,” he said echoing the keynote address he gave that morning.
Among the youth who attended the event was Galilea Contreras, 17, a member of St. Jude Parish, who said what will stay with her from the conference was the connections she and the other youth experienced with the speakers.
“They connected us with God,” she said.
Henry Ames, 13, a St. George parishioner, found the conference inspiring, particularly Leonetti’s talks.
“He [Leonetti] really reinforced [in us] to remember to be a saint and know that God is enough,” Henry said.
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