MAUI HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH RALLY
By Dyllyn Kahalehau and Janessa Cajudoy
Special to the Herald
On Feb. 1, the Maui vicariate hosted a high school youth rally on the grounds of St. Anthony Parish in Wailuku. The theme for the rally was “God Loves You,” based on 1 Corinthians 13:13.
A group of high school youth and their adult leaders began meeting in August 2019 to establish the rally’s theme, its committees and leadership. Our planning was rough at first, but after consulting with the adults, we were able to make progress. Using the planning and communication skills we learned at the Christian Leadership Institute (CLI) at St. Stephen Diocesan Center, we were able to finish the schedule for the day and fill it in with three different workshops and a variety of ice breakers.
Once the schedule came together, we were able to focus on the food, registration, shirts and leadership assignments. At one of our final meetings, we sought feedback on every aspect of the schedule from our adult leaders and approval from our peers.
On the day of the rally, everything came into fruition. As all the parishes started showing up and signing in for registration, each attendee received a rally T-shirt, nametag and schedule. On the color-coded nametags were numbers and shapes that indicated which group each person would be assigned to.
The morning started with our planning committee introducing our guests and ourselves. We discussed the house rules, and invited visiting priest Father Ken Deasy to lead opening prayer. We played icebreakers so that we could get to know each other. Our keynote speaker was Father Alfred Guerrero, pastor of the Newman Center/Holy Spirit Parish. He spoke to us about the love that God has for each and everyone of us. Father Alfred also led us in a Holy Hour which featured music led by Kiana Cornell, the St. Ann parish coordinator of youth ministry.
During our session on vocations, Father Ken shared his own faith journey and calling to the church. Youth from Maria Lanakila Parish led a faith-sharing session where we watched a few video clips on faith, and then shared with each other the ways we see God revealing his love for us. In our session on relationships, a team of married couples — both newly-married and longer-married — shared with us how the sacrament of matrimony consists of three persons — God, wife and husband — just as God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Overall, we felt that our peers enjoyed spending the day together, we learned a lot about God’s relentless love for us, and how important it is to have him at the center of all that we do. For the planning committee, it was amazing to experience the final product of all of our hard work. We are very proud of everyone’s efforts, and thankful for the knowledge and skills we learned at the Christian Leadership Institute, but also what we continue to learn as we serve as leaders in our parishes and schools.
Since 2016, Maui youth, many of whom are alumni of the Diocese of Honolulu’s Christian Leadership Institute, have been planning an annual event, alternating between a middle school youth rally and high school youth rally.
For information on the Christian Leadership Institute, visit the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry website at www.catholichawaii.org/oyyam/ym/cli-hi.