AYF HISTORY
2004: Eternity Now: Conquer the World. Inherit the Kingdom
When Jesus dominates, God’s kingdom is at hand
By Elizabeth Perry (Contributing writer Clarion Herald)
Some 4,000 Catholic teens rock out under a sunny sky at Abbey Fest, March 20 at St. Joseph Abbey in St. Benedict. The theme was “Eternity Now: Conquer the World… Inherit the Kingdom.” The day included talks by Matt Smith of MTV’s “Thc Real World New Orleans,” “The Gauntlet” and Life Teen; Father Stan Fortuna; music by contemporary Catholic bands Seraphim, In Situ, Covenant 6 and Dismas; and Mass celebrated by Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes.
Smith, 25, talked about what he does best – bringing the Gospel to a secular audience in some pretty weird situations. As one of the cast members of “The Real World New Orleans,” Smith talked only about his faith and encouraged his house-mates to find God in their lives.
In “The Gauntlet” he was back with the same people, only they had to form a team and perform some outrageous stunts to compete against other teams for a $10,000 cash prize. In between bouts of capture-the-flag in a cow pasture and hanging by his knees from a trapeze, Smith once again tried to evangelize among his cast mates, a move that almost got him voted off the show. In the end, the one girl who tried the hardest to get him thrown off came back to him to talk about her resentment against Smith, which led to her talking about her anger at organized religion in general. “The person I didn’t like, who didn’t like me, ended up giving her heart to God,” he said.
Smith was asked why he kept putting himself through “the gauntlet” 12 of reality shows to evangelize, especially when there are easier ways that don’t involve cow patties. He said it wasn’t a lot of fun, but some times boldness is the key when you want people to listen.
“There are 3,400 people here at Abbey Fest,” said Smith. “But 12 million people watched ‘The Gauntlet.’ What did St. Paul do with his letters? He used the media to reach people.”
Smith’s day job is as the Webmaster and spokesman of www.lifeteen.com, and he said his daily life is a lot calmer than it appears. He does weekend speaking engagements around the country and is the self-proclaimed, “Greatest Online Web Minister.”
During his homily, Archbishop Hughes talked about Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” especially the flashbacks. Some of the most moving ones for the archbishop were of the Last Supper, the Beatitudes and Mary.
“Her calm interior prayerful engagement despite all that transpired invites you and me to a deeper understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice,” said the archbishop. “It’s almost as though she is saying, ‘Don’t let this extraordinary sacrificial gift of his life be in vain. Accept the forgiveness he offers and live in him.’”
Eveb though he was dressed in gray from head to toe, Franciscan Father Stan Fortuna was one of the most colorful performers at Abbey Fest. His blend of rapid-fire rap lyrics and street slang had the teens enthralled and the adults wondering what was being said. Many teens had the same amused look on their faces, listening intently to the “Kingdom of God is Eternal” message and trying to reconcile it with the New York priest’s street slang and bass guitar. Quoting Webster’s dictionary, Father Fortuna said the kingdom of God is the realm in which God’s will is fulfilled.
“Your room is your kingdom, and your brain is also your kingdom,” he said. “We have to start letting Jesus dominate. God gives His Son to the world to free us from evil. If someone suggests you don’t have to suffer – turn your back on that. That’s the deal, man.”
Abbey Fest ended with vespers, a candlelight adoration service and a rock concert.
—————
Catholic Teens Gather for Abbey Festival Youth to celebrate ‘Eternity Now’ theme
By Margaret Schonberg
Contributing writer Times Pycayune
The fourth annual Abbey Youth Festival will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the grounds of St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary College north of Covington.
More than 3,000 teens from across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina are coming to search for “Eternity Now: Conquer the World, Inherit the Kingdom.”
One of the groups is from St. Rose of Lima in Milton, Florida. “These kids gave up their entire spring break to make the Abbey experience one that they will never forget,” said Crystal Martinez, the group’s youth leader. “I know that now that is going to happen,” she said, thanking Abbey coordinators for being a “Godsend to my SWAT team (Students With a Testimony).”
“The Abbey Youth Festival is in keeping with the Benedictine charism, which is that of seeing Christ in the stranger,” said the Rev. Gregory Boquet, president and rector of St. Joseph Abbey Seminary College.
“Who would think that bringing together over 3,000 relatively unknown people in a rather remote parcel of land would witness so strongly to the presence of Christ? Both the students and the monastic community are impacted by the strong manifestation of Christ in our midst,” he said. “This is particularly seen at the end of the day when all of those gathered are reverently silent as we celebrate together in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.”
Each of the seminarians at St. Joseph’s Seminary College, along with some from Notre Dame in New Orleans, are helping to put the event together, from working with stage, sound, first aid, computer graphics and art to ministering to the young people who attend.
This year’s presenters will be:
- Mike Patin, a retired youth minister for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Patin focuses on the value of encouragement. Patin serves as master of ceremonies for the festival.
- The Rev. Stan Fortuna has released numerous CDs of original music and is internationally known for both his music and his powerful preaching. Fortuna will speak about “Eternity Now and Forever: Life in the Kingdom.”
- Matt Smith is the national spokesperson for LIFE TEEN and was a resident of MTV’s “Real World” New Orleans house. He shows how a Catholic Christian can live faithfully in today’s world. Smith will talk about “Conquering the ‘Real’ World.”
- Mary Beth Bonacci delivers a message on love, relationships and chastity. Her Real Love video series is used in churches and schools throughout the United States. She has written two books and has a regular syndicated column. Bonacci’s topic is “No Limit: Loving for Life Eternal.”
- Jim Beckman from Littleton, Colorado., is head of a youth group that dealt with the tragedy at Columbine High School. Beckman will speak on “Shining in the Darkness: Inheriting Hope.”
- Musical praise will be offered by “In Situ”, Dismas, Seraphim and Covenant 7.
Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes will be the main concelebrant and homilist at the 11 a.m. Mass, assisted by Abbot Justin Brown and Father Boquet. The Rev. Charles Benoit will serve as liturgical coordinator. “I really look forward to celebrating Mass for the Abbey Youth Festival,” Hughes said. “The gathering of so many young people is a great source of strength, encouraging them to live and profess their faith publicly because of the support of so many who want to do the same.”
The evening will conclude with a candlelight adoration service.
Food is sponsored by Knights of Columbus councils, parish groups and friends of the Abbey and Includes pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, grilled chicken sandwiches, jambalaya, snowballs, popcorn, lemon ice, cakes and cookies. An average meal is expected to cost $5.
The youth festival is sponsored by St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary College, with the help of grants from the Donum Dei Foundation of New Orleans, the Gloria Sheatin and Ivy A. Smith Jr. Charitable Trust of New Orleans and the Knights of Columbus state office.
Online registration is available at www.abbeyfest.org or by calling (985) 867-2254. Registration will be available at the gate for $20. All participants must have a completed liability release form (which is available online) in order to be admitted.
St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary College is at 75376 River Road north of Covington.
“This type of event is tremendously gratifying to me, not only because as an event coordinator, I’m happy when a plan comes together and works, but this particular event is helping to build the church of tomorrow,” said Mimi Kelly. “These kids are our future. They gather on these ground one day out of the year and they find thousands of other teens just like themselves, who really seek the truth. Not the truth that the world gives, but God’s truth,” Kelly said. “There’s a difference, and these kids know it.”
