AYF HISTORY
2006: Set Ablaze
Youth Fest draws 4,000 for serious talks, pumping music
By Aimee Maciver
Special to the Clarion Herald
Once every spring, St. Joseph Abbey becomes the study in contrast. The tranquil monastery grounds erupt as seminarians break from their studies to give guitar-heavy rock concerts and the cheering of 4,000 keyed-up teens drowns the usual chatter of nature.
Abbey Youth Festival, now boasting six years of success, marks the happy annual collision of monastic contemplative with teen culture for a youth rally unlike any other.
This year’s event, themed “Set Ablaze: Daily Living in Christ”, fell on April 1, a date that inspired Archbishop Alfred Hughes to pull one over on the crowd as he celebrated mass. “I have disappointing news. The speakers for this evening, Jim and Kerri Caviezel, will not be able to attend,” Archbishop Hughes announced solemnly. Then, with a grin: “April Fool’s!”
The joke was a relief to the participants anticipating the keynote address of “The Passion of the Christ” star, Jim Caviezel, and his wife, Kerri. Both spoke about the challenge of practicing their Catholic faith while living in Hollywood.
Kerri Caviezel, who works at a crisis pregnancy center, tickled the audience with the story of how she met her husband on a blind date, then emphasized that God’s plan always surpasses our own.
“I had no idea where that blind date would take me in the long run,” she said. “My plan would have been good, but God’s was better.” Sharing the details of how she and her husband had recently adopted a son from China, she encouraged teens to become active in the pro-life movement.
Jim Caviezel called the audience to embrace redemptive suffering. He described the physical torment he endured while filming “The Passion,” including sustaining a shoulder separation, suffering hypothermia, being struck by lightning, having to sleep with heavy latex make-up, and being accidentally scourged by another actor.
“What I learned,” he said, “is that if you don’t pick up your cross and carry it, you’ll be crushed by the weight of it.
He cautioned the audience not to succumb when tempted to believe that suffering indicates a lack of God’s love.
“Some of you have lost your homes; others of you are hurting, confused, and angry, wondering if God loves you. But listen… because you suffer, he loves you more. The suffering are the closest to him.”
Some suffering, Caviezel pointed out, comes from being faithful to God in a “world entrenched in sin.” He told stories of praying his way through Hollywood’s many temptations, including humanity’s great desire to be liked.
“You are not made to fit in, but to stand out,” Caviezel said. “You might be so unknown that no one ever knows your name. God will reward you. Be saints!”
The Caviezels were not the only entertainment-industry veterans to appear at the festival. Prominent Catholic musicians Steve Angrisano and Tony Melendez rallied teens to choose Christ and to support each other. Born without arms, Melendez has played guitar by boot for audiences across the world, including his famous performance in 1987 for Pope John Paul II.
“If you can endure a hurricane, you can endure a lot more,” Melendez said. You must be part of changing each other’s lives.
The festival coordinator, Mimi Kelly, also featured skits from the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ Teen Cross Committee; concerts by Chrism, Remnant, and Covenant 7; praise and worship by Thomas Schneidau and Seraphim; and Mass concelebrated by Archbishop Hughes, Bishop Robert Muench of Batn Rouge and Benedictine Abbot Justin Brown. Attending priests and Abbey monks offered the sacrament of reconciliation throughout the day for a steady flow of teens seeking absolution.
Participants had a final taste of monastic life when the event closed with vespers sung by Abbey Monks and Schola (the Abbey Seminarian Choral Group), Candlelight Eucharistic adoration and benediction followed, returning the field to its ususal sereneity, at least until next spring (March 17 to be exact!).
