Slide Show

It has long been a desideratum at St. Benedict to dedicate more time and attention to the religious formation of parish teenagers and young people. A few months ago Father Joseph Gallardo, Pastor, furthered the creation of a youth choir which sings each Sunday at the evening Mass. He sees that as the initial step in scheduling a weekly youth Mass.

After many sessions with the parish council and staff, discussions with the parish school and religious education administrations as well as with the director of the Confirmation program, Father Joseph decided to inaugurate the PETRUS Youth Program at St. Benedict. Its formal introduction would be a three-day youth mission at the parish, March 5-7, 2008. Afterward it would entail a weekly meeting at St. Benedict with Father Felix Daganta and a monthly one at St. Joseph Center.

Various parish groups, societies and associations - the Altar Society, Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Filipino-American Association, Guadalupanos, Italian Catholic Federation, Parish Library Tours, St. Benedict Parish School, and Spanish Mass Ushers - as well as individual parishioners generously promised to sponsor the Youth Mission.

Before the mission began, Father Joseph and Father Felix, who is already the spiritual director of a Spanish-speaking parochial youth group, attended a number of meetings with the Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, who direct this program from their St. Joseph Center in Alhambra. There they worked with the sisters and PETRUS' core group of young adults and gradually developed the exact form of the youth mission. It would include, so the advertising flier assured, adoration, teaching, praise and worship, laughter, music, and fun.

Each evening of the mission, Sr. Catherine Marie, OCD, and all the members of the core group joined Fathers Joseph and McGuire for dinner at St. Augustine House, next door to the rectory, and then moved to the church to make preparations for the musicians and the speakers.

On Wednesday, March 5, some 350-400 youths heard Jillian Cooke and Anna Brizzi, members of the Father Kolbe Missionaries of the Immaculata, speak - one in English and the other in Spanish - on the Virgin Mary and Marian Consecration. The missionaries are members of a secular institute founded in 1954 by Father Luigi Faccenda, OFM,Conv., in Bologna, Italy. After the talk Father Felix brought the Blessed Sacrament from the Adoration Chapel in solemn and candle-lit procession to the main altar for a period of adoration followed by Benediction. First of all, however, Paul Harrigan, well-known in the area and beyond for his praise, rock concerts, led his companion musicians in stirring pieces that touched and emotionally moved the assembly as they waved and rhythmically clapped to the music. Joining with Paul was Marioalberto Perez, another local musician who styles himself Cantautor Catolico. Paul is the youngest of ten children and returned to the practice of the Catholic faith in which he was reared as a result of a pilgrimage to Medjorje.

Paul and Marioalberto's rock opened the mission's second night with more of their praise and worship music to the evident delight of their hearers. The core group followed with an enactment of a delightful little skit on the True Presence. The speaker was Eddie Perez who captivated the young people with his presentation “Is the Eucharist for Real?” As well as being President for The Catholic Communicators of Southern California (CCSC) working with Catholics in Hollywood and the coordinator for the PETRUS youth groups, Eddie hosts a radio program (Generation Connection) on KHPY 1670am every Wednesday.

Again in darkness Father Felix brought the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament from the Adoration Chapel to the church proper blessing the assembled youths as he passed by in procession. Arriving at the middle of the sanctuary Father enthroned the monstrance atop an artistic pyramid constructed there which was aglow with myriad lighted candles. The congregation next spent an extended period in sacramental adoration which was closed with Benediction.

Music provided by Set Apart Band, a trio that plays each Sunday at San Gabriel Mission, opened the third and final night of the St. Benedict mission. Its members, who believe that music can never be too loud, held the young people spellbound with Jeremiah's vocals and guitar, Merced's bass, and John's drums.

The youth group from Montebello's Miraculous Medal Parish performed a clever skit “Everything” after which the speaker, Margaret Adams, gave a fascinating talk on the Theology of the Body; it held everyone's undivided attention. At its conclusion the teenagers bombarded her with many open and frank questions. She responded thoroughly to each of them. Margaret, the sister of Sr. Catherine Marie, OCD, has co-founded three Theology of the Body Young Adult Study Groups in Minneapolis/St Paul, Baltimore, and Los Angeles, and she is active with the Family Theater Productions in Hollywood.

Father Felix concelebrated Mass with Father Hernan Canete, recently assigned to St. Benedict, and Father Don Woznicki from the Archdiocese of Chicago, who is currently working from St. Finbar in Burbank to establish Catholic principles in the entertainment industry.

All three evenings the priests of St. Benedict heard confessions for the crowds of young people eager to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation part of their parish mission.

Likewise each evening various parish groups - the Spanish Prayer Group, the Secular Augustinian Recollects, and the Christian Family Movement -- greeted our youth in the hall with refreshments. Representatives from several religious orders and congregations - Sisters Servants of Mary, the Discalced Carmelite Sisters, Father Kolbe Missionaries of the Immaculata, and the Augustinian Recollects - were also in the hall to speak with the young people and to provide them with vocational literature. Meanwhile the core group met in the rectory dinning room with Father Joseph and Sister Catherine Marie for a prolonged evaluation of that evening and a planning session for the next day.

The final, over-all evaluation was extraordinarily positive; with a few noticeable glitches, all had gone remarkably well even though this was the first time that the PETRUS core group and their helpers had dared to be responsible for a mission away from St. Joseph Center. Some few parents and other adults had attended the mission and were lavish in praising its beneficial unfolding. All that the advertising flier had promised had been amply provided.

Fr. James McGuire, OAR