New York students participate in preaching weekend

By Sister Gina Fleming, OP

In March, 23 students from St. Agnes Academic High School, College Point; St. Frances de Chantel Parish, Wantagh; St. Rafael’s Parish, East Meadow; and St. John the Baptist High School, West Islip, came to St. John the Baptist High School to begin a weekend of prayer, study, and the forming of community. These students were the latest group who attended one of our youth preaching workshops. They learned how to bring to life their baptismal call to “preach the Good News” by using the gifts and talents that have been given to them by our loving God.

Due to the snow storm on Friday night, we began the weekend on Saturday morning at the Amityville Dominicans’ motherhouse. The participants enjoy the presentations on preaching through drama, art, music, and dance. They also have an opportunity to meet our retired sisters for an ice cream social on Saturday afternoon. This is a fun event for all who participate. These young people are seeking any opportunity to come closer to God. One need only listen to their reflections during our prayer times to hear the hunger in their hearts for relationship to the Divine! How blessed are we to be able to provide a venue to foster and ignite that relationship.

The weekends are completed with the Sunday liturgy at the motherhouse. The students use what they have learned during the weekend to be lectors, dancers, leaders of song, musicians and leaders of intercessory prayers. They take a very active role in the liturgy that morning. Following the mass, the students and their parents are invited to join us for lunch in our dining room, a wonderful finish to the weekend.

The participants continue to find the weekends very spiritual, prayerful and a great deal of fun. Most importantly, many stay connected to us after experiencing the weekend. Some return as youth mentors and have the opportunity to lead a new group of young preachers, and some have volunteered at the motherhouse as part of their service requirements at school. Many of these same young people will attend this year’s National High School Preaching Conference in Michigan. However they choose to stay connected, we are grateful for their presence among us.

I am forever grateful for the continued presence and assistance with these weekends by Sisters Barbara Schwarz and Bernadette DeMayo as well as our former youth preacher Jessica Abejar, who has recently taken over the liturgical dance presentation. I am also grateful for the willingness of our sisters who reside in the motherhouse to come and join us for some quality time. I am sure that all would agree that these programs have been a blessing to the participants, and also to the congregation-at-large in whose name the programs continue.

If any group is interested in participating in these weekends, please email me. All high school age students are welcome.

Sister Gina Fleming, OP (Amityville) is director of the Dominican Youth Movement USA, Dominican Young Adults USA, and the National College Preaching Conference.