About 500 high school students from 38 parishes and high schools across the Diocese of Cleveland poured into Saint Ignatius Hall (the administration building) on the campus of John Carroll University the morning of Jan. 6 in anticipation of CLE 2:16, the annual daylong diocesan youth conference presented by the Office of Youth Ministry. A few teens from the Diocese of Youngstown also attended.
“O Come let us Adore him,” taken from Luke 2:16, was the day’s theme. The conference celebrated the parish year of the Eucharistic Revival, with a focus on the connection between the incarnation and the Eucharist and how from the beginning the Lord came to feed us, said Francine Costantini, diocesan director of youth ministry.
The day included talks, time for confession, prayer, Mass, meals, presentation of awards for an outstanding young person and youth minister, adoration and closing prayer.
(See above for a photo gallery of images from the event.)
Kicking things off was the keynote address by Bob Lesnefsky, director of household life at Franciscan University of Steubenville, an award-winning Christian hip-hop artist and speaker who uses rap music to share the Gospel. Lesnefsky, also known as “Righteous B,” lives in Steubenville, Ohio with his wife and seven children. He founded the nonprofit Vagabond Missions and has spent much of his life sharing God’s love with inner city youth. His topic was “Beyond Swipe Right: Building Meaningful Dating Relationships.”
Conference attendees also moved among a half-dozen breakout sessions on topics such as “Examen Your Heart: Discerning the Ignatian Way,” by Father Lukas Laniaskas, SJ, pastor, Church of the Gesu in University Heights; “Slipping on Banana Peels: The Intersection of Comedy and Faith” with Father Ryan Mann, pastor of St. Basil the Great Parish in Brecksville; “Gains for Glory: The Incarnation, Fitness and the Christian Lifestyle” with Lindsay Fullerman, founder of Fit From Faith; “Back to December (Mary’s Version): The Nativity and Mary’s Pivotal Role in the Church” and “Is it Barbie’s World or Ken’s World? An Exploration of Man, Woman, God and Creation” with Maria Wancata, Marriage and Family Life Ministry specialist for the diocese, and Father Damian Ference, diocesan vicar for evangelization and secretary for Parish Life and Special Ministries. Father Patrick Schultz, parochial vicar at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Wadsworth, also was a presenter.
Although he was unable to attend CLE 2:16 this year, Bishop Edward Malesic sent the teens a message.
“I am so proud of you for taking a day away to be with the Lord and to grow in your faith. I pray that this is a blessed day for you and that you come to experience the Lord’s love in a new way,” he said.
As the Christmas season winds down, the bishop said the words, “O Come let us Adore him” from the song “O Come all ye Faithful,” often are sung at Mass. Those words also were the conference theme. They help to remind us that at Mass, we are gathering around the Lord’s table, coming to adore him as he invites us to draw closer to him, especially in the Eucharist, he said.
“We remember the great gift God has given us, that he came down to earth to become one of us through the incarnation. He came so humbly as a little baby, needing someone to help him with everything, just as you and I did,” Bishop Malesic said.
“Young Church, the Lord wants you. He wants to love you and be close to you. Two thousand years ago, he came into this world so that today, at CLE 2:16, he could draw near to you. Open your heart to him,” he added.
Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost celebrated the Sunday vigil Mass in Kulas Auditorium. Concelebrants were Father Ference, Father Mann, Father Eric Garris, diocesan vocation director, Father Josh Cochrac, parochial vicar at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Parma and chaplain at Holy Name High School in Parma Heights, and Father David Chojnacki, parochial vicar at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Wooster.
“I am excited to be here, but even more excited that you are here,” Bishop Woost told the enthusiastic teens.
He asked them to think about what is the greatest gift they are bringing to Jesus. The bishop explained that on that day, they were the magi, the ones who are seeking the presence of Christ in their lives. In the Gospel, the magi used what they knew – stars and constellations – to seek the Christ Child.
“How do we seek him?” he asked the teens, encouraging them to consider how their faith experiences have affected them. “The magi followed a star. What are you following?”
He said people seeking wisdom go to the Scriptures, to God’s word, explaining that prophets like Isaiah shared that wisdom. He wrote that “God would fill people with light and they would become light for the world. Are we not called to be a light, to share God’s word with others, to be a light for the world?” Bishop Woost asked.
In the Gospel, the magi – the seekers – went to Bethlehem, an obscure village, he said. “Today, we came to Kulas Auditorium from the north, south, east and west to find him here.”
The three kings brought Baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, the bishop said, asking the teens what is the special gift they would give to Jesus. “It must be a treasure,” he said, noting it could be a talent, getting to know someone else or even their life. “Say to the Lord, ‘Use my life, heart and hands. Let your will be done in me.”
He told the group that soon they would approach the altar and Christ would give them the greatest gift, “the whole of himself. What will you give in return?”
After Mass, the Christus Vivit (Christ is Alive) National Youth Award was presented to Gianna Kosir of St. Basil the Great Parish. She is a student at Revere High School in Richfield. Costantini said it was the first time the diocese made the award. She called Gianna “an outstanding example of missionary discipleship.” The award recognizes young Catholics who are juniors or seniors in high school and who have helped to bring Christ to life in their parishes, schools and local communities.
The inaugural Jan Tyranowski Outstanding Youth Minister Award was given to Sara Lanzola, director of campus ministry at Elyria Catholic High School in Elyria. More than three dozen EC students attended the conference with her.
The award is named for Tyranowski, a central figure in the spiritual formation of Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope John Paul II. In 1941, Tyranowski was asked by a group of Polish Salesian priests who were about to be arrested by the Nazis to oversee the spiritual growth of a group of 15 Catholic teens and young adults during World War II. Six from the group became religious order priests and another five were ordained as diocesan priests, including the future pope.
‘We got many nominations and I want to honor all of them. We have such a rich history of youth ministers in the diocese,” Costantini said. “We are very blessed.”
She thanked the sponsors, CLE 2:16 team and JCU for their support of the event. Costantini also encouraged youth ministers and high school students to mark their calendars for Jan. 4, 2025, the date for the next CLE 2:16.
“We are so grateful for all that made this day possible,” she added.
Click here for more information on the Office of Youth Ministry and its upcoming events.