Rise up Montreal: Made for Greatness Q&A
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6 10 14 Rise Up Montreal: Q&A with missionaries 2015/16 Made for Greatness Tanya and Mark Annual Report MARIA JULIUS NICHOLAS RON REMY FOX BALITA ZAMBON SALVADOR TAKAM MEMORIAL RYERSON COMMUNICATIONS HUMAN HUMAN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY RESOURCES RESOURCES Grapevine is Catholic Christian Outreach’s annual publication, produced each year to celebrate our TANYA NATHANIEL JARREN JAMES Foundation Day of RODGERSON DE JESUS BATO M c NAUEAL October 18, 1988. Current distribution is HUMAN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF to 10,000 supporters RESOURCES OF VICTORIA OF BRITISH SASKATCHEWAN throughout Canada COLUMBIA and the United States. It is also available online. For more information, contact communications@ cco.ca Graphic spreads designed by Rachel Matero, FAITH Catholic EMMA STORM CHRISTOPHER JANLYN Publishing and HUNTER GOULD KEYES RATHGEBER Communications. CONCORDIA DALHOUSIE VP PROGRAMMING FINANCE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY / SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY from the founders conference recap missionary Q&A mission recap Year of Mercy Rise Up Montreal: An interview with Mission embodies surpasses great Made for greatness Tanya Rodgerson CCO core values expectations alumna testimonial missionary Q&A annual report CCO Students “I am CCO” An interview with A review of the Travel Many Mark Suezo 2015/16 fiscal year Tracks to a Christ- Centred Life 2 The Grapevine | Catholic Christian Outreach | 2016 FROM THE FOUNDERS YEAR OF MERCY SURPASSES GREAT EXPECTATIONS BY ANGÈLE REGNIER, CCO CO-FOUNDER t this time last year, we were preparing for the languages —Polish, Hungarian, German, Ukrainian and A Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. People Russian — was daunting. from within and without CCO kept asking us what our After weeks of investigating options, we had to face prophetic sense of the year was. What could happen? the reality: this might not be God’s will. Trying our best to How might God move? And to be honest … we had no practise holy indifference, we let it go. idea. Well, that’s not true; we knew God would move, Then, on a Friday at 3 p.m., during the hour of Divine and in a profound way. We trusted the Holy Father’s Mercy, there was a knock on our door. Literally. It was instinct that now was the time for the Church and the Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, who had been one of world to encounter mercy. Our 10 Year Vision is to the most enthusiastic supporters of this project from the “be protagonists in the mission of proclaiming Jesus beginning. He was insistent this needed to happen and clearly and simply,” and our year’s pastoral theme committed to some funding — enough for 100,000 book- to be “Ambassadors of Mercy” flowed from that. lets. The Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi also We were ready to seize any opportunities. gave great encouragement to realizing the project. Then, two weeks later, André was in Michigan on The year’s biggest surprise came with World Youth a totally unrelated visit, and had been telling a local Day in Poland. We should have known; St. John Paul Catholic leader about the project. This man was pierced II, the man who brought St. Faustina’s Feast of Divine by this possibility and offered the remaining funding on Mercy to the world, was at the centre. The International the spot. André called to fill me in. At 3 p.m. Center of Evangelization, a new initiative related to WYD, Four months later, we were in Krakow with a mission came to us with an extraordinary request: they wanted to team [more on pgs. 12-13] to bring the booklets to World use CCO’s “Ultimate Relationship” booklet. At least one Youth Day evangelists. Unfortunately, the booklets million copies. The challenge: this invitation came within weren’t there. They were delayed at customs. We six months of WYD, and we would need to find funding waited three days for word they had been processed, for the printing. with no success. We were finally notified that the This was an unprecedented opportunity for CCO truck was coming, and we spent hours eagerly POPE. to be a gift to the Church, through the booklet that awaiting its arrival. Dozens of friends came to help FRANCIS. we know changes hearts and lives. We entrusted it to us unload, and the truck’s rear doors swung open to RECEIVES THE. Sts. John Paul II, Faustina and Maximillian Kolbe, and reveal boxes and boxes of freshly printed booklets. GRAPEVINE !. immediately launched a project to see what might be The time? 3:58 p.m., the Hour of Divine Mercy’s last two possible. And we were blocked at every turn. The print minutes, in the city of St. John Paul II and St. Faustina. President Jeff Lockert deadlines were just too tight. The funding requirements Could we have ever dreamed of living the Year of presented Pope were too high. And translating it into the extra relevant Mercy the way we did? No, not specifically. But we ab- Francis with a copy solutely trusted it would be a year of great magnitude. of The Grapevine As always, God moved. We are so grateful for our Holy in Rome. Father’s invitation to encounter mercy, and so grateful to God for all the ways he moved. “Instead of attempting to figure things out on my own, I now turn to Jesus in prayer. The selfish life I was living has lost its appeal. God’s mercy and personal relationship with me have allowed PAT CARLETON UNIVERSITY me to live a much more joy-filled life with everyone.” cco.ca 3 CCO STUDENTS TRAVEL MANY TRACKS TO A CHRIST-CENTRED LIFE a. Discovery Summitb. faith study (Eucharistic adoration event) Worda. of mouth Fall c.retreats Outreachb. tables AK VE INT E OL MEN V T START! IN GREAT 1 2 PROGRESS! Follow-upc. phone calls Sociald. Rised. Up media Parish announcementse. Missionse. Discipleshipf. 4 The Grapevine | Catholic Christian Outreach | 2016 CCO STUDENTS TRAVEL MANY TRACKS TO A CHRIST-CENTRED LIFE Disciplingb. peers Vocationb. (priesthood, religious life, single life, marriage) Parisha. ministry Leadinga. faith Organizingc. events studies ADERSHI MISSION HEAVILY LE P M IN INVOLVED! O G C END! (BUT REALLY JUST 3 4 THE BEGINNING) Missionaryd. disciple in everyday life Workc. in the Church MCingd. events Sharinge. personal testimony Representingf. on the Student Executive cco.ca 5 CONFERENCE RECAP BY LAURA- ANNE JENSEN LAURA HAS BEEN THE OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER FOR RISE UP, CCO’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE, SINCE 2014. out when someone connects to their Leah shared her story of how it sense of humour. I catch hands scrib- was as a model, under hot, bright PICTURED bling furiously across notebooks to fashion lights, where she felt her Conference keep a nugget of wisdom they don’t darkest. And it was there, in the mis- attendees enjoyed Mass celebrated ever want to forget. ery, where she encountered mercy. by priests and I see people being changed. As she revealed her journey and bishops, including Apostolic Nuncio My conference experience is also her realization that she was made he ballroom was on fire. Archbishop Luigi unlike attendees’ because I see a lot for more than the world offers, I T More than 700 young adults Bonazzi, worship of the behind-the-scenes coordina- could see hearts opening to the idea led by a talented had just encountered God’s love band and keynote tion that needs to happen for Rise that maybe, just maybe, they were language of mercy. Joy radiated speakers such as Up to run smoothly. This year in par- made for more, too. Leah Darrow. from the soles of their dancing feet It was a prayerful ticular (with flight delay after flight The timing of her testimony—right to the tips of their fingers stretched and powerful delay for multiple speakers) kept before a night of confessions and celebration toward heaven. Priests worked over- of faith. the conference team on its toes. Eucharistic adoration—was clearly time that night, hearing confession Main sessions were constantly orchestrated by God. That ballroom after confession from hearts ready being rescheduled. had been primed by speakers to to say “no” to the lies of the world The best example was Leah prepare the stage for Leah, who and “yes” to the promises of Christ. Darrow, former America’s Next Top helped prepare the way for a deep Model participant. She was orig- encounter with the Father. As speak- In the dark and cold of a Decem- inally scheduled to speak on the ers kept sharing about truth, I could ber Montreal night, we encountered morning of day two during a main see people changing, starting to the light and warmth of our Heaven- session, but ended up speaking at 5 understand the theme of the con- ly Father’s mercy. p.m. That time wasn’t a scheduled ference as the new year drew closer: I see Rise Up a little differently than session — it was a scheduled break, they were made for greatness. most. While conference attendees when people have dinner right Soon, I’ll see a lot of those same are looking at a speaker on stage, I’m before the evening program. With people — and new people, too! — often looking in the opposite direc- such a packed day, organizers knew at Rise Up 2016. I can’t wait to tion, at them. With camera in hand, I attendance might be a bit low, but it see how they’ve changed and get to watch people encounter God was the only option to try to make embraced greatness. As a throughout those five days of the the best of a tough situation.