By Renée St. Martin Wizeman

About 250 students from 12 Catholic schools across Montana gathered in Helena on Feb. 2 for the youth portion of Catholic Advocacy Days, a Montana Catholic Conference outreach that helps connect Catholics to the work of the Legislature.

This year marked the second time the youth day has taken place. It was declared a success by Catholic Advocacy Days organizers and participants.

Diocese of Helena schools whose students and faculty participated were Butte Central Elementary, De La Salle in Browning, St. Matthew in Kalispell, and St. Joseph in Missoula. St. Andrew School, a private school in Helena, also participated. The Montana Catholic Conference led the organization of the day, with help from some diocesan offices and state employees.

Bishop Thomas delivers a homily in the Cathedral of St. Helena during the Feb. 2 prayer service for the youth Catholic Advocacy Day. (Montana Catholic/Eric Connolly photo)
 

Students began their legislative day with prayer at the Cathedral of St. Helena. Bishop George Leo Thomas held the middle school students’ attention as he shared a story about a high school junior in Seattle who cared for his little sister and blind mother. The boy comforted his mother by saying, “I will always be your eyes,” words that were prophetic. A car accident killed the boy, and his mother received his corneas, allowing her to see her young daughter for the first time.

Bishop Thomas referenced the Gospel reading, noting it spoke of a young man’s eyes being opened and how he gradually began to see Jesus.

“This is the hope of the Church and why we bring you together today, to open your eyes just a bit more, to see the face of Christ anew,” the bishop said. “When you go off to the Legislature, I want you to see everything with new eyes. I want you to see.”

Bishop Thomas said that “the Church has a very particular vision that says if you look deeply enough into the eyes of any person, there you will see something that is divine, the spark of Jesus. That’s why the witness of the Church is so important. We speak in the name of the unborn, because we see in each precious life the spark of Christ. We speak in the name of the poor, because the Church believes there are to be no cast-off people, because in every person there is the spark of Christ. We defend the prisoner, the unwanted, persons struggling financially, because we believe in their heart is the spark of Christ.”

Following the prayer service, students were transported to the Capitol, where legislators have been meeting since Jan. 3. Frigid temperatures prevented marching from the cathedral to the building.

Tours of several state government offices, including the Department of Fish Wildlife & Parks, the Supreme Court and the Montana Historical Society, were offered.

After their tours, the students gathered in a state auditorium to hear Anthony Allen, director of catechesis and youth ministry for the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, speak about social justice, including respect for all human life, the need to address root causes of poverty and the importance of being an informed voter.

Students view the Senate chamber during a tour of the Capitol building. (Montana Catholic/Eric Connolly photos) Students then observed the legislative process on the House and Senate floors. A special highlight was the opportunity to see the Carroll College football team honored in both legislative chambers. Patrick Haggarty, Ed.D., superintendent of Catholic schools for both of the dioceses in Montana, said Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger took time to speak to the students, and praised the formation they receive in Catholic schools.

“This was an opportunity for Catholic school kids to be exposed to the lawmaking process and begin to grasp the size of the Church’s relationship to justice and service,” said Doug Tooke, diocesan coordinator for youth and young adult ministry.

Tooke, who was on the organizing committee, said the day also was notable for the effective partnering between dioceses and diocesan offices.

“This is our government, and how the Catholic faith interacts with our government was a take-away for the kids,” Haggarty said. “They got to see that church doesn’t take place just on Sundays. The Church is an active participant in forming our government’s social conscience.”

Haggarty said the interaction between Catholic school students from different schools also was beneficial. Schools from different areas of the state were paired up for the activities at the Capitol complex.

Kenny Tripp, an eighth-grader at St. Joseph Elementary School in Missoula, said the day was important because it affects the students and their religion, and helps them grow morally. Tripp was particularly excited to meet Lt. Gov Bohlinger. “I got to shake his hand,” Tripp said.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 27, No. 2, February 18, 2011.


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