Youth learn the meaning of 'the Eighth Day'

Courtesy photos/Alejandro Camberos

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Youth from Christ the King Parish in Cedar City attended the annual Youth Conference at Steubenville of the Rockies in Denver, Colo. July 6-8. Among the chaperones was Father José Fidel Barrera Cruz, the parish's parochial vicar.

By Alejandro Camberos

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

DENVER — Fourteen youth from Christ the King Parish in Cedar City participated in the annual Youth Conference at Steubenville of the Rockies in Denver, Colo. July 6-8, organized by Franciscan University of Steubenville, which has many conferences across the country.

All of Christ the King youth were looking for the love of God in one person, Jesus alive and full of grace and love. They were accompanied by the parish’s vicar, youth ministers and four adult chaperones.

"The Eighth Day" is, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "a new day, a day of redemption by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the first creation ended on the seventh day, on the eighth day started the new creation, the creation redeemed by Jesus (cf. CCC # 349)."

"We are living in the Eighth Day ‘‘ – this phrase is taken from the Catechism of the Church to point out that now is the redemption time of Jesus. This is the day which has no end, the day which knows not the sunset, nor fear, nor pain or sufferings. (cf. CCC #1166)

The three-day conference was attended by 2,200 youth. At the conference’s beginning, some of the youth started to perform their own sketches to break the ice and to meet other participants. There were people from Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota, Wyoming, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas, as well as a group from Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in Orem.

The conference started with an invitation by the speaker Ennie Hickman, who asked all the youth to open their hearts to the action of the Holy Spirit and to give their lives in everything during the three days. Other speakers included Father Jim Crisman, vocation director for the Archdioceses of Denver, who presided over Eucharistic Adoration Friday night, the Saturday Mass and preached in the closing Mass on Sunday. The Most Rev. Fernando Isern, Bishop of Pueblo, Colo., presided at that Mass.

Though some of the Cedar City youth had participated in previous conferences, for others the 2012 Steubenville of the Rockies was their first, but all of them agreed that the most striking moments were when Jesus was exposed in the monstrance. Also, all of them rejoiced in the prayers, songs and praises. Everyone in the group, at the end of each day, shared his/her experiences and each made a promise to follow Jesus more closely by sharing God’s love with others and serving the needs of the Church.

The closing Mass had a profound moment when, before the solemn blessing by Bishop Isern, Fr. Crisman asked if there were some young women in the group who felt God calling them to religious life, for which the response was amazing. Over 150 girls stood in a quick response and full of happiness they promised to take this next year and consider if God was calling them to religious life. The boys made their own commitment when Fr. Crisman asked them if there were any who felt the discernment for the priesthood, wherein a large number responded. Participants were full of indescribable feelings and emotions, and with joyful tears and happiness this turned into the "Eighth Day" message.

Alejandro Camberos is a seminarian with the Diocese of Salt Lake City. He accompanied the youth to the conference.