Hundreds of youth gather for Joshua Project Rally
LAYTON — The first Joshua Project retreat attracted youth from all over the Diocese of Salt Lake City to St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church on Feb. 18 for an afternoon of games, camaraderie and lessons on life.
The Joshua Project is a diocesan effort to involve youth in the Church and to stem youth suicide. The project was begun in December.
At the retreat, Bishop Oscar A. Solis welcomed the youth, saying, “I am delighted to be here and see the wonderful, beautiful faces of our Church. ... I hope this will be a moment of grace for everyone.”
Seeing the youth filled his heart with joy, and the gathering was a big blessing for the Church, he added.
Following a prayer, the bishop thanked Father Gustavo Vidal, pastor of Saint Rose of Lima and chairman of the diocesan liturgical commission that is leading the Joshua Project, for organizing the event.
Fr. Joshua Santos, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Ogden and Fr. Joseph Minuth, pastor of Holy Family Parish, Ogden assisted at the event and also offered the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
In his comments, Fr. Vidal told the youth, “The reason that we are here today is because you are very important. “We have had many people working very, very hard for you. ... You are so important that there have been people that have been praying for you for many days ... an army of people that have been praying and fasting for you,” he said referring to the more than 60 people all over the diocese who undertook to pray and fast for the youth before the retreat.
Also in preparation for the event, 40 people visited the parishes and missions, inviting the youth to participate. Volunteers at the event itself prepared the lunches and guided the youth throughout the afternoon.
One of facilitators, Laura O’Donell, echoed the bishop by saying that seeing that many youth gathered for the event filled her heart with joy.
“We have been preparing very hard for this, and today is a very good day,” she said, adding that more than 15 diocesan parishes were represented in the youth.
Michael Edwards, a diaconate aspirant who is co-chairing the Joshua Project, led the presentations and worked with the youth throughout the event.
“You are very important for us,” he said to the youth, asking them to participate in an ice-breaking session where the participants selected random questions from paper bags. The questions asked about things like how many family members they had, their favorite food, and sports they enjoyed.
Also at the event was a display of all the Eucharistic miracles collected by Blessed Carlos Acutis, patron of the Joshua Project. After viewing the display, the youth talked about which miracle impacted them the most.
Some parents were also present at the rally. They participated in a suicide prevention certification that was held simultaneously with the youth sessions.
“I have older kids and now they don’t want to get closer to the Church because the outside world has put weird ideas in their heads,” said Angelica Rosario, whose sons attended the rally. Outside influences have made them lost, she said, “so now we want to do what is our part and get them closer [to God].”
Mayra Trujillo, another parent who had her daughter and son participating in the rally, shared Rosario’s feelings.
“My kids are here today because they are going through a difficult stage in their lives – the teenage years – and they tend to be rebellious, to think that they know everything. ... Their friends influence them a lot,” Trujillo said, adding that she wants her children “to get closer to God, and hopefully they will.”
A second Joshua Project rally is planned for April 22 at the Skaggs Catholic Center in Draper.
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