Dear Friends,

Our Convention more than an official gathering seems to be a big re-union of friends; some are old friendship tested by time, other are very young.

From the Christian point of view our coming together is the living evidence of the fulfillment of Christ prophecy: “When I shall be lifted up, I shall draw everybody to myself”.

To come to this Convention many of you had to travel long distances and you had to sacrifice time, money and energy. We, at St. Therese feel proud and honor to welcome you and to host this event  

During these three days that we will spend together at “St. Mary of the Lake University”, the very heart of the Archdiocese of Chicago, we shall discuss some common concerns, and share pastoral experiences. 

We shall listen, with keen attention and interest, to various people telling us “how” they succeeded, or failed, in passing on their faith-experience to their children. 

The unifying theme that runs through these three days is :

“So that your joy may be complete” 1John: 1:4. Sharing the Joy of Evangelization with Our Youth.

Each day has its specific theme:

Friday: “Called by the Christ”
Saturday: “Anointed by the Spirit”
Sunday: “Sent to the world by the Father”.

As a starting point for our reflections we chose threekey words: We, Joy and Youth, because we are convinced that, to experience the “Risen Christ” means to experience joy at its fullest, to have encountered the very source of Joy.

We notice how in the Gospel accounts at Easter everybody runs. We learn that this is because their hearts sing with joy.

A first conclusion which we might draw is that: “A church that is lazy, laid back shows that has never experience or met the risen Lord”.

The second conclusion is that: “From Easter onward Christ can no longer be seen, but only recognized” in people and in events.

Jesus likes to take different disguises: gardener, fellow traveler.

The clues and the signs which He gives us to be able to recognize Him are always the same: “the breaking of the bread”, “joy” and “mission commitment”. The good News is so good that can not be whispered, it has to be sung.

We, the Christian adult generation, feel that it our bounding duty to have a serious examination of conscience, and find out if we are joyful, and credible, witnesses to the Gospel.

In the course of our conversations we will try tried to understand the complex reality of modern Chinese-American youth, their world, their problems and their expectations.

The contributions of speakers of the caliber of: Card. Joseph Zen,  from Hong Kong, Sr. Maria KO Ha-Fong, from Rome,  Dr. Benjamin T. Ou Yang, Ph.D, and his family, from North Potomac, MD,  and Fr. Thomas Betz R. O.F.M. Cap., from Philadelphia, will be of paramount importance to a better understanding of our Youth.

To emphasize our vital union with the “Local Church” and with the Universal Church, we shall have as our welcome guests: Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, and His Eminence, Francis Cardinal George who will preside over the Eucharist of Pentecost.

The shooting at Virginia Tech revels to us hard truths: Events like this are rightly understood as belonging to the “mysterium iniquitatis”.  A powerful unity among evil in the world. Evil doesexists. It exists in nature, and it exists in human nature. The actual moral responsibility of the poor shooter Seung-Hui Cho,  is known only to God. But the evil is palpable and clear.

There was a desire in the American Press to move quickly away from this uncomfortable truth to others that are more familiar and, therefore, less disturbing. So we had endless speculations about whether some combination of psychological intervention, social monitoring, security, and gun laws could prevent such tragedies.

These are dangerous self ­indulgences linked to our illusions about the limitless power of science, technology and politics. This madman was very lucid. If the campus had been shut for a few hours, he would have struck again later.

The world press has commented on the peculiarly vio­lent nature of the United States, which is allegedly in love with guns and hot­headed aggression. This is another confrontation with ourselvesand we have to honestly admit that we are violent.

I have in mind the Columbine shooting, where -13 students were gunned down in 1999 before the shooters killed them­selves. In 2006, in the quiet of Pennsylvania's Amish country, 11 youngsters were shot and 5 killed, execu­tion style, in an elementary school.

Two days after the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, President Clinton declared: "We must do more to reach out to our children and teach them to express their anger and resolve their conflicts with words, not weapons."

Ironically, that same day Clinton ordered intense bombing of Bel­grade, in the former Yugoslavia.
Children don't learn well when behavior contradicts teaching. One thing we can do is more deeply examine who we are. Does it square with who and what we say we are?

Who are we, really, and what kind of culture do we want?

Here in Chicago we read on the papers of Allen Lee, 18, a student of Cary-Grove High School who wrote a controversial essay that put him in trouble with the school and the Law. Lee wrote about blood, sex, and booze and described a dream of shooting everyone and then having sex with the dead bodies. Asked if he was sorry his attorney Dane Loizzo said:” I don’t think sorry or remorse has ever been part of the lexicon. Allen regrets what this turned into and the unwanted attention it brought to him and his family. Hopefully he has learned an important lesson: while freedom of speech is an invaluable right, it is not an absolute right.

For these few cases of irresponsible behavior we have thousand of youth who are hard working, law-abiding and god-loving people. There is a “mysterium pietatis” or a communion of people of “good will” at work which redeems our existence. The world keeps going because there is love, joy, dedication. To us the task of recognize and welcome it.

We at St. Therese Church do realize how our Chinese Youth are faced with the ordinary challenges of their age-peers, and the demanding and challenging task of how to be a “true Christian”, and an authentic Chinese in our modern society.

While trying to answer these challenges, our youth turn to us, their “elders”, and they are asking us for living examples to imitate and wise advices to follow.

Many different voices are alluring them; they are puzzled and perplexed. They are asking us to help them to recognize, among the many, the voice of their “Good Shepherd”.

The popular conception is that today young people are all self-centered, materialistic, and pleasure-seeking people.

Most probably this is a faulty and oversimplified description. In reality, many young people are actually searching for spirituality, for community, for service, for a better world, and, most so, for honesty on the side of their leaders.

They are looking for values to sustain them in their life journey and give meaning to their existence. They confused and perplexed at the many voices which promise them joy. They are looking up to us, their elders with trust and hope, in line with the traditional respect that elders are given in the Asian cultures.

We, the elders, look at them with pride and hope. At St. Therese we see everyday how willing parents  make sacrifices to make sure their children receive not only an education, but the best possible education, and a good job.

Nevertheless this is not enough. Our Youth need values, and a joy that springs up, welling up to eternity, from their inmost being. “Man does not live on bread alone” we are reminded by Jesus.

We shall try to answer difficult questions such as: “What does it mean to have faith?” “Can we meet God in this world?” “How do we know it is not an illusion?” “What attracts or discourages young people in the Church?” “How the tragedies of Columbine and Virginia challenge us?”

At St. Therese we rejoice to see how more young people are learning that every Christians, in virtue of his/her Baptism, is called to be a missionary. We welcome with joy their enthusiasm and dedication. We hope we will not disappoint them.

On this solemn Novena of Pentecost we want to pray, with Mary and all the Church, for a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the source of joy, on us and on all the churches in the world.

At St. Therese, as in many other Chinese catholic Communities in The States, we are limited in manpower and human resources, nevertheless we dare to believe that our Chinese Catholic Communities in North America can and must become the head of a bridge towards China. 

This huge country, with its population of 1,300,000,000 and its ancient civilization, poses a big challenge to the Church: “Caritas Christi Urget nos” i.e.:  “The love of Christ is spurring us on!” of St. Paul.

In conclusion, I wish to thank all those who worked so hard at making this a possible, the key-note speakers, the Steering Committee of St. Therese and Fr. Paul Pang for his advice and support.

May God bless you

Fr. Michael