{"id":2675,"date":"2013-03-19T06:08:00","date_gmt":"2013-03-19T06:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/catholic-youth-congress-highlights-friendship-with-christ\/"},"modified":"2013-03-19T06:08:00","modified_gmt":"2013-03-19T06:08:00","slug":"catholic-youth-congress-highlights-friendship-with-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/03\/catholic-youth-congress-highlights-friendship-with-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"Catholic youth congress highlights friendship with Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Bridgeport, Conn., Mar 19, 2013 \/ 12:08 am (CNA<\/a>).- Hundreds of high school students attended the 2013 Convivio Youth Congress in Connecticut March 8-10 to talk about the Christian faith, grow spiritually and consider the meaning of friendship today.<\/p>\n

\tFlorencia Silva, youth ministry director for the Diocese of Bridgeport, said the event is intended \u201cto help kids encounter Christ and grow in their friendship with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tFriendship, she noted, is \u201ca very important topic\u201d for teenagers since contemporary culture \u201cdoesn\u2019t help people form real relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cMany times the young people feel very isolated and alone and it\u2019s very hard for them to find relationships,\u201d she added. Even social media \u201csometimes makes them feel more connected but also more isolated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe 2013 congress\u2019 theme was taken from the words of Jesus to the disciples in the Gospel of John: \u201cI have called you friends.\u201d The congress aimed to explore common misconceptions about friendship, the problem of loneliness, and the longing for genuine relationship. It intended to explore the qualities of true friendship with the goal of helping others reach eternal life.<\/p>\n

\tStephen Kawulicz, a two-time Convivio attendee from Brookfield, Conn., said he loved the congress\u2019 talks.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThey\u2019re all very thought-provoking and make me look at things in a new light,\u201d he told CNA.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI think that a friendship with Christ and a friendship with God should be both the center of our lives and the center of our friendships with other people. Because that\u2019s what makes everything last,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cGod\u2019s love is eternal and perfect, while our love falls short.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe Convivio gathering was held at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. with help from about 100 adult volunteers and 80 student leaders.<\/p>\n

\tAt the congress\u2019 opening, dozens of teens waited at the doors to greet their friends and classmates, help with registration and make introductions. Besides talks, small group discussion and a concert, the congress featured chances for prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, and Sunday Mass.<\/p>\n

\tThe three-day youth congress was introduced to the U.S. in 2010 by the Marian Community of Reconciliation, a community of lay consecrated women whose ministry focuses on youth outreach.<\/p>\n

\tSilva, who is a member of the Marian Community of Reconciliation, said Convivio is unique because it is youth-run. High school and college students help in the planning and organization of the congress.<\/p>\n

\tThey invite other young people to attend through giving speeches at their parishes at schools, putting up posters, and posting Facebook statuses. The students lead the groups and give the talks and witnesses. The event leads youth through a question-and-answer process.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThey\u2019re not here to be told. We help them encounter the answers themselves,\u201d Silva told CNA, noting that the small-group format also helps promote one-on-one engagement.<\/p>\n

\tThe event is open to youths who question their faith or are looking for answers along with those who are excited about their faith, Silva said.<\/p>\n

\tConvivio delegations came from Massachusetts, Texas and Colorado. Maria Salazar, a high school freshman from Denver, said that she attended because she wanted to grow stronger in her faith.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI honestly thought it was going to be one of those normal retreats and not a lot of fun but after the first day I had so much joy I couldn't contain it,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to stay there and grow closer in friendship with Christ and the people around me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSalazar said Eucharistic Adoration and singing together with other retreat attendees were her favorite parts of the congress.<\/p>\n

\tSilva said her favorite part of Convivio is witnessing young people change from Friday to Sunday.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cOn Friday they are insecure and they don\u2019t want to step out of their comfort zone,\u201d she said. Attendees become more self-giving and appear \u201ccompletely transformed\u201d by Sunday.<\/p>\n

\tPast Convivio participants say they have formed long and lasting friendships over the weekend rooted in their common love for Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bridgeport, Conn., Mar 19, 2013 \/ 12:08 am (CNA).- Hundreds of high school students attended the 2013 Convivio Youth Congress in Connecticut March 8-10 to talk about the Christian faith, grow spiritually and consider the meaning of friendship today.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nCatholic youth congress highlights friendship with Christ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bridgeport, Conn., Mar 19, 2013 \/ 12:08 am (CNA).- Hundreds of high school students attended the 2013 Convivio Youth Congress in Connecticut March 8-10 to talk about the Christian faith, grow spiritually and consider the meaning of friendship today. ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/03\/catholic-youth-congress-highlights-friendship-with-christ\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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