When Jessica Cox, a Catholic motivational speaker born without arms, took to the stage to kick off the Religious Education Congress’ Youth Day, she wore Mickey Mouse ears she’d just acquired down the street at Disneyland, the “Happiest Place on Earth.”
“While it was fun, it was only temporary,” Cox said. “But the thing that is incredible about today is the joy you experience right now, where you are and today in your faith — that my friends, is eternal.”
Cox was the keynote speaker for the Congress’ annual Youth Day on Feb. 20 — a part of the four-day Religious Education Congress at the Anaheim Convention Center — where more than 7,500 young people gathered for a day of talks, music, entertainment, prayer and community.
Cox spoke about the challenges — and liberation — that came from growing up with no arms. She repeatedly emphasized the event’s theme, “You Are Enough! You Belong,” in telling her story of constantly overcoming her deficit and finding God along the way.
As she spoke, she demonstrated her ability to do things with her feet that might seem impossible to others: Tying her shoes, picking up her cellphone, unfolding a paper to read a poem.
“I know you may not have the same adversity I have, but every single one of you has something you are facing, something that you are struggling with, and with that challenge, I want you to lift it up to the Lord and know that he is strengthening us,” said Cox.
Other speakers throughout the day touched on similar issues facing young people today: Prayer, making deeper connections, feeling alone, and discerning God’s will.
Also, rap music.
Whether it was a Scripture rap battle between presenters Chris Estrella and Joe Melendrez — with surprise contestant Rhyan Ramirez — or Father David Michael Moses talking about hip-hop-inspired songs he’d written, the day had a musical theme.
Moses, the popular guitar-playing, comedy video-making, breakdancing, rapping priest with a large social media following, picked up his guitar and broke into song several times during his talk, singing about the Eucharist, his prayer book, and even his dating history. Comedy videos included “Clergy Spoon,” suggesting priests could use their clerical collars in case they run out of utensils, and “Rate My Confessor,” a parody of “Rate My Professor.”
But in between the entertainment, speakers shared several modern-day parables to explain how God is meeting young people in their lives.
Newly ordained Father Tommy Green, an associate pastor at St. Philomena Church in Carson, spoke during his session about how God is with us through the highs — for him, being ordained a priest — and lows — for him, suffering a career-ending football injury — of our lives.
“God sees you and he’s invested,” Green said. “He knows you. He knows what you’re going through right now. He knows what you’ve been through. He absolutely loves you.
“That’s just how good our God is.”
In their respective sessions, Maggie Craig and Noelle Garcia McHugh used some painful lessons in their lives to highlight how to let God help.
For McHugh, it was walking her dogs and being dragged when they began chasing after a rabbit. When telling a friend later, they asked her, “Why didn’t you let go?” She urged the crowd to “let go” in their prayer lives and let God take control.
Craig relayed a childhood ordeal that led to needing 37 stitches in her leg, which segued into letting God heal our own wounds.
“When we keep our wounds wrapped up, we never heal,” she said. “What does Jesus want for you? He wants your healing.
“So what do we have to do with our wounds? We have to be vulnerable with God….”
In his homily, Archbishop Gomez asked the youth to use Blessed Carlo Acutis — whose soon-to-be-a-saint relic was featured at the event’s Sacred Space — as a model for their lives.
From Angelus News
Such an odd title, “No major heresies . . .” It’s like reading a title, “No major sex abuse . . .,” which is more alarming than comforting.
The presence of James Martin and others promoting the mortal sins against the 6the Commandment at REC is pretty major on Judgment Day.
Wrong. Gay banners were on the altar and ambo at the Saturday evening Mass, and Fr. James Martin spoke about gay and trans issues.
Good news is that attendance was down from the past years. Serious and faithful Catholics avoid the RECongress now because it is a heresyfest with terrible liturgies.
Reply to James Martin: Sounds like a regressive congress!
This article is only about Youth Day. How about some objective reporting about the rest of the weekend? I heard the gays were out in force and Trump was bashed by speakers.
Did CalCatholic send someone to the event to provide reporting?
Is a “major” heresy like being a “little” pregnant?
Jesuit-educated, Bl. Carlo Acutis would have told everyone not to attend the terrible, heretical, disrespectful, secular “Me-Celebration,” worldly, babyish, pop-culture and sin-drenched, LA REC. This is not the Way– Christ’s serious, mature, holy Way, followed by the holy Saints— to live a true Catholic or Christian holy life. Garbage! Excommunicate lying, heretical, immoral Jesuit Fr. James Martin, ASAP! Where is St. Ignatius of Loyola and his fanous Spiritual Exercises? Let’s all learn how to be mature Catholics! Just like soon-to-be Saint Carlo Acutis– not a worldly young man at all, totally devoted to Christ– right in front of your very eyes, 24/7! Same thing, with the young Fatima Saints– Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto. You go to school and apply yourself, to learn and to master academic subjects– reading, writing, math, etc. Your gym teacher or coach trains you in a sport— and you practice hard, daily, with good results. Now– a priest, nun or devout Catholic lay teacher teaches you the Catechism, or has a Theology class— do you study, and work hard, daily, with good results, good fruits? Do you attend daily Mass, practive selfless virtue, religious devotions, and do you develop a serious, mature, prayerful relationship with God? What are you giving up, sacrificing, for Lent? Ash Wednesday is next week. Not for immature, immoral, brainless “Me-Me-Me-Celebratory” babies, running around, making lots of noise in church.
At first, I was a little disappointed in the headline, but I thought, minor heresies are better than no heresies. But, I saw that arch-heretic James Martin spoke there. Any other dissenters? For a bit, I worried that the archdiocese might’ve returned to pre-Vatican II things, like the Gospel and Creeds. Deep church and the lavender mafia are still powerful.
Maybe a better headline would be: “No New Heresies”. Sounds like the same old ones still abound.
The RECongress is a money pit. The archdiocese now loses money on it every year, and fewer people go because it’s not worth the time or money. They just released a video asking for $70k in donations to keep it going for the 70th anniversary next year.
Let it die. It’s so gay.
With the billion dollar settlement last year , it shows the archdiocese is still flush with cash to support this insult and outrage.
Whoever the next bishop of Los Angeles will be should order that this whole event be stopped.
Youth ministry has become so much pathetic pandering. Rap music? Rapping priests? If things like this worked, why aren’t there more teens and young adults attending Mass? What? Are we gonna start rapping at Mass now? Yo, yo, yo, I believe in one God, the Fa-Fa-Father Al-Al-mighty, creator of heaven and earth, man.
I won’t let my kids anywhere near this when they are teens.
“No major heresies”
Please tell us what the minor ones were.
The armless speaker was completely wrong in her assertion that youth day lasts forever. It’s just like disneyland… when it’s over, the feelings go away. Those kids have probably already forgotten much about the day. Where do they get these people? And why are armless people so desired as speakers? In my generation it was Tony Melendez the armless guitar player who was trotted out at every Catholic youth event in the 80s and 90s. Sorry, but I’d rather have arms. I’m sorry for people who don’t have arms or legs or other body parts, but making the best of a bad situation really isn’t that inspiring. What else are you gonna do? And it’s totally manipulative to put such people on stage in front of teens to make them feel bad about their choices. I was at a retreat where a woman was speaking to teens and talked about being raped by her dad. It was very emotional and the girls all cried. It was so manipulative and inappropriate. Like youth ministers think their job is to make teens cry. But then the next day it’s all forgotten and nobody has changed their lives.
If you want to know why the Congress is the way it is, it’s because the committees are stacked with lesbians and gays, some of them in gay marriages. Yes, those sorts of people are directing the faith formation in Gomez’s Los Angeles. They have successfully staged a gay coup to control part of the chancery.
You are 100% correct the commitees are absolutely stacked with gays and lesbians I mean just take a look at the congress on YouTube flamyboyent black gay men dancing like vestal virgins and lesbians including the nuns if you can call them that, all under the eyes of Gomez himself!! You think he even cares NO he is the Archbishop of Los Angeles he calls the shots and is perfectly fine with the gay crowd running the show. Guys come on already its been over 60 years since the New Springtime and it was a TOTAL failure the multitude of excuses as to why it wasn’t EMPLENTED the way it was meant to be is more than tireing and boring its just plain OLD. This is exactly what they wanted and well hdere are the fruits: no believe in the real presence, 10% Mass attendance compared to 75% prior to the Council, closed convents, seminaries, churches, hospitals, schools, altar girls, dancing lesbian nuns with incense bowls, clowns, giant puppet masses, hand holding, kiss of peace literallly, improper attire, bongos, drums, guitars, pianos, polka, Mariachi, folk, and rock music, Life teen Mass, communion in the hand while standing, lay lectors, Eucaristic ministers both male & female, felt banners, clapping hands, openly gay priests. What a New Spring Time indeed, they changed the Church in just 60 years to something the Saints would NEVER recognize and would be weeping with disgust. So I doubt whoever will be the new Pope will not change anything, Francis made sure to stack the Colllege of Cardinals with like minded moderenists to keep that sinking ship of the New Order going. It will take decades to recover what was lost in 60 short years, how very sad indeed.
Good grief no heresies?? You can see it all on YouTube bongos, gospel music, African dancers, gay male dancers, communion in the hand, drinking from the chalice, dancing nuns, lesbians, rainbow banners, drums, guitars, chicks in flowing robes dancing like it was ancient Rome, ghastly music, hideous vestments, girls pretending to be ALTAR BOYS, female and male lay lectors, glass pitchers, bread, pagan Aztec dancers, women handing out communion wafers the list goes on and on. This was by no means anything remotely Roman Catholic just a FREAK show and looking at the stands nobody showed up. It will take decades for the Church to recover and become Roman Catholic once again, starting with the return of The Traditional Latin Mass and sacraments. Gomez is just another modernist and embarrassing.
There are people who think it’s great. The organizers think it’s what people want. They obviously get people involved and attending.
Reply to what people want— There are people who “like” this or that– including many who like heretical gay propagandist, Jesuit Fr. James Martin. There are people who believe in and support many terrible heresies and serious sins– such as gay “marriage,” IVF, and Planned Parenthood, which provides birth control and abortion, as well as dangerous transgender medical procedures for underage kids— like Rep. Nancy Pelosi and former Pres. Joe Biden. And there are many people who go to Mass, but state that they do not accept Catholic teaching on the Eucharist. You do not understand– a Catholic Religious Education Congress is NOT about “what you like.” It is about Christ and His holy teachings, straight from the Holy Bible. The Catholic Mass is extremely holy, a re-presentation of Christ’s holy Sacrifice on the Cross for our Salvation. The Mass should always be highly respected, never evilly abused by Satanic imbeciles. Ash Wed. is next week. Are you Catholic? What are you doing for Lent? Do you accept the teachings of Christ and His Church?
TIme to shut this FREAK SHOW down!!!
Nothing displays the current chaotic and dissident and confused state of the Church better than the Anaheim Congress. I daresay the people running it all the way to the top don’t really know what Catholic faith is, and their religion is wokeness.
Yeah, don’t trust the archdiocese’s own paper to report truthfully about an archdiocesan event. The gays run the archdiocese, not the archbishop. That much should be clear after the most gay RECongress ever.
Carlo Acutis would have condemned the spectacle at the congress.
Dissident Jesuit Fr. Greg Boyle spoke in the arena at Congress, and he referred to President Trump’s administration and second term as “the current regime”, as if we live in a dictatorship. These Dumbocrat speakers and woke heretics should not be allowed a platform to voice their dangerous ideas. Archbishop Gomez, why do you allow Jesuits like Boyle and Fr. James Martin to spread lies and falsehood about gays and about what is good for the world?
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is corrupt and sick and dysfunctional. The evidence for that is that for three years gay pride colors have been prominently displayed on the altar at a RECongress Mass. AB Gomez has done nothing to stop it nor prevent it. What would you say about a CEO who would not or could not prevent employees from doing things against the company’s business interests. You’d say he was ineffective and should be replaced. I say that about our diocesan CEO.
The unreported scandal is that Catholic parishes and schools pay for their staff to attend this event at which they are misinformed and misled. People aren’t spending their own money; they are spending the donations from the Catholic faithful.
If you want to give an evaluation of Congress, go here to the official evaluation form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8yQU14o4KQfeuEdn4Ulb8sTtFxfELjdMQVbQJ4S8XunJY5g/viewform?usp=header
Thanks. Instead of simply cursing the darkness, light a candle. Do something, besides complaining.
I told them they are evil for promoting gayness at Mass with the pride colors on the altar.