Over 450 Latino students attend Guadalupe Youth Summit

The diocese’s Office of Hispanic Ministry welcomed more than 450 students to its fifth annual Guadalupe Youth Summit on Thursday, Feb. 22 with the theme of “Do Not Fear. Yo Estoy contigo” Isaiah 41:10.

Participants from the Catholic high schools in Columbus and youth groups from varies parishes from our diocese including, Portsmouth, led by Father Michael Fulton and Sister Soledad Sauzameda, LIHM, attended the one-day event in Kasich Hall at the Ohio Expo Center.

The venue was moved this year to the space used by the Columbus Catholic men’s and women’s conferences in order to accommodate the growth of the summit, which was held during the week between the men’s and women’s conferences.

Last year’s summit was held at Ohio Dominican University.

The day’s activities include small group sessions; a career and resource fair; music; a keynote address by Joel de Loera of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia; Mass celebrated by Bishop Mark Bartosic of the Archdiocese of Chicago and priests of the Diocese of Columbus; and a panel discussion with Ramona Reyes, vice president of community engagement for the diocese’s Catholic Social Services, Dr. Marlon De La Torre, senior director of the diocese’s Office of Evangelization; and de Loera.

Many of the volunteers who assisted with the conference were young Latino adults who attended World Youth Day last summer in Portugal with Father David Arroyo, diocesan vicar for Hispanic ministry. 

“Overall, it was a day to share and grow in our faith and culture together,” said Lisset Mendoza, the associate director of the diocese’s Office of Hispanic Ministry. “Many of our students have not yet decided what their plans are for after high school graduation and we made sure to bring a vast variety of organizations and companies to our resource and career fair for them to look at potential opportunities. This also included five religious vocations offices, including our diocese.”

Father Arroyo said, “The Eucharistic celebration had a great impact in all of the attendees. Most Reverend Bartosic spoke to the hearts of the students and shared that God chooses us for a mission just like he did with Simon Peter at the feast of the chair of Peter.

“Bishop said even with our faults and sins, our Lord invites us to continue the journey and through a short melody he transmitted the message that Jesus is calling us to change our names and lives. 

“I told Jesus it would be all right if he changed my name.” 

De Loera, the director of Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Arlington, encouraged the students to “be not afraid” in his presentation, using San Jose Sanchez del Rio as an example of courage and faith.

Referred to as “Joselito,” the 14-year-old saint was put to death in 1928 during the Cristero War in Mexico when he refused to renounce his Catholic faith after being threatened by government officials who were trying to suppress the Catholic Church and religious freedom. He was canonized on Oct. 16, 2016.

The speaker encouraged them to become serious about their faith now, to open themselves to the graces and blessings bestowed on them from God, and not to wait until they are older. He cited recent Pew Research Center statistics that showed about 43 percent of all Hispanic adults in the United States identify as Catholic compared with 67 percent in 2010.

De Loera described his own struggles as a young man who became caught up in material pleasures, dropped out of high school, disregarded people and his faith, and ended up running with the wrong crowd.