By Michael Motes

Under the supervision and guidance of numerous team members and task members and task force leaders, nearly 100 ninth and tenth graders from throughout the archdiocese gathered at the Georgia Baptist Assembly Camp for Recycling 2, a weekend aimed at spiritual growth and further commitment to their Catholic identity.

Several task force leaders have expressed a desire to share with BULLETIN readers some of the highlights of the weekend.

Father Adamski said, “The young people on our task force surprised us all with their seriousness and enthusiasm.

“The weekend together was a very rewarding time of sharing faith between adult, priests, sisters and lay people, and young men and women. Everyone seemed to feel that our effort was a valuable one and they responded generously.

“Perhaps the most impressive part of the experience for me personally,” he continued, “was the openness of all the participants. People came form all over North Georgia and from many different backgrounds and experiences.

“Nevertheless, the group was able to overcome its shyness and inhibitions in order to share a meaningful experience of Christianity. That community consciousness was the best part of all.”

Sister Linda Maser, who worked with a task force on Life Ministries commented that she became conscious of two main ideas during the weekend.

She said, “First was the tremendous openness and response of the youth who were part of the weekend and who were able to share so much of how they are living out the Christian life of faith and love expressed through service. Second was real peace and joy that I was part of all that happened.

“As members of the task force concentrating on Life Ministries, we spent time reflecting on our own vocations as Christians: What does it mean to be Christian? How is our service to the world a reflection of Christ? How do we in our day-to-day lives commit ourselves to living out the Gospels? What are our options for future service?

“Through large and small group discussions, a sharing of posters and acting out the parables, we explored the various aspects of ministry, of vocation, of service in our own lives.

“But I think our deepest sharing was in the liturgy where we came before God, mindful of who we were, knowing our own weaknesses, but wanting very much to be for Him and to give Him praise.

“It is difficult to put into words exactly what happened as we shared prayer, ideals and lived reality of our Christian life. I think that each of us gained some deeper insights into our lives together clearer only as we continue on our way and reflect on our experiences.”

Quoting from St. Paul, Sister Linda concluded her reflections on Recycling 2 with, “Glory be to Him whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask for or imagine.’ For he was truly with us this weekend.”

Sister Janet Valente, director of the Office of Urban Affairs, headed a Social Outreach Task Force. Explaining the aim of her group, she said, “It was our goal to provide for the participants of the weekend an initial consciousness raising experience.

“It was sort of a two-pronged attempt to raise some social issues facing our world today and to put into perspective the Church’s stance toward justice as being a constitutive element of preaching the gospel.”

To Sister Janet, the highlight of the weekend was the use of a simulation game called Starpower, which “gave participants an experience of power and powerlessness showing them the reality of our three-class societal system and the lack of any real mobility within our system.”

Jim and Dolores Waters served as a team couple on the Roman Catholic Identity Task Force. Mrs. Waters said that the results were “truly beautiful and inspirational.”

“For those who may doubt that Roman Catholicism is waning or meaningless for the youth today, their fears are groundless,” she said.

“As the kids themselves described it, their task force on Roman Catholic Identity was a real ‘toughie’ from the beginning point of trying to define one’s personal identity through pictorial symbols to the concluding point of establishing a communal belief representative of the several groups.”

Among the issues on which the Waters’ group concentrated were Mass attendance when presented with valid reasons not to attend; major reasons for being a Catholic, other than having been “born to the faith” and likes and dislikes about being a member of this faith.

The conclusions the youngsters reached inspired Mrs. Waters to comment, “For the adult who may worry about youth of today continuing to grow in their faith one can only say that the Church is indeed alive. It is indeed a pilgrim people moving forward. This was never more apparent to those who were privileged as task force leaders to minister to a group which very definitely knows and feels their Roman Catholic identity to be the central focus of their lives.

“If ninth and tenth grade teenagers can express this so successfully, what does it say to the adult Catholic today in terms of his own identification and commitment to his faith and beliefs?

Expressions of what the weekend accomplished also came from participants. One young girl, Mary Carroll Rowan, summed up her experience in this prayer:

“During this weekend I have learned more about myself and how deeply I feel the plight of those who have so very little, while I have so much. I just want to have the courage to look the problem in the eye and not turn away.

“Essentially, Lord, what I’m saying is that I’m afraid of poverty and injustice and I want the ability to face the problem and solve it. I think I took a step in the right direction this weekend and I hope to continue along the same path.”

At the conclusion of the weekend, task force members drew up creeds expressing their beliefs. Dr. Walt Kahnle, archdiocesan youth consultant and coordinator of the program, felt that this line from one of the creeds was especially meaningful: “I believe the Church is the home of God where we are His family and He wants all to eat and drink with Him every day so that we may grow, flourish and give life.”

In another creed, God is described as “one beautiful, gentle, powerful, understanding and loving God.” And the Church in another creed is “our common place to come together to worship and rejoice in His love and to know true fulfillment. This is our home – our common sharing place.”

Father Jerry Hardy, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, composed the following song for the teenagers taking part in Recycling 2:

“Recycle My Faith, Lord”

Refrain

Recycle my faith, Lord

Refocus my love

Give me something to hope for

Keep me rising above

Trusting you is tougher, Lord

When you ask me for so much

Testing me to see if I’m sincere

But even in the midst of doubt

I’m still searching for your touch

Telling me “Don’t worry I am here”

The warmth you send into my life

Is really meant to have no ends

It should be shared with all men generously

Forgive me for confining it

To just my special friends

Teach me how to love unselfishly

Now and then I realize

How really good you are to me

It makes me wonder what I ought to do

I’d like to give my life away

Helping other people see

I’ll spread the word that things go better with you.