World Youth Day 'rejoices' in the Lord at Archbishop Carney

Hundreds of high school students from across Lower Mainland will gather for fellowship & prayer

Young Catholics praise the Lord at the Archdiocese of Vancouver's local version of World Youth Day. This year's event will be held May 4 and 5 at Archbishop Carney Secondary school in Port Coquitlam. Special to The B.C. Catholic

Jeremy Keong, youth ministry coordinator at Christ the Redeemer Parish in West Vancouver, penned (probably typed) an article for The B.C. Catholic about this year's WYD plans for the archdiocese.

Inspired by the theme of the 27th World Youth Day, this year's archdicean Youth Day for teenagers is based on Phillippians 4:4, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say: rejoice!"

St. Paul repeats his instruction immediately, as if he is assuming the people in Philippi weren't paying attention the first time. It's that important. And he had a point. Sometimes we forget how amazing our God is, even during this season of Easter!

We are not to rejoice aimlessly, but to rejoice in the Lord; to be intimately connected to Who He is. Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes St. Paul's quickly repeated instruction when he says that we celebrate Easter "because now, thanks to the risen Lord, it is definitively established that reason is stronger than unreason, truth stronger than lies, love stronger than death."

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.