There was something special in the air at St. Columba Cathedral, where 27 high school upperclassmen from around the diocese and their families gathered for the 25th annual Eagle of the Cross awards on May 1. That “something special” was a feeling of pride, joy, and, perhaps most of all, security. To see so many young Catholics together, receiving awards acknowledging their outstanding commitment to and demonstration of their faith, is to know that the Church has a future.
The awards ceremony began with Evening Prayer led by Bishop David J. Bonnar and Father Ryan Furlong, director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the diocese. The music was provided by Ralph Holtzhauser, our diocesan director of music. In Father Furlong’s brief but impactful homily, he highlighted the importance of the youth for the enduring quality of Catholicism. “For two thousand years, it has been the young people who have rejuvenated and revitalized the Church—we need good young people in our Church today to be leaders.”
After prayer, Bishop Bonnar spoke to the awardees and their families, congratulating them and honoring the efforts and sacrifices they’ve already made for their faith, and encouraged them to continue their discipleship. “You have exemplified the qualities of moral integrity, prayer, good works and Christian leadership in your respective school and parish communities,” Bishop Bonnar said. “Like an eagle, your wings have helped to raise people up, inspiring them to new heights. But following this service […] we all will descend the mountain and return to the world seeking to be missionary disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Bishop Bonnar and Father Furlong then blessed the awards, along with a catechism given to the awardees. Bishop Bonnar handed out the awards personally and took photos with each student.
With the final award, the cathedral erupted into applause. The students mingled and congratulated their peers, while the parents and grandparents no doubt bragged about their kids to the other proud parents, waiting for their opportunity to do the same. After a few minutes of chaos, Father Furlong returned to the pulpit with further instruction—we were now to move to the banquet hall next door for a catered dinner.
Before dinner began, Father Furlong explained the unique impact these youth have on their faith community: “Any time you have young adults, there’s an energy, there’s a vitality,” he said. “They’re starting out in life and they want to branch out, they want to get involved, things are new to them and they want to use their gifts and talents in ways they never thought they could before.”
Priests, youth ministers, and others within their schools and parishes nominated the awardees. Then, the Diocesan Youth and Young Adult Council chose the winners from more than one hundred nominees.
Carly Koewacich, a member of the council and employee of the Newman Center at Youngstown State, said that they selected recipients whose communities saw them as “someone who is really outstanding in their faith for [specific reasons].”
Koewacich was particularly impressed by students who “spoke about their faith in hard situations” and recounted the story of one awardee who argued in favor of the Church’s pro-life stance in front of her entire class, despite the hostility she received. “She stood through it all and you could tell that that person is strong in their faith and really wanted to stand up for what they believe in. It’s not just something they do behind closed doors—they actually show it.”
“It was a really special feeling to receive this reward,” said Ambrose Hoso, a student from John F. Kennedy High School in Warren. “It’s special to know that people view me as a leader in the community and parish. Receiving this award comes with some expectations, so I want to continue to live up to those expectations.”
Eva Oster, a senior from Our Lady of Peace Parish in Ashtabula, recalls feeling relieved when she learned she’d be receiving the award—at least, once the excitement wore down. “I screamed and ran upstairs to tell my mom,” Oster laughs. “It was a relief. It feels validating to see that what I’ve been doing is actually making a difference.”
Maddie DiSalvatore, the campus minister for John F. Kennedy High School and another member of the Youth and Young Adult Council, sees the impact these students have on their communities on a daily basis and says they “help bring more charisma into the campus ministry program.” Essentially, they are advocates for the lessons the Church teaches through both their words and their actions.
“Seeing them interact with other students in the hallway—you can just tell,” DiSalvatore said. “They’re always lifting people up rather than dragging them down. They’re speaking words of life to people.”
These students, in providing such positive examples to their peers, play a vital role in the ministry of the Church. They are the Church’s ambassadors to a generation that often fails to see the need for organized religion.
Perhaps this is why the celebration, although proud and exuberant, had detectable traces of solemnity shot through it as well.
We know, as a community, that these students carry a heavy burden.
“We need to do more in reaching out to the youth,” Father Furlong said. “We need to let them know that we need them. They’re such a vital part of not only our future, but our present. With our culture today, with so many things battling for their time [and] distracting them, it’s difficult to hear the voice of God in all that noise.”
While it was certainly inspiring and uplifting to see such faith from the youth in our community, we must ask ourselves what we, as a faith community, can do to further support this young generation of leaders and help them engage more of their peers.
So, what is it that inspires these young people to speak up about their faith and become involved in their parish communities? What do they seek from the Church?
Among the awardees, all of them said that service was their primary connection to their faith. They want to have an impact on the world and their faith empowers them to do so.
According to Matthew Seikel, a student in the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Warren, youth who are engaged with their faith are doing so intentionally—not merely because it’s what their families expect. “More and more, people getting involved really know this is what they actually want to be doing and why they’re doing it,” Seikel said.
Students also said that, alongside service, having a personal and close relationship with Jesus was a pillar of their faith.
“It’s comfort. It’s knowing that even though I feel alone or broken, I’m not,” said Alexandria Drlik, a senior at Canton Central Catholic about what her faith brings to her life. “I’m always with someone—I’m with God. Knowing there’s someone there for me, always.”
Drlik will be attending John Carroll University next year and has already made plans to be engaged with campus ministry. She said that something she hopes to see from the Church in the future is an acceptance of brokenness. As she sees it, there is a certain degree of pressure to hide what we may be struggling with, when we should be able to show that we are still a work in progress.
“God doesn’t want us to be perfect,” Drlik said. “He wants us to be broken so He can heal us. You don’t have to come to church on Sunday with your [act] together, you need to come when you’re broken and accept your difficulties.”
While there is always more work to be done, the Eagle of the Cross Awards serve to remind us of the promise that these young people have, and that our hopes for the future will be fulfilled.
“It’s always inspirational to see them, to see their energy and joy and their love for God,” Father Furlong said. “The stereotype for our young people today is that they don’t want to get involved but tonight is proof that they do want to get involved and there’s so many things they’re doing.”
