Young adults and Hispanics pray for new archbishop

Eucharistic adoration was part of a Nov. 30 program at Our Lady of the Greenwood Church in Greenwood in which prayers were offered for Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin, the new archbishop of the archdiocese. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)

By John Shaughnessy

GREENWOOD—Minutes before the beginning of a holy hour to pray for Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin, Matt Faley talked about the excitement that young Catholics have concerning the archdiocese’s new spiritual leader.

“I had a chance to meet with him with about 10 to 15 other young Catholics,” said Faley, director of young adult and college campus ministry for the archdiocese. “There’s a sense of excitement about him. He has a heart for the mission of the Church. He seems real and honest and easy to approach. That spoke volumes. The young Church feels they have a home locally.”

At the same time, the hour of music and prayer at Our Lady of the Greenwood Church in Greenwood on Nov. 30 revealed the depth of a desire that many young Catholics have for a deeper relationship with God. (See more photos from this event)

Seminarian Benjamin Syberg focused on that desire as he shared his testimonial during the Friday evening event when young Catholics and Hispanic Catholics gathered to pray for the new archbishop.

Syberg, who is in his third year of priestly formation at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, talked about how many young adult Catholics are beginning to shape the lives they want, but they are also uncertain about other areas of life, including their faith.

“We’re not as holy as we thought we would be,” said Syberg, a member of Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish. “We want to take the next step with the real and loving and living God.”

The next step begins with prayer, Syberg said.

“If we only know how much the Father smiles on us,” he said. “The Father is so happy when we keep at it every single day. We keep praying day in and day out that we find ourselves in him.”

That openness to a deeper relationship with God followed through the songs that were sung during the holy hour by musicians Michael LaBelle, Brie Anne Eichhorn and Faley.

Faley encouraged the holy hour participants “to move closer to God during this season of Advent.” He then led the vocals for “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” a song that included the lyrics, “I want to see you.” Later, the musicians sang “I Surrender,” a song with the chorus, “I surrender, I surrender, I want to know you more, I want to know you more.”

The hour of prayer and music by Catholic young adults touched 23-year-old Jessica Szamocki.

“It’s beautiful when we gather together to have that fellowship with other young people,” said Szamocki, a member of Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish. “I’m really excited about the new archbishop.”

So are the members of the Spanish Charismatic Prayer Group at St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis. The group held a prayer and music gathering at Our Lady of the Greenwood Church following the young Catholics’ holy hour.

“We’re guided by the Holy Spirit to be here so the Lord can pour out all the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, not just for the new archbishop but also for the whole archdiocese,” said Julia Gonzalez, a leader of the group. “We want to have the fire of love for Jesus.”

Hispanics in the archdiocese are excited that Archbishop Tobin is fluent in Spanish, she said.

“That is great,” Gonzalez said. “With the Hispanic population growing in Indiana, that’s going to be a great help for all of us.” †

 

(Click here to see stories, photos and videos from the installation Mass)