C O N T E N T S

Rise Up 2003

Saskatoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Reaching Students

from Coast to Coast . . . . . . 3

Campus Close-Ups . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Becoming a Woman of

Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Impact ‘04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Special Announcement . . . . . . . . 8

REACHING FUTURE LEADERST O D AY

G O O D N E W S F R O M C A T H O L I C C H R I S T I A N O U T R E A C H

��

S P R I N G 2 0 0 4

Approximately 300 student leadersfrom across Canada joyfullybrought in the New Year with

praise, worship and thanksgiving duringCCO’s Annual Rise Up Christmas Confer-ence that was held December 28th to Janu-ary 1st in Saskatoon’s Delta Bessboroughhotel.

“I honestly couldn’t imagine a betterway to start a new year,” said Crystal Korol,a commerce student at the University ofSaskatchewan.

“This is a party that feeds our spirit,”agreed fellow student Steve Sikora, attend-ing Rise Up for the third time. “For myself,it’s like getting your batteries recharged,”Sikora said. “Being with other youngCatholics facing the same challenges, beingencouraged by their faith, and being pre-sented with orthodox Catholicism... it’senergizing. We’re equipped to go out andevangelize in love and faith.”

The five-day event in downtown Saska-toon also included a variety of speakerssuch as CCO Founders André and Angèle

Regnier, Fr. Clair Watrin CSB, Msgr. Gre-gory Smith of Vancouver and CCO leadersJeff Lockert and Brett Powell. As well therewere workshops, Eucharistic celebrations,prayer, music, and social events, includinga walking tour to the University ofSaskatchewan and a New Year’s Eve ban-quet.

The theme for Rise Up was “Next Gen-eration Leaders.” Creating faith leaders isthe goal of both CCO and the Rise Up con-ference, said CCO president Jeff Lockert.“Our desire isthat delegateswill all go backto the campusesencouraged,equipped andempowered tobe apostles, toshare thegospels in loveand action.”

Jeff also notedthat this year’s

Rise Up 2003captures the hearts

of many studentsb y K i p l y L u k a n Ya w o r s k i

1 5 Y e a r s o f R e a c h i n g F u t u r e L e a d e r s

…cont inuedon page 2

22

“There is a groundswell of young peopleready to rise up and from the rooftops shoutout what we know to be true: that Jesus isLord.”

One student who was particularly movedby this year’s Conference was Leah McDon-ald, a third year English major from the Uni-versity of Regina. Leah said “Rise Up wasan awakening to the Holy Spirit moving inour nation. It was amazing to know thathundreds of young people are striving, likeme, to be holy in a world that tries to per-suade us todo otherwise.I came homefrom Rise Upstrength-ened. I camehomeencouragedthat it is tothe pursuit ofholiness thatI am called,

and that Christ will make me holy if I con-tinually choose Him. I choose Jesus to cap-ture my heart. I chose Him yesterday, Ichoose Him now, and for the rest of eterni-ty I want for Jesus Christ, my Savior and myKing, to capture my heart.”

Saskatoon CCO chaplain Fr. Marc Mireauagreed: “This conference shows that theyouth of Canada are alive and well, praisingGod in His church. These young leaders willgo forth and share that faith and commit-ment with others.” ◆

…cont inued f rom page 1

conference is the largest held to date. One ofthe main highlights included an eveningfeaturing the Sacrament of Reconciliation,with priests from the Saskatoon diocese par-ticipating. Jeff remarked, “We have beengreatly blessed by the support of BishopAlbert LeGatt and the generosity of thepriests of the diocese.” Bishop Albert alsoled a workshop on “practical ways to liveout your baptism,” while visiting Arch-bishop Terrence Prendergast of Halifax wasalso in attendance during the conference.

Participation from British Columbia toNewfoundland gave this year’s CCO con-ference a truly national feel, said AngèleRegnier. Young adults attending Rise Up areenergized by seeing so many like-minded

people committed totheir faith. “Youngpeople are at univer-sity for only a shorttime, but they areambitious and ener-getic, eager to bringabout changes insociety,” she said,noting that histori-cally, university stu-

dents have sparked revolution and change.CCO co-founder André Regnier con-

curred. “When this generation of youngpeople rises up they will bring integrity andlove to everything they do. These will bepeople who are laying down their lives forother people. That’s what our countryneeds,” André said. “I believe we are in themidst of a great resurgence in the church,the dawn of a new era. The Holy Father hasspoken about a new springtime of evange-lization and this is part of it,” said André.

Rise Up 2003captures the hearts

of many students

“I choose Jesus tocapture my heart.

I chose Him yesterday, Ichoose Him now, andfor the rest of eternity Iwant Jesus Christ, my

Saviour and my King, tocapture my heart.”

University of Regina women at the banquet.▲

Bishop Albert Legatt commissioning a student at Rise Up.

▲

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Reaching Students from Coast to CoastC C O E X P A N D S T O H A L I F A X

b y J e f f Lo c k e r t , C C O P r e s i d e n t

During the season of Lent, Feastdays are special days of celebra-tion. And in a way they are also

the special days of anticipation of the greatcelebration that will take place at the end ofLent: Easter. One of these days is the Feastof St. Joseph, which occurs every year onMarch 19th. St. Joseph is a very special saintfor all of us, not only because he was the fos-ter-father of Jesus and the Patron Saint ofthe universal Church, but also because he isthe Patron Saint of our country: Canada.

This year during Lent, theFeast of Saint Joseph containedan extra-special celebration forCCO. We are all aware of CCO’smission to make a significantspiritual impact in lives of stu-dents all throughout all of Cana-da. As a result, the Feast of St.Joseph was chosen as the day toofficially announce that CCO has been giv-en a very exciting opportunity to expandits evangelistic work to a new campus, anew Diocese, and a new region of Canada.Therefore, we are proud to announce thatthis upcoming September, CCO will bestarting a new chapter in the Archdiocese ofHalifax, Nova Scotia.

This expansion comes at the invitation ofArchbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J., whosees CCO’s work as a valuable initiative ofspiritual renewal on university campuses.In his letter of invitation to CCO, Archbish-op Prendergast wrote that “over the pastfew years, I have had the opportunity tocome to know more about CCO’s work and

believe that it would make a significant con-tribution in the Archdiocese of Halifax… Ibelieve CCO would be a valuable asset ofevangelistic outreach to university studentsand young adults in Halifax and throughoutthe Atlantic Region.”

An expansion to a new region doesn’thappen every day. In fact, CCO’s last region-al expansion took place in Vancouver in1998. But this opportunity to start CCO inHalifax is very timely. It comes on the heelsof the Impact Canada mission, taking place

in Halifax this sum-mer. This Impact mis-sion, which is CCO’slargest summer proj-ect yet with 57 stu-dents participating,will create a tremen-dous energy andenthusiasm through-

out the whole Archdiocese, especiallyamong the students and youth. JohnStevens, the Halifax Archdiocesan YouthCoordinator, is especially excited for theImpact Project. “I know the project will liveup to its name and have a huge impact onthe people of our diocese. So many youngpeople, willing to give so much of them-selves, is an excellent witness to Jesus Christand will most certainly be contagious.”

To begin the work in Halifax, we will besending CCO staff members Caitlin Currieand Tanya Van Buggenhout, both very expe-rienced and competent leaders. But theywon’t be alone. Over the past few years,many students from Halifax have attended

CCO Conferences and eventsand have shown a keen interestin our mission as a movement.And in fact, five of the ImpactCanada participants are current-ly students in Halifax and will be

continuing their studies in Halifax this fall.As well, Dalhousie Chaplain Fr. John Fletch-er is very pleased that CCO will be presenton campus: “CCO is a tremendous asset tome as a chaplain. Their effectiveness inreaching out to students on campus and inleadership development will be greatlyappreciated. I look forward to workingtogether.”

In his letter to CCO in 2002, Pope JohnPaul II called for CCO to: “Let [Jesus’] lightshine in your lives, continue steadfastly onthe path of holiness, share with everyone‘the good news of a great joy which willcome to all the people’ (Lk 2:10).” Thisexpansion is a direct response to that appealof the Holy Father.

Beginning the movement in Halifax is avery historic moment for everyone involvedwith CCO: students, staff, and supporters.It means that God can use our movementto reach out and minister to more studentsin Canada, from coast to coast. It means thatmore future leaders will have the opportu-nity to hear and respond to Christ’s mes-sage of love and friendship. And it meansthat more young people will be formed andempowered to be bearer’s of the light ofChrist to all those around them. It gives usgreat joy to share with you this wonderfulfruit of our partnership in ministry. Pleasecontinue to keep the ministry of CCO andthis new chapter in Halifax in your thoughtsand prayers. ◆

Halifaxstudentsat Rise Up.▲

Archbishop Prendergast blessinga student at Rise Up.

▲

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campusC L O S E - U P S

F R O M A C R O S S C A N A D A

OttawaUNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA

CCO at the University of Ottawa has expe-

rienced a semester of growth and of living

out the CCO vision. There have been many

students who have taken up the challenge of

being missionaries on their campus and the

fruits of their efforts are being reaped.

One student who has lived up to our mot-

to of “Every member a missionary” is Jack-

ie, a first year Pre-Medicine student from

Brampton, Ontario. In moving away from

her family, her father told her to find a way

to continue to practice her faith. In Sep-

tember, she came upon the CCO Popcorn

Survey table, where she left her contact

information in order to learn more about

CCO. Within a few weeks, she was in a Dis-

covery Faith study. Through the Faith study

she came into a deeper understanding of

God's love, sin, and the salvation that Christ

has won on the cross. Since hearing the

Gospel proclaimed in such a clear and sim-

ple way, she has been able to bring her faith

to a new level and has been equipped to

share it with others. Because of her faith

and her zeal to share the message of Christ

with others, Jackie has begun leading her

own Discovery Faith study this semester.

Jackie is only one of many students who

is living what CCO is called to be, a light on

their campus, challenging other to know

and accept Christ!

CARLETON UNIVERSITYThis semester featured a number of excit-

ing landmarks for CCO Carleton. For many

years, growth at Carleton was significant-

ly slower than the other CCO campuses.

Now, however, thanks to an abundance of

new leaders the Lord provided, we were

able to launch a new student-developed

weekly event called Steacie 310 (named

after the building and room number). For a

weekly audience of 20-30 students, our

guest speakers preached about the Beati-

tudes, musicians brought their talents, soup

was served…and the God who made it all

possible was glorified.

These students who have helped define

the shape of our movement have not always

been youth-group formed cradle Catholics.

In fact, some of our leaders have discovered

their faith only recently. One such example

is third-year student, Matt Halliday. Since

leaving his contact information during

CCO’s Popcorn Survey last fall, his friend-

ships with CCO students have changed him

(and most certainly them, too). A self-

described agnostic, he gradually began rein-

vestigating the faith of his upbringing in St.

Catherine, Ontario.

A pivotal moment of his transformation

came not during a CCO event, but after

what was supposed to be a rather ordinary

trip to a Catholic bookstore with a CCO staff

member. By chance, the Church upstairs

was hearing confessions. Summoning all his

courage, Matt took the opportunity to be

reconciled with God. Leaving the Church

that night very shaken, he exclaimed, “I

don’t think I could ever doubt God again.”

Matt is just one example of many who have

been touched at Carleton!

SaskatoonThe theme of Rise Up 2003 Christmas

Conference was Next Generation Leaders.

Speakers at the conference encouraged stu-

dents to have a “next generation” mindset

and reminded them that every CCO mem-

ber is a missionary. Commissioned by the

Bishops, students were sent out to make it

become a reality.

This commissioning has already born

fruit at the U of S! After Rise Up, seven new

students decided to reach out to their peers

by inviting them to join a small group Faith

study that they would lead. With seven new

faith studies of five to seven people in each

study, many are being challenged in their

faith. One such individual is Kirsty Sanesh,

who along with a friend, decided to start up

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their own CCO Faith Study. Kirsty says that

“A classmate of mine, in a college class of

30, who also attended the Conference and

commissioning felt as strongly as I did about

starting our own CCO Faith Study. As we

prayed about the women we would invite,

a few came to mind that we were certain

would politely say no. We asked anyway,

each of us asking only three or four, and

everyone said yes!”

Word quickly spread, so Kirsty and her

friend opened the doors wide to anyone

who wanted to join the group. Kirsty says,

“Out of twenty two women, fifteen are now

gathering to speak and learn about Jesus

who was rarely mentioned in our conver-

sation. Each of us is being challenged in our

hearts and minds in a new way.” Kirsty

hopes to continue on with another study

next semester.

What is most encouraging is that students,

like Kirsty, are now realizing that leading a

Faith study is only the first step of their com-

mission. They are ready, willing and able to

implement their “next generation” mindset

and challenge their friends and classmates to

roles of leadership and influence.

growing numbers are students

encountering the face of Christ.

One such student is Danielle

McFadyen. Danielle was baptized Catholic,

but stopped attending Mass regularly at a

young age. However, she began seriously

enquiring about Christianity three years ago

when a friend, a devout evangelical Chris-

tian, challenged her with the Gospel.

McFadyen promptly accepted Jesus into her

heart and never looked back. After having

been accepted into SFU, Danielle got

involved with an Evangelical Christian

group on campus. CCO has a wonderful

relationship with her Pentecostal Chaplain

and we have partnered on a number of

events over the past few years.

Through a series of amazing events, like

meeting some CCO Staff on the bus and

finding out that they live only meters apart,

she found herself attending the CCO “Cor-

nerstone,” a monthly teaching event. She

liked what she saw, and wanted more.

Danielle went on to attend Mass and one

night came home to her mom who said, “I

think God wants you to be Catholic (again).”

The amazing thing about this is that her

mom had no idea about what had been hap-

pening in her life for the past little while!

Danielle then decided to pay her local

priest (Fr. Vincent Hawkswell, CCO Liaison

to the Archdiocese) a visit to address some

burning questions about Catholicism.

Amazingly all of this has transpired in a sin-

gle month. Danielle says “There are times

when Jesus speaks in a whisper to your

heart, and times when He does not need to

because He is walking with you, hand in

hand, guiding you in His grace. This is one

of those times, when His message seems

beyond question.” It is amazing what can

happen when God is in control. ◆

Regina & Other Links

At the University of Regina, student lead-

ers have been working diligently on building

community this past semester and one event

consisted of CCO staff members PJ Lewis

and Crystal Kline joining them for pancakes,

fellowship and a talk on ShroveTuesday. Staff

member PJ Lewis remarked that “Although

they are small in number, the U of R has a

great community built up and have many

solid leaders that have the missionary zeal

to share Jesus with others!”

One such individual is Christy Gaudet,

who has accepted the challenge put forth by

Pope John Paul II at World Youth Day to

help “build a city of God within the city of

man” by joining the CCO Impact team in

Halifax this summer. She has decided to

take the leap of faith and leave the security

of having two summer jobs in her home-

town to serve God in Halifax. There is no

doubt that her faith and zeal will help

impact not only the youth in Halifax, but

also those in Regina when she returns.

VancouverIn January, 1800 spiritually and physical-

ly hungry SFU students took the infamous

CCO Snack Food Survey. We decided to take

the show on the road to Douglas College (our

latest expansion) in early February. Hoping

to reach 500 students in the course of an

eight-hour day, we were pleasantly sur-

prised to see that we ran out of chips

and surveys in just two and a half

hours! Another thing to note is that

our weekly faith studies continue to

boom on and off campus with 50

faith studies meeting weekly.

More importantly than the

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wrong. I had this nagging feeling, like some-thing was not right. All my life, I had learnedthe facts about Jesus, His history, the truth ofHis Death and Resurrection, Mary, the Saints,the call for each and every one to be holy in ourown sphere of influence. Yet as much as Iheard about God’s love for me, I felt like I didnot really understand or experience that kindof love to its fullest extent.

When I heard about Rise Up, this CCOChristmas conference halfway across thecountry, I was definitely curious. The task ofraising the funds to go made me feel a littleuneasy, but I decided to take the plunge anddo it anyway. All I knew about the conferencewas that the theme was “Becoming a NextGeneration Leader.”

Well, not only did I find out what it meansto become a next generation leader, but I alsomet next generation leaders. I will never for-get Rise Up for as long as I live. From themoment I arrived at the airport, I met joyful,prayerful people who were my age!

Throughout the conference, I was glad thatin between the talks, testimonies and praiseand worship, we had a few hours of free time.I remember distinctly one of the afternoons,myself and three other Rise Up participantswere sitting in a Starbucks drinking hot choco-late, having a conversation about normalthings, when a fire truck zoomed by with itssiren wailing. Normally, I would just havethought something along the lines of, “Oh, Ihope that whomever they are rushing to helpis okay.” But to my surprise, one of the girls Iwas with, cut herself off in mid sentence, andcalmly spoke out a wish to pray. She immedi-ately made the sign of the cross, and in a nor-mal tone of voice she said a prayer for the fire-men and for those they were going to help, sothat God may watch over them and keep themall safe. She then continued where she had leftoff in the previous conversation. What a won-

derful example of how spontaneous devoutprayer can be a part of everyday life.

That moment made a very big impact onme. I have always known that prayer is impor-tant, because it is the way of developing a rela-tionship with Jesus, but there were many timesthroughout my life when prayer just was nota joyful act. Thankfully, through my interac-tions with CCO, I saw confidence, humility,courage and love in their prayers. Theyreminded me of how very little effort it can beto spend time with Jesus and reflect on thewords in the Bible, even if it meant waking uphalf an hour earlier than I usually did, or elsetaking at least fifteen minutes out of my day tojournal to God, or to pray out loud in thesilence of my room or pray quietly in thesilence of my heart.

People like that girl in Starbucks showedme that prayer really is a conversation withGod, who is present no matter what the placeor situation. Even though we were sitting inStarbucks, hanging out, there was still time forprayer. For me, CCO has been the best com-plement to all of my previous knowledgeabout God. As a campus movement, CCO istruly a light in the darkness, building on thehopes and desires of searching souls, likemine, to not only continue loving and seekingto understand the infinite Truth, but also for“fostering a zeal for souls” that I may have thecourage and the readiness to share what I havelearned. It is a reminder that I have to have joyin prayer and in my relationship with God. Byputting God first, I will find joy and will beable to recognize more how my life fits intothe broader picture. Next generation leadersdo not only try to be examples in the successof their own lives, but they share their knowl-edge and skills with others, so that others willpass that knowledge down, and so onthroughout history. As Pope John Paul II said:“God is entrusting to you the task, at once dif-ficult and uplifting, of working with Him inthe building of the civilization of love.” Well,I truly believe that the members of CCO areanswering that call and have shown me whatit means to be a woman of prayer. They havealso helped me come to understand the greatlove God has for me and how I can experienceit through prayer. ◆

Becoming a womanof prayer

Picture a person on a phys-ical journey from Ontarioto Saskatchewan, having

neither traveled beyond NiagaraFalls to the west, nor Montreal tothe east. That thought in itself

plants the image of an adventure worthy ofexcitement for, say, a girl from Moose Creek,Ontario: a country girl who grew up climbingtrees in the bush beyond her house, who wentto a high school where you could look out thesecond story window and see cows grazing inthe field next door.

This image is a painting of my own experi-ence and the actual plane trip that I took toSaskatoon, Saskatchewan this past Decemberfor CCO’s annual Rise Up Christmas Confer-ence. However, the picture that I give you doesnot even come close to the true excitement I felt.

As a first year University student, I movedinto residence disoriented and overwhelmed,but determined to grow in the Catholic faiththat I have appreciated, yet struggled with allmy life. About three months before I starteduniversity in Ottawa, I met some young peo-ple who were sharing information aboutCatholic Christian Outreach at a youth con-ference.

Knowing that I wanted to continue to growin my Catholic faith rather than fall awayfrom it, I joined a Faith Study group withCCO this past October. Honestly, I just want-ed to learn more about my faith, a process inwhich I had been going through all my life,and I hoped that maybe I would get some-thing new out of it. I also hoped that it wouldhelp me to be a better witness of my faith.Through this study, I met other first year stu-dents who were practicing Catholics andwere also determined to live a life of activefaith. Their fellowship helped propel mealong.

Despite all that, there was still something

b y C a r o l y n G i r a r d , C a r l e t o n U n i v e r s i t y S t u d e n t

77

Since 1999, CCO has organized three IMPACT projects: in Ottawa (1999 &2002) and nowin Halifax for 2004. Impact! Canada 2004 in Halifax is a response to the commission giv-en to the youth of Canada at World Youth Day in Toronto by Pope John Paul II, “…a

new generation of builders is needed… to build, brick by brick, the city of God within thecity of man… you must be those “builders”! God is entrusting to you the task, at once diffi-cult and uplifting, of working with Him in the building of the civilization of love.” Thus far,fifty-seven University students from all across Canada will be coming to Halifax to take upthe Holy Father’s challenge. It is the largest summer project yet!

This Impact project is a unique opportunity for our students because it allows them toboth work a summer job and spend a summer doing missionary work. Each student will begetting a day job, so that their evenings and weekends are free for training and outreach.Throughout Impact, the students will be provided with opportunities to grow in severalareas including: leadership development, spiritual formation (through daily mass, prayer,retreats etc.), evangelization training, and much more! Their training will be put to good usein different outreach projects within the city. The main purpose of CCO going to Halifax isto serve the Archdiocese, especially through evangelization. The team will be accessible tocomplement and help in many Parishes in the Archdiocese in several ways including: Lead-ing small group Faith studies, offering evangelistic training courses, hosting weekly Socialand Spiritual events for youth and young adults, assisting with music ministry for masses,hosting Parish Missions, and much more. The Impact project will run from May 2, 2004 toAugust 22, 2004.

For more information on this project, see www.cco.ca/impact2004. ◆

Impact 1999 Team.▲ Impact 2002 Team.▲

StaffU P D A T E S◆ This fall CCO is excited to announce that we are

expanding to Halifax. Tanya Van Buggenhoutand Caitlin Currie are moving to help pioneerthe ministry in Halifax. With the expansioncomes other staff changes, CCO is proud toannounce that Crystal Kline will be moving toOttawa to help with the women’s ministry atCarleton University.

◆ CCO staff is saying good-bye to long time staffmember, Denise Toeckes. Denise joined staffin January 1993. She served on the Universityof Regina and Saskatchewan campuses as theDirector of the women’s ministries on bothcampuses. In 2002, Denise became the firstDirector of our LINK ministries. Her service,dedication to evangelization, holy example,and her smile will be greatly missed, and wewish her well as she embarks on her new roleof being a mother to Gianna Elaine, born onDecember 29th.

◆ Our new full-time staff will include last year’sinterns Amy Peloso, Sr. Mary Jane Beavis andMichael Hall. Amy and Michael will both beserving in Ottawa, and Sr. Mary Jane willremain at the University of Saskatchewan.

◆ Amber Zolc has decided to join staff full timeand will continue serving with the VINE project in Vancouver.

◆ Finally, CCO staff is proud to announce thesafe delivery of two other additions to the CCOfamily. Francis Michael Powell and NatalieClaire Regnier were born in October andNovember of 2003.

We thank each one of you for all your encour-agement and support, and ask that you contin-ue to keep our staff in your prayers.

Please pray for the following participants of Impact '04:Angela Hudec Heather ShepherdPatricia BoetzkesBenoit BoyerTiffany CathcartHadia CooperShaun CorriganAmanda CuzzettoErin HallCarmel Huculak

Jeremy LoboArmee MaligJennifer QuerquesJeremy RudeJessica ShinLeighton WickeyStephanie WiseTalitha LemoineJoanne AlbrechtSarah Buckle

Patrick CraineEric MyattJohn RoderickJosip VaciRama (Brandon)

VaidyanathanRachel WeberJoey WilliamsClaudia BraunMichelle Buissé

Celia CluttonMatthew FarnandCatherine FletcherCarolyn GirardPaul GrantCherylene LajoieCarolline LajoieChris McMullanLindsay NelsonKendra Smith

Anne ViauAlayna WoodJustin YuCaolan MooreNaomi CarterElizabeth CarterSerena ChappellRoxanne ForseilleChristy GaudetMandy Goodwin

John HickeyCrystal KorolChristine LautschJessica MalinskiKristin MannStephen NestmannRachelle Paquette

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C a t h o l i c C h r i s t i a n O u t r e a c h C a n a d a • B o x 74 21 S a s k a t o o n , S K S 7 K 4 J 3 C a n a d a Te lephone: (306) 652-5100 • Fax : (306) 652-5177 Emai l : hq@cco.ca • Web S i te : www.cco .ca

C A T H O L I C C H R I S T I A N O U T R E A C H C A N A D A

Catholic Christian Outreach is a university student movement dedicated to evangelization. Wechallenge young adults to live in the fullness of the Catholic faith, with a strong emphasis onbecoming leaders in the renewal of the world.

SpecialA N N O U N C E M E N T S

The eighth International Youth Forum organized by the Pontifical Council for the

Laity will take place from March 31 to April 4, 2004 in Rocca di Papa outside of Rome.

The theme will be “Youth and University: witnessing to Christ in the university world.”

Approximately three hundred people are expected to attend this meeting, most of

them university students representing bishops’ conferences and ecclesial movements,

associations and communities that are active in the university world internationally.

Because of CCO’s involvement in university ministry and evangelization in Cana-

da, Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, has

invited Catholic Christian Outreach to send a delegate to attend the Forum. This is an

exciting and important opportunity to provide input to the

Vatican, as well as learn from many other ministries, move-

ments and associations. Many important topics will be dis-

cussed over the course of the five days, including: Youth

and university today, Studies and life, University and truth,

University and Christian witness.

CCO is pleased to announce that Jeremy Rude will be rep-

resenting CCO at this year’s Youth Forum. Jeremy is a fourth

year business student at Kwantlen University College in

Vancouver and has been involved with CCO for a number

of years. CCO has no doubt that he will represent the min-

istry well. ◆