IVE Youth Festival 2006   

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, says that the youth are the future of the Church. With this exhortation in mind the Religious Family of the Institute of the Incarnate Word hosts a Youth Festival each year. The IVE Youth Festival followed the theme that Pope Benedict XVI chose for the Youth Days of 2006 celebrated in the local churches: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my way (Ps. 119:105).

Over 300 youth attended the IVE Youth Festival held at the St. Patrick’s IVE Retreat House, in Cairo, NY from May 26th to May 28th, 2006. The youth came from the following parishes:

• St. James Catholic Church, Mount Rainer, MD (IVE parish)
• St. John the Baptist de La Salle Catholic Church, Chillum, MD (IVE parish)
• St. Veronica Catholic Church, Philadelphia, PA (IVE parish)
• Mision Santa Maria, Avondale, PA (Mission of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia)
• St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Bronx, NY (IVE parish)
• St. Gabriel Catholic Church, Brooklyn, NY (IVE parish)
• St. Michael Catholic Church, Brooklyn, NY (IVE parish)
• St. Paul Catholic Church, Harlem, NY (IVE parish)
• St. George Catholic Church, Bridgeport, CN (IVE parish)
• St. Killian Catholic Church, New Bedford, MA (IVE parish)
• Parroquia Imaculado Corazon de Maria, Phoenix, AR (IVE parish)
• St. Augustine of Canterbury, Toronto, CANADA (IVE parish)

The weekend included the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Saturday and Sunday, Adoration, a candle-lit Rosary Procession, Confessions, Bi-lingual Talks, Sports and a camp-fire with songs. The talks covered the following topics:

• "The DaVinci Code: Literary Terrorism"
• "Discerning Your Vocation"
• "Theology of the Body" (seperate for men and for women)
• "Heroes and models: Is Jesus on your list?"
• "Volunteer as a Lay Missionary: Help Bring Souls to God!"

We give thanks for the many youth that attended and entrust them to Jesus and Our Blessed Mother.