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

REACHING FUTURE LEADERST O D AY ��

F A L L 2 0 0 9C O N T E N T S

Communicating Love in the Digital Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Playing Big and Serving the World. . . . 2-3

CCO At Home and Abroad . . . . . . . . 4-5

The Sacrament of Marriage in the CCO Family . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Special Insert: Annual Report

2009 Impact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Harvest Is Plenty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Something Was Missing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

The Bread of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

The Gospel message has the powerto change lives and influence theway people think. It seems that the

ways in which we can share this messageis becoming virtually limitless. Social net-working sites such as Facebook and Twit-ter, personal blogs, wikis, and video shar-ing websites like YouTube, allow anyoneto share their thoughts and ideas with oth-ers. User-generated content in an age of“new media” is continually growing inmomentum and popularity. The Internetallows for information to easily be univer-sally broadcast at virtually no cost.

Like any resource, this powerful way ofcommunicating can be used in a negativeway. However, new media can be har-nessed to spread the message of theChurch, the message of the God’s love and

forgiveness to the ends of the earth - instant-ly. Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, hasrecognized this for some time and isencouraging the faithful – especially youngpeople – to use this new media for good:

I would like to … encourage [youngCatholics] to bring the witness oftheir faith to the digital world. DearBrothers and Sisters, I ask you tointroduce into the culture of this newenvironment of communications andinformation technology the values onwhich you have built your lives.

(Message of the Holy Father, World Communications Day, May 24, 2009)

With this goal in mind, CCO haslaunched a regular Video Blog (vlog) fea-turing reflections from our co-founderAndré Regnier. André’s conviction andpassion come through strongly in these 3-minute glimpses into what he has coinedthe “Catholic Revolution.” André givesnew insight into our identity as Catholicsand invites viewers to look for signs ofhope, to seek to share our faith with others,and to join in the revolution that is hap-pening in Canada.

We encourage you to check out the latestvlog from André! Go to www.cco.ca andfollow the link under “Latest News.” Jointhe revolution! ◆

Communicating Lovein the Digital Generation

Portions of this article were previously published in ThePrairie Messenger.

Missionaries, friends and sup-porters of Catholic ChristianOutreach (CCO) recently gath-

ered for a joyful celebration in the midst ofImpact 2009, a national summer missionbeing held in the city where the campusevangelization movement was founded 20

years ago. “Move-ments like CCO

contain a uniqueevangelizingpotential muchneeded by the

Church today”,Rev. Tom Rosica,CSB, said at the

July 8 event

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at St. Paul’s Cathedral. “Yet your richnesshas not yet been fully recognized, valued orappreciated”. Rosica, CEO of Salt and Lighttelevision and the national director of WorldYouth Day in Toronto in 2002, was in Saska-toon to facilitate sessions on scripture forCCO staff from across the country who wereattending a week-long retreat and trainingsession. Today’s world is dominated by asecular culture that proposes “models of lifewithout God,” Rosica said, stressing theneed for the kind of witness, evangelizationand personal testimony undertaken byCCO. “We must no longer presume that weare living in a Christian culture. There maybe some Christian appendages and decora-tions from the past, but presume nothingand go tell everything about the beauty ofChristianity,” he said.

CCO is all about the “initial act of evan-gelization” described by Pope Paul VI in his1975 apostolic letter On Evangelization in TheModern World, Rosica said. “In a world thathas put a damper and a pall over the goodnews of the gospel, CCO is living proof thatthe gospel is meant to be shared and pro-claimed with joy.” Rosica also cited JohnPaul II’s call for a new evangelization at thebeginning of the third millennium. Renew-ing the zeal of the original missionaryimpulse of Christianity in a “new Pente-

cost,” is what the late beloved pontiff wascalling for, he said. “CCO is trusted with themessage of teaching the gospel, of makingdisciples.” “At the beginning of this con-version process there is always a personalencounter with Jesus Christ which radical-ly transforms life; an encounter made pos-sible by credible witnesses,” Rosica said,noting the need for the strong personal tes-timony that characterizes CCO.

He expressed his delight at hearing somany passionate young adults expressingtheir faith, referring to “before my conver-sion” or “after my conversion”, speakingabout discernment, or describing an expe-rience of the Lord. “This is the Biblicalvocabulary of the apostles being introducedin a new generation.” The good news thatGod loves us and has given us his son JesusChrist can change the world, Rosica said.“The deepest poverty is the inability of joy,the tediousness of a life considered absurdand contradictory. This poverty is wide-spread today. It is a massive desert thatstrikes in our culture and our world.”

Movements like CCO can also breakthrough the routine and the habit that areso often obstacles to the work of evange-lization, he added. “Together we must con-front with courage the major barriers inmodern evangelization, including cultural

Playing Big and Serving the World

B y K i p l y L u k a n Ya w o r s k i

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resistance to the proclamation of Christ asthe unique Savior of the world. No one in hisor her right mind will be interested in a faithabout which its exponents seem too embar-rassed to communicate forthrightly,” Rosi-ca said. “CCO does not exist to apologizefor Christianity.” The truth and beauty ofthe message about Jesus Christ is powerfuland attractive when it is communicatedclearly and without compromise, he added.“If the Church wants to reach young peo-ple today, it must avoid the temptation tofudge on core beliefs in an effort to makethem more agreeable to contemporarytastes.”

Turning to scripture, Rosica turned to theimage of two boats to address a temptationthat faces all ecclesial movements in theChurch: the image of Noah’s Ark in Gene-sis as opposed to the image of the muchsmaller boat of Peter in the New Testament.

“We are not traveling on Noah’s Ark, flee-ing the devastation and evils around us,”he stressed. “We don’t form these ecclesialmovements to flee the mess, we form these

ecclesial movements precisely to enter intothe mess and to proclaim there is anotherway.” “We don’t flee society and point thefinger at those poor people who didn’t makethe boat.” On the other hand, the image ofPeter’s boat on the sea of Galilee presentsan image of outreach to emulate – an imageof Jesus getting into the boat in order toteach to the crowds, of Jesus waking to calmthe storm and the fears of the disciples, ofJesus inviting Peter to step out onto thewater, of Jesus telling the apostles to put out

into the deep and once again let down theirnets. “If we have faith in Him, in His care forus, there is no storm that will overturn theboat in which we sail, and no water willopen to swallow us up in darkness,” Rosi-ca said. “CCO is not sailing on Noah’s Ark.We are on the waters with Jesus,” he said.“We must be humble, for only then can weremain united to one another in Christianlove. Only then can we be together in thatbark which sails across the sea of life. Onlythen can we be saved together by His strongarm – from hunger, from blindness, fromthe storm, from the abyss. For the Lord nev-er abandons those who come to him seekingmercy and forgiveness.”

Rosica concluded by quoting the 1994inaugural speech of Nelson Mandela aspresident of South Africa, in which he saidthat “playing small doesn’t serve theworld.” Rosica urged his listeners to “nev-er be afraid to open your hearts to Jesus andto proclaim him to those around us. Yourplaying small in your parishes, neighbour-hoods, families, universities or collegesacross this vast country doesn’t serve theworld or the Church. Remember: you existhere in Canada to manifest the glory of God,and that glory is nothing small.” ◆

Members of IMPACT 2009 enjoying Saskatchewan. Paul Tallion, Adam Regier, Chantal Castelino, RachelNorthcott, and Lorenz Arsenault.

The IMPACT Canada 2009 staff Team: Back row:Eric Filion, Lee Leonard, Melissa Westgeest,Michelle Buissé, Jo Regnier, Angèle Regnier, JannaRegnier, Front Row: Mylène Regnier, Cheryl-LynnLina, Natalie Regnier, Christy Dupuis, CalebRegnier, André Regnier.

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Foundation Day

Every October, CCO celebrates its Foundation Day in each ofthe regions nationwide. Shown here are some of the CCO staffin attendance at Vancouver's celebration. The eveningincluded a Mass and a commissioning for another year ofservice in CCO and in the diocese.

CCOat home and abroad

Carleton University

On CCO’s 21st birthday this past October, students at CarletonUniversity celebrated together by sharing some home-madebirthday cake as well as making a huge card to sign and giveto CCO's founding couple. Foundation day is a great time toreflect on the blessing that CCO is in so many lives!

University of Ottawa

September began with CCO’s usual ritual of handing out freefood and conducting surveys on campuses across the country.Pictured here are students and staff from the University ofOttawa waiting to hand out surveys. All those who leave theircontact information are then called and invited into a CCOFaith Study.

WYD Spain 2011

CCO President Jeff Lockert attended preparatory meetings forWorld Youth Day in Spain in September. This WYD will takeplace in August of 2011. CCO plans to bring a number ofstudents to participate in the event. Pictured above is JeffLockert with Spanish leaders of the World Youth Day.

Farewell to Nuncio

This fall, CCO staff bade farewell to the Papal Nuncio,Archbishop Luigi Ventura, who is being transferred to Paris.During his time as the Vatican's ambassador in Canada,Archbishop Ventura has been a great support of the mission ofCCO, even attending last year’s Rise Up conference in Toronto.At the farewell gathering pictured above, he spoke to the staffabout what great hope CCO has brought him in demonstratingthat there is a strong future for the Church in Canada.

Queen’s University

The first Friday of every month, CCO Queen’s hosts an eventat the diocesan Eucharistic Adoration chapel called TheSummit. This opportunity for prayer and adoration has beengrowing in popularity this year. With an increasing number ofstudents attending events and leading CCO Faith Studies, it isevident that CCO’s 2007 expansion to Queens is continuing tobear good fruit!

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New Faith Study

This year CCO will launch its 5th Faith Study called“Missionary” in response to the need for all to understand theprimacy and urgency of the work of evangelization. Theobjective of this faith study is to infuse and enflame the heartof a missionary in the participants, equipping them to be moreeffective evangelizers for the long haul, off campus and intotheir work places, leaders for the renewal of the world.

College Conference

This fall, the Knights of Columbus held a conference to gathertheir young leaders from K of C College Councils aroundNorth America in New Haven, Connecticut. CCO was alsoinvited to attend and staff member Vince Detillieuxrepresented the movement. Pictured here is Vince with K of CSupreme Knight Carl Anderson. CCO's ongoing partnershipwith the Knights is a mutual blessing. PHOTO COURTESY KNIGHTS OF

COLUMBUS , NEW HAVEN, CN.

Simon Fraser University

Pictured here are students at Simon Fraser University takingpart in a CCO Faith Study. It is always encouraging to see theopenness of young people to read scripture and make it anactive part of their lives!

Madonna Foundation

Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Luigi Ventura, hosted a Mass anddinner at the Vatican Embassy in Ottawa to honour Mr. FredHill, the late founder of the Madonna Foundation, and the Hillfamily. The Hill family was represented by Mr. Paul Hill, Fred’seldest son. The financial support of the Madonna Foundationhas been instrumental in CCO’s growth and developmentthroughout Canada.

Rise Up Winnipeg 2010

Université Laval

This year, CCO expanded to Québec, bringing missionarypresence to Université Laval. Their first event was hosted inearly October and brought out a crowd of 30 people. Theevent was called “L’Épicentre” which is the centre where anearthquake begins. There are also 9 Faith Studies happeningalready. The young Québecois have responded very positivelyto CCO.

Dalhousie University

This fall, students across the country attended Fall Retreat, anannual weekend held in each of CCO's regions. These retreatsallow students to re-connect with one another after thesummer months and invite Jesus into the upcoming year ofstudies. Here, students from CCO Halifax join together inworship during this retreat.

University of British Columbia

Students from UBC and SFU listen to André Regnier give attalk at their fall retreat this past September. The theme“revolution” was a major part of the weekend’s talks. CCO hasbeen growing at UBC since expanding there in the fall of 2008.

University of Saskatchewan

CCO’s ministry has sparked a countless number of strongfriendships over the years. Above, students from the U of Sgather together for a Women’s Night to share in fellowship,sharing, and celebration of a friend’s birthday.

The Sacrament of Marriage in the CCO Family2009 has been a busy year for CCO staff weddings! One tangible fruit of CCO's ministry is seeing so many young couples with strongrelationships founded on Christ joining together in the sacrament of marriage. Below are some of the current staff and staff alumni whowere married in 2009.

CHRISTINE LAUTSCH and QUIN KLEIBOER were married June 20th, 2009, in Saskatchewan.

Christine has been on staff with CCO for 2 years as acampus missionary. PHOTO COURTESY JOCELYN CHILLOG.

SARAH COGAN and BRENDAN MARSHALL were married June 27th, 2009, in Ontario.

Sarah had served on staff in Headquarters for the pastthree years. PHOTO COURTESY JASON RANSOM.

CAROLINE CASSEDY and JEREMY LOBOwere married on August 15, 2009 in Ontario.

Caroline has been on staff as a campusmissionary for two years, and Jeremy for three.

PHOTO COURTESY J.GRAHAM RED LOTUS PHOTOGRAPHY.

CHRISTY GAUDET and DAN DUPUISwere married on October 24, 2009, in Saskatchewan.Christy has just started her fifth year on CCO staff in

campus ministry. PHOTO COURTESY ©2009 - JG PHOTOGRAPHY / JUSTIN GRYBA.

KELLY REDL and JOHN PAUL MCLANEwere married on June 6th, 2009, in Saskatchewan.

Kelly served with CCO on VINE in 2007-08.PHOTO COURTESY ©2009 - JG PHOTOGRAPHY / JUSTIN GRYBA.

MELISSA BRABY and JEFF GRAHAMwere married on May 16, 2009 in Nova Scotia.

Melissa served on VINE the previous year and Jeffserved on VINE in 2003-2004. PHOTO COURTESY LIZ CARTER.

MARY LAPIN and NICK FOURNIERwere married on July 25th, 2009 in Ontario.

Mary served on staff at the University of Ottawaon the VINE program the previous year.

PHOTO COURTESY BRAD NELSON.

THERESA DUPUIS and MICHAEL BOEHMwere married on May 9th, 2009 in Saskatchewan.

Theresa had served as a CCO missionary theprevious year. PHOTO COURTESY JOCELYN CHILLOG.

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B y C h r i s t y D u p u i s ( N é e G a u d e t )

I M PAC T Te a m Le a d e r

This summer 53 students from acrossCanada descended upon the smallprairie city of Saskatoon for four

months of missionary work. Catholic Chris-tian Outreach (CCO) hosted the ImpactCanada mission where students lived incommunity, worked and served through-out the city and diocese. Saskatoon seemsan unlikely setting for a mission project, butthe work of evangelization must reachevery corner of the earth, and in a small cor-ner of Saskatchewan this scripture becamevery relevant: “I have chosen you notbecause of your numbers, for you are theleast of all peoples, but rather I have chosenyou because I love you.” Impact is reallyabout proclaiming the love that God has forhis people and inviting individuals to bedrawn into a relationship with Jesus.

Students worked at various jobs through-out the city, giving them an opportunity toform relationships with other young peo-ple, many of whom had either left thechurch or had never been involved at all.Many Impacters extended an invitation totheir co-workers to come to our regular out-reach event called Cornerstone. Corner-stone gathered over 200 young adultsweekly throughout the summer, and everyweek there were people attending who hadnever been there before. It became a place

where young faithful Catholics felt com-fortable to bring friends who were strug-gling in their faith. Many, many young peo-ple had the opportunity for the first time toinvite Christ into their lives.

Besides working at summer jobs, theImpacters served regularly at 11 parishes inSaskatoon. Faith Studies were held in theseparishes and every Sunday an Impact teamwas present at all of the masses, reachingout and inviting people to get involved withthe mission. Over 260 people attended theweekly faith studies at the parishes. Again,260 people had an opportunity to inviteChrist to be more present in their lives.

The Apostle Team was a new innovationof the Saskatoon Impact project and thisteam of 5 students travelled throughout thediocese hosting retreats for schools andrural parishes. The team visited 10 ruralparishes, hosted 22 retreats and spoke tomore than 1100 young people, invitingthem to make Jesus the centre of their lives.We’ve heard from many of these parish-ioners, that they were touched by the testi-mony and witness of the Apostle Team.Many said, “they have given us hope forour own faith and for the future of ourChurch.”

Many of the Impacters thought that theywere on mission merely to impact others,

but as the summer advanced, they realizedthat Impact was also meant for them. Asthey prepared to close the mission manyfelt a great desire to band together so theycould continue the work of evangelizationthroughout Canada – in their workplaces,homes, and University campuses. Theycommitted to some very specific personalgoals to allow their mission to continue.One of those goals is to start a faith studyback home with their friends. TheseImpacters have realized that if they do notspread the Gospel their faith will becomestagnant they will do anything to preventthat from happening.

This summer, this mission, would nothave been possible without the support ofso many. To each of you who generouslygave financially and prayerfully: Thank-you! Lives, quite literally, would not havebeen changed without your support. Onemajor thank-you goes to the Sisters of thePresentation of Mary who extended theirhome and many other resources to theImpact staff who lived in Saskatoon for fourmonths. Thank-you for sharing your time,space, and hospitality. It was a very greatgift. Finally, again, thank-you to everyonefor your support and encouragement ofCCO and the Impact team. It was integralto the success of this mission. ◆

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M E E T O U R S U P P O R T E R S

T he sun shone through light cloudcover on a beautiful Saskatchewanday as a typical prairie scene

unfolded on the farm of Don and CelineKleiboer. Along with her 2 sons and theirwives, Celine loaded a car with lunch forthe harvest workers. Like most busy times,help was present in the form of familyfriends, Cliff and Nicole Pyle. The groupheaded down the dusty gravel road, foodpots rattling around them, and it felt likeharvests from numerous years past. Yetsomething was different…the labourerswere not to be found in the fields of wheat.Instead, they were present in the RomanCatholic Church of St. Brieux. These werethe labourers of Christ’s harvest, present onthe CCO Impact Team. Celine and her crewwere providing food and shelter as theImpacters took a brief retreat to rejuvenatetheir bodies and souls, mid-way throughtheir summer mission.

So why would a multi-generationalgroup located in small town Saskatchewangather on a summer weekend to cook andclean for 60+ people? If you are not from

Saskatchewan, you might suggest that therewas nothing better to do. If you are fromSaskatchewan you might ask, ‘Why not goto the lake? Or a movie?’ But for the peopleinvolved the answer is simple, “Because wewere asked, and we could.” Period. That iswhat a farm community is about; helpingothers and being happy to do so.

A common element of farming is thateveryone is intertwined somehow, so let meintroduce this crew. My mother Celinealways dreamed that her home would be aplace of prayer and relaxation for all whocame to visit. She was honoured to offer itto those involved with the Summer Mission.My in-laws, Cliff and Nicole, were also hap-py to help out in this endeavor. They havesupported CCO for years and believe inCCO’s mission, especially after seeing theirson (my husband) embrace and mature inhis faith through the vehicle that CCO is.Quin and Christine, my brother and his newbride (who happens to be on staff for CCO),felt called to support the Impact Mission inwhatever way they could. My other broth-er, Francis, and his wife Janelle have numer-

ous friends who have been involved withCCO and were happy to take time off workto help all weekend.

As the participants packed up followingtheir brief visit, Celine reflected on how shewished they could have stayed longer. “Ireally enjoyed being around the young peo-ple, it makes you feel young as well. Theirpassion for Christ is beautiful.” Nicole wasequally struck by the enthusiasm and joy ofthe young people. Cliff saw this small act ofservice as a tiny investment in the futuresince “these will be the people influencingmy grandchildren.” With overflowinghearts, everyone bid farewell to this groupof university students from across the coun-try.

So thank you CCO and all the Impact par-ticipants, for even as you received this giftof time and energy, you have given back.You have encouraged us to carry on withspreading the message of Christ. Know thatthere are harvesters across this country thatare working beside you and praying withyou. And on one small prairie farm, youhave forever left your mark. ◆

The Harvestis Plenty

b y B r a n d y P y l e , C C O a l u m n i a n d s u p p o r t e r

FrancisKleiboer,Nicole Pyle,JanelleKleiboer,and CelineKleiboerpreparedessert forthe IMPACTteam.

Below aretheImpactersenjoying ameal onthe patio atthe Kleiboerfarm.

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a mere name to many others. Not just to ran-dom people but to my peers, my friends,some of my family - to people I care about.It was then that I realized I was the one whowas supposed to tell them. I am chosen andcalled to proclaim His name. I realized thatthis was what had been missing in my rela-tionship with God. I had been living thisrelationship as best I could before comingon IMPACT, but I now realized that my zealand enthusiasm is fuelled when I share myfaith. It is extinguished when I do not.

A few weeks before mission ended, aCCO staff member asked me what wouldhappen when I went home. She told me Ihad a choice. I could either go home as ifnothing had changed, or I could go homean evangelist. For me, the choice was com-pletely obvious. God has made it clear tome that I was made for this. I want to showothers that my Saviour is also their Saviour.My spiritual life had been incomplete with-out evangelization. So I decided to acceptthat call and to commit to being a mission-ary. Since being home I have been able toput into practice all that God taught methrough IMPACT. Our Catholic group atMcMaster University is now leading 22 stu-dents in the CCO Discovery faith study andI am just itching to reach out to all of the stu-dents on campus... one person at a time. ◆

To read more students’ testimonies from IMPACT 2009, check our website

www.cco.ca/missions.

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Long before IMPACT 2009, I wasblessed with the gift of faith. Becauseof my family and my church com-

munity, I had always believed in God andunderstood that He loved me and that Icould have a relationship with Him. So froma young age I chose to accept Jesus and livefor Him. Still, I always felt like there wassomething missing. And as I experiencedlife’s ups and downs, I knew that my rela-tionship with Jesus was somehow incom-plete. During high school, at weekend

retreats and other events, I had the oppor-tunity to “say this prayer” or “do this” inorder to commit my life to Christ. So I didthose things and chose to accept Jesus overand over. Then I would get home, go backto my friends, and the excitement andenthusiasm I had felt were forgotten. I can’tcount how many times this happened. Andit angered me.

While attending RiseUp in Toronto in2008, I heard about IMPACT and it sound-ed perfect. An opportunity to give my sum-

mer to God - maybe that wasthe surrender He was askingof me? I thought this oppor-tunity to live in communitywith other Catholics woulddeepen my faith. And maybeby living this way for an entiresummer, it would stick.

At Summit, IMPACT’smonthly Eucharistic adora-tion event, I sat near the frontof the church with Jesus, pres-ent in the Eucharist, no morethan 20 feet from me. While Iprayed I was aware of ayoung man kneeling at thefront. As I watched, he got offhis knees and prostrated him-self before the Eucharist andin this moment, somethinghappened within my heart. Inmy journal I wrote, “HOWCAN THEY NOT KNOW?” Itbroke my heart to think thatthe same God who can inspirea man to lie face down to theground is nothing more than

Something Was Missing B y Te a n n a Lo b o , S t u d e n t a t M c M a s t e r U n i v e r s i t y i n To r o n t o

S T U D E N T T E S T I M O N Y

1010

attendingwould be reli-gious fanaticsand judge-mental of myflaws. I didn’t seem to evaluate that ifI feared being judged by someone,what I was doing might actually bewrong. I can’t remember what com-pelled me to change my mind aboutgoing, but 2 months into the summer Idecided to attend. I saw the young andthe old, people from all walks of life,nearly 500 of them in a church on a Sat-urday night. I didn’t understand manyof the things they did including somepeople laying down at the altar andlooking at this piece of bread for near-ly an hour...but something beckonedme to follow them, grab a candle, andkneel at the altar. I can’t claim to knowwhat happened, but something in mechanged. Later that night I went club-bing, but I felt weird. The things goingon in there, the drunken people, thelust, the vulgarity - it seemed so muchclearer now. Or perhaps I was simplysober.

That first CCO Summit I decided tofollow Christ. Until this Impact 2009mission I still struggled with an inabil-

ity to detach myself from my worldlypossessions, but I knew that Christ wasno longer just an ‘obligation’ for me. Icould no longer merely give one hour,once a week, to a man who was beaten,disgraced and crucified for my salva-tion. The short-term pleasure of drunk-en nights no longer satisfied me and Irealized that despite possessing things,I did not possess the same sense of joyand happiness reflected in theImpacters whom I met. I recognizedthat the fun of a sin-filled night wasfleeting, and no longer fun once viewedwith opened eyes.

I knew that only the Lord couldrelease me from the pains of this worldand satisfy me and bring me true joy. Ihave come to realize that there is nopoint in doing something with only halfyour heart. I know that I cannot win therace if I only give 50% of the effort. Ialways used to do things in modera-tion, never by extremes, but what goodis it if I settle for knowing my Lord onlysomewhat? Shouldn’t I strive to under-

The Breadof Life

b y E m e k a N z e k w u

R e c e n t g r a d u a t e o f t h e

U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a

Impact 2009 members: Jeremiah Webster, Emeka Nzekwu, Laura Endrizzi,Elisha Ramstad

▲Iwould love to look back on my life

and say that I was a good boy. Butmy early years were my useless

years, ones that I feel should be forgot-ten. I struggled with selfishness andalways wanted the best stuff and mostexpensive gifts. I spent countlessChristmases opening gifts I didn’tappreciate, oblivious to the thoughtbehind the gift and with little regard tothe non-materialistic nature of myNigerian culture.

To relieve myself of the disappoint-ment I got involved with a group oflike-minded, self-centred friends andparticipated in a group calledWDP...“We Don’t Pay”. Ironically,throughout this period I still attendedchurch weekly. I knew that churchshould have a place in my life, but I stillregarded it as just an obligation.

Entering university, I was surround-ed by anti-religious people andimmersed myself in an environment ofregular clubbing and boozing. I wasclearly spiralling in the wrong directionand by second year I was quite con-fused about my faith. Then my sisterjoined Impact 2007 in Vancouver andinvited me out to some Impact events.I resisted initially, convinced that those

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forming futureleaders today

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CCO would like to invite you to join us in the New Evangelization throughmonthly financial support. Monthly donations provide CCO missionaries withstable finances, allowing them to focus more time on campus evangelization.

Please consider giving – we cannot do it without you!

Build the Kingdom

I would like mygift to be used in

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stand fully the grace and love He pres-ents to me through the Eucharist?

I implore everyone to take everyopportunity to adore and love Him.The man died on the cross for us, forour sins, out of love for even those whoreject him! Give 100% of your effort!Christ is my number one possession. Iknow this now. All that I have is Hisand I abandon myself to Him andrejoice in His glory. My God is good!

Shortly after that fateful night 2 yearsago at the Summit, I had a dream. Theworld was a dark mass with smallpockets of glowing lights. Someexpanded and overflowed into thedarkness and others were dimming

and going out. I realized that these werethe children of the light, the followersof Christ that I had heard about. Thosein a community fostering their growthwere the expanding globes of light.Those that were off to themselves werelike me, dimming lights with the dark-ness overwhelming them and blockingout their light. I came on this missionknowing that I did not want to end uplike those who lead lives of darkness. Ihave found the community I searchedfor. Indeed it is with all of you. And Ipray that all of you may join me in thiscommunity of light to expand and fillthis world with God’s light and love forall. ◆

20th AnniversaryCookbook

If you purchased a CCO cookbook,please email recipes@cco.ca for a

small list of corrections.

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R e t u r n u n d e l i v e r a b l e C a n a d i a n a d d r e s s e s t o :

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 • 12 47 K i l b o r n P l . , O t t a w a , O N K 1 H 6 K 9 C a n a d a Telephone: (613) 736-1999 • Fax: (613) 736-1800 • Emai l : hq@cco.ca • Web Si 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 toevangelization. We challenge young adults to live in the fullness of the Catholicfaith, with a strong emphasis on becoming leaders in the renewal of the world.

41501527Newest Members of the CCO

Missionary Team

JANINE BOULANGERNational Headquarters

HQ VINE

ETIENNE DE CHAMPLAIN Université LavalCampus VINE

KATE FORDDalhousie University

Campus Intern

KIMBERLY GAUDETUniversity of Ottawa

Campus Intern

KATE GOODFELLOWUniversity of

SaskatchewanCampus VINE

CHELSEY KRESSCarleton University

Campus Intern

MELANIE MAHARNational Headquarters

HQ Intern

MARISA PAVELICHUniversity of

British ColumbiaCampus Intern

ELIZABETH SEGUINUniversité LavalCampus VINE

JENNIFER VAILDalhousie University

Campus VINE

THERESA HUDECNational Headquarters

HQ Intern