SONFEST 2004

Link: Details on Sonfest 2005

   Sonfest '04, the first Diocesan Youth Day of the Diocese of Peterborough, was a smashing success. Despite predictions of bad weather and all kinds of technical challenges about 150 young people between the ages of 13 and 30 from all over the Diocese and beyond came to Assumption Church on the outskirts of Peterborough for the two day event on Aug. 28^th and 29^th. Many volunteers had worked hard to put together a program of talks, discussion, testimonies, prayer and sacraments, mixed with lots of food and fun, hoping it would recreate the spirit and excitement of the last World Youth Day here in Toronto two years ago. And, indeed, in some small way it did.

   The stories of faith, hope and conversion which have since come out, are the real measure of success, and there were some amazing stories. One of the young people described his experience as “something like a perfect world” without judging, without negativity, without pressure. Someone else said that he learnt so much about himself and about God and did many things, spiritual things he had never done before such as adoration at night. One mother commented afterwards that somehow her son had really changed and seemed so much happier and more positive. While these changes might be temporary, they were a marvellous manifestation of what God can and wants to do for and with our young people here as everywhere.

   It was certainly enough for the volunteers at the new Youth Office of the Diocese and for Bishop De Angelis to be encouraged to pursue this course and provide more of the same in the future. Sonfest will hopefully become a regular feature in the life of the Diocese as a Diocesan Youth Day to be celebrated in a different part of the Diocese each year. To keep the spirit alive, a cross, which Bishop De Angelis blessed at Sonfest, is going to travel through the Diocese from parish to parish in order to encourage local pastors, parishioners and youth to draw more and more young people into the life of the Church and to allow them to encounter Jesus ever more personally and understand their faith ever more deeply. The cross has an opening on the back side to invite young people to place their prayer petitions in the hollow of the cross, so the intentions can be prayerfully carried by their peers and, as it were, their burden shared with others who are willing to shoulder them.

Originally, Sonfest was supposed to be a kick-off for the diocesan WYD trip to Germany next year, but it quickly became an event in its own right as a first Diocesan Youth Day for the Diocese. After all, most young people will not be able to go to Cologne, but would benefit from an experience like it. So the idea grew to give to young people here (and to people of all ages and of all faiths, for that matter) an experience which in some very, very, very small fashion resembled the experience of previous WYDs, which was so positive and enriching. The theme for Sonfest was the Holy Father's theme for this year's WYD and it was addressed in the various presentations and devotions.  From a call to deeper conversion to witness talks by vocation panellists, from Mass with Bishop De Angelis to quiet time for personal prayer and reflection, it seemed, participants did encounter Jesus in the event, maybe in different ways and on different levels. But encounter him they did, especially during Eucharistic Adoration, which began with Holy Hour out in the field, where most of the event took place, and then moved into the Church for benediction and silent adoration all through the night. It was amazing to see that young people felt so drawn to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, knelt on the grass with candle in hand, intently focused, and happily came out on their own during the night to spend an hour or more in Church with him.