CAMP TALK 2006
(CARRY IN BOOKS)
Good afternoon everyone, for those of you who don’t who me, my name is Mr Johnson and I will be filling in for Mr De Mazenod, who is unfortunately unable to make it to class today. So I thought we’d pick up where Huge Euge left you last time, Chapter 7- General Mathematics.
(WRITE ON WHITEBOARD)
8 ÷ 2 = 3 5 – 2 = 6 10 ÷ 5 = 4 15 – 7 = 7
(SCRATCH HEAD)
Right, so I’m not so good at mathematics, maybe I’ll try something a little different.
For my last birthday, I received the autobiography of Steve Waugh, the man known as the iceman of Australian cricket. The book outlines the life of one of Australia’s most successful cricket captains. It describes the trials and tribulations which fraught his career. Come to think of it, his book is titled ‘Steve Waugh- Out of my Comfort Zone’ and that’s exactly what I’m about to do. Actually, I really could take a leaf out of his book.
(TAKE LEAF OUT OF BOOK)
So this leaf, where did it come from? Did I find it on the ground or was it plucked from a tree? The fact is, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it is here with us today. Obviously this leaf didn’t start off this big. Whether self-sown or a planted seedling, this leaf started its growth from a seed, an idea if you like. This seed would have grown inch by inch until it reached the size it is today. Along with this leaf, many other leaves have fallen off the tree. But each year, the trunk and branches grow bit by bit, receiving foliage and many more leaves. These new leaves bring a whole new look to the tree. It looks fresh, green and healthy, not brown, wilting and dejected.
If you are yet to draw the parallel, the tree can be compared to Oblate Youth Australia. I wanted to try to avoid giving a history lesson about Oblate Youth Australia, but it, like with any history, gives us a beginning, it gives us memories and it explains the reason why we are all here today.
(WRITE ON WHITEBOARD: OBLATES YOUTH AUSTRALIA)
Being baptised by Fr Hannah at Saint John Vianney’s gave me the perfect introduction to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. My whole life, I have been lucky or unlucky enough to have met and known more Oblate priests than most people my age. Attending Saint John Vianney’s Primary School, we had the Oblates saying Mass for us on a weekly basis. You knew that the priest was Oblate because he had a black belt in Karate and carried the biggest cross you would ever see. As Mum works in the parish office, after-school-hours were spent there hiding in a corner or annoying Fr Harry.
The Oblate brothers from the Seminary would often visit the school and give us a little talk and answer any questions we had. I got to become an altar boy in grade 4 and it was the most exciting thing I had ever done. Not only did I get to wear the dress (which was so much cooler in summer), but I got to go up on the altar. I was rapt…so many jobs…so little time. Easter was always the best time of year as it was after the Easter Vigil that the altar servers received a bag of chocolates. Life was so good.
But then as most of us know, going to Secondary School was a huge change. You went from king of the kids, to the kid amongst the kings. I went to Mazenod College, one of the three schools the Oblates run in Australia; partly because Saint John Vianney’s was a feeder school and partly because it’s only a stone’s throw away from my house. With a priest as rector and oblates always around, the life and charism of Eugene de Mazenod was always evident.
At secondary school, I was the shy kid. I didn’t have all that many friends and I went by the philosophy that if you just did your work and didn’t ask two many questions you could get by just fine.
During my high-school years, our house was like an Oblate restaurant. My ever-giving parents would often invite Oblates over for dinner (except Fini) or to just get away from things. This would often come in handy, especially when it allowed me to get out of doing housework.
Year 11 came around and it was no longer cool to be altar serving. After putting in a good innings the finger went up and I was out of there. Year 11 was weird for me. I still went to Mass every Sunday, as I have all my life, but since pulling out of altar serving, I was missing something in my life. Sure I had some close mates and a loving family, but it was my relationship with God that was waning.
In those teenage years, where peer pressure is rife and God and Church certainly aren’t considered cool, I needed something to help me in my faith. I needed to know that there were other people my age who believed in God. Enter Christian Fini, Fin or Finos . One Sunday, I heard that Fini was starting up a youth group at Saint John Vianney’s. I was there…call me lame if you will, but the first meeting I went to, I knew that it was something special. I could freely talk about God, question my faith and openly express myself with people my own age, without being judged. I felt I belonged to something…something that had been missing in my life for quite a while. Youth Coming Together provided this place for me once a week, where all my worries would just disappear. Not only did my faith journey get pushed along, but my self-confidence and abilities also. I bit the bullet one day, and decided to make some new friends. By the end of year 12, I didn’t feel like a nobody. I was someone who had the respect and the friendship of nearly everyone in the year level. The division of the cool kids had been taken away and I felt as if I belonged. I have no doubt that youth group has changed me into the person I am today.
National Oblate Youth Encounters- Wow! What huge events! As this is now my 6th straight camp, I feel like a veteran, but at the same time, none of them have been the same, so it could very well be my first. Over the years, I have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful (some weird) people. Each of these people has left their mark and has added to what is today known as Oblate Youth Australia. Over the years, I have gathered many memories of previous camps which will stay with me forever.
On the first camp, I learnt that cactus has a stinging effect on sunburn, especially when you mistake it for Aloe Vera. I’ve been punched in the face by a guy known as Rambo, when he thought I was going to punch him where it hurts. I’ve discovered that not everyone from Adelaide is weird, and of course, that man can live on a stable diet of sausages. On a serious note though, I have learnt that living in a Christian community can be achieved through the cooperation of every person.
Growing up with Oblate Youth Australia certainly has given me a vehicle in which to drive my faith in the right direction. If there were a moment to define my most real experience of God, it would be Gerroa camp, 2002. It was reconciliation night. The mood was set- a liturgical display surrounded by candles flickering in the darkness. I sat cross-legged, preparing myself to receive the sacrament. I hadn’t exactly been the golden child the previous few months and Santa sure was going to take a second look at my name on his Christmas list. Needless to say, it took me a while to get up and confess all my sins. After receiving God’s forgiveness, I returned to the main room and began to say my penance of 5 Our Fathers. While praying and staring into the candles, I was transfixed on the face of Jesus. He was hanging on the cross, his face full of anguish, with blood and sweat running down it. His selfless, giving eyes were gazing straight at me. My sins had been forgiven. But at what cost? I cried, I wept with Jesus for what felt like ages. Unaware of others around me, I felt the need to be with Jesus in this moment of torment and pain. I was approached by someone in that room after nearly everyone had left, and a sense of comfort filled my body. That person knows who they are, but it just made me realise that no-matter what happens, God will always forgive and there will always be people there to catch us when we fall.
Since 2002, I have been a leader on the National Oblate Youth Encounter as well as being co-leader of Saint John Vianney’s Youth Group. The growth of Oblate Youth Australia has been rapid, with so many things happening- local communities have started in Sefton, Sunshine and St Pats, WA. Lent and May programs have been developed to aid local groups in preparation for liturgical celebrations of the year. OblateYouth.com leads the way in youth websites, owning its own server and connecting members from all over Australia, via the internet.
Oblate Youth Australia is now such a great force that it has its own creed and principles, which can be used to establish more Oblate Youth communities. These guidelines will instruct and pave the way for the future expansion of Oblate Youth Australia.
I was lucky enough to go to World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany this year. In a nutshell for me, it was the greatest expression of young people’s faith that I have ever seen. To see 1.3 million young people with the same beliefs as me was overwhelming and once again reassured me that God is good.
(HOLD UP LEAF)
So where would this leaf be without its seed? Or where would Oblate Youth Australia be without Fini and his idea? The fact is, both would be nowhere if it weren’t for the great love and help of God who gives life to everything we know.
So I’ve given my little history lesson, but Huge Euge won’t be happy if he comes back and you haven’t done any mathematics.
(WRITE ON WHITEBOARD)
00+01+02+03+04+05= 06 The answer to this equation is not 15. This equation shows the years oblate youth Australia has been running . From 2000 right up until where we are today in 2006.
12+26+40+70+97+34= 06 The answer to this equation is not 279. This equation explains how the camp numbers have grown from 12 in 2000 to the numbers we have today in 2006. This equation includes the 34 who were on the World Youth Day pilgrimage last year.
(EXPLAIN AS YOU GO)
YCT(youth coming together)+NOYE(national oblate youth encounter)+LP(Lenten program)+MP(May program)+C(Creed)+OY.com(website)*community*scripture= 06
All of these things contribute to where we are today.
Therefore our equation for this year shall be
GOD
NOYE06+06+06 = U (you) As a collation of all the above equations everything is to the power of God because it is through him that everything is possible.
And that’s right supprisingly the answer is you! So how can I get this equation right, when at the start of the lesson I struggled with simple division and subtraction? The answer is simple. The Oblate Youth Australia equation has no divisions and no subtractions. Oblate Youth Australia to me is a group which is not divided into segregations. People cannot be subtracted or lost without leaving their mark on the group. A quote made famous by Fini over the years states that “never again will you have the same experience.” Such is the growth and ideas that is Oblate Youth Australia. Next year the equation of Oblate Youth Australia will be expanded, but each and every one of you are etched into the equation, and can never be removed. Oblate Youth Australia has played a major role in my life and has been both challenging and extremely fulfilling. I have no doubt that the success of Oblate Youth Australia would not have been possible without the work and prayers of many dedicated people. So I challenge all of you to become more involved, take a step out of your comfort zone and let your friends know that God is cool and you are proud to be a part of Oblate Youth Australia.
You can make a difference, just as I hope I have been able to do. As Steve Waugh said, “I have come to learn that life wouldn’t be as enjoyable if it was always easy, and that personal growth comes from having to move out of your comfort zone. What I didn’t know was that it is the challenge itself that provides the environment in which you can fight and struggle to ultimately prevail.”
Thank you.