When we throw ourselves into Jesus’ arms, we always win!

The 2024 Ordinandi Youth Event took place on Tuesday, March 19. The following is a reflection on the day written by DPCDSB student Kierra who was in attendance.

My name is Kierra and I’m a student at St. Augustine Catholic Secondary School in Brampton. My favorite subject in school is art and I hope that when I grow up I can continue working in the arts as an animator, fashion designer or producer who creates music. I want to be a person who acts as a positive influencer to encourage people to do the things they like. My goal is not to gain fame but to show how far I’ve reached. I have been involved in the school’s chaplaincy for almost a year now. 

This was my first time attending the Ordinandi Youth Event. I was expecting there would be a few people, a few small groups maybe. It turns out, there were a whole lot of people in there: 845 to be exact! I didn’t know there would be a beautiful choir performing and so many things happening. It was quite the experience and sight to see so many people and how they put a lot of effort into making these kinds of things happen. I saw many people from different schools, nuns, priests, etc., and the food was quite delicious.

When I heard Sr. Beata Victoria’s story, it was like picturing myself in her shoes and I felt supported of what I could be doing in the future. She said that when she went on the “Come and See” weekend with the Sisters of Life, she was playing a game of ultimate frisbee. During one play she didn’t see any open teammates but threw the frisbee into the end zone as a somewhat “Hail Mary” pass and to her amazement it was caught. A few hours later when she was in the chapel, that moment came to her again and she felt it was the Holy Spirit prompting her to look at that situation. She felt that Jesus was speaking to her saying that no matter how bad of a throw it would be, Jesus would catch it no matter what. He never misses an opportunity to catch your heart or your worries that might try to carry on with you in the future. When we throw ourselves into Jesus’ arms, we always win!

What I enjoyed most about attending the Ordinandi event was when I got to hear the beautiful sound of voices singing in the choir. It made me wish I could have been in that choir singing with them and for Jesus. I did like the Ordinandi event but I am unsure if I will be able to attend again in future years. But if the timing is right and the opportunity presents itself, I would go again.

The advice I would give to a student in the future if they ever were considering attending is that not many things in the future will allow to you do things you want to do when you just missed them. Take that little time and effort to have some experiences you have never seen and felt before like attending this event. There may be a lot of people you don’t know at the event but that doesn't mean you have to feel alone. You can always talk to someone you feel comfortable with and just stay calm and faithful. It’s your choice to make your own decisions, nobody else. Only you can make those decisions on what you should do next. There will always be a time to have fun and to be with Jesus.

Special thank you to Kierra for taking time to write this for us, and for St. Augustine SS Chaplain Marc Puigmarti for facilitating this and providing us these photos.