Your Name is Teenager, But Your Name is also Christian Almost 200 high school students attended a Seminar on Consecrated Life at Newark's Archdiocesan Center on Friday to hear about the personal experiences of people who have chosen to become priests, brothers, and sisters. The panel of eight religious included a soccer fanatic, a former IBM systems analyst, a math teacher, a linguist, and a registered nurse. Yet all had one thing in common; they all chose to live their lives serving God and the church. High schools from throughout the Archdiocese of Newark sent four to six students with an interest in exploring religious life to attend the seminar. In her opening remarks, Sr. Sandra DeMasi, Director of the Worship Office for the Archdiocese, talked about the labels that society places on people. "Your name is teenager," she said, "but your name is also Christian." Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick spoke in a similar vein saying that teenagers are on the bridge between childhood and adulthood and that they "learn many things on that bridge." He added that with popular culture constantly telling young people that their goals should be "to be rich, to be powerful, and to be skinny," they need to be reminded of the things that are truly important. After hearing the stories of the personal journeys each of the panelists made the students were given an open forum to ask questions. The predominant questions centered around the sacrifices made by priests, brothers, and sisters and whether or not they had any regrets about making those sacrifices. Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Newark, Fr. James Choma, answered by saying, "it's not easy all the time. Jesus hung on a cross." Many of the panelists voiced similar opinions, concluding that while the sacrifices can be a challenge, the rewards are much greater. One student asked how families and friends reacted to their decisions to enter religious life. Sr. Noreen Holly S.C., a sixth grade teacher at All Saints School in Jersey City, admitted that her family was "floored" when they heard of her decision. However, she added that they are supportive. When asked if they regretted not choosing to marry and have children the panel agreed that while not having children saddened them at some point in their lives, they see all children as their children. Fr. Choma said that they are "so happy building the kingdom of God" for all children that it overpowers their own need to have a family. Finally, one student asked how the panel dealt with the expectation of perfection that they were faced with daily. Fr. Edwin Leahy, principal of St. Benedicts Preparatory School for Boys, said that "we all have that responsibility; We don't do anything you're not supposed to do. We just do it every day. We keep it in everybody's face." Kathleen Ryan, a student at St. Dominic in Caldwell, said that the seminar was not what she expected. "It was much more open; we got to see what they are all about." Ryan's classmate, Jaymee Origenes, said that she has been considering becoming a religious sister and that the seminar gave her "a deeper sense about how they live." Fr. Choma told the students not to "count it out that God might be calling you." Sr. Geraldine Boland, Director of Guidance at Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township, said that people must learn to recognize the restlessness that is a calling from God, in themselves and in others, because "hearts are restless till they rest in You."
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