Our first reading today mentions two young men: Stephen and Saul. In this passage, Stephen becomes the first Christian martyr. Saul, on the other hand, is part of the persecution, one of the men throwing the stones. The word “martyr” means “witness” in Greek, and Stephen clearly was a witness that Jesus Christ is Lord. His witness, as well as the witnesses of other martyrs, would help to convert the persecutor Saul into one of the greatest saints of all time and eventually into a martyr himself.

While most of us will not be called to lose our lives for our faith, we are called to be daily martyrs, or daily witnesses of our faith to others. Just as Stephen was a witness to Saul, we should all be examples of faith to each other. We never know who is watching or who will learn from our witness.

This summer, we will be beginning a new high school ministry that depends on this idea of witness. This new group, called oui.love, will meet weekly to socialize, learn and pray together. Both the young adult leaders and the students themselves will be witnesses of faith and support for each other. They will be witnesses to the fact that we are not alone, that there are other young people who want to serve God, and that a life lived for God is one of joy.

All high school students are invited to join us on Tuesdays at 7 pm in the Fannon Hall meeting room, beginning on May 14^th. We ask all parishioners to invite the high school students that they know to join us. We also ask for your prayers for this new ministry, that we will meet the needs of the teens in our parish and help to build the future of the Church.

Your Sister in Christ,
Allyson Soulé
Director of Religious Education