Adding adoration Illuminates hope

By Tanya Connor

CHARLTON – Teenage suicides and the pope’s words spurred a member of St. Joseph Parish to try to bring Christ’s hope to all ages – through a new program called Illuminate.

Illuminate was inaugurated Thursday at St. Joseph’s with Eucharistic adoration, contemporary music, multi-media presentations, and a youth’s testimony. It drew a small but diverse group of people including members of St. Joseph’s and Leicester Life Teen and interested adults from St. Peter Parish in Northbridge.

“What caused me to do this? … Last year at some point in this ministry - playing (music) for youth - I saw at least four suicides of teens, within a stone’s throw of our church,” said Ken Graff, Illuminate music minister who also plays in the band for the parish’s Life Teen religious education/youth ministry program. During those 18 months other teenagers died in accidents, he said, and he knew of several young adults experiencing similar problems.

“I know the hope that Jesus provides to the world,” he said. “I just want to put something together that provides that hope, a program that will bring together the ancient and the new in a way that fosters the atmosphere of an open heart and a sense of hope and meaning for our lives. I see a need for a place to get renewed and reconnect with God, or connect with God for the first time, and I’m hoping that God will do his work.”

He said he wanted teens, young adults and the community at large to be ignited again and drawn close to Christ in the Eucharist. Like the disciples whose hearts burned within them when Jesus opened the Scriptures to them on the road to Emmaus, and who recognized him in the breaking of the bread, Christians today are awakened to his presence at Mass and illuminated in his presence at adoration, Mr. Graff said.

He said the apostolic exhortation “Sacramentum Caritatis,” in which Pope Benedict XVI specifically recommends adoration for children and parishes, was part of the inspiration for starting Illuminate.

“The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself,” and strengthens the mission of breaking down walls between people, the pope says.

Mr. Graff said he and Liz Cotrupi, St. Joseph’s Life Teen coordinator, had talked about starting something like Illuminate, which is similar to Life Teen XLT events the parish has held. He said their pastor, Father Robert A. Grattaroti, was very supportive.

Mrs. Cotrupi said it was important to offer something separate from Life Teen, for teenagers who want more and for youth and adults not in Life Teen.

“We all know the fruits of adoration,” she said. “In today’s society we do not take enough time to work on our relationship with Christ. We put off prayer.” But with Illuminate, “you can schedule it as your date with God.”

Illuminate is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. the second Thursday of each month, so those interested can also attend the similar LIFT in the Boston Archdiocese on third Tuesdays and Extreme East at La Salette Shrine in Attleboro on first Fridays. Father Edwin A. Gomez will speak at the next Illuminate on Feb. 14.

“We’re joining the ancient ritual of adoration with the new, which is contemporary praise and worship,” Mr. Graff said.

Indeed, as band members strummed guitars, beat drums and played a keyboard, the traditional adoration hymn “Down in Adoration Falling,” emerged. And “The Divine Praises” which are part of Benediction were put to modern music.

Words to the songs were projected onto the wall by Mr. Graff’s daughter, Taylor, 14, Illuminate’s computer operator. The story of the disciples encountering the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus and a video of a modern prodigal son from Grove Films were also shown that way.

Father James S. Mazzone, director of the diocesan Office of Vocations, led adoration and Benediction and heard confessions.

Teenagers made themselves at home in church, dancing to songs of praise, heading to the “cry room” for confession and finding themselves a spot on the carpet before the Blessed Sacrament, sometimes supporting one another with hugs.

“I’m here to talk to you about how I found God personally and how he still works in my life,” Dan Doyle, a core and band member of the Leicester Life Teen and a junior at Anna Maria College, began his testimony.

Now he’s involved in Life Teen and a Catholic college and has been on mission trips to help Hurricane Katrina survivors, he said. But when he was a child he found church boring, and as a teenager he wanted a rock star’s lifestyle, which the Church didn’t favor, he said.

“The growing hole inside of me got big enough I realized something was missing,” he said. He tried to fill the hole with drinking and the “love” of a girl, but it was still there, he said. He gave up the party lifestyle and returned to church.

“God had filled the hole inside of me with real love,” he said.

“It was amazing,” Kathryn Lohnes of Leicester Life Teen said afterwards. “The speaker was pretty awesome – because he’s my friend. I thought it was very inspiring, just something I really needed. It filled the hole that nothing else could fill.”

“It was really inspiring – the speaker, because he was my brother,” said Catherine Doyle, another Leicester Life Teen member. “This whole thing really let off a lot of the pressure and all the stress that I had from school. I loved the music. It helped me really feel the Holy Spirit coming into me. It was lots of fun and I’ll definitely come again.”

“It really helped me reconnect with Jesus – through the music and just adoration, giving me the time to think about God’s role in my life,” said Mathew Fluet, another Leicester Life Teen member.

Asked on his way in to Illuminate why he came, Dwain Robbins, coordinator of religious education at St. Peter Parish in Northbridge, replied, “First of all to worship the Lord. Secondly, we’d like to replicate this or bring our kids here. St. Joseph’s has been absolutely wonderful.” He said Mrs. Cotrupi helped them start Life Teen at St. Peter’s last September.

Leeann Hansson, music director for St. Peter’s Life Teen, said she came for the music.

“I love to listen to it,” she said. “I get ideas from them. I’m hoping to imitate their style.”

“Just their energy too,” said Mr. Robbins.

“You have to make it your own,” Mrs. Hansson added.

“I just want to see what this is all about,” said Paula Litchfield, who sings in St. Peter’s Life Teen band.