Rainbow XXV
Nearly 1,800 teens gather for a weekend of prayer, praise, fellowship and fun
Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published January 26, 2007
Photos by Gregg McIntosh
Musician and songwriter Chris Padgett, of the Christian rock band Scarecrow & Tinmen, delivers an inspiring message to Detroit-area teens at Rainbow XXV last Saturday. | Detroit — For the 25th year, Catholic teenagers gathered last weekend in downtown Detroit for a weekend of prayer, praise, fellowship and fun.
Nearly 1,800 participants in Rainbow XXV enjoyed music and dancing, but also listened to inspirational speakers and attended Mass with Bishop Daniel Flores at the Catholic Youth Organization event last Saturday and Sunday at the Detroit Marriott Hotel at Renaissance Center.
Brothers Kelechi, 17, and Ugo Agbakwuru, 15, from St. Ives Parish in Southfield, say Rainbow is a great way to meet other teens.
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Amanda Kelley, 16, Nick Evans, 15, and Katie Wood, 16, from St. Irenaeus Parish in Rochester Hills, enjoy Rainbow XXV. | Keynote speaker Chris Padgett, lead singer of the Christian rock band Scarecrow & Tinmen and father of eight, talked to the teens about love of God, marriage and building a Christian family.
"He talked about how we need to make God our No. 1 love, instead of putting Him to the side," said Amanda Bujak-Phillips, 15, a member of St. Anthony Parish in Belleville and of the CYO Youth Council, which planned the event.
Bujak-Phillips was also impressed with the talk Laura Piccone Hanchon gave on Christian dating: "She told us God intended us to be together, but didn't intend us to be together for intimate relationships until marriage."
She said Piccone Hanchon told them they had to work at being true to their beliefs and what they had learned the Church teaches.
"She talked about how peer pressure gets kids to do things against their beliefs and what God intends for them. She said friends can help us or hurt us," Bujak-Phillips recounted.
Nick Jennings, 16, from St. Thecla Parish in Clinton Township and another CYO Youth Council member, said he was impressed by Andy Andino of the band Who Do You Say I Am, both as a musician with his band and as a speaker.
Carolyn Lusch, a senior at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills andspirituality coordinator for the CYO Youth Council, signs for the hearing-impaired. | "The band let people onto the stage to sing and even play the drums with them. They put you into the music," Jennings said.
And he found Andino a "great speaker — he's very outgoing."
"He talked about God, and the love of God, and the truth of God," Jennings said.
Tom Buckley's tale of his life as a high school dropout who got into drugs and attempted suicide before he found God sent the message that "No matter what you're going through, God can help you through it," Jennings added.
Additional speakers included, among others, former Detroit Lions player Eric Hipple; Auxiliary Bishop Earl Boyea; Msgr. Patrick Halfpenny, pastor of St. Paul on the Lake Parish in Grosse Pointe Farms; Fr. Tom Slowinski, pastor of St. Andrew Parish in Rochester; and Deacon Mark Springer.
The turnout and positive reactions of the teens validated all the hard work put in by the CYO Youth Council members, said Evan Ralko, 17, a member of St. Colette Parish, Livonia, who served as conference coordinator for the council.
"You walk in here and you look out and see nearly 1,800 teenagers here, and it's just mind-boggling," he said.
Megan Lawrence, Michael Perrah, Matt Benoit and Mikkie McNish, from ST. Fabian Parish in Farmington Hills, attend Rainbow XXV. |
Logan Boyd and Brian Stewart, both 14, from Prince of Peace Parish in West Bloomfield Township, and Rainbow Conference veterans – now chaperones – Liz Kloster with Chad Dammar. | Ralko said this year's theme for the conference, "Seek the Son," was chosen "because, this being the 25th year, we wanted to bring the central point of why we do this — which is Jesus — into the theme."
For him personally, Ralko said the experience of serving on the council had been one of making new friends "whose faith is the center of their life, as my faith is the center of my life."
Those points about faith and friends were echoed by many of the other teens interviewed, such as Jacob Dombrowski, 15, of St. Germaine Parish in St. Clair Shores, who said, "It helps teenagers be closer to God and make friends."
Brian Stewart, 14, of Prince of Peace Parish in West Bloomfield Township, said of the conference, "I thought it was pretty amazing and definitely worth the time, because it helped me understand more about Jesus."
Ugo Agbakwuru, 15, of St. Ives Parish in Southfield, said, "Especially in my parish, there are not many others my own age, so you get to meet other teens who share your faith."
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