By Julie A. Miller
Catholic Herald

Crudele urges teens to make healthy choices

SUPERIOR -- A crowd of about 800 teens, parents and youth ministers filled the Cathedral of Christ the King Jan. 31 to hear John Crudele, a nationally known expert on youth and family issues.

Crudele kept everyone's attention in a very dynamic and interactive presentation. The chant of his questions and the audience's response were often like a litany. His talk was aimed at preparing teens to make good decisions and have control over what they allow into their lives.

Although held in Superior, Crudele's reputation brought people from many other places.

Don and Jo Ann Marek were part of a group of eight adults and 69 students from St. Dominic Parish in Frederic and Immaculate Conception Parish in Grantsburg. The Mareks explained that their religious education coordinator had heard Crudele speak before and highly recommended him.

Another large group came from the Chetek-Barron-Cameron cluster of parishes. According to Cathy Amdall and Ann Stephens, religious education coordinators from St. Joseph Parish in Chetek, they had a total of about 120 people on their buses.

From Holy Family Parish in Duluth, Minn., Fr. Andy Knop and youth minister Tim Kittelson brought 30 students in place of their regular Wednesday religious education class. Another 60 students and adults came down from Two Harbors and Silver Bay, Minn.

Among the local people attending were Wendy and Brian Stanty, who brought their eighth grade son, Adam. Wendy Stanty said,"This is our first teen-ager, so we need any words of advice." They are from Poplar and are members of St. Anthony Parish in Superior.

Gene and Joanne Blomfeld, also members of St. Anthony Parish, brought their ninth grade daughter Salina to hear the talk. She was asked to attend as part of her religious education class.

Crudele pointed out that there are two kinds of decision makers. The vast majority fall into the first group that lets their decisions determine their direction.

The other group, only about 13 percent of adults, do it a different way. "They let their direction in life determine their decisions. They have defined for themselves, mind, heart and soul, a directional line and they've let that directional line determine their decisions." He said they write out what they want their life to include and a very small number of them also write down what they want to make sure that their life excludes.

To demonstrate how to choose what comes into your life, Crudele called Casey Miner up to the platform. Miner is a ninth grader and a member of the Cathedral of Christ the King Parish.

Crudele demonstrated how Miner could stay in control when offered a glass of an alcoholic beverage. Initially, when Crudele held out the glass Miner automatically took it. Through the exercise Miner learned that he could stay in control by refusing to reach for it.

Crudele said, "He just needs to know ahead of time what he's going to do and he won't get sucked in. You know ahead of time. You know the answer. You know what your direction is going to be and you've figured out why."

Crudele defined freedom as to freely choose to do what is good. That becomes more difficult during puberty when people become self-centered. He contrasted this to elementary school students. "Who are elementary children focused on? Themselves or others? On what they can get or what they can give? How people are different or how they are the same? ... What did you just describe? You just described freedom and love at the exact same time."

One foolish choice teens often make is to smoke. Crudele asked fifth grader Emily Connolly of Duluth to take the end of a long rope and walk toward the back of the church. The rope represented a 63-foot cigarette, one week's worth for a smoker. Crudele said, "Do you think anyone would start smoking if this was the only way cigarettes came?"

The dangers go beyond those directly attributable to smoking. Crudele cited statistics to show that teens who smoke are also much more likely to engage in other negative behaviors. By smoking the teen has decided, "I can take something on the outside to change how I feel on the inside."

The event was sponsored by all of the parishes in Superior, spearheaded by Pat Wildenberg, youth minister at St. Anthony. Funds were also provided by a grant from the NCCB Committee on Home Missions.

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