By Dan Sullivan
Catholic Herald
Local youth discuss social justice with bishops
SUPERIOR -- Three youth in the Diocese of Superior, who journeyed to Houston, Texas, for this year's National Catholic Youth Conference, participated in a separate Youth Congress. Corey Mehlos, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Merrill; Danielle Kahl, St. Joseph Parish, Rice Lake; and Anthony Mensen, St. John the Baptist Parish, Webster took part in the event that centered on social justice and poverty. It provided an opportunity for Catholic teens to dialogue with bishops and other church leaders.
Mehlos, 17, a senior at Merrill High School, said the congress served to bring awareness to Catholic social teaching.
"It also called on youth to apply (the teachings) in their daily lives," he said.
During the conference, youth in attendance broke into small groups during the conference with prelates from throughout the United States. Mehlos said that he was pleasantly surprised to be sharing a table with Bishop Dennis Schnurr of the Diocese of Duluth, Minn.
"I enjoyed being able to ask him theological questions on social justice issues," Mehlos said, "... especially our calling to live our faith. He was most helpful in answering my questions."
Kahl, 17, a junior at Rice Lake High School, said she had a personal revelation during the sessions. She was awakened to the fact of how severe poverty is in parts of the world.
"I never realized how poor some countries really are and what the people there go through in order to survive," Kahl said. "This helped me to realize how lucky we really are and how good we have it in the United States."
Kahl said she learned from the bishops, but thought it was just as important for them to take time to listen and get the teens point of view on issues.
"We talked about poverty and ways we could work together to help it," she said.
Mensen, 13, the third young person from the diocese who attended this congress, is an eighth grader at Webster Middle School in Webster.
In order to be a part of the congress, the youth were supposed to spearhead a service project in their home community. Because of a snag in paperwork, however, participants from the diocese weren't sent the background information in time. Mehlos said he did have the prerequisite covered ahead of time.
"We were never sent the materials, but I completed one (project) that would have fully qualified," he said.
Mehlos, a graduate of St. Francis Xavier School in Merrill, explained how he coordinated an "urban plunge," leading his parish youth group to Milwaukee. Once there, they observed the poorest of the poor at several soup kitchens and at other outreach efforts.
"We made breakfast at one kitchen, and went to a Catholic Worker House and Open Gate, a facility for recovering addicts," Mehlos said.
He finds the ministry fulfilling. In addition, "serving in Milwaukee was a great cultural experience," he said.
"The (youth) conference itself was also especially enjoyable because we were able to discuss contemporary issues with individuals and bishops from all over the United States," Mehlos said.
© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003