Last fall, youth group members of Holy Family Parish in East Tawas participated in the annual Cardboard City, a youth event that simulates homelessness to help foster Christian witness with teens and teach them how to bring Christ into their communities.
During the event, the youth construct cardboard box “houses,” share in fellowship and attend midnight adoration and morning Mass.
This year, the youth also collected donations of hygiene products and personal care items that were packaged and shipped to those impacted by the devastating hurricanes throughout the Southeast in the fall.
“It is beautiful to watch all the youth come together and dedicate their time in service to something larger than themselves,” explains Holy Family Youth Group Leader Laura Dern.
“Cardboard City is self-intuitive,” Laura continues. “Through this firsthand experience, our youth are able to gain incredible insight into homelessness — something that too many people in our society sadly experience. The youth sleep in boxes throughout the night to help them understand the difficulties and challenges of homelessness — and to reflect upon the blessings in their lives.”
Empathetic Call to Serve
After the youth construct their cardboard houses, the group gathers for fellowship around a large bonfire on Holy Family Parish school grounds and share stories on encounters with the homeless.
Laura explains: “Fellowship is one of the best experiences of the evening because youth and adults alike open their hearts to God and speak of their love of his creation. We talk openly about our Catholic faith and how we are called to be disciples for those who are marginalized in today’s society. We mutually share our struggles and shortcomings and reflect upon homelessness and how we can work at combating it today.”
Throughout the evening, the youth pray for everyone affected by homelessness, the hurricane victims and all others who asked for prayers.
Midnight Eucharistic Adoration
For many of our youth group members, the climax of the evening comes at midnight eucharistic adoration.
“During the moment when Father Cooper stood in front of me holding the monstrance, I immediately felt God’s presence take over me,” reflects Holy Family School sixth grader Colton Lesneski.
“As I was kneeling right in front of him and the Eucharist, I felt as if all the stress and worries were lifting off my body,” Colton continues. “It made it very easy to concentrate on God and all that he has done for me. Afterwards, my friends and I were talking about how God completely took over in the time that we had with the Eucharist. My first Cardboard City is an experience that I will never forget.”
Isabel Everitt, a sixth grader at Holy Family School, shared similar sentiments: “My experience at Cardboard City was wonderful. It taught me more responsibility and brought me closer to God. Adoration seemed more peaceful and holier than other times. I felt the presence of God when I was there. Cardboard City was a great experience for me and many others.”
“It is important for the youth to have encounter moments as it feeds their spiritual nourishment and growth,” says Laura. “Adoration offers the youth an encounter of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist and a living witness that he is always with us.
“Adoration also reinforces our baptismal calling to be disciples, and to be a disciple means to be in service to others,” she adds.
Being Christ for Others
The culmination of the evening’s events manifests at 8 a.m. Sunday Mass, which all youth attend.
“It is such a fitting conclusion to the event because we talk about being Christ for others during our fellowship hour, adore him in adoration, receive him in the Eucharist at Mass, and finally go out into secular society and the peripheries to be Christ for others.”
“This year’s events were extra special to the parish youth community because our loving shepherd, Father Nicholas Cooper, joined us throughout the evening,” says Laura.
“Father Cooper offered us reflective moments on deepening our spiritual journey and his love and support of the event over the years are a beautiful testament to his loving priestly ministry,” she added.
Cardboard City has become a celebrated fall tradition at Holy Family Parish, offering valuable opportunities each year for youth group members to strengthen their Christian witness and bring the love of Christ into the local Tawas community.
“I am so proud of all their efforts as they are making a special impact in our society,” ends Laura.
