G O O D N E W S F R O M C A T H O L I C C H R I S T I A N O U T R E A C H

REACHING FUTURE LEADERST O D AY !!

S P R I N G 2 0 0 9C O N T E N T S

Expansion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Rise Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

CCO At Home and Abroad . . . . . . . . 8-9

Alumni in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

Thank You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Student Testimonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Meet a Supporter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

O n the heels of CCO’s 20thAnniversary year, a new frontierof ministry is starting for the

movement. In the fall of 2009, CCO will beheading to Université Laval. The announce-ment was made by CCO President Jeff Lock-ert at the CCO Rise Up Conference.

Lockert said: “It was in Québec City, over400 years ago that the first missionariesbrought the Catholic faith to Canada. We aretheir spiritual descendants, and they gavetheir lives, literally, that we might live ourfaith today. We have been challenged in ourown way to lay down our lives for Jesus. Itis an incredible honour to think that as webegin the next 20 years for CCO, we willstart by returning to our Catholic roots, ourheritage, in Québec.”

In his official letter of invitation CardinalMarc Ouellet wrote: “Following our contactover past years, including Rise Up 2006 inQuébec City and your much appreciatedparticipation in the International Eucharis-tic Congress last June, I am pleased to offi-cially invite you to extend your universityapostolate to the Diocese of Québec. …Giv-ing thanks to God for blessing Canadianuniversity campuses with your charism, Ipray that your integration and your apos-tolic mission in Québec will be most fruit-ful.” (translated from the original French)

The French-speaking team will be led byTalitha Lemoine, who is currently a CCOcampus missionary at the University ofOttawa. Lemoine is looking forward for theopportunity to serve in Québec. “What anhonour and privilege to be sent to Québec,”she said. “I'm very excited – especially whenI think of all of the holy men and womenwho gave their lives for the spreading of theGospel in that very place.”

CCO sent a group of 60 missionaries toQuébec City this past summer to volunteerwith the 49th International Eucharistic Con-gress. Many of the participants of this mis-sion as well as students from Laval werepresent at Rise Up when the announcementwas made. The cheers that followed thenews showed the shared enthusiasm andsupport of the CCO community.

Etienne DeChamplain, a former studentof Laval and a native of Québec City said, “Iam happy CCO has decided to expand toLaval University. The spiritual legacy thatwas brought to the rest of Canada by theFrench missionaries is now making its wayback to its place of origin. I am sure manystudents will be able to experience conver-sion through CCO's presence at Laval.”

Please pray for our CCO staff and the stu-dents of Université Laval as we prepare totake this step in September. !

Vive JésusCCO Prepares Expansion to Québec City

Cardinal Marc Ouellet addressing CCO at Rise Up 2006."

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Could there be a better way to closeout the old year and herald in thenew? As 2008 drew to a close, stu-

dents as well as CCO alumni and CCO stafffrom across the country gathered in Toron-to from December 28th to January 1st forCCO’s national conference, Rise Up. Thisannual assembly brought together about600 young Catholics, which is the largestattendance since the conference began in2001. The gathering was a testimony tohope, with students from 60 Canadian uni-versities in attendance.

The theme of Rise Up was, “Jesus: Yester-day, Today, and Forever.” During this 20th

anniversary year for the movement, thetheme provided a look back at how God hasblessed CCO’s campus mission work in thepast while looking forward with faith athow He will work through CCO as a move-ment in the future.

This year, CCO was blessed with the pres-ence of Wanda Gawronska, niece of BlessedPier Giorgio Frassati. Gawronska travelledfrom Italy to attend the conference. Herinside look into the life of Frassati during alive interview recorded by Salt + Light tel-evision on New Year’s Eve providedencouragement to young people striving toattain holiness. Gawronska spoke of heruncle’s love for sports, mountain climbing,and friends as well as his great dedication toserving Christ by helping the poor and wit-nessing to his friends. Throughout Rise Up,she was often seen chatting and laughingwith students who share in her love andadmiration for Blessed Pier Giorgio.

Other guests included keynote speakersFr. Tom Rosica, C.S.B.; Fr. Raymond DeSouza; Fr. Clair Watrin, C.S.B.; as well asMike Brewer, representing The Knights ofColumbus. Each of the main sessions heldtrue to CCO’s mission to “proclaim, equip,

and commission.” In the first talk, the basicgospel message was shared. For some, thiswas the first time hearing of God’s love andJesus’ sacrifice for our sins. Subsequent talksgave attendees practical skills and encour-agement to share the gospel.

On December 30th, Angèle Regnier gavean address that commissioned those pres-ent to go forth and share the gospel. Whileyoung people around the country were set-tling their last minute plans for New Year’sparties, those at Rise Up were resolving toenter into 2009 as witnesses for Christ. Atable at the front of the conference roomshone brightly as hundreds of peoplebrought forward tea-lights to represent theircommitment to sharing the gospel with atleast one person, whose name they wroteon the bottom of their candle.

Rise Up’s commissioning ceremony pro-vided a look into CCO’s greater mission ofcreating a generation of disciples. The spir-itual growth and joy that came from Rise Upis something that will not remain within theconfines of the conference, but will bespread to countless others, one person at atime, through the witness of thosepresent. !

Resolving to Witness: Rise Up 2008B y M a r l e n a Lo u g h h e e d

Wanda Gawronska and Father Tom Rosica C.S.B.

"I used to go on retreatsjust so I could get all firedup for Christ… but now Iam moved to action."

– KAYLA (OTTAWA U)

"To see six hundred students come together and be touched by God's grace at Rise Upinspires in me hope for the future.”

– TAVIS (OTTAWA U)

“Since Rise Up the thought of proclaiming the gospel has consumed me.”

– NICK (DOMINICAN COLLEGE)

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It Was Worth It

B y Ve r o n i c a P o i t r a sQ u e e n ’ s U n i v e r s i t y , K i n g s t o n

I wasn’t really sure I wanted to go to RiseUp. I’d spent so many New Year’s Eveswith my best friend, and was hesitant

to break tradition. More than that, I wasscared. What if I didn’t fit in? What if I wasexpected to “know” more about Catholi-cism? My faith study leader was reallyinstrumental in my decision to go. She alle-

viated a lot of my concerns, and finally I just decided to take theplunge – really, what did I have to lose? As soon as I made thedecision, I felt an incredible peace about it – a sure sign that I wasmeant to go.

The conference sessions themselves were simple to understand,easy to follow, and I felt that they were applicable to me personal-ly. My favourite session at the conference was the evening of Ado-ration. It was really beautiful and I was able to go to Confessionfor the first time in around two years. [Before Rise Up] during theDiscovery Faith study we were talking about the Prodigal Son,which led us to talking about forgiveness, which led into talkingabout the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I told my faith study leaderthat I hadn’t been in a really long time, and she asked me why. Itried really hard to put it into words, and finally came up with thisanalogy: “It’s like... you’ve written a paper for one of your cours-es and it’s a big paper, one that you’ve been working on for a longtime. And you get it back and it’s covered in red. There are so manymistakes. And you don’t even know where to begin to fix them. It’sjust so overwhelming.” My leader said: “Yes, but wouldn’t it be alot easier if you just sat down with your prof and talked about it?”I got goosebumps. She was absolutely right. Here I was trying tofix the “mistakes” on my own – to make my life perfect before talk-ing to God about it and asking for forgiveness. After that conver-sation I resolved to go to Confession. It was at Rise Up that I hadthe opportunity and was granted the courage to go! It was like anenormous weight had been lifted from me. Even though there werehundreds of people there I did not feel rushed with the priest. Heheard my confession, and prayed with me. It was a wonderfulnight. Being in a room with so many people who were filled withjoy and who have faith was something truly wonderful.

I’m glad that I went to Rise Up. It was an experience thatrenewed in me the desire to pray every day, and renewed my com-mitment to choose to make faith central in my life. It also demon-strated to me the true value of fellowship. !

It was noticedthat a lot of guysat the conferencelooked likeBlessed PierGiorgio, so therewas animpromptu look-alike contest.Shown here arethe finalists!

What’s this,André on stage?Stealing thespotlight!

Friends of themovement,Father Rosica,ArchbishopVentura,ArchbishopPrendergast, and WandaGawronska.

The next

Rise Up

will be in

Winnipeg,

Manitoba

We were proud to have TheKnights of Columbus Supreme

Council as the presentingsponsor for Rise Up 2008.

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During the summer of 1988 CCO co-founder Angèle Regnier, put together the first draft of the CCO “Discovery”faith study. It was not in a booklet form but simply printed out on 8.5”x11” paper and stapled in the corner; not very

polished at all. What it lacked in fancy packaging in made up for in content, focusing on the kerygma, the clear and sim-ple gospel message. Many CCO staff members have contributed to several revisions over the years but the purpose andkey elements are the same: Scripture, Church teaching, analogies and illustrations as a springboard for small groupdiscussion. As a result the Discovery Study has introduced and reintroduced thousands of university students to thelove of God the Father through Jesus Christ in a way which allows them to respond and commit their lives to HisLordship. This tool of evangelization is now being used in many diverse ways across Canada and beyond. The Dis-covery Study (Student and Leader Guides) can be ordered at www.cco.ca - just look for the links to the “CCO Store”.

Below are a few of the innovative and creative ways people have been evangelizing with the Discovery Study in their communities.

On campus in Small GroupsB y K r i s t i n K o n i e c z n y • O t t a w a , O N

This is my first year on staff with CCO. Last semester, I ledtwo Discovery studies. I felt a great sense of awe as I journeyedwith these young women as they grew in their relationship withGod. Here is what one participant named Hilary had to say aboutbeing in the study: “I wouldn’t change anything about the faithstudy except making it longer or more than once a week! As a firstyear student I didn’t know how to balance everything in my life,faith always seemed to come in last place. But you taught mehow to bring God into my life. So on the bus, doing chores, walk-ing to class, at 3 in the afternoon, I think of Him, I talk to Him, Ipray to Him. Another student named Mira said “I feel like youguys are family! My faith has become much stronger and I actu-ally started reading the Bible! You taught me the fundamentalsof the Christian faith in such simple terms and you used practi-cal life situations that made everything so clear! Continue yourawesome missionary work because you have touched my life inway that I will never forget and I’m sure you will continue to doso in many more people’s lives!”

With StudentsB y E r i n M c Q u a i d • E d m o n t o n , A B

As a newly certified teacher, I was hoping to share some of theconcepts from the CCO Discovery Study with my students. I wasable to create a kid-friendly, hands on version of the circles anal-ogy by modifying it. I used suns with rays (rather than circles),little cartoon drawn people and interests, and crosses drawn onwhite paper (and cut into a circle - which makes it look like ahost). In the third “sun”, when the cross is moved to the center,it looks like a monstrance holding the Eucharist. This allowedme to explain that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, and howwe can make him the center of our lives. They understood bothconcepts completely. One day during class, a student asked whyJesus had to die on the cross. I explained original sin and usedthe bridge analogy. Once I had finished, a student exclaimed,“I’ve never learned so much about religion in my life! I under-stand that this message is not just for university students. It is foreveryone! It issuch a bless-ing to be ableto be a wit-ness, and tobe witnessedto, by 8 yearolds!

Discover Discovery

Kristin (far left) with her Discovery group.

Erin and her littlefriend, Joshua.

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On A Campus Without CCOB y E d B o h n c k e • W i n n i p e g , M B

Although CCO is not present on campus in Winnipeg, sever-al of us have become interested in leading faith studies as welearned about them through various CCO events, such as Rise Upand the fall retreats. Jacqueline, a student at the University ofWinnipeg, has recently started a faith study with a few of herfriends. Here is her testimony: “The Discovery Study has allowedme to share my personal relationship with God with some of theyoung women I know. It has created an opportunity to be blessedby the work that God is doing not only in my life but also in thelives of the women in my group. It seems that the faith study hasgiven us the time, place and format to explore, express and deep-en our faith. I firmly believe that as Christians we are meant tolive and share our faith with the people around us. The FaithStudy is an awesome opportunity to do so, and I am very excit-ed to see what is going to develop through our group.”

Ed and Jacqueline with fellow Winnipeggers at Rise Up in Toronto.PHOTO COURTESY OF ED BOHNCKE.

Teachers College C C O C a m p u s S t a f f • O t t a w a a n d K i n g s t o n , O N

University students studying to become teachers at Ottawa U and Queens have theopportunity to take the CCO Discovery Faith Study. Over the past four years more than1000 education students have participated. The majority of these students find themselvesphysically, spiritually and ideologically far away from the Church. With the opportuni-ty we have been given to offer this Faith Study, we do not stand in judgment of themreminding them how far away they are from the Church, rather in an environment ofrespect, we present to them the truth, relevance and gift of our faith. Many are return-ing back to Church, and for those who have not returned it is clear that their negative andmisguided perspective of the Church has changed to one of a greater understanding.

At the Parish B y C h r i s G a u d e t a n d

M a r y l o u S c h m i t z • Wa t s o n , S K

Last fall wedecided tooffer the Dis-covery FaithStudy at ourParish. Anannounce-ment was putin our SundayBulletin and asign up sheetwas placed ateach entranceto the Church. We expected maybe five or six people to regis-ter, so when our list exceeded twenty, our excitement grewalso! We arranged some training with the help of local CCOmissionaries who give us tips on leading the small groups,whose numbers had reached twenty-five. In the end we hadfour small groups. Some chose to meet weekly, other bi-week-ly. Some met in the morning and others in the evening. Weworked around everyone's schedule, trying to give them thebest opportunity we could to participate. At first some of thepeople were a bit shy, but as they became more comfortablewith the format and with their fellow participants, they start-ed to open up and share their faith journey, struggles and vic-tories. At times we were very moved by their honesty andtheir heartfelt desire to learn more about our wonderful Lordand our beautiful Catholic faith. We have found this to be avery positive experience for all involved and hope to offer thenext CCO Faith Study to those who completed Discovery andperhaps offer the first one over again to new participants.

CCO staff member Christy Gaudet with her mom Chris.

Explaining the circles analogy.

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With FriendsB y Ta l i t h a Le m o i n e • W i n n i p e g , M B

I encountered CCO for the first time at World Youth Day(WYD) in Toronto one year after my conversion. I was at a pointwhere I was living my faith but I didn't know where to start whenit came to sharing my faith with my friends. I was going into my3rd year of university and had become close friends with the girlson my university volleyball team. I wanted my teammates toknow Jesus as I did. I was so excited to learn about CCO's Dis-covery Study – a practical tool that would help me share my faith!I invited all of the girls on my volleyball team, friends from classand also friends of friends to join a study.

There was enough interest to form 2 studies with 7 people ineach. It meant so much to me to see the people I cared aboutattend every week and learn about God's personal love for them.Two cherished memories from those studies are that one girl frommy volleyball team desired to be Confirmed; the other is whena close friend of mine burst into laughter and was full of joy whenit finally clicked for her how it is possible for her to be in a per-sonal relationship with God. Through the Discovery Study she

was given theopportunity torespond toGod’s personallove by sayingyes to being ina relationshipwith Him.

With MothersB y C o l l e e n R o y • Va n c o u v e r , B C

Like me, Hannah was new to St. Joseph's Parish in MissionBC. She was eager to be involved in a bible study of some sort andsoon found out I had taken the CCO studies in university andasked if I could help her lead the Discovery Study. I said yes forthree reasons; to grow in my own faith, to meet other mothers inmy new parish, and to offer my time and talent to help lead. Wesoon had a group of 5 young mothers and began the study, meet-ing at each other's homes. That was a year ago and now we arein the midst of CCO’s third study. The past year has had its upsand downs, a few new members, a few lost members and fournew babies as well! We are very different women, with differentbackgrounds, different gifts and different personalities. The thingthat we have in common is that we are each seeking to grow clos-er to the Lord and His church, and to serve Him better in ourvocation as Catholic wives and mothers. I am amazed each weekhow each question means something different to each woman,and how each answer brings about the same result; a deeperunderstanding of our faith, and a greater desire to learn evenmore. These studies have been a blessing to us all.

From left to right: Hannah, Colleen, Megan and Nadia.

With Co-workersB y C u r t i s Wa g n e r • S a s k a t o o n , S K

Near the end of my university career, I was invited to a CCO event by my sister-in-law, Mandy. Thisled me to join CCO’s 2002 Impact Mission in Toronto where I was profoundly impacted. My time withCCO inspired me to start an initiative at my school entitled Faith Ignite to inspire students, staff, par-ents, and the community to have a personal relationship with Jesus and to let their faith ignite in theirlives and in the world. Faith Ignite coordinates the school's environmental program, organizes anannual Gospel film festival, creates liturgies that incorporate contemporary music and creative elements,such as drama, dance, video clips, and other forms of technology, and arranges numerous other eventsthroughout the year. The most recent event is a CCO Discovery Study taking place during Lent, forthe staff members from the 5 schools in the surrounding area.

Talitha (left) withsome friends fromWinnipeg at Rise Up.

Discover Discoverycontinued…

The poster advertising the Discovery FaithStudy hosted by Faith Ignite.

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For Parents and Young ChildrenB y Ta n y a R o d g e r s o n • H a l i f a x , N S

Angèle probably never imagined when she developed the Discovery Faith Study 20 yearsago what all could be done with it, least of all puppet shows. However, when I asked the chil-dren’s formation team at St. Michael’s Parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia to help develop a newprogram for families out of the Discovery Faith Study, one mother, Denise Parrott, offered hertalents and created 5 engaging children’s puppet shows each highlighting a different lessonfrom the Discovery Faith Study.

Once a month, both kids and parents journey with the central characters, 5 year old Zeke &his older sister Hazel, as Zeke discovers God’s unconditional love for him. On alternatingweeks, the message of the puppet show is re-enforced with activities such as Bible memory vers-es, prayer and age appropriate crafts which children can bring home to their families. Sincethe parents are bringing their kids to the church as it is, we wanted to seize this opportunityto engage parents. Lead by formed volunteers, the parents are over at the parish rectory, gath-ered around the kitchen table over coffee and taking their own Discovery Faith Study. The faith study provides parents the opportunityto learn the basics of God’s love and salvation in a way that is non-threatening through discussion and guidance from their peers.

Musical guest Diane Salterio leads the children ina song during Children’s Discovery Morning. PHOTO

COURTESY NICOLE MYSHAK, ATLANTIC CATHOLIC.

With CWLB y Ke l l y B o y k o • O t t a w a , O N

As I shared my call to be a mis-sionary with the women of aCWL (Catholic Women’s League)in Calgary, the Lord inspired meto start sharing this same mes-sage with my CWL council atOur Lady of Fatima in Ottawaand allow an exchange of faithjourneys to occur. When Ireturned to Ottawa I approachedmy council and asked if theywould consider a faith formationelement to be added to the council meetings. They all agreedand in September 2008, Holly (a fellow CCO missionary) and Ibegan sharing 20 minutes snippets of each lesson of the Dis-covery Faith Study.

What we have discovered so far is that regardless of age,background or faith journey Jesus is relevant. We continue tobe transformed by the experiences these women share with usand are excited to see how this study is feeding their souls! Asyoung women early on in this journey of life we are encour-aged by the faith of some of the women and they are encour-aged by us sharing the gospel so clearly. People never tire ofhearing that we have a loving, merciful God who is activelypursuing us through a relationship with His son!

Changing campus and country

U C O n y i l a g h a • A r k a n s a s , U S A

My Catholic faith has been important to me throughout myentire life. But when I began university in Saskatoon I wanted toknow the Lord on a more personal level so I decided to take theCCO Discovery Study. After completing Discovery I was awareof God’s true presence in my life. Attending faith studies andgoing to CCO events also helped to strengthen my faith and lovefor the Lord, making me into a happier and more joyful person.When I found out that my family was moving to Arkansas I wassaddened at the prospect of leaving such great Catholic fellow-ship behind. So ever since arriving in Arkansas last summer I’vehad a deep desire to start something, I’ve just never been surewhat. I prayed and asked the Lord to show me, and when I beganuniversity here, God answered my prayers; I felt called to start afaith study with a group of women. At first I was scared but thenI began to talk to the people in charge of the Christian organiza-tion on campus. I am now in the process of beginning a Discov-ery Faith Study forwomen at the Universi-ty of Arkansas. I wanteach woman to knowwhat I know; how muchGod loves her!

CCO staff Anna McLanewith UC.

Kelly sharing her faith in front ofa crowd.

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Carleton University

Pictured here are students from Carleton University whoattended RiseUp in Toronto. A significant aspect of being astudent involved with CCO is mutual support from acommunity of young people who share in similar experiencesof faith. This common ground is often the beginnings of strongfriendships and provides encouragement as the students growin their faith.

Simon Fraser University

Building relationships with students by investing time in theirlives is an important part of CCO's ministry. Staff memberMelissa Westgeest invited the young ladies from an SFUDiscovery Study to come over to her house to bake. The girlshad been saying they didn’t know how to cook, so she gavethem a lesson!

University of British Columbia

CCO's presence in busy areas of campus makes themovement visible to students. At UBC, CCO sets up a table ina hallway in order to advertise events and programs. Beingnoticed is often the first step to outreach. As many alumnihave testified, “they reached out to me; I didn’t have to seekthem out.”

University of Ottawa

An integral part of CCO's outreach on campus is small groupfaith studies. Here, staff member Emily Arsenault leads a smallgroup in the Discovery Study. Discovery is the first of four faithstudies offered by CCO. The others are titled Source, Growth,and Obedience. Together, these four studies introduceparticipants to the gospel message in a clear and simple wayand provide practical information for living the abundantChristian life.

CCOat home and abroad

Dalhousie University

Students of CCO Halifax partake in Eucharistic Adoration,during a monthly event called The Summit. This event takesplace at CCO campuses across the country and includes ashort talk leading into Adoration as well as Praise and Worshipmusic and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Afterwards,participants gather for food and fellowship.The Summit helpsto bring the students closer to the sacramental life and deepentheir love for Christ in the Eucharist.

University of Saskatchewan

Combining the gospel message with students’ love for freefood and some good clean fun, a popular outreach for CCOis the Progressive Supper. Students travel in groups to differentsupporters’ homes, or to a local parish to enjoy the sequentialcourses of a meal. At each stop a student leader shares howtheir life has been changed by God. Besides being popularwith the students, this outreach also gives local supporters achance to meet some students and share their hospitality withthe movement.

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YAI Washington, DC

In February, CCO President Jeff Lockert gathered with leadersfrom various international Catholic movements for a Youth Ariseexecutive meeting in Washington DC. They discussed a numberof leadership topics and plans for World Youth Day 2011 in Spain.

Queen’s University

Part of CCO’s outreach at Queens is the weekly Thursday nightMass and Dinner. Mass begins at 5:30 at Newman House andis followed by dinner, which is cooked by different studentsevery week. It has become a very popular event and is one ofthe best ways for students to meet each other in a casualenvironment and develop community at Queens!

Founders Honoured

CCO founders André and Angèle Regnier and their fivechildren were honoured at Rise Up for their service to themovement over the past 20 years. Throughout this time, theRegnier family has lived a truly missionary lifestyle in theirsurrender and openness to following God’s call. They arepictured here with Archbishop Luigi Ventura the currentNuncio in Canada who joined CCO for Rise Up.

Rise Up 2008

From December 28th-January first, 600 CCO students andstaff from across the country gathered in Toronto for Rise Up.The conference was a huge success, with the highestenrolment in the movement's history. This year, we wereblessed to have the Knights of Columbus as a presentingsponsor and presence at the gathering.

Holy Land Pilgrimage

CCO is looking at the possibility of organizing a 10 daypilgrimage to the Israel in the Spring of 2010. This experiencewould be a combination of young people and CCOsupporters. If any CCO supporter might be interested in beinga part of this experience, please email holyland@cco.ca or callour head office to leave your contact information. As moreinformation becomes available, we will contact you.

Frassati Houses

Frassati Houses are Catholic men's communities acrossCanada named after Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. The men ofthese communities adopted Frassati as their patron becauseof his model of holiness as a young Catholic man in themodern world. This year, we were blessed to have WandaGawronska, niece of Frassati present at Rise Up. Picturedabove is Gawronska with past and present members ofFrassati communities. The men presented her with flowers andspoke to her of the great admiration they have for her lateuncle.

Benefactors Honoured

In February, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast celebrated aprivate Mass in thanksgiving for CCO supporter Howard Fohrwho passed away a year ago. Howard and his wife Mary havebeen major benefactors of the CCO Internship Program. MaryFohr, her son Howie, and three of his children, along with Jeffand Renée Lockert, André and Angèle Regnier, and MichaelHall joined the Archbishop in the celebration. Absent wereHowie’s wife Véronique and their newborn son Luc.

Expansion Fall 2009

In preparation for the expansion to Laval University next fall,CCO students and staff gathered in Québec to intercede forthe students of Laval. Future CCO team leader TalithaLemoine was joined by students from Ottawa who desire fortheir peers in Québec to experience the life that has comefrom being involved in the movement.

CCO and NET Australia

A fruit of CCO’s international outreach and friendships is theopportunity for CCO to collaborate with Catholics in Australia!The Archbishop of Brisbane has asked NET Australia to considerways to outreach to universities. Rob & Danielle Schroeders(with their daughter Lydia) have been sent Ottawa for 6 monthsto learn, observe and receive training in campus evangelizationalongside CCO staff at the University of Ottawa and CarletonUniversity. The hope is that they can take CCO’s methods backto Brisbane to work at the University of Queensland. One ofCCO’s Founding Tenets is to have a “Heart for the World”, andthis is another great opportunity for CCO to live it out.

A L U M N I I N A C T I O N

1010

Nick and Sarah have been connectedwith CCO for the past 10 years.Although they never had the opportuni-ty to be involved as students, God hasgiven them a love for CCO, and theyhave been involved in various ways withthe movement throughout the years.

Sarah’s Story:It is exciting to watch the Spirit of God

use CCO missionaries to bring new life tothe Church in Canada! As a supporter ofCCO, most of my contact with the move-ment comes in two areas: Rise Up and theDiscovery Faith Study. I first encounteredCCO in 2002 during my fourth year ofstudy at the University of Alberta when afriend told me about a fantastic Catholicconference put on by CCO just afterChristmas. He explained that the Rise Upconference would have Praise and Wor-ship music, great talks, adoration, anamazing New Year’s Eve banquet, and

time to meet other young Catholic adults.I was able to attend the conference inSaskatoon the following year and itexceeded my expectations! Since then,I’ve tried to attend every conference. I alsoinvite my grade 12 students to check outCCO after they graduate. You can imag-ine my delight when I saw one of my for-mer students at Rise Up in Québec City.Every year my husband and I look for-ward to seeing old friends at the confer-ence and meeting new young adults whoare excited about their faith. I alwaysleave the conference refreshed, burstingwith ideas and enthusiasm to bring thelight of Christ to my friends and family.

Another aspect of CCO that has beenimportant for me is an evangelistic toolthat CCO has produced: the DiscoveryFaith Study. It is a six-lesson small groupstudy that introduces participants to thegospel. I was able to use the studies withboth staff and students when I taught at

an elementaryschool. I haveeven adapted thestudy to a gradesix level. It was sosuccessful that atone point I had tooffer more of mytime so that morestudents couldtake the studyduring their

lunch break! The Lord would lead me tobecome even more involved with the Dis-covery Study when I began a Master’s ofReligious Education after teaching forthree years in Alberta’s Catholic schoolsystem. After pondering several possiblereligious education projects, I decided tofocus on the faith formation of studentsenrolled in education degrees who werehoping to one day teach in the Catholicschool system. I remembered how con-fusing university life could be. I had seenmany young people distance themselvesfrom organized religion, even those whowanted to teach in Catholic schools. Myhusband suggested I lead a DiscoveryFaith Study with the students. I had sucha positive response after approaching onereligious education class (24 of 40 stu-dents signed up) that I had to enlist thehelp of others to carry out the faith stud-ies. The six members of the small groupthat I led were surprised to see other peo-ple their age who were involved in theirfaith. Some of them had not been attend-ing Mass regularly but taking part in thestudy had convinced them of how impor-tant it was. Others said that their prayerlife was minimal, even non-existent,before joining the study. It was the firsttime some of them had openly sharedtheir faith in a group and felt confidentenough to witness to family, friends, andfuture students. Another young adultsaid that it would be easy to “tie a lot ofthe lessons he learned into his class-room.” Their comments confirmed thatthe Discovery Faith Study is a valuableopportunity for people to grow intodeeper relationship with Jesus and eachother. I firmly believe that meetingtogether in small, faith study groups is

Zeal for SoulsB y S a r a h a n d N i c k S i m o n i

Nick, Sarah and Felicity listening to a talk at Rise Up."

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vital to forming strong Catholic teachers. It is my prayer that the Lord would con-

tinue to bless this movement with thegraces, innovation and talented youngpeople that it needs to evangelize on cam-puses throughout the world. May all ofthese brave and tireless missionaries con-tinue “to strive to be the salt of the earthand light of the world for others, becom-ing shining beacons illuminating the wayof the Lord” (J.P. II, Letter to CCO at RiseUp 2002). I am blessed to be part of themovement of CCO.

Nick’s Story:I was first introduced to CCO in 1999 at

Carleton University in Ottawa afterspending a year in seminary with theCompanions of the Cross. Years later, Iwas involved with the movement at theUniversity of Ottawa. I had been invitedto give talks at a CCO event as a semi-narian but it wasn’t until 2004 that I gotto know CCO from within. I was giventhe opportunity to serve one year on staffwith CCO as part of the University ofOttawa team in 2004. We were blessed towitness lives changed as the Holy Spiritswept through the hallways of the uni-versity. Our experience was not withouttrials though; we had to stay persistent inprayer, and confident that Jesus wouldwork His wonders. My heart was filledwith hope as we gathered in meetings,prayer, worship, socials, and outreach tostudents - some of whom had neverheard the saving message of the gospel.No doubt the persevering and contagiousjoy of the founders has been an examplefor youth and adults who meet them.

I personally know of seven former stu-dents who are now full-time staff mem-

bers with CCO, two that are cur-rently seminarians, and count-less others who went on to shareChrist in the workplace. Thesestudents have become bearers ofhope for the young in our Cana-dian culture, which I believe des-perately needs that hope. Morethan ever we need universitystudents to rise up to the adven-ture to which the Lord is calling.

After finishing a master’sdegree in pastoral theology in Ottawa, Iserved for two years as youth ministerand pastoral associate at a large Catholicparish in Alberta. Since I had experi-enced first hand the effectiveness ofCCO’s Faith Study Series, I implement-ed them in the programming at theparish. Using these simple faith studieswith youth, young adults, and teachers,I saw the Lord change lives by His grace.Whether at school or at work, these stud-ies are easy to use and anyone can usethem.

Together, my wife and I have soughtto bring young adults to CCO’s Rise Upconference throughout the years. I thinkit is the best conference around for youngadults in Canada. It is a mini Canadian“World Youth Day” that happens everyyear! We are so blessed as Canadians tohave this opportunity. I love it so muchthat I’ve been to seven conferences;I even proposed to my wife atthe conference in QuébecCity! John Paul II said that,“the beginning of theChristian life is anencounter with the livingand risen Lord JesusChrist.” CCO’s use of new

methods, a zeal for souls, and thedynamic presentation of the new evan-gelization unites them with the wisdomof JPII. These young missionaries are, bythe grace of God, changing the hearts ofCanadians. We need to pray for theseyoung people and support them any waywe can. At the present, my wife and Ilive in Ottawa and are financial-ly supporting two CCOmissionaries. I thinkthis is one of the bestinvestments we canmake. !

CCO co-founderAndré with Nickand Felicity.

"

… cont’d from previous page

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Troubling circumstances indeed - but like Jesus, CCO has a gift

to share. In the midst of the challenges and uncertainty, CCO’s

founder, André Regnier, wrote to each supporter as part of the

Movement’s annual Christmas Appeal, and shared with them

the gift of hope. In part of his letter, André wrote:

Whether I look to the past, the present or the

future, I know there is uncertainty and there are

many challenges. However it does not diminish

my hope. Twenty years have passed, and I still

have so much hope for the future of the Church as

I hear and witness the great things God is doing

on our campuses. Young people are not only com-

ing back but they are enthusiastically engaging in

the mission of the Church. I pray that each of you

may experience this hope in the face of any uncer-

tainty in your own lives. Know that this move-

ment has and will continue to bear good fruit for

the future of the Church. This fruit will touch the

lives of our children, grandchildren, and any of

our loved ones who may have wandered away from

their faith. Hope will not disappoint.

To reinforce this message of hope, between December 1st and

4th CCO’s staff team made 5,500 phone calls to all of CCO’s

supporters. The phone campaign was a time of profound grace.

At no other time in CCO’s history has there ever been such con-

centrated outreach to the movement’s supporters. And when

all was said and done the supporters received CCO’s gift of

hope, and through their generosity, returned to CCO a gift that

amounts to more than $72,000. This overwhelming response is

almost four times that of any previous Christmas Appeal. More

than 12 baskets brimming full! CCO is humbly grateful to all

who responded and to our loving and abundant God. Thank

you for your generosity. !

B y S t e v e F o r a n

The parallels abound between Jesus’ miracle in the feed-

ing of the five thousand and CCO’s recent 20th

Anniversary Christmas Appeal. Each of the Gospel

writers relates how Jesus fed 5000 people with five loaves of

bread and two fish. This tale was imprinted on my mind as a

child… perhaps because it was so concrete and maybe because

I saw how hard it was to make a large pizza feed five kids in the

family in which I grew up!

At the time of this miracle Jesus’ ministry was well under-

way. He had his apostles and was teaching and working mir-

acles, however he was beginning to be shunned and had just

heard of the beheading of his friend John. Although it was a

time of promise and hope, in light of the troubling circumstances

there were reasons Jesus could have surrendered this hope.

But Jesus does not succumb. Rather, he turns to service, offer-

ing hope as he directs his disciples to feed the multitude with

the bread and fish. When all is said and done there are 12 bas-

kets of food left over. No wonder I was captivated as a child.

No less captivating are the recent events surrounding CCO

in the midst of its 20th anniversary celebrations. CCO has spent

2 decades touching many lives and in 2008, in anticipation of

future growth, they determined that a significant financial cam-

paign was needed to enable the movement to expand. But then

the headlines began appearing in papers across the nation out-

lining an impending global financial crisis.

Feeding 5000Uncertainty, Hope, and Abundance

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Life is a StageB y N i c o l e O ’ C o n n o r

I am a theatre student at Dalhousie Uni-versity. I love acting, I do it every day.In fact, for many years I was acting

with regards to faith. I grew up in a Catholicfamily and community, so religion wassomething I always had in my life.Although I never truly had any faith, Iattended church on Sundays – but only toplease my family. I chose to stop going tochurch altogether after I was Confirmed.Whatever beliefs I may have had beforethen (which really weren’t much), left mylife completely.

Then the summer prior to my first yearof university I realized something was miss-ing in my life. I always made an effort to behappy, yet had no self-esteem or confidenceand I struggled with trusting others.

Before starting a new chapter in my lifeI wanted to change this, but had no ideawhere to begin. During my first week oncampus I was asked to fill out a survey bya CCO staff member. While doing so we

started discussing faith and I realized thatGod and religion were words I had neitherheard nor said for years. Somehow this sim-ple conversation resulted in my joining aCCO Faith Study, which then turned intoattending Sunday Mass again. After a cou-ple of months however, things in my lifestarted to go downhill. My grandfather, oneof the people I was closest to, passed away.He had been one of the only people in mylife whose own life revolved around Jesus.After attending his funeral it became veryhard for me to go to church because itwould remind me of losing him. Then, thatsame month, 5 acquaintances and a familymember died tragically back home. Withall of this crashing upon me at once I did-n’t know what to do. Unfortunately I didnot turn to prayer, my faith in God, not evenCCO. Religion, once again, took a back seatin my life.

But God never gave up on me. Duringthe summer I spent a lot of time with my

family. I soonrealized whyso many of them had been strong through-out the previous year; they had faith. It wastheir faith in God that helped them to getthrough their own loss and sense of tragedy.Whereas I had pushed God aside, they hadembraced him. I realized that God was call-ing me back to Him. I returned to universi-ty in the Fall with a complete change in atti-tude. I chose to get involved with CCOagain. I wanted God in my life and madethat a priority. During the CCO Fall Retreateverything went back up the hill that it hadfallen from and I re-confirmed things I hadlearned in the CCO Discovery Study: Jesusloves me no matter what I have done, noth-ing can separate me from that love, and Iam accepted as I am. I am no longer anactor in the production of faith and religion;I am myself. I am in a real living relation-ship with the one true God and I don’t needto pretend anymore. !

S T U D E N T T E S T I M O N I E S

My Recent DiscoveryB y Te s s a M a t h e w

I’ve always liked to be in charge. As a child my trust in Jesus was unwavering, but at age fourteen, ourfamily moved from a family-like community to a new city. Over the next 6 years my child-like faith dete-riorated and my need for self-sufficiency made it difficult for me to trust God. All around me I saw peo-

ple who seemed to be doing just fine without Him. When I returned to university this Fall I was dealing witha broken relationship, a lack of future plans and the loss of my parents’ trust. I did not seem to be at all incontrol of my life. I was also frustrated by my uncertainty as to God’s existence, so I joined a CCO Discov-ery Faith Study where I could openly share my doubts. Later I attended a retreat and there, thanks to the study,

I was open to receiving much more in my relationship with God. I could no longer make excuses for my way of life and I desired holi-ness and to spend time with Jesus. At the end of the Discovery Study I committed to praying for ten minutes every day, renewing andinvesting time in my relationship with Jesus. I’m not perfect and I fall back often, but I have chosen to give my life to God and to let Himtake charge. God knows the plans He has for me and I’ll find out what those are when He knows I’m ready.

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M E E T A S U P P O R T E R

M y wife Jodi and I first heardabout CCO after a friend haddone some electrical work at

our home. He did not want to be paid for hisefforts, but instead suggested that we givea donation to a young Catholic couple(Andrea & Brett Powell) who had justmoved to BC and into our neighbourhood.We were told they were missionaries. “Par-don?” we said, but subsequently decided toinvite them over for supper and welcomethem to the community. I’m not going tomislead you – there was definitely a highcuriosity factor. Having never met mission-aries before we figured that if they were real-ly ‘weird’ the evening would, at the veryleast, be entertaining. Little did we knowthat this would be the beginning of a veryspecial friendship, now in its 10th year.Over the months and years that followed

Pleasure to Serve B y To n y V i g i n i

Jodi and I came to know the wonderful peo-ple that Andrea and Brett are and we even-tually came to know the vision of CCO.

We now support the movement in manyways, and find fulfilment in serving ourbrothers and sisters in Christ. It is our pleas-ure to serve them and join them in theirapostolic zeal. We not only support CCOfinancially, but offer ourselves in many oth-er ways as well. We have participated inCCO faith studies. I have served for 3 yearson the local Development Council for CCOin Vancouver, and will serve as its chairmanthis year. Also, my wife and I have on anumber of occasions hosted the CCO uni-versity students during their progressivesupper events. As a matter of fact it wasthrough these student encounters where wereally saw the fruit of CCO and the benefitthat it is to the Church. It was hard not to

have a heart for CCO after meeting theseyoung faith-filled people giving witness toour Lord.

Another blessing of being on the CCOsupport team happens when we hostnational staff members who travel to BritishColumbia. We invite them over for dinner,thoroughly enjoy their company, and feel atrue brotherhood and sisterhood when weare around them. Although lay people, weare, through our baptism, called to be Priest,Prophet and King, and we recognize thatour support of CCO helps us fulfill this callin our Christian life.

As mentioned previously we have beenthrough CCO faith study materials, as haveour circle of friends. These studies have pro-vided much fruit not only to university stu-dents but also to many married couples likeus. Specifically, my own group began usingthe CCO faith study materials seven yearsago. Our group of eight men still meetsevery Thursday morning at 6:30 to study,share and challenge each other in our faith.This all started because Brett took a chanceand invited some new friends to join him inthe CCO Discovery Faith Study. As a result,this study group has been a true source ofChristian growth and maturity for me, andI value having it in my life.

Jodi and I are more than pleased to sup-port the movement of Catholic ChristianOutreach, and are honoured to be a part ofbuilding Gods’ Kingdom with them. !

The Vigini family from left to right Matteo (3), Jodi, Tony,Dante (14), Mario (1), Julia (10) and Christina (8).

"

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Yes!I want to supportthe work ofCatholic ChristianOutreach

#### I want to support on a monthly basis in the amount of: #### $500 #### $300 #### $200 #### $100 #### $50 #### $25 #### Other: $_________________

I hereby authorize Catholic Christian Outreach to arrange automatic deductions from my bankaccount or credit card on the:

#### 1st or the #### 16th of each month for payments of my monthly support:

Commencing __________________________ __________________________________MONTH STAFF MEMBER, SPECIFIC PROJECT, OR CCO GENERAL

Signed ________________________________ Date __________________________________________SIGNATURE

MONTHLY GIVING PLAN OPTIONS#### Pre-Authorized Bank Payments

(Please enclose a sample cheque marked “VOID”.The sample cheque will provide us with the infor-mation necessary to begin automatic deductions.)

#### 12 post-dated cheques, which I haveenclosed. (Please make cheques payable to CatholicChristian Outreach.)

#### Visa #### MasterCard

Card #

Expiry Date: /

Billing Address: (Information required for authorization)

$$

forming futureleaders today

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CCO would like to invite you to join us in the New Evangelization throughmonthly financial support. Monthly donations provide CCO missionaries withstable finances, allowing them to focus more time on campus evangelization.

Please consider giving – we cannot do it without you!

Build the Kingdom

I would like mygift to be used in

the ministry of:

Catholic Christian Outreach’s summer mission projectIMPACT! is going to Saskatoon. 60 university studentsand young adults will go to Saskatoon from all over Cana-

da to work and serve in the diocese. They will live in community,be trained in evangelization, receive Catholic formation, and servevarious parishes throughout the diocese. They will also be lookingfor summer employment during the time that they are there, fromthe beginning of May until mid-August. They will be available towork on weekdays (Monday to Friday) from 8am until 5pm.

We would like to help them get ahead of the game by letting themknow of any job openings. For many of you who work in the cor-

porate world, the summer is often a time when organizations hiresummer interns to help with holidays etc. Or perhaps you know ofa company that hires seasonally, or some friends who will be look-ing for a nanny. The members of the IMPACT! team have a varietyof backgrounds with gifts in many areas, especially consideringsome of them are graduating or are taking a leave of absence fromtheir work to do this mission.

We would like to either put a link from our IMPACT! website toan existing job posting or you can email us a job description to poston our website. Students will apply directly to the organization orperson, the page on our website would simply be a listing of localjob opportunities. This page will only be accessible to students par-ticipating in IMPACT! Saskatoon.

We would really appreciate any help or leads that you can giveus in this area.

You can contact Jackie (impact@cco.ca or 604-338-1519), with anyinformation that you have or if you have any questions. You can alsofind out more information about Impact on our websitehttp://www.cco.ca/impact. !

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R e t u r n u n d e l i v e r a b l e C a n a d i a n a d d r e s s e s t o :

C a t h o l i c C h r i s t i a n O u t r e a c h C a n a d a • 12 47 K i l b o r n P l . , O t t a w a , O N K 1 H 6 K 9 C a n a d a Telephone: (613) 736-1999 • Fax: (613) 736-1800 • Emai l : hq@cco.ca • Web Si te: www.cco.ca

C A T H O L I C C H R I S T I A N O U T R E A C H C A N A D A

Catholic Christian Outreach is a university student movement dedicated toevangelization. We challenge young adults to live in the fullness of the Catholicfaith, with a strong emphasis on becoming leaders in the renewal of the world.

Taste and SeeCCO’s 20th AnniversaryCelebratory Cookbook Now available!Thanks to the submissions of supporters, staff, students, and alumni,we have compiled a cookbook of over 800 favourite recipes from allacross Canada. This special collection is available to order at the CCOonline store (see www.cco.ca), call 613-736-1999 or contact your localCCO staff member. Each copy is $20 plus a shipping and handling fee.Great as a gift for Easter or Mother’s Day!

41501527

Sample RecipesBaked Spinach and Artichoke DipA favourite appetizer of the CCO Board of Directors.

8 oz cream cheese1 cup salad dressing or mayonnaise1 cup sour cream14 oz can of artichoke hearts (drained and coarsely chopped)4 garlic cloves (minced)10 oz frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)1/3 cup grated parmesan cheesedash hot pepper sauce

Mix all ingredients in a 1.5 L casserole dish. Cover and bake in 350°F oven for about 20minutes until hot. Garnish with chives and serve with taco chips.

Mylène’s Favourite Pecan PieServed to many CCO students from Angèle’s kitchen.

3 eggs 1 cup corn syrup1 cup white sugar 1 tsp vanilla1/4 cup melted margarine 1 cup pecans toasted1 unbaked pie shell

Beat eggs lightly with whisk; add sugar, syrup, vanilla, and melted margarine. Whisk untilblended. Scatter nuts in bottom of pie shell and pour mixture over top. Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes.