NORWALK—Homecoming is often a treasured high school memory, with football games, dances and fun times for all. But on September 21, the Diocese of Bridgeport invites all of its high school students to St. Matthew Parish in Norwalk to participate in a homecoming to the Catholic faith.
“Follow Me Home” will include Mass with Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, fellowship, service, a Holy Hour with Lee Roessler and more! High school students from across the diocese are encouraged to attend and connect more deeply with their Catholic faith and with each other.
“Our teens are pulled in many directions in today’s world and the ‘Follow Me Home’ event has been designed to help our young people ponder the question, ‘How likely am I to follow Jesus now?’” said Chris Otis, youth minister at St. Aloysius Parish in New Canaan and one of the main coordinators of the event. “Through experiences of encounter, teens will be accompanied in the reminder, or perhaps discovery that Jesus Christ extends an invitation to each and every one of them, to follow him home where his immense love will demonstrate the truth of his saving grace, desire for a two-way relationship and the call to live out life of goodness loving our neighbor.”
Follow Me Home will begin at 3 pm at St. Matthew’s with check-in and games, and will be followed by a vigil Mass celebrated by Bishop Caggiano. Then the evening will continue with a tailgate barbecue, games, service, and a talk from the bishop.
One of the highlights of the event will be a Holy Hour led by Lee Roessler, whose original music has been featured as Catholic Heart Work Camp theme songs. He currently travels the U.S., leading worship and concerts for camps, parishes, conferences, rallies and retreats. His life can be summed up in the words he lives by, ”Your will O Lord, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.”
Similar events have been held for high school students in the past, and their impact has been notable on the young people they seek to reach.
“The thing I love most about these events is how united you feel to the people around you,” a diocesan teen said. Even though you may not know many people when you arrive, everyone there is united through Christ and is aware of that connection.”
Otis noted the event would close with a candlelight procession to honor the Blessed Mother and her role in our salvation.
“Our gathering will culminate walking with the greatest model of discipleship, our Blessed Mother, as we end in an outdoor candlelight procession akin to those in Fatima, Portugal,” she said. “This is a high school event that you do not want the teens in your life to miss.”
For more information and to register, visit https://formationreimagined.org/event/follow-me-home
By Rose Brennan
