St Rose Hosts Annual Event To ‘Fan The Fire’

By Eliza Hallabeck

St Rose of Lima Church hosted a Diocese of Bridgeport-wide event on Saturday, when more than 450 youth attended the fourth annual daylong Fan The Fire Youth Rally.

The event was presented in association with the Catholic Youth Ministry Group and the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Rodd Blessey, a youth minister for St Rose and coordinator for the event, said it began when he started an experience to allow St Rose teenagers to come together and learn about their faith in a fun and exciting new way. Eventually the gathering grew into what is now the Fan The Fire Youth Rally.

“About 85 of the approximately 450 teens who were there Saturday were from Newtown,” said Mr Blessey by email. “That is significant. It really has been a blessing to work with high school-age kids in Newtown.”

Mr Blessey said students their age are searching for a place that makes them feel comfortable.

“Fortunately,” he said, “a lot of them are finding that in God’s love. Now that school is close to starting and the mission trips, work camps, Steubenville conferences, and Fan The Fire have all been put in the rear view mirror, it is time once again to settle in and help each other get through the day-to-day issues facing these kids.”

During the day Saturday, volunteers from Newtown, wearing red shirts, braved the bright sun to help guide the visiting youth and their youth ministers through a variety of events that ranged from speakers water balloon tossing.

Speaker Sean Forrest also gave a concert and led the students in a sing-along that included Don McLean’s “American Pie.”