A ‘secret weapon’ with the truth

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald
 

More than 550 men attended the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans Men’s Conference on March 12 at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Metairie, and in addition to the event’s three main speakers, they were treated to a surprise 15-minute talk by St. Augustine High School junior Bryson Turner.

Turner, 17, was called into the sanctuary halfway through a reflection on “brotherhood” by Aulston Taylor, president and CEO of St. Augustine High School. Taylor dubbed Turner his “secret weapon.”

Amazed by his depth

Taylor, a former executive with ESPN, BET Networks and Discovery, said he was blown away when he attended the funeral services for the mother of a faculty member and heard Turner speak for the first time.

“I was just taken aback. I’m like, ‘Who is this kid? I’ve never seen him before. ... Give this man a platform now!’” Taylor said.

For the last 25 weeks, Turner has taped a Monday morning spiritual reflection that is viewed by the entire St. Augustine student body.

“Believe it or not, I was a very timid kid,” Turner said when asked after his talk about his public speaking ability. “I have no idea. It’s God’s gift. That’s truly what it is.”

“The basis for (the weekly reflections) is what’s going on around our world,” Turner said. “On Valentine’s Day, I talked about love. At Christmas time, the Christmas story.”

Turner said he has gotten a lot of positive feedback from his classmates.

“They love it because the main reason we did this is for young people, such as myself, to be able to reach and understand the power of love, the power of God,” Turner said. “If I don’t post a video, they’re like, ‘What’s going on? What’s up?’”

Share your gifts

Turner told the mostly older adults that God has called them not to hoard their talents and abilities but to use them to help others.

“I love the Gospel song that says, ‘We’re all a part of God’s body; I need you and you need me,’” Turner said. “No one is lower than any; no one is higher than any; and that’s how we save souls. Once we realize that we all have to be tangible, once we realize that we have to be available, just as Christ is available to us ... man, we can do unimaginable things.”

Other major speakers were Dr. Chris Baglow, director of the Science and Religion Initiative at the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute, and Dr. Jonathan Reyes, senior vice president of evangelization and faith formation for the Knights of Columbus.

Baglow told the story of how his wife Christine awakened him to the idea of listening more attentively to the needs of their son John, who has autism, and how that insight might help fathers who sometimes struggle with relationships with their children.

“Love your child as if that child was everything you had ever hoped for that child to be, and they will grow organically into the child God wants them to be,” Baglow said after his talk. “That’s the way. Never give up on that when you fail – and you will, over and over again like I do. Simply start again.”

Reyes said the Incarnation is an unsurpassed gift of God that calls everyone, especially men, to foster the virtue of gratitude. He suggested to the men that instead of turning their phones on each morning as soon as they wake up, they should start each day by thanking God for being able to draw a breath.

Christopher O’Neill, director the Office of Marriage and Family Life, said the aim of the conference is to have men return to their parishes and join men’s groups where their Catholic faith can be shared and strengthened.

For resources, go to https://www.neworleanscatholic.com.

Thirty priests heard confessions in the Barrett Center. Archbishop Gregory Aymond told the men at a closing Mass that “there is nothing in the world that God has not promised to forgive. Nothing.”

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