Learning to be like the saints with your friends

This national Catholic apostolate for students in high school and college began in 1997 at St. Francis de Sales Church in Newark, Ohio (https://www.deadtheologianssociety.com). Its motto of “Dead to the World, Alive in Christ,” is inspired by St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 6:11, “We are dead to sin but alive in Christ Jesus.”
 

Every Wednesday from 6:30-8 p.m., students mainly from Archbishop Shaw and the Academy of Our Lady – although any high school student is invited – have met since 2014. It was founded by Benjamin Russo, Shaw’s director of student activities, teacher and former Dead Theologians Society member.
 

“The goal is for students to grow closer to God through getting to know each other, getting to know those who have gotten to know God before and by spending time with God himself,” said Russo, who was a member of  the society as a young adult at St. Benedict Parish in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
 

Open conversation
 

The evening begins casually with members playing a variety of board games with Russo, then moves to candlelit presentations about the lives and writings of saints – either by Russo or by students, if they are so inspired – revealing the heroic virtue that helped make someone a saint.

 

“Just being able to hang out with people is fun,” said Destin Callais, 19, a recent Archbishop Shaw graduate who now is studying computer programming in college. “Every week, we talked about a different saint, so you had something to bring home – either specifics about the saints or something you could apply to your life.”
 

During a recent meeting, members spent the first half-hour playing a fun game called “Qwirkle.” Salesian Father Lou Molinelli and Salesian Brother Jerry Meegan stopped in, with Brother Jerry exposing the Eucharist for adoration.
 

Academy of Our Lady student Britney Bui, who is a parishioner at Christ the King in Terrytown, said when she was in ninth grade, she started getting closer to the Catholic faith, and a friend at school invited her to a Dead Theologians Society meeting.
 

“I like learning about the saints. It makes me feel more spiritual,” said Bui, a junior. “I also like adoration, to pray and sit with God.”
 

Whereas other chapters of the society might say rosaries or wear the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Shaw’s society regularly holds eucharistic adoration with music and sometimes confession – following the saints’ discussions – and has crawfish boils, a Christmas party, a rosary walk and even a Road to Emmaus walk. 
 

Crux of teaching the faith
 

A relaxing, intimate atmosphere with candles is established to discuss the saints. On a recent evening, Russo discussed St. Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) who was  known as the apostle to the Indies. 
 

St. Francis was born to a wealthy French family. He was ordained at age 30 in Rome and was sent as a missionary to India and throughout Asia, including Japan. 
 

Russo further explained to students how he converted many by living among the people and setting a good example.  He was able to convert 700 Japanese to Christianity over 2 1/2 years during turmoil, even when he was not allowed to preach publicly. He died on an island off the coast of China. His body was returned to India, but his right arm went to Rome as a “symbol of his service to the pope,” Russo said. 
 

Three key miracles are attributed to him, Russo discovered. A crucifix he was wearing fell into the ocean, and, when his ship landed, it was found on the beach in a claw of a crab. Although he was bad at learning languages, when he spoke to a crowd in a remote village and answered their questions, everyone understood him. A boy who drowned in a well and a boy who died in a plague came back to life as he gave a final blessing.
 

Russo said St. Francis had goals to go Jerusalem and then to China but never made it either place. 
 

“Did that mean he didn’t accomplish a lot in his life? No,” Russo said, emphasizing to Dead Theologians Society members that God sent St. Francis where he needed to be, not necessarily where he wanted. 
“Maybe it is not about the goals we have, but about God’s goal,” Russo said.
 

At discussion’s end, the members prayed, “Help us to live out our vocation, our call to holiness in our lives in the ordinary and extraordinary ways you call us to witness to others.”
They then finished the evening with adoration.
 

Russo said Archbishop Shaw’s group has grown to an average of 15 students weekly. He considers it a great reflection of the desire among young people to really get to know their faith.
 

“I think it provides the centerpiece of our mission as a Salesian mission,” said Father Molinelli, Archbishop Shaw’s director. “We are called to be signs and bearers of God’s love. What better club is there for kids to grab and be part of that and be signs of God’s love to each other? Kids keep coming back, even after they graduate.”
 

Christine Bordelon can be reached at cbordelon@clarionherald.org.