Since 2001, Pace High School has been sending Spartans to the Marist Youth Gathering, an annual gathering for high school students from Marist schools across North America.
Pace students Keanu Orfano, Cortni-Ann Palmer, Keylin McNeal, Juliana Quintero, and Hector Santa Maria all made the trip this year to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, over Memorial Day weekend. They were chaperoned by Alex Gomez, a Pace Class of 2011 alumnus, who attended the Marist Youth Gathering as a freshman in 2008.
“We attend to grow in Marist spirituality and identity, and to grow in community with other Marist schools,” said Gomez. He described the Marist spirituality as one of action and putting one’s faith to work.
The gathering focused on activities that allowed the Pace students to meet and grow together as a community with fellow Marist students, along with lectures from many keynote speakers including Rev. Paul Frechette, the Provincial for Marists in the United States, who spoke about making dreams a reality.
While the students were familiar with the spirituality and sensibilities taught to them at Pace, attending the gathering allowed them to learn about how others approach their faith and how they can teach others about Marist sensibilities.
Gomez said that the most memorable moment of the trip for him was the opening prayer for all of the students at the start of each day. He and the students were surprised that it was the same opening prayer said at the beginning of every Pace school day. They were moved to hear all the Marist schools and missionary communities repeat the prayer, giving them a deeper sense of unity with their fellow Marists.