Ten Commandments come to life

By RENATO GANDIA
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

This is what Patricia Ackney, 21, learned from different presentations made about the topic at St. Dominic Savio Parish, May 3.

"Those rules come alive from living them. It absolutely makes sense. The way people treat their families and other people is really important."

Launching its young adult ministry, the parish's new youth ministry coordinator Ksenia Kopystynska organized a day of events on the Ten Commandments.

Called 10 X Yes, the event featured a talk by archdiocesan catechist Carol Seed, a drama by SoulBelly Theatre, a guitar concert by Oblate Brother Mietek Burdzy, a Mark Mallett concert and an art exhibition by youth from Holy Rosary Parish.

In her talk, Seed emphasized the importance of knowing the context by which God gave the Ten Commandments to Israel and its link to the coming of Jesus Christ.

"We needed Jesus Christ to demonstrate to us why we should live by the Ten Commandments," Seed said.

"What is powerful is the fact that Jesus Christ, who is God, came to us saying, 'I love you. I want you to love me and I want you to love others.'"

And why Christ's message worked was because he walked the talk. "He shared that message with all the totality of his life," Seed explained.

"You don't just follow the list of God's rules. You orient your life towards God's love which then extends to loving your neighbour."

Lester Lim from St. Theresa Parish attended the event because he has some friends in St. Dominic Parish.

"I learned that there's more to the Ten Commandments than what is actually written there. It's really good. It's exciting," Lim told the WCR.

Preparing for this event Kopystynska said, "Youth ministry is a great challenge . . . because young people find religious education boring."

"In order to be alive and to find ways to attract young minds and souls, it requires new methods of delivery. I see art as one of the these methods."

The I-speak, you-listen-and-follow method of teaching does not always work for young people, Kopystynska stressed.

"I found art to be a dynamic tool of delivering the teachings of the Church."

With this conviction, she included in the presentation a drama about the Ten Commandments, staged by SoulBelly Theatre, a local mask theatre company.

SoulBelly's Michael Florizone said, "We've never performed in a church before. We didn't know what to expect from the audience. You don't want to say the wrong thing."

What is crucial for him was making the play really alive. Growing up a Catholic he shared others' experiences that sometimes presentation at churches were not always exciting to watch.

"When we connect the teachings with humour that's when we get really good response from the people and we come across better," Florizone said.

Jesse Tallon, who does not often come to church, attended the event.

"By the time I leave, I will probably know the Ten Commandments," he said.

"This is the best time I had at church. You get to watch a live theatre. It's a good idea just to try and get more participation from the audience. They are not just sitting here."

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