Walking Bear's spirit guides youth

Conference honours a devout Catholic young man's memory

- WCR photo by Ramon Gonzalez Fr. Paul Moret hears the Confession of a native girl.

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Camp He Ho Ha

The sacrament of Reconciliation is a sacrament of God's love for us that repairs and strengthens our relationship with God, Father Paul Moret told a group of young native people Oct. 7.

"In life there is always temptation to do wrong things, to turn away from the path that God wants us to walk and we need to be straightened, to be forgiven, to be helped along that path. And Jesus has given us a special sacrament for that."

Healing Reconciliation

Moret, director of vocations for the Edmonton Archdiocese, said some people find it hard to go to the sacrament of Reconciliation. "They say why can't I just confess my sins straight to God.

"Well, first of all, if you go through the Bible, you'll find there is no place in there where it says all you have to do is confess your sins directly to God. As a matter of fact it tells us about the importance of confessing our sins to others. And Jesus has given the power to the priests of the Church to forgive sins."

Moret made his comments at the second annual Catholic Native Youth Conference in memory of the late Christian Walking Bear Alexis at Camp He Ho Ha Oct. 6-8.

About 100 people, including 60 young people, the majority of them members of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, attended the three-day event, which featured music, catechetical workshops, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, meditation, candlelight rosary and a way of the cross.

Collision kills Christian

A devoted Catholic youth, Christian Walking Bear died at age 21 in a car accident Oct. 5, 2004.

Wanting to do something that reflected Christian Walking Bear's love of God, his family decided to host a youth conference in his memory for four years, ending in 2008.

"My son walked according to how the Lord would want him to walk," recalled his mother Caroline Alexis. "In his own humble way he really exemplified what Jesus would want him to do."

Alexis said the purpose of the native Catholic youth conference is to "bring out the truth about Jesus to our youth because they really need him to overcome the negative temptations in life that they are facing."

"They need Jesus in order to combat the pressure to use drugs and alcohol. My son lived a simple life without drugs and alcohol and we wanted to teach these kids that if one kid can do that so can they."

Youth minister entertains

Jerry Goebel, a youth minister from Washington, had the youth clapping and cheering to his lively songs that spoke of hope, forgiveness and God's love. The Alexis Gospel Singers also provided music for the conference.

Moret celebrated Mass with the youth and spoke briefly about the sacrament of Reconciliation, saying the only way to know for sure that our sins are forgiven is by confessing them to a priest.

Jesus gave priests the power to forgive sins when he told his Apostles, "Whatever sins you forgive they are forgiven and whatever sins you don't forgive, they are not forgiven," the priest said.

It might be hard to confess to another person some of the wrong things that we might have done "but afterwards we feel a lot better when we bring it out to the light and we ask for God's forgiveness," Moret told the youth.

Moret offered Reconciliation for the youth during the conference.

Brings youth to God

"This conference is about bringing young people to God, learning about Jesus Christ and pointing young people on the right path," said Stephanie Alexis, the late Christian Walking Bear's older sister.

"This is what my brother would have wanted. He was a good role model for young people."

Roger Mustus, 15, attended the conference because he wanted to learn how to become a good Catholic like his cousin Christian Walking Bear. "I know he was a good man, who walked the walk of God," he said. "I would like to be like that."

The conference, Roger said, helped him by giving him the basics of the Catholic faith and by making him feel alive. "Before the conference I felt so depressed," he confided. "Now I feel energized."

Tasheena Petawaysin, 17, said the conference showed her the importance of choosing God like her late cousin Christian.

"He chose God and was able to stay away from drugs and alcohol. We are learning to be like him - to be people of faith who trust in God and love and respect other people."

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