Student Contributors

Rebecca Rethwisch

Biography: Rebecca is in her final year at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, pursuing degrees in Spanish and Portuguese, Global Studies, and Journalism with an emphasis in Advocacy. Last summer, she visited Brazil for World Youth Day 2013 and experienced the power of 3.7 million Catholic youth gathered to hear Pope Francis speak on the Copacabana beach. She later gave a talk on the “Universal Church” as the keynote speaker at the Journeys in Faith seminar at the University of Iowa. Her interest in the Universal Catholic church have continued to grow as she spent the last several months studying in Lisbon, Portugal, later spending one month travelling as a pilgrim through the Camino of Santiago de Compostela, Fatima, Rome, Sienna and Assisi. In the future, she hopes to continue her work with the Universal Church, connecting youth and families from around the world in their united faith.

Rebecca is also a member of the Cross Country and Track team, and highly active in her campus’ Catholic youth group Saint Paul’s Outreach (SPO). In her spare time Rebecca enjoys traveling, her ukulele, sunflowers and people.

Thoughts: “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”

~Saint Augustine

As Christians and children of God, we are called to love one another. The love that we receive through Jesus Christ cannot be stored up within ourselves; it must be shared with others. This love must extend itself to the weak, the miserable and the powerless. As youth within the Church, we must recognize the role that we play in shaping our world. The power of love gives me a profound hope for the dignity of life and the work that can be accomplished through the Church.

Erman Tejeda 

Biografía: Erman estudia abogacía en la Universidad Nacional de Rosario (Argentina). A comienzos del 2014 fue seleccionado para realizar una pasantía en el Centro Latinoamericano de Derechos Humanos (CLADH), experiencia que lo llevó a investigar la problemática de las madres que viven en prisión con niños menores de cinco años. Actualmente, integra una organización de estudiantes universitarios (Grupo En-Camino) que tiene por objeto promover en los colegios y universidades la cultura del amor verdadero, la práctica de una sexualidad responsable y la defensa de la familia tradicional. Finalmente, los Sábados por la mañana ayuda como catequista en un barrio humilde de su ciudad para generar una visión cristiana de la vida (www.aras.org.ar).

Pensamiento: Agradece la oportunidad de poder contribuir con sus conocimientos a la International Youth Coalition. Espera poder mejorar su habilidades para la defensa de la vida desde su concepción, especialmente, desde aquellos lugares más controversiales como son los espacios públicos. Al mismo tiempo, desea con ansías fomentar el respeto de la dignidad humana en los jóvenes, el sector más vulnerable de la sociedad.

Eileen Wittig

Biography: Eileen is a senior at Benedictine College, studying English with a concentration in law and politics after first studying Psychology and Biochemistry. She is also involved with the college’s Republicans group and the foreign exchange students’ orientation. In what’s left of her time she enjoys participating in theater and writing for her other, spare blog. After graduation, Eileen hopes to go to law school, pursue a career in politics on an administrative level, or enter the blogging and writing world permanently. Raised in a Boston suburb in New Hampshire and spending the last few years in central Wisconsin, Eileen is now splitting her time between college in rural Kansas and breaks in Kansas City.

Thoughts: Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis have all been strong advocates for young adults to use technology and social media to teach the world that life and morals are worth fighting for. With the entire world to fight, Catholic young adults need encouragement from each other. A society’s success depends on its morals, particularly on its view of the value of life and family. Aristotle wrote that the family is the first building block of a nation, to be used as a guide for the structure of its society. If life and family are not defended, then there is no society. The International Youth Coalition is giving us a voice and an opportunity to accept the challenge to save society, and, in turn, the world.

Kasper James

Biography: Kasper is an undergraduate student at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia, pursuing a degree in International Politics and Policy. A native of central Iowa he is partial to wide open spaces and rushing winds. When he is not writing for IYC or studying towards his degree, Kasper enjoys running, gardening, reading, meaningful conversations with friends, good tea, and writing for his own personal blog.

Thoughts: For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. ~St. James the Apostle

I fully believe that belief in God is important. However, as St. James the Apostle says, even the demons believe in God. True faith is meant to be so much more than belief. As our belief in God is worked out in His ordained institutions such as the Church and the Family, our faith is matured into what the Catechism calls the fullness of Christian life.  I am honored and humbled to be asked to write for the International Youth Coalition and to support the work of C-FAM as they proclaim the value and sanctity of human life, the Church, and the family.

Leah Miller

Biography: My name is Leah Miller and I am originally from a small farm and small public high school out in west-central Minnesota. I am going into my senior year at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. My major is Political Science with a focus on American Politics and I have minors in Catholic Studies and Physics. At St. Thomas, I love playing in intramurals (basketball, volleyball, Frisbee…), swing dancing, being a part of Catholic Studies Leadership Interns, and being a member of the Students for Human Life club on campus. I just finished up my semester abroad studying Theology and Catholic Studies in Rome, Italy. Looking forward, I see myself doing any number of things right after college, law school, grad school, government relations, maybe farming. For me, being pro-life is such a gift, the community and the resources available for us are both great tools for fighting this worthy battle. While I was in Rome, I was able to participate in the March for Life (Marcia per la Vita), and finishing in St. Peter’s Square to see Pope Francis give a blessing to the marchers truly made me realize what a world mission this is.

Thoughts: This is a great opportunity, to work for C-FAM and IYc in order to promote not only life, but also critical thinking and discussion about all issues pertaining to the pro-life movement. Throughout my time as an engaged Catholic adult, I have grown to realize the depth of doctrine that is present, the answers that seem the simplest are just the opposite. The beauty of our Church is represented in not only the encyclicals and the saints, but also the laity who are pushing to make a difference in this world so that we all can become holy.

Angell Lu-Lebel

Biography: My name is Angell Lu-lebel and I am a fourth year student at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. I was born and raised in Vancouver and its surrounding area. I am currently completing a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a minor in Biochemistry. Over the years, my faith has slowly become more important to me, and it is slowly starting to change my beliefs and the way I live my life. It is important to me to find ways to express this. In my free time, I enjoy playing music and sports, as well as baking and reading.

Thoughts: As a person with a disability, certain aspects of life are not always easy. You may experience ignorance, isolation from those around you, and a general and systematic lack of understanding by others about your abilities and what you can accomplish. This type of behavior leads to fear, and fear often leads to avoidance. This type of avoidance has shown itself most prevalently in today’s society through the increased number of children who are aborted because they have a disability. Abortion is an issue which is close to my heart because I know how it feels to be unwanted, disliked and seen as a burden to society. I hope my small voice can add to the larger movement that is striving to make a difference in this area.

Kaitlin Fellrath

Biography: Kaitlin Fellrath is a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, and is currently pursuing a degree in History and Political Science.  She is a native resident of Mobile, Alabama and comes from a large Irish Catholic family.  She holds a leadership position in the Ut Unum Sint Society for Christian Unity at Franciscan University, which strives to promote the cause of ecumenism among all Christians. Her interest in politics and international affairs was encouraged by her participation in Model United Nations, where she participated in the delegations of Moldova, Iran, and Palestine.  Not eager to repeat this experience, she headed to  Franciscan University to pursue her educational aspirations. In the spring of 2013, Kaitlin studied abroad in Gaming, Austria, an experience that taught her the beauty and universality of the Catholic faith.  She enjoys travel, reading, running, and politics (though not all at the same time).  In the future, she hopes to uphold and promote the teachings of the Catholic Church in the political sphere.

Thoughts: As Pope Saint John Paul II tells us in his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, “the Gospel of life is something concrete and personal, for it consists in the proclamation of the very person of Jesus.” I am grateful for this opportunity to proclaim the person of Jesus to the world through the IYc.  I look forward to engaging with international life issues through my blog posts.  My prayer for this blog is that my readers leave their computer screens with a better understanding of the issues at stake in the battle between the culture of life and the culture of death.  I also pray that, through my posts, readers come to a better understanding of their dignity as a human person, and through this understanding, a greater commitment to defending human life and the family, both at home and in the world at large.

Xavier Bisits

Biography: Although I come from Australia, I am now an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, where I study Human, Social and Political Sciences.   Next year, I will specialising solely in politics and international relations. At Cambridge, I am President of Cambridge Students for Life and Vice-Chair of the Catholic chaplaincy.

Thoughts: I am excited to be able to play a small part in the work of C-FAM.   Much of the discourse in the UN surrounding human rights is unsound and there is much that Catholic social teaching has to offer to inter-governmental policy.  The organs of the UN should be used to promote human rights – such as the right to life – rather than an ideological agenda grounded in the ethnocentric bias of certain Western activists. The Catholic Church, as the only institution on Earth that transcends all cultures and nations, is uniqely placed to promote human rights, protecting the weak against the strong, as it does every day at a grassroots level through its hospitals, schools and other social work.

Andrea Garzón

Biografía: Andrea Garzón se graduará del programa profesional de Relaciones Internacionales de la Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá Colombia. Ha desarrollado su trabajo como joven líder de diferentes grupos y fundaciones. El primero de ellos, la Fundación PYR, donde trabajo como coordinadora de actividades con jóvenes de bachillerato de varios colegios, en convivencias y actividades donde los jóvenes pudieran mejorar y aprender una nueva relación personal con Dios, también, hizo parte del Ministerio de Música de la Comunicad católica carismática de jóvenes “Shemmá”, cantando y dirigiendo actividades como servidora de la comunidad. En sus intereses en el ámbito social, ella se ha involucrado en la defensa del derecho a la vida desde la concepción en su país. Es miembro de la Plataforma Ciudadana “Unidos por la Vida”, siendo líder y coordinadora del grupo de jóvenes. Lo cual le ha permitido lograr varias metas promoviendo la cultura de la vida en colegios y universidades, organizado foros, marchas, y diversas actividades por la causa, ya que desde el 2006, la Corte Constitucional Colombiana aprobó el aborto en tres “casos especiales” por medio de una sentencia, (Sentencia C-355 de 2006), lo cual ha hecho que el aborto no tenga ningún control, permitiéndose que se realice un aborto en cualquier circunstancia. Con la pasión y amor que ella tiene por la causa próvida, decidió hacer su proyecto de grado final acerca de las organizaciones nacionales e internacionales que están involucradas en la promoción de “los derechos sexuales y reproductivos” en Colombia, analizando las dinámicas de los movimientos sociales transnacionales. Este es un estudio de caso: “Análisis de la influencia del movimiento pro-choice estadounidense, en la promoción de los derechos sexuales y reproductivos en Colombia, en el periodo 2001-2011.” Sigue su labor dentro de la causa pro-vida de la mano de la Plataforma Unidos por la Vida, contribuyendo desde su formación profesional con la difusión y fortalecimiento de la red y la cultura de la vida.

Pensamientos: Realmente aprecio la oportunidad de ser parte de C-fam y IYc! Pues seguramente me dará la oportunidad de mejorar mi conocimiento y habilidades en la defensa de la vida y la familia tradicional en el ámbito público. Creo, que nosotros los jóvenes, somos aquellos quienes tenemos el control de cambiar el mundo. Tenemos energía, queremos saber muchas cosas, porque somos curiosos, y nos gusta mejorar constantemente. Como nos invitaba el Santo Papa Juan Pablo II, “el futuro pertenece a los jóvenes, a pesar de dar por hecho que al mismo tiempo no se puede construir el futuro sin tener en cuenta la herencia de las generaciones anteriores, sin honrar a tu padre o a tu madre, quienes han entregado el don de la vida con los valores e ideales más queridos para ellos. Se pueden sentir amenazados por una sociedad que no han elegido, una sociedad que no han construido, pero que a pesar de ello, hacen parte de ella, y así mismo el aumento de sus responsabilidades con esa sociedad que ahora les pertenece.”

Creo que nosotros, los jóvenes tenemos que participar en la sociedad para hacer la diferencia, decir las palabras correctas y acciones en defensa de la verdad de Dios. Como nos dice la Doctrina Social de la Iglesia Católica, tenemos que participar en la política, buscando el bien común, tenemos que construir la economía, las expresiones culturales y artísticas para mostrar al mundo que Dios si está con nosotros y que Él quiere lo mejor para su más grande creación: el Ser Humano.

Mónica Marín

Biografía: Mónica Marín, es estudiante de Relaciones Internacionales de la Universidad Rafael Landívar en la ciudad de Guatemala. También tiene estudios en leyes de la Universidad del Istmo. Actualmente es Directora de Juventud de la Asociación La Familia Importa en donde desde hace 2 años participa activamente. También es fundadora y coordinadora de la organización Generación Vida desde el 2013 y en el mes de julio del 2014 realizó una pasantía en la oficina regional de World Youth Alliance Latin America. Mónica tiene especial interés en los temas de educación, políticas públicas y Derecho Internacional en donde se pueda promover a la familia como base de la sociedad, la dignidad de la persona y la sexualidad humana fundamentada en valores.

Pensamientos: “Quienes hablan contra la familia no saben lo que hacen, porque no saben lo que deshacen.” G. K. Chesterton

La familia es la primera escuela de todo ser humano, en donde se aprenden valores y virtudes que perdurarán en la persona toda la vida. Es la familia la que enseña el verdadero significado del sacrificio, la entrega y el amor desinteresado.

Cuando la persona se ve amenazada por diferentes razones como la pobreza, migración, violencia, aborto, divorcios, entra en crisis ese núcleo fundamental de la sociedad y se ponemos en riesgo el tesoro que significa la familia. Sabemos que si queremos cambiar una sociedad egoísta, debemos ir a las causas y unas de las causas es que no vemos al prójimo como un semejante con la misma dignidad, que no vemos en la familia una fuente de valores y de amor. Es por eso que nosotros los jóvenes, poniendo en práctica nuestras habilidades y buscando nuevas oportunidades, debemos trabajar para fortalecer los vínculos entre las personas, el amor sólido, promover la dignidad de la persona desde concepción hasta su muerte natural, las familias y matrimonios fuertes y unidos. Como bien dice Chesterton: “El lugar donde nacen los niños y mueren los hombres, donde la libertad y el amor florecen, no es una oficina ni un comercio ni una fábrica. Ahí veo yo la importancia de la familia.”

Catherine Birri

Biography: Catherine Birri is a senior at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula California.  Originally from New Jersey, she journeyed across the country to earn a Liberal Arts degree with credits equaling a double major in theology and philosophy and a minor in math.  Deeply influenced by the intellectual and spiritual formation received at her college, she is preparing herself to share her knowledge and experience to serve the Church and to support the dignity of life wherever she can.

When she’s not studying, she loves to sing, run, or read while sitting under shady trees or in front of a fire; as well as dip her toes in the ocean, and explore nature while hiking.  This past year she has developed a great interest in writing and has even started her own blog.  As she walks through life, she looks for the beauty and truth in the things around her and in the people she encounters.

Thoughts:

“God loves you! He has written you in the palm of His hand.  You are His!  He created you to love and to be loved.” ~Mother Theresa

Mother Theresa’s words are for all people not just a few.  Every person was created in Imago Dei to fulfill a supernatural end of knowing and loving God.  That gives every person his or her dignity. We are all precious. As modern culture increasingly creeps towards secularism, not only is society challenging the Church’s understanding of the person with issues including abortion; but also, it is trying to redefine the family. Without acknowledging the dignity of the human person, all human life is at risk.  The International Youth Coalition is defending the preciousness of life and the family.  My heart is enlivened to contribute to such a worthy cause of spreading the truth; that is, to let the light shine in the darkness.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

 María Renée Estrada

Biography: My name is María Renée Estrada and I am originally from Guatemala City, Central America. I graduated Cum Laude in 2012, as an Industrial Designer, and became involved in social development issues through handmade product design.