The 2022 Annual Congress from October 7th, to October 10th was exactly the event ROYA needed to be reinspired and left us eager to begin working. During the Congress, youth from North America gathered at St. Dumitru’s Monastery in Middletown, New York, and Canadian members joined virtually from Holy Cross Monastery in Mono, Ontario. Activities varied from playing tug-a-war, volleyball, and singing together at services and around a campfire. We also gathered spiritual advice from Archdeacon Sorin Mihalache, Fr. Ieremia, Fr. Polycarp, Doamna Florina Radu and Doamna Carmen Ognean, and held elections for the new board!
The Congress elections resulted in the following 2022-2024 ROYA board members: Claudiu Dima from Atlanta, Georgia (President), Diana Vancea from Chicago, Illinois (VP for USA), Valentin Cioana, from Montreal, Canada (VP for Canada), Laura Ionescu from Yonkers, New York (Secretary), Spiridon Amohnoaie from Ottawa, Canada (Treasurer for Canada), and Teodora Girlonta from El Dorado Hills, California (Treasurer for USA).
On behalf of ROYA, the new board members would like to thank Metropolitan Nicolae for his blessing to hold this event, and for his attendance, along with Bishop Ioan Casian. We are blessed to have Bishops who prioritize the youth as a top preoccupation in the Church. Thank you also to Fr. Ieremia and Fr. Polycarp, the abbots of the monasteries that hosted us.
Our conference with Archdeacon Mihalache about his experience as both a former ASCOR-Iasi member and president left me motivated, not just because he speaks brilliantly, but because he made it evident that we must do something to help today’s youth. He told us, “Inside each of your hearts, there should be a fire, an ardent desire to bring youth back to the faith, because if you don’t, no one else will. The need to help our youth today is so large that ideally, each of us would need to stop school, quit our jobs, and dedicate the next five years of our lives to missionary work.” Unfortunately, many of us cannot afford to do this, but our discussion illuminated how extreme our situation is. Depression and anxiety are continuously on the rise, youth are losing motivation to go to school for weeks, they need constant stimulation to remain attentive. Archdeacon Mihalache also told us that the goal is not only to become a member of ROYA to participate in the gatherings and activities, but to become a member of the Church. Even though as youth we deal with pressure from school and work, we have to remember that united in prayers and friends, we are stronger than anything else.
To guide the youth to the faith, we need to combine fellowship with spiritual activities. Of the many ideas that Archdeacon Mihalache offered, one of his suggestions was to hold conferences on popular topics, (for example: Artificial Intelligence), and have the speaker talk about the topic from a theological perspective at the end. He emphasized that through becoming more involved in the administrative work of ROYA, we not only help others approach the Church, but we will also notice personal growth within ourselves. Being a leader within a Christian youth organization like ROYA will develop us spiritually, socially, and professionally. The skills we gain can be transferred to how we interact with our current and future families, how we manage conflict, how to prioritize and time manage, etc. The more effort we put into our work, the more we get out. There is nothing to lose, especially because this is what God has called us to do. “Go therefore and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). As an added plus, the people we meet through ROYA become lifelong friends. Having been a member of ROYA since 2013, I can attest that this is true for me today.
Every speaker at the congress seemed to emphasize that the positive outcomes of ROYA cannot come without sacrifice. Fr. Ieremia told us that in our struggle, we receive grace, and may not realize until later. This same concept was repeated in our conference with Doamna Florina. Leading ROYA camps and retreats teaches one to be attentive of everyone’s well-being, putting the entire group’s desires and interests before your own. Alone, we may not be able to sustain the weight of work we have to do, but with spiritual guidance, help from external resources, each other, and most importantly, with prayer, anything can be done. Previous ROYA board members attested that although the sacrifices were difficult to endure, looking back, the nights spent laboring through plans with other board members were the most fruitful and formative moments. Leaders organizing ROYA events obtain something deeper than the typical member. This is one of the many reasons I am grateful to be able to serve ROYA for the next two years.
Our time together also granted the new board the opportunity to begin planning for this year’s ROYA month- the annual dedication of the month of November that our Metropolia dedicates to its youth through special activities and prayers- and for the annual Winter camp at the end of December. May St. Katherine, all the saints, and the most Holy Virgin Mary intercede for us so that we may bear good fruit in the coming events and years to come!
In Christ,
Laura Ionescu
