The Catholic Explorer, newspaper of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois

October 19, 2007

Performers deliver lively message in Oswego

By Paul Storer

Oswego- On their feet, teens of Oswego’s St. Anne Parish were clapping and singing with the young members of the Messages Which Are Hopeful! troupe in the Joachim Center at the faith community. Inspirational skits and dynamic music numbers were showcased during the Oct. 14 program.
During the show, artists of the 12-person group, who hail from Aurora, Plainfield, Naperville and other surrounding areas, used hip-hop dance, music and interactive skits to suggest ideas for helping their peers maintain safe, healthy and happy lives.
Sporting a cowboy hat and strumming his guitar, Michael Todd Emery belted out country songs to entertain and enlighten the crowd of young people. Some of his tunes were covers of already popular works and others were written by the 16-year-old member of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Aurora.
A member for three years, Emery is now co-director of the group. Collaborating and performing with the others has helped him hone his stage skills. The teen told the Catholic Explorer he wants to make a career out of recording and performing country music.
But, the young musician was quick to stress that over the past few years he has learned about teen concerns, including depression, physical and emotional mistreatment, suicide and substance abuse. Describing the group’s mission, Emery said, “We provide awareness of the issues. We want to cause the audience to think about these issues and react in positive ways.”
The members of the troupe are required to practice the lessons they convey in performances. “It has made me a better person … a role model,” said Emery, a junior at Oswego East High School.
Director Ray Moffitt, who holds a master’s degree in social work, developed the group in the 1990s. Talented teens are recruited for the troupe and usually remain active in it until they’re out of high school, he said. The key to the success of the group is that the players are the peers of their audiences. Young people are often more receptive to messages when their counterparts are making the suggestions rather than parents, teachers and other adults, he said. “It’s very effective,” he said.
Lyrics of the songs and plots of the skits are taken from current news stories as well as from experiences of the group’s young members, said Moffitt.
During their performance in Oswego, the group talked about the dangers of alcohol consumption by minors. The drama was an interpretation of events that led to the February car accident that claimed the lives of five Oswego teens. Serving as the narrator, Christian Rodriguez of Plainfield took the students and parishioners back to that tragic morning. Other troupe members acted and performed songs during the drama. Integrated into the dramatic mix was Janine Rohrer, an Oswego Police Department cadet who directed traffic around the crash. She delivered an account of the events during the performance.
“I don’t want (the teens) to think of themselves as invincible,” 19-year-old Rohrer said as she described her message in a conversation with the Explorer before the event.
“We’ve had our fair share of bad incidents here lately. The whole community has been affected by them,” said Deacon Duane Wozek, parish youth minister.
Other topics were also broached during the event, including teen suicide and domestic abuse.
A 17-year-old vocalist in the troupe and member of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Naperville, Erin Oechsel performed during the event in Oswego. Among other selections, she sang “Mirror,” a song about the risks of eating disorders. “You should never be ashamed about who you are and what you look like,” said the senior at Lisle’s Benet Academy as she commented on the lyrics of the song.
The rousing performance worked to launch the Oswego parish’s 2007-2008 godparent youth program. Explaining the concept of the program, Deacon Wozek said teenagers of the parish are divided into groups of about 15 and each group is assigned to a married couple of the parish. They meet weekly with their respective “godparents” to discuss problems, faith matters, relationships and others. “The couples become mentors,” he said.

Reprinted with permission of the Catholic Explorer newspaper of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois. To subscribe to the Catholic Explorer, please contact Camille Amonino at the newspaper's Customer Service office (815-834-4062).