The Academy might have seemed a lot smaller on Monday because the juniors and seniors went to Christ Cathedral for the “I Thirst – Go Forth” event. This day was sponsored by the Diocese of Orange, and it brought together all the high schools within the diocese.
Prior to the event, each high school was asked to choose a student to give their testimony in front of everyone. Rosary proudly chose senior Celine Asido to share her Catholic faith. When asked what it was like to share her testimony, Celine shared, “I’m beyond thankful to have been given the opportunity to share an integral aspect of my life, being my relationship with Christ and the Eucharist, with other high school students. It was an amazing experience to talk about something I’m so passionate about. During my testimony, I truly felt the Holy Spirit’s calming and inspiring presence, allowing me to remain focused and engaged with what I wanted to say. Initially, I was so nervous. I could practically feel my heart beating outside my chest. By the end, I felt immense gratitude and peace.” Celine did an amazing job delivering her testimony, and I think many people will agree with me on that.
Celine’s testimony was just one part of a full day of spiritual reflection. We started off the day strong with Mass, followed by testimonies from other students and then a snack break. When we came back together, Chris Stefanick, a Catholic author and speaker, gave his talk on joy. Chris gave us many good points of advice including give thanks, love yourself and take times of silence. Madeleine Cwiertny ’25 explained how the day went for her: “I had such a fun time at I Thirst! I thought it was a great way to deepen my faith and hear from other teens who are at a similar point in their faith walk. My favorite part was listening to the speaker, Christ Stefanick. He had great insight, and he inspired me to look at my life from a new perspective.” More testimonies were scattered throughout the day, and a delicious Chick-fil-A lunch followed the second session. At lunch, there was a Eucharistic Miracles exhibit for students to walk through and learn more about the amazing miracles. There was also a coffee stand for students to grab a nice cup of coffee.
After coming back in from lunch, there was a finish-the-lyrics contest; Rosary bringing the energy the whole day really helped us to win the sing-off. Then, Chris came back to share more. This time, he spoke a bit on choosing to be grateful. We then heard the last testimonies, including Celine’s, and then began Adoration.
It was beautiful to see so many high schoolers express their faith through prayer during this time. Many people enjoyed Adoration including junior Mikayla Hayward: “My favorite part was Adoration, hands down. It was such a peaceful way to end the day and just have some time to relax, take in the music and really enjoy some one-on-one time with Jesus.” One part that made the day great, including during Adoration, was the amazing music. The music got people singing and clapping which definitely brought the energy and made the day even better.
The day was a great time to hear from fellow high schoolers about their faith journey and to spend the day getting closer with God. Let us know in the comments what you thought about I Thirst.
