Music, a universal language. It evokes thoughts, feelings, and memories. For teenagers, music is an essential part of life. We listen to music while we get ready for school, do homework, or when we are just relaxing. As I have grown, my music choices have developed as well. There are also special songs that I will always remember and love, like "This Town" by Niall Horan or "Caroline" by Amine. When I hear certain songs from my childhood it brings back memories from church, and suddenly I am 7 years old again sitting with my family in our favorite pew.

NIAGARA FALLS — The week of Aug. 7-11 was a flurry of activity as the St. Vincent de Paul Parish Center was transformed into Snowflake Station. During Vacation Bible School Week, the program Operation Arctic Adventure was used, and over 35 children learned about the "coolest book on the planet," the Bible.

Traditionally in the Northeast, September is the time of year when people of all ages wave goodbye to summer and head back into the classroom. I would bet that, for most of us, youth ministry doesn't even enter our minds when we think about back-to-school. Yet, just like teachers, this is the time when youth ministers gear up to involve, engage and invite young people into the Church.

Plans are underway for a pilgrimage to Panama for World Youth Day 2019. Father Michael LaMarca will lead a group to Central America in January 2019 for the spiritual event. Due to the winter dates, there will be no diocesan pilgrimage from the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, who have organized trips to Denver, Paris, Toronto, Cologne and Krakow in past years.

LANCASTER — Our Lady of Pompeii Parish is generating new excitement in the renewal of their youth groups. In the last few months, both parishioners and non-parishioners attended youth nights and events which enriched the participant's faith and created a growing sense of camaraderie.

Gathered under shelter 16 at Ellicott Creek Park, about 30 young adults celebrated Mass on a warm summer's day. Members of [re], Frassati WNY and a few strays came to worship in an environment different from the four walls and stained glass of their churches. St. Benedict Parish in Eggertsville hosted the event. Pastor Father Robert Mock celebrated the July 22 Mass.

Canisius College hosted a weeklong immersion experience for high school students to expose them to the wonders of faith and tragedies of injustice in the city of Buffalo. The Be the Light Youth Theology Institute welcomed 10 students from July 10-15.

The parishioners of St. Bernadette's have put their money where their mouths are. To support the Orchard Park parish's youth ministry, parishioners bought $1,300 worth of the luncheon meat at the May 20 Baloneyfest. The fundraising idea came from Father Paul Seil, pastor and friend of the Wardynski family of Wardynski Meats fame, who donated 16 logs of baloney to the parish.

For the past seven years, Theresa Zielinski has watched her parish teens grow into leaders of the Wyoming County Association of Catholic Youth. They learn how to grab the reins of a problem and steer it into a positive outcome by attending the Christian Leadership Institute, a program that teachers young people to be servant leaders in the mold of Jesus Christ.

Teens in this day and age are often bombarded with daunting and overwhelming decisions that need to be made in a timely fashion. For many, the decisions include where to go to high school or college, what career path they should choose, and how they want to live their lives. These important and life-changing decisions can leave teens feeling frustrated, confused and misguided. It was not until I started living on call to the Holy Spirit, and truly listening to God's plan for me that I began to feel confident in my choices.

Plans are underway for a pilgrimage to Panama for World Youth Day 2019. Father Michael LaMarca will lead a group to Central America in January 2019 for the spiritual event. Due to the winter dates, there will be no diocesan pilgrimage from the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, who have organized trips to Denver, Paris, Toronto, Cologne and Krakow in past years.

Mount St. Mary Academy is proud to present Summer Sessions 2017 for girls entering grades five through eight. The Summer Camps program, running from Aug. 7-11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the school, will include a combination of athletic, arts and educational sessions.

KENMORE — St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute's Collegiate Summer is back. The popular summer program held annually is open for registration. This four-week summer program is designed to help young men prepare for high school and have some fun.

Camp Turner, located in Allegany State Park, is a summer resident camp operated by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. The camp serves boys and girls ages 7 to 16. The camp strives to foster an emotionally safe culture in which everyone feels welcomed and accepted.

For over 90 years, Camp Turner has provided young people with an opportunity to explore and appreciate the outdoors. Now, thanks to the hard work and determination of many people, campers have a chapel to appreciate the Lord.

Before I joined Youth Board, my faith was pretty strong. I have been very involved with my church. I am part of the Boy Scouts and also the parish youth group. I am an altar server who received the Altar Server of the Year Award this past year.

Disadvantaged people across the country will benefit from the hobby of one young man from Hamburg. James Lyon, a junior at Canisius High School in Buffalo, has a passion for making one-decade rosaries, which he sold to raise funds to send himself and fellow students on a series of service immersion trips.

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything," Plato once said. Holding true to that philosophy, the Church Musicians' Guild of Buffalo will present a Children's Choir Festival on Sunday, March 26, at 5 p.m. at SS. Peter & Paul Church in Williamsville.

Father Dave Richards from the Diocese of Buffalo talks about how to deal with anxiety in the latest episode of the Catholic teen series, "In a Word."

Youth from around the Diocese of Buffalo came together at the Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo to be "Positively Dangerous" together from March 3-5.

How is your decision making? Watch "In a Word" with Father Dave Richards in the latest episode of the teenage reflection series.

Hundreds of Catholic teens attended the annual three-day Diocesan Youth Convention March 3-5 in order to deepen their faith. See some visual highlights in our new photo album.

What is 65 years old, but still young and "positively dangerous?" It's this year's 65th annual Diocesan Youth Convention which takes place March 3-5 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Buffalo. More than 730 youth and chaperones are scheduled to attend as well as dozens of staff, volunteers, presenters and exhibitors.

Over the summer, Nora Galley saw something she liked - "No Smoking" signs along the pristine trails at Allegany State Park. Coming back to Buffalo, she found something she did not like - tobacco products seemingly targeted to minors.

Father Dave Richards from the Diocese of Buffalo talks about how to detach yourself from sin and bad behavior in the final "In a Word" of the season.

Christmas and New Year's have now passed, which means it is the season of resolutions.

Father David Richards from the Diocese of Buffalo talks about super hero saints and how we can learn to be heroes too. Watch the latest "In a Word."

This year's diocesan Youth Convention is going by the book. The theme, breakout sessions and planning all came from "Positively Dangerous," a youth ministry guide by Frank Mercadante.

Father David Richards talks about not getting caught up in appearance and to appreciate our bodies as a temple to be cared for in the latest "In a Word."

TONAWANDA — Callum Antonio, a freshman at Cardinal O'Hara High School, and his family were on hand at a historic event during a weeklong visit to Italy, when Pope Francis closed St. Peter's Basilica in Rome on Nov. 20 to conclude the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year of Mercy, which began Dec. 8, 2015.

"In a WORD with Father Dave" is a YouTube video series produced as a teaching tool for youth ages 13-19. In these short two-minute videos, Father David Richards delivers a solid Catholic message with fast-moving, in-your-face camera work, accompanied by an edgy editing style.

This winter, Catholics should not just prepare with rock salt and shovels, but also begin preparing their hearts for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

NIAGARA FALLS — Since 2014, Niagara Falls has had a local unit of the Federation of North American Explorers, a Catholic outdoor adventure movement for youth that works to promote faith, develop character, and train young people in outdoor skills.

Parishioners of St. Benedict's received a warm welcome from a group of young adults last month. Members of Dynamis WNY, a New Evangelization effort inspired by St. John Paul II, greeted those who entered the Eggertsville church as part of the group's hospitality effort.

Catechists, scout masters, altar servers, parents and mentors of all ages received recognition for their work with diocesan youth at the annual Youth Ministry Awards Banquet presented by the diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry and Bishop Richard J. Malone. The Nov. 4 banquet, held at Lucarelli's Banquet Center in Lackawanna, spotlights teens who serve their parishes as intentional followers of Christ, and the adults who help guide them.

Just in time for the cold winter months, children in Niagara Falls have a brand new indoor modern athletic facility for playing softball, volleyball, tennis or soccer. The Niagara Community Center has opened on property formerly owned by the Diocese of Buffalo, behind Niagara Catholic Junior and Senior High School, on 66th Street in Niagara Falls.

Dozens of 11, 12 and 13-year-old students were urged to shout out the word "No' inside of Saint Mark's Church on Tuesday morning. They did it at the urging of Bishop Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, who was stressing to them the dangers of substance abuse as part of Red Ribbon Week.

On Saturday, Oct. 29, Houghton College will host a luncheon and clinic with four-time Olympic gold medalist and 10-time Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) All Star Tamika Catchings. The clinic is open to girls ages 8-18.

The St. Mary Swormville Faith Community recently raised $1,000 to purchase ten milk cows for families in Nicaragua missions by collecting and redeeming recyclables.

The World Youth Day pilgrimage to Krakow, Poland, saw nearly 2.5 million people from across the world join in communion with each other. They shared Mass and catechesis. They sang and prayed together. They made friends and learned about foreign cultures.