Sarah D’Aquilla, Marie Seicshnaydre and Amelie Million receive special awards during Diocese of Biloxi Youth Convention
Congratulations to St. Patrick Class of 2019 members Sarah D’Aquilla, Marie Seicshnaydre and Amelie Million for receiving special awards during the Diocese of Biloxi Youth Convention last weekend!
Sarah was named the Second Annual Brenda Sargent Award Winner. This award is given to a female youth for being a backbone to her parish and youth group, in the trenches accomplishing what needs to be done with a servant’s heart and a willing spirit. Her hard work and dedication continues to serve as an example to her peers, her parish and the St. Patrick community.
On winning the award, Sarah D’Aquilla said, “I am so honored to have received this award for all the work I put into my youth group this year. I have enjoyed getting to know the kids in my parish that I would normally not have gotten to know. I have also been able to form bonds with the great adult leaders in my parish. I plan to continue to be active in my faith through volunteering and being active in the University of Southern Mississippi parish and community.”
Marie and Amelie both received the St. Timothy Award. This annual Diocesan award is given to selected youth for their long-term commitment to Youth Ministry in their parish and/or Diocese. These students have given their time, talents, and spiritual gifts in making their parish youth group strong in faith.
“Being awarded the St. Timothy Award is my greatest honor this year. It means so much more to me than any of my other achievements this year, because my faith means more to me than anything else. I have enjoyed so much through my years of involvement in my parish youth group, as well as with the Diocesan Spirit Movers and Search teams. I have loved doing the many service projects through my youth group that bring help and joy to others in our community. I love sharing God’s love through His word and my actions to others. After graduation, I plan to continue to strengthen my faith through personal prayer, and I plan to get involved with the focus group at the local church in Baton Rouge. Through this I will hopefully be able to attend retreats and also go on mission trips to help different parts of the world for an even greater cause.” – St. Timothy Award Winner Marie Seicshnaydre
“This award means a lot to me. I have gone to DBYC every year since I was in ninth grade, and every year, I’ve watched some really great people win this award. I am humbled and honored to be named among this group of people, and it makes me want to follow in their footsteps in the way I act and the way I treat people. The most rewarding part of being involved in my parish youth group has been watching the group grow over the years. When I was younger, we struggled to get participation in our youth group and when I was in tenth grade, we only brought two people to convention. This year, we brought 17. It has been amazing to be able to meet new people who have come into our youth group and grown in their faith. After graduation, I hope to become involved in the Catholic Midshipmen Club at the Naval Academy. I want to continue to share my faith with others and live it out through service, adoration, and more.” – St. Timothy Award Winner Amelie Million
We are incredibly proud of these students for their dedication to their faith!
About the Diocese of Biloxi Youth Convention
The 42nd Annual DBYC (Diocese of Biloxi Youth Convention) was held at the Gulf Coast Coliseum, inviting all parishes to come together with their youth groups to celebrate the faith through community, mass, keynote speakers, and worship. The Diocesan Spirit Movers (10th – 12thgrade peer ministry team) are the force behind planning the skits, theme, decorations, and act as the Masters of Ceremonies.
Started in 1977, the goals have been to encourage community within the entire Diocese of Biloxi. In many ways, if our young people don’t travel outside their own town or visit other churches, they may not realize that other young people excited about their Catholic faith exist nearby.
