Edmond 12-year-old shares faith as ‘Kid Catholic’
A budding YouTube star is on fire for his Catholic faith. Even more remarkable, he’s from an Edmond parish and is 12 years old.
Kedon Gumerson has a series of YouTube videos online under the “Kid Catholic” name. He explores and explains many aspects of the Catholic faith. One week he’ll discuss the Ten Commandments. On the next episode he’ll look at the life of Blessed Stanley Rother, the priest from Oklahoma and Catholic martyr who was beatified Sept. 23 on his road to sainthood.
In one episode, Kedon gives a video tour of St. Monica’s Catholic Parish in Edmond. On another show, he visits with St. Monica’s pastor, The Rev. Stephen Hamilton, and has the priest point out some of the finer points of the faith and being a priest.
The preteen manages all this with swooping
hand movements and an unabashed enthusiasm and love in his voice for his faith. Before each taping, he’ll research a topic completely to make sure he’s got it down.
Kedon’s mother, Cheryl Gumerson, explained her YouTube son has been at this outreach for more than a year now. He was inspired, she explained, by some of his peers who were using the YouTube format to discuss video games.
“He started out talking about sports, but later decided he wanted to talk about his faith,” she said. “A lot of what he does is his idea completely. I think it was divinely inspired.”
Cheryl Gumerson, a mother of four, previews and approves each program before it’s posted. On the day Kedon talked about the Ten Commandments, he quickly admitted there were a few sins he didn’t explain in more detail because they were not “kid-appropriate.”
When an episode eventually appears online, it will garner more than 100 clicks. Kedon is hoping to expand interest in his project and wants people to know he’ll be active with the “Kid Catholic” YouTube outreach for a long time. “I want to do it for as long as possible,” he said. “Maybe when I’m older I can hand it down to another kid.”
His program has led him to be featured on Father Dave Dwyer’s national Sirius XM radio program. “It was great,” Kedon said.
Kedon said he knows how positive his Catholicism has been in his life, and he wants to share it with as many people as possible through “Kid Catholic.” He also has advice for those who may despair with life’s challenges. “Don’t give up,” he said. “God is love and always gives us hope. Always.”