Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry

"When I reflect back on the National Youth Conference (NCYC) one word keeps coming back- incredible!  To be in a room with 24,000 (yes 24,000) other teens and chaperones was something that I have never experienced before in my life.  It took my breath away when I realized that every one of these people (including the speakers and performers) were Catholic.  Coming from our small but incredible mission diocese, I never realized how many Catholics there are in the United States.
            I work with a wonderful group of high school kids in my parish.  My heart breaks for them because they are one of only three Catholics in their high school.  They experience a lot of peer pressure in a region where most people do not understand Catholicism.  What an awesome opportunity for them to see that outside of their small parish and community that there are so many other Catholic teens who share the same beliefs.  The two young women I accompanied were in awe of the whole experience.
            This conference was such a wonderful experience for both the adult chaperones and for the youth.  The speakers and musicians were incredible (there’s that word again!) and touched many of our hearts.  They related so well to adults and teens and had some wonderful things to say about the issues our teens face in today’s challenging world.
            The break out sessions for the adults and teens were also wonderful.  The moderators of these sessions were very knowledgeable and got the audience involved during the session.
            For the teens I accompanied and for myself I think the most touching experiences were the Eucharistic procession from the Sprint Center to the Convention Center and our closing liturgy Saturday evening.
            The Eucharistic procession included all of the participants of the conference.  To watch a group of 24,000 people singing songs, praying the rosary, praying personal prayers, cheering for Jesus and the Eucharist, cheering and rejoicing that we are Catholic is something that is breath-taking.  Business owners came out of their shops to see what the commotion was about while police officers cleared the streets and made sure others were respectful.  I was so very proud to be Catholic and at that time felt like shouting from every roof-top in the city that I was a Catholic.
            It was with mixed feelings that I attended the closing liturgy.  I was exhausted and because of that I was glad to be going home the next day.  At the same time, I was sad that the conference was coming to a close and that this bond with all of these other Catholics was coming to an end.  It was a “safe place” to express my Catholic faith.  I knew that once I got home that life would be challenging for my teens.  All of these thoughts were going through my head but then I saw Bishop Duca.  My small group of teens looked at me with eyes as huge as saucers.  They could not believe that our Bishop was concelebrating the closing Mass.  They were so excited and after the Mass, they talked about the Bishop and how “cool” it was that he cared about them to come to the conference.  It was then that I realized that even though our experience at NCYC was coming to a close and the comfort of being around the other Catholics was ending, it was up to me to continue the NCYC experience in my parish and in our diocese.  We have a wonderful Catholic community here in the diocese and we are a Catholic family.
            All the chaperones and youth participants of the diocese were all wonderful.  We watched out for each other as though we were family.  What a wonderful experience.  Thank you to the Deacons of the diocese who donated our t-shirts, to Bishop Duca who made this trip possible for all of us and to Deacon Clary who led this project.  What an incredible experience-one that will stay with me for quite a while."

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