Dec 5, 20236 min read

National Catholic Youth Conference

Updated: 6 days ago

NCYC!!

Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!!

The 15 teens who went to the National Catholic Youth Conference would like to thank this parish for their tremendous generosity, support and prayers! With special thanks to our Rosary Altar Society! Here are some of their reflections on this experience.

The most meaningful part of NCYC was…

Going to confession because I felt so alive with the Holy Spirit and I wanted everyone else to feel the joy that I felt.
Learning the story of Lazarus from the perspective of Martha. She went from “not having the time” to sit down with Jesus to proclaiming His Word profoundly and beautifully.
Everyone saying the creed.
Meeting all of these new people and trading with them. Growing closer with the people in our group.
Learning from all of the speakers, priests, sisters and bishops. Being able to feel God and grow closer to Him. Being able to sing all of these songs and praise God with all of these other people from all over.
The final Mass was so powerful. Seeing everyone singing and praying together was a great sight. In the homily he tied in comedy to keep us engaged but also conveyed the message in a way that will stick with me for a long time.
Everyone running to the stage at the end.
Probably confession - it was insanely cool! (it was a giant room with 40-50 priests and thousands of kids in line waiting for the gift of forgiveness.)
The bishop’s homily at the closing Mass, he gave a great example of how to live a life of faith, fun and family.
His humor and love got such a great response from the crowd and seeing this was very powerful.
Talents to be shared are like Christ spread to the world.
I loved hearing ValLimar Jensen singing, This Little Light of Mine.
The closing Mass, it fully showed the Catholic community and everyone coming together. The bishops were leaving the Mass smiling and everyone was screaming the Church songs, it was truly unification and I’m so glad I was a part of it.
Simply acting in the huge community. Parts of our faith that often become dull or “go through the motions” were so amplified and brought to life that we were able to relearn its greatness, importance and meaning.
The truth is brought to life.
When the bishop gave the homily…he was amazing. I think he really understood his audience and gave the message that we needed to hear. He made it fun and understandable where many people were able to find meaning in it.
The confession on Friday really helped me because I was able to openly talk with the priest who was very talkative.
The final Saturday night Mass was very incredibly meaningful to me because it successfully combined every aspect of NCYC together.
The Mass on Saturday night and the level of connection I felt with everyone that was there. The homily was so inviting and intriguing and the worship after created the best adrenaline rush.
The confession that I had, the priest I had was the most sweet and welcoming as well as comforting person.
He really helped me and created a new mindset for myself on how to be the best version of myself.
The closing Mass. I really enjoyed the bishop's homily. The whole Mass was the most impactful one on my life.
Adoration. The silence of all of us coming together to pray to God was so powerful.
Being able to come together as youth to have one common goal to strengthen our faith.

At NCYC I learned…

How to praise God and honor Him.
That God has a sense of humor which was demonstrated by Bishop Joe’s homily. I learned that we are not only the church of the future but the church of the present.
About how I can talk about and be a better witness to my faith.
That God is always with us and always forgives us. T o always be joyful! God will help us through any of the hard times.
That there are many other nice people that believe in God in this world and that have deep faith.
How to pray to God, the feeling of being surrounded by holy/happy people, it is okay to take baby steps in your walk with Christ, God loves everyone just the way that they are.
About the Eucharistic revival.
That we have the greatest pastor, Fr Jim.
To always have faith.
People from all over the country can meet, know nothing about each other but can talk like they are best friends.
That I want to have a greater relationship with God. Seeing the Bishop speak so passionately about his relationship with God was truly moving.
That a single moment really can bring people together, and a single uniting blip in a lifetime can impact so many different people in so many ways.
How to be more faithful, there are so many ways to pray whether aloud or within the silence of our hearts. I love music and there were so many versions…I learned about new singers and bands.
About topics of mental health and how it can affect our relationship with God and others…Hurt people, hurt people. If you are hurt you can easily repeat the cycle and hurt others whether you mean to or not.
To share my faith with others and make friends.
Adoration…find the silence, stay in the silence, see how the silence responds
To deepen my relationship with God.
that it is okay to not be okay.
That there are many people who are struggling. We may make mistakes but God will always cherish us.
To put JOY over FEAR!
About Catholic conferences for politics.
People are not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be contemplated
We need to bless people, not curse them.
Even though you may be going through the lowest part of your life, no matter how much you have sinned and no matter the distance you have between yourself and the Lord, He is always there reaching out a hand and welcoming you with full, open, extended arms, because He loves you so much more than you know. He would leave the 99 for the 1.
That you can always be more involved in the church, for example…at Mass.
A new way to pray.
We must serve because Jesus died for us to serve Him.
I also learned that having virtues like patience and generosity is always a step in the process of you becoming the best version of yourself.
that the faith is not dead.
That so many people my age believe in God and are participating members in the Church.
That joy is an essential part of living out our faith.
Dignity is inherent in humanity.
I have so much to be grateful for.
Pray as though everything depends on God, work as though everything relies on you.

Now that I am home from NCYC…

I want to spread the joy of going to confession and I want to share my testimony.
I want to pray more.
I will listen to the podcast, Sainthood in the City!
I will be more consistent in my prayer life.
I want to be able to use the things I learned to help me be a better role model in my community.
I will keep trying to live out my faith but I have also gained more insight to talk to others about it. I want to challenge myself to be more deep and outgoing in faith conversations.
Take with me what I have learned.
I’m very sad that it’s over. I’m so grateful that I had this chance to go on this trip and for everything I learned.
I’m going to go home and sing all of the songs.
I will try to attend Mass more often and dedicate time to pray.
I will be more alive and closer to God.
I will follow the Eucharistic Revival.
I will pray everyday and know that Jesus is with me.
I will reflect on my experience. The people there were so amazing and I had a sense of comfort I have never felt.
I will miss NCYC.
I will keep my relationship with God.
I can reflect on my experiences and apply them to myself, my life and how I affect the lives of others.
I want to be more involved in youth ministry. I love being with these people and being a part of the church. I want to be closer with God.
I will be happier.
I will listen to the music and podcasts.
I miss it a lot. I feel inspired to spend more time in the Word, more time in prayer, more time in adoration and more time in worship. Being surrounded by thousands of other young Catholics was the most empowering thing - to know that we were all there for the same reason, to deepen and strengthen and learn more about our relationship with Christ.
NCYC was and has been one of the best experiences of my life. The power of the Lord is unexplainable.