There’s a palpable energy when a sports team fills its arena to capacity, but when it’s God who’s drawing the crowds, Catholic Aid members who attended the National Catholic Youth Conference will tell you it’s a whole new ballgame.
The experience of singing and celebrating the Lord among 21,000 other proud, young Catholics was a singular opportunity that youth members of the Catholic Aid Association took part in Nov. 19 – 21 at the 9th Biennial National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Kansas City, Mo.
The theme of this year’s conference was the ways in which Christ reigns this world: in, among, and through us. Each session explored aspects of this theme while workshops helped participants explore the concept further between sessions.
“NCYC changes lives,” wrote David Bursack of Canby, Minn. “No different with me. On this trip I came closer to God just knowing I can pray and be religious around these people freely…The effect on my life is that I will be willing to show my faith around my friends and if they look at me differently, I now know that at least 25,000 other people have my own same beliefs!”
Catholic Aid’s Fraternal Youth Liaison
Heather Vargo and Fraternal Director
Kathleen Moriarty worked through 2009 to make these scholarships a fraternal benefit available to eligible members.
“Like World Youth Day, we felt this was a unique opportunity for our young members to get out and meet others like them,” Moriarty says. “You can’t practice your faith in a vacuum, so we wanted to provide chances for our young Catholics to see they’re not alone out there.”
The National Catholic Youth Conference is orchestrated by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) and according to that body, the conference is the single largest gathering of Catholic young people in the United States.
With special emphasis on the general sessions that addressed the entire multitude, the conference ran for three days. Between the general sessions, the participants broke out into group leader briefings, daily liturgies, concurrent sessions and workshops. Between sessions and workshops, youth could attend Eucharistic Adoration, the thematic park, confession or just hang out with other young Catholics from around the country.
Shawn Polman of Cottonwood, Minn., says, “I realized that when I go home, I know there is that girl way over in California that is praying to the same God…After NCYC, I will know that the Catholic Church isn’t just here in Minnesota, but all over the U.S. and the world too…When I face an obstacle, it will give me the strength that I am not alone. God is with me.”
In addition to the sessions and breakouts, hundreds of displays, interactive and experiential exhibits populated the “Reign Forest” thematic park in the Kansas City Conference Center. Youth were able to talk with Catholic colleges and universities, learn about service projects, play games, check out the technology lounge and learn about vocations. The Reign Forest was open prior to and throughout the conference, but even with three days to work with, pilgrims had difficulty making it to all the booths in the 200,000-square-foot space.
The general sessions were held in the cavernous and state-of-the-art Sprint Center and filled every seat with more than 21,000 exuberant youth spilling into overflow seating. Following the general sessions, a mass exodus of youth poured out of the Sprint Center, engulfing entire streets in downtown Kansas City.
The number of participants and their enthusiasm left a lasting impression on the 17 scholarship winners from Catholic Aid.
Andrea Mayer of Stacyville, Iowa, wrote, “They helped me understand better what it means to be Catholic. They all knew we were there to strengthen our faith and that made it so much fun, that they all wanted to be there and explore their faith.”
The Catholic Aid participants are already looking forward to NCYC 2011 in Indianapolis and until then, they’ll try to hold on to that feeling of community and kinship they described, and the pride they felt among the multitude.
“The most memorable moment was when everyone left the general session and walked together while praising God,” Rachel Kollar of Canby, Minn., says.
“It had a huge impact on me, personally, to be among so many youth open to praising Him for everyone to see. It opened my eyes to see that it’s okay to let your faith show in all aspects of life, not just while at church.”
Copyright 2010 Catholic Aid Association. Content and photos in this story may not be republished in any medium without the express, written consent of Catholic Aid Association.
In the last 2009 issue of CA Journey magazine, we asked for your ideas. The Board of Directors has decided to update the name of our Association, and you are helping us do it!
