More than 21,000 youth took over downtown Kansas ... - The Leaven

PRAYER & SACRAMENTS
BISHOPS
“All of us here want to grow in our faith”
If you wanted goofy
hats, Catholic swag
or merchandise, and
earwax-melting music,
then the National
Catholic Youth Conference
here was the place to be.
But if you wanted a
profound experience of the
Catholic faith, this, too, was
the place to be.
“I think part of it is we
do want to come here and
have fun, but all of us here
want to grow in our faith,
and that’s why we’re here
together,” said Catie Macke,
a member of St. Joseph
Parish in Crescent Springs,
Ky., and a youth reporter for
MyCatholicVoice.com.
Just about everything
— from the exhibits and
activities in the sprawling
Thematic Park in Bartle
Hall to the concerts and
events in Municipal Auditorium
and Sprint Center
— was permeated with the
Catholic faith.
Traditional features of
Catholic faith got their
own NCYC treatment.
These included the massive
eucharistic procession on
Friday, the daily liturgies,
Benediction and eucharistic
adoration, and the closing
Mass.
Many of the 21,000
youth made their ways to
special chapels in Bartle
Hall that were reserved for
the sacrament of reconciliation,
for eucharistic adoration,
and for prayer.
Some didn’t even need
a chapel, but would quietly
gather with a priest or
religious for a quiet talk or
spontaneous prayer.
Catie Macke, St. Joseph Parish, Crescent Springs, Ky.
The Sprint Center was
transformed into a place of
worship on Nov. 21 for the
closing liturgy.
“It’s a very
energizing
experience
to see these young people gathered because they
love Jesus and are engaged with the church.”
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann led 21,000 youth in adoration and a eucharistic procession.
Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph took time out of his day to visit with youth attending the National Catholic Youth Conference.
Bishop Peter Christensen of the Diocese of Superior, Wis., talked with Enrico Cassinelli of Orlando,
Fla., and Molly Sinott of Baltimore after a bishop’s roundtable discussion on Nov. 21.
Joe Anguiano traded five times to get the duck hat he was
wearing, but he wasn’t finished.
“I’m trying to get a moose hat,” said Anguiano, a
member of St. Matthew Parish in Topeka.
But like a lot of other Catholic youth at the National
Catholic Youth Conference, he had more on his mind than hats.
“[NCYC] really makes me want to explore my vocation, maybe
become a priest or a brother,” he said.
Words to gladden a bishop’s heart.
This year’s NCYC was attended by 33 bishops, many of whom
participated in roundtable discussions with the youth. The kids’
words and public witness — especially during the impressive eucharistic
procession — encouraged the bishops.
“As a bishop, it’s a very energizing experience to see these
young people gathered because they love Jesus and are engaged
with the church,” said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann.
The bishops wanted to listen to the youth to learn of their experiences
and the challenges they face.
“Hopefully, we can share with them how important they are
to the church and how the Lord particularly chooses the young
to be his instruments of hope,” said the archbishop.
What do the young want? They want the truth preached in its
fullness, and they want to be challenged.
Priests distributed Communion to thousands of youth, chaperones and volunteers during the closing liturgy.
Youth participants held their hands in praise during
a liturgy at the Sprint Center.
NATIONAL CATHOLIC YOUTH CONFERENCE > THE LEAVEN | NOVEMBER 27, 2009
NATIONAL CATHOLIC YOUTH CONFERENCE > THE LEAVEN | NOVEMBER 27, 2009