High School Teens Reflect On Their Experience of the National Catholic Youth Conference

Transcription

1 Honestly, ever since my grandma died I think I've been upset with God or almost searching for something that would make me believe that he had some purpose for not letting her live. At NCYC I learned to let God in, I learned to trust him more because He does everything for a reason and I just need to work harder at discovering what exactly his reasons were. NCYC has opened new doors for me, and it has made my relationship with God closer than it has ever been before. can trust, and faith that you can trust, and I really think that NCYC has made my faith stronger and made me feel more at home with my faith. Emma, Freshman "You cannot repay love, you can only pass it on", this quote from one of the keynotes really made everyone in that room think, including me. I think it was because we all realized how true it was. The silence at NCYC was unbelievable, how they were able to make that many teenagers be quiet. The silence made you think about what you had just heard, this made me truly realize why we ask for silence during church. it is to pray, to think about what you have just heard and to let God in. NCYC is obviously on a whole different level than our church, but now that I have been a part of both, I think that church is different for me. But, it is still hard to let God in during my day, at a public school we don't have religion classes every day, and church is only one time a week. NCYC has taught me how to let God in during my day even when I am not necessarily in a holy place. If I lived everyday with the same intensity that NCYC had, I think it would affect me in a positive way. But it's not possible for me to be at NCYC all the time so I need to find ways to live at that intensity without the workshops, the keynotes, and the huge ceremonies. Also at NCYC we did a Prayer Session in our parish group and I know everyone so much better than I did before. I learned things that helped me understand everyone better. At NCYC you can go up to anyone and ask them about something or just start talking. There is this sense of community because everyone is there for the same reason. Even though you know only a small group of people it feels like you know everyone, you have a connection with everyone. I miss feeling this all the time because everyone knows high school is not one whole community. Everyone is different and not everyone believes the same thing. But you always have people you

2 The high point of the conference for me was the day that all of us went to the theme park all day, we didn't go to workshops or anything, we were just together. For me that was the most fun, just exploring, going out to dinner, and hanging out together. One thing that I learned about being Catholic is that it isn't just about worshipping God. The idea of the Catholic faith is to love God and to love Him together as a community. My favorite prayer experience was the closing mass at the end of the weekend. This was my favorite because it was an actual mass and the fact that 25,000 people got communion at the same time is amazing to me. Also there were a lot of bishops there and all of the priests that came to NCYC got to be part of the mass. The most interesting place that I ate at was the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a very cool place and all of the people that worked there were hilarious. I got some awesome souvenirs and we even got to eat with other parishes. Something that I learned about God was that even if I don't always feel Him there with me or if I don't feel that He is watching, He is. I always had thoughts like why does God let bad things happen? I have realized that sometimes, that question can't be answered but that many times, good things come out of bad things. Its has become more clear to me that God is always watching and that he cares for me no matter what. I think my favorite workshop was one called "Willing the One Thing" and the speaker was Stephanie Clouatre Davis. That workshop really made me think about the things in my life that hold me down or have a hold on me. I learned that I need to let go of my material possessions and the people in my life that hold me back from accomplishing my goals. I need to think about the things that really matter like my family and my faith and leave everything else behind. One thing that I appreciate more about the Catholic faith is the community. There were 25,000 Catholic teenagers in one place, just to worship and to support each other. Even back at St. Barnabas, we are a community who worships together and to me that is very special. If I lived everyday with the same intensity for my faith that I did at NCYC, I would probably go to mass everyday. I would go to every single youth ministry activity that I could. The message that I want to pass on to my community is that the future is in the hands of young people all over the world just like me. The main focus of the church, I think, should be on the teenagers and the children. Since I have a better insight into my own faith, I will be able to do a better job teaching the Children's Liturgy at St. Barnabas. Hannah, Freshman What place does a Theme Park have on a retreat? The thematic park is a unique NCYC programming element. The park provides participants an opportunity to explore their faith interactively. The park includes interactive venues that include creative projects, prayer experiences, and a variety of service opportunities. Young people can pack meals for the poor, make rosaries for soldiers, and even play bean bags with sisters and brothers of various religious orders. This offers the young people an opportunity to learn about the wonderful riches and forms of prayers adopted by the diverse religious communities that are a part of our Catholic Church. The park also includes booths and activities that allow the teens to interact with their local Diocesan Vocation Directors. The park also includes traditional exhibit booths, where companies and organizations provide information and resources about their ministries. St. Barnabas Youth To Attend Summer University of Notre Dame St. Barnabas is again offering the High School Summer Leadership Retreat at the University of Notre Dame. Incoming Freshman thru graduating Seniors are invited to attend. It is a week-long retreat that helps you to explore your gifts, to come to know yourself better, and deepen your faith. Contact the Youth Ministry Office at or via mharrington@stbarnabasparish.org to learn more.

3 I always used to hear people say to watch for God s message. At NCYC, I learned that God is always showing his affection towards us, it is just up to us to recognize this. NCYC also taught me to be honest to God in your prayer, as he knows everything regardless. This idea was brought up in one workshop I went to, entitled Setting the World on Fire Without Getting Arrested. This workshop explored the struggles of boredom that some Catholic teens experience throughout their lives, but this session also made it clear that a relationship with God is one of the most important things a youth can have. Now, because of NCYC, I feel that I have a stronger relationship with God, and that he listens to me when I speak to him. I used to have very generic and broad prayers, and felt obligated to pray in church. However, I now feel that when I do pray, I have serious ideas to and thoughts to share with God. If I felt the enthusiasm of our catholic faith everyday as it was presented at NCYC, I believe my spiritual maturity and friendship with God would continue to grow and progress. 22,000 teens from across the country, all celebrating their faith, really makes you enjoy and recognize the community of Catholics. During one of the opening speakers, every person in the stadium was asked to take a picture on the count of three. The speaker called this Our Catholic Family Photo, and explained how we are all the children of God. Only an experience like NCYC could make someone feel like they are part of a national community. Whether we held mass in our hotel room with just our parish and Fr. Hetland or had mass in the stadium with 22,000 people, the community aspect of the retreat helped through in all ways. I don t think that I will ever be able to express what I experienced at NCYC, but I do know that I have strengthened my faith in ways that I thought unimaginable. Aidan, HS Junior St. Barnabas Co-Ed High School Volleyball No Try Outs, - Just Sign Up 8 Players can sign up together as one team Sign Up individually No Practices Only If Your Team Requests One Games On Thursday Nights Only Permission Slips are on the parish website under Youth Youth Ministry Current Events Tab

4 Who are we? The church! Where is the church? Right here! And? All are welcome! These words rang through the football stadium as we gathered together for closing prayer on our first night at NCYC. NCYC for those of you, who don t know, is the National Catholic Youth Conference. On opening day I didn t know what to expect, because it was my first trip to NCYC and it was incredible 27,000 teens under one roof is a lot to take in. Being the church shouldn t be taken lightly; it is much more than that. Before NCYC I didn t think faith could be as important as it actually was. I was content with going to church every week, waiting till next Sunday where I would go to church again. NCYC changed the way I thought about my faith. Instead of trying to compare our lives to the bible, the speakers gave new perspectives of faith and community that related perfectly to teens. One of the speakers, Mike Patin, in his workshop YOLO Make it Count demonstrated ways to live your life to the fullest while having time for friends, family, and God. It was the second day and I hardly slept, I was still comprehending the intensity of the first night. I woke up with newfound enthusiasm as I rushed down to breakfast before we left for the convention center. I was all set for the 16 hour day. When our group walked in, it was insanity, not bad insanity but organized insanity. Many parish squads had little banners to lead their groups. As we walked to our meeting spot there were shouts of NC and another group would respond YC. If I lived every day like NCYC, first, I would not get any sleep (haha), Secondly, I would be asking random people to trade hats with me, but most importantly, I would be putting God over anything else in my life. place all of the priests, from across over the country, processed into the stadium. It was breathtaking, the church seemed so peaceful. After the readings, one of the bishops gave a beautiful and easy relatable homily. During the Eucharist, all of the priests lined the aisles as communion was passed out to everyone. As day three came to a close, we ended the Mass with the ongoing theme/chant; Who are we!? The church! Where is the church!? Right here! And!? All are welcome! Finally, I believe I learned a lot during the few days at NCYC from experiencing Adoration, all the way to Reconciliation. I believe that we, the church, grow in faith by strengthening our relationship with God through prayer, in community because of the kindness and trustworthiness of others, and personally, by learning about others experiences and applying it to our own lives. This is why we are all Signed. Sealed. [and] Delivered. Sean, Freshman Why do the youth have funny hats at a youth retreat? Community and coming to experience and know young people throughout our wider Church is part of the NCYC experience. To encourage teens to take time to meet, interact, and learn about one another and the diversity found in our Catholic Church the young people trade hats, t-shirts, religious articles and more. On the third day, I truly felt welcome; everyone was joined together for the largest mass I have ever experienced. It was magnificent. When it started everyone joined in on unified singing. As this was taking

5 . NCYC was an excellent experience. I got to have fun and explore my catholic faith. The National Catholic Youth Conference was a four day conference in Indianapolis, Indiana with well over 23,000 teens. I entered this pilgrimage with fifteen of my other peers from St. Barnabas Parish. High School Overnight Ski Trip Forms Due January 10th I enjoyed every single aspect of the trip. There were a few moments that stood out above the rest. This year s theme was Signed, Sealed, and Delivered. It was really amazing to see everyone in the Lucas Oil Stadium up on their feet singing and dancing for the lord. I also enjoyed the many speakers NCYC had. Paul J. Kim was by far my favorite. He was an excellent beat boxer and rapper, who inspired me to set the world on fire in his workshop entitle Set the World on Fire Without Getting Arrested. He showed me the true meaning of the Catholic Faith and what it means to be Catholic. NCYC provides a great atmosphere and environment. It really gives you a sense of security. It proves that you re truly not alone. I was surrounded by thousands of people who were in the same position I was in. NCYC brings out the true excitement of being Catholic. When most teens think of the Catholic faith, they think or a requirement brought upon by their family. NCYC makes the Catholic faith exciting. It inspires teens to bring the experience they had back to their home parish. I can honestly say that this trip has transformed me. It made me a better person. Now I m excited to share my faith, volunteer in the community, and help globally. Maddie, Sophomore NCYC was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. I went two years ago as well, but this time around was even better. I remember sitting in the opening session wondering why something felt off, and I realized that the reason for this was that I needed to This is a private party with 600 teens from across the Archdiocese of Chicago. We depart St. Barnabas at 5pm Friday January 31st and return Saturday morning at 10am. We travel in coach buses, you can ski, snowboard, and we have DJ and dancing in the lodge all night. Permission Slips are on the parish website under Youth Youth Ministry Current Events Tab grow closer to God. In the midst of this ponderousness, I attended a workshop by Paul J. Kim. This workshop strengthened my faith more than any one thing ever could. He talked about his own experience with growing in faith, and his made me think as I had time and time again how amazing it was that I had managed to keep even a smidgen of faith in the highly secular environment I am educated in. And somehow, I m still not sure how, he managed to bring me closer to God through telling the story of his lack and gain of faith as a teenager and beatboxing. Lots of beatboxing. Regardless of how he did it, though, that man brought me closer to God than I ve ever been before, and for that I am forever grateful. And all this is to say nothing of the people who I went with and those I met. It s indescribable what it feels like to be gathered with thousands of other people who share your faith and love God just as much as you do, and to then have a chance to get to know personally a handful of those people. I cannot describe precisely how that feels, only that it s completely unique and one of the most amazing feelings in the world. Sam, Junior

6 Parent Chaperone and Teens Reflects On Their Experience Of The As a new parent I remember the sweet smelling, cuddly infant so fresh from heaven and the angels. I thought what a perfect gift from God. Fifteen years later, as I look upon the struggling, sprouting, not so sweet smelling teen standing before me, it can be much more challenging to see through all the complexities and recognize that gift again. That gift was shining, brilliant and recognizable in each and every St. Barnabas teen at the NCYC conference last month. I can tell you that I saw those gifts, in each member of our teen delegation renewed and with clarity and joy, as a parent chaperone for the NCYC 2013 conference last month. This well designed experience allowed the teens to explore, connect and develop their spirituality through music, art projects, physical challenges, quiet prayer, sharing sessions with their peers as well as sacramentally through the Eucharist and Reconciliation. They were able to recognize the Holy Spirit within others, the teens from home and across the nation as they saw that the church is alive and real and reaches across our parish, city, state, country and world! And they are a valuable part of it! Young Church, I thank you for allowing me the privilege of accompanying you on the wonderful journey that was NCYC Your energy and enthusiasm awakened a new appreciation for the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our community. Go out, go out, to all the world and tell the Good News! I urge you and your teen to explore the St. Barnabas Youth Ministry Program. Our community is blessed with the ability to offer this and other opportunities to our young people as they grow and develop spiritually. They are the Young Church. Thank you. Parent Chaperone St. Barnabas Co-Ed High School Volleyball No Try Outs, - Just Sign Up 8 Players can sign up together as one team Sign Up individually No Practices Only If Your Team Requests One Games On Thursday Nights Only Permission Slips are on the parish website under Youth Youth Ministry Current Events Tab High School Beyond Belief, 2nd Sunday of Each Month, 6-7:30pm St. Barnabas High School Teens are invited to come together on the 2nd Sunday of each month for small faith group sharing. It is just 90 minutes one Sunday evening per month. The teens come together and wrestle with where their lived experience of the world and faith meet. The goal is for young people of parish to move beyond belief to a lived and experienced faith. Currently we have seven different Catholic and Public High Schools who attend. It is a great way to meet new people and be involved in the life of our parish.