Diocesan youth gain ‘powerful experience’ of fellowship at National Catholic Youth Conference

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WARWICK — When high school sophomore and St. Philip Church, Greenville, parishioner Kristen Laliberte departed for the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 18, she wasn’t sure what to expect. All she knew was that friends who had participated in previous years told her the weekend would be amazing.

“It sounded like a really cool experience,” she told Rhode Island Catholic at T.F. Green Airport before departing. “A new experience on a personal level with God.”

Seven high school sophomores and juniors from St. Philip Parish and three from St. Agatha Parish, Woonsocket, represented the Diocese of Providence at the national gathering of Catholic youth during the weekend of November 19–22. Accompanying the group were St. Philip’s Youth Minister Melissa Roberts, Director of Religious Education Dennis Sousa and Assistant Pastor Father Ryan Simas.

“This opportunity presented to the young people in our diocese is fruitful and powerful,” said Roberts via email following the trip. “Today, not only is it considered unpopular to be Catholic, but at many times, one can feel quite alone living out the Catholic faith. In this venue, our young people can see that they are truly not alone.”

The National Catholic Youth Conference, which occurs every two years, draws more than 24,000 young people from across the country to participate in a weekend of presentations, workshops, concerts, prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Young people have the opportunity to meet other Catholics from different parts of the country and hear some of the most prominent speakers and Christian music artists of their generation.

“I go because it’s a chance to connect with my faith and my relationship with my creator,” said Jordan Robitaille, a parishioner at St. Agatha Parish. “I have a friend who invited me and said it was the best experience of his life.”

Though for many of the young people, this was their first opportunity to attend NCYC, the diocesan teens are no strangers to Catholic conferences and events. They have been preparing spiritually for the conference since signing up last November, and many of them attended the Steubenville East Youth Conference hosted at UMass Lowell in July.

“This powerful experience is one of the most exciting things a young Catholic can attend because that’s when you see that your faith is not just in your neighborhood or your country, it’s when you see your faith is part of a big Church,” said Louise Dussault, director of youth ministry for the Diocese of Providence.

A highlight of the weekend for many of the teenagers was the Friday evening adoration experience known as XLT. Participants had the opportunity to worship with thousands of other Catholics in Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, and hear several speakers and musicians, including renowned speaker and vice president of Life Teen Catholic youth ministry movement Mark Hart.

“Mark Hart is, by far, the best speaker in Catholic youth ministry, and we had the opportunity to experience this evening of praise and worship, speaking and adoration,” said Roberts. “The most amazing part – hearing the silence of 24,000 as we knelt in adoration of our Lord.”

Roberts said the young people committed themselves to arriving at the session early and were rewarded for their efforts when friends and family live-streaming the conference from home caught glimpses of the group sitting in matching “Jesus” T-shirts in the front row. The young people also participated in an NCYC tradition by exchanging small gifts with teenagers from other states, and were happy to find that other Catholics were eager to take pictures with them after learning they traveled from the smallest state.

Dussault said she hoped the experience will serve to inspire young people as the diocese prepares to send a delegation to World Youth Day, to be celebrated in Poland in 2016.

“I think the excitement of NCYC is the experience of being in a huge Church that reaches all over the world,” said Dussault. “And realizing that the God we worship in that Church is even more immense.”

Laliberte summed up the experience when asked why she chooses to attend Catholic youth conferences.

“Why not?” she said. “When you’re with God, that’s all that matters, growing with God.”