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December 20, 2019INDIANAPOLIS – More than 20,000 teenagers and their mentors attended the National Catholic Youth Conference in November at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana. The conference occurs every two years and is produced by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry. This year’s conference theme was “Blessed, Broken, Given.”
Leticia Martinez-Bowlby, a teen who attended the Steubenville conference in Missouri this past summer, had been looking forward to NCYC since she heard about it.
“They gave us a little bit of insight as to what NCYC would look like. It was only September at the time, but we couldn’t be more excited!” said Martinez-Bowlby, who attended the conference with the group from Epiphany of the Lord in Oklahoma City.
Jackie Nguyen had a similar experience.
“My brother went to NCYC in 2017. He was so on fire with his faith. I could tell it had impacted his life in a profound way and I couldn't wait until I could experience the same.”
The Oklahoma teens arrived in Indiana by bus on Nov. 21.
“When we arrived, we gathered for a For King and Country concert,” said Rebekah Cleary, who attended with a group from Saint John in Edmond. “Friday was filled with speakers and began with a group Bible study with 20,000 people. At the end of the day there was adoration and confession.”
This year’s NCYC emcees were Katie Prejean McGrady and Father Agustino Torres, C.F.R. On Saturday, the general session featured Sister Bethany Madonna.
Breakout sessions included presentations about pro-life issues, chastity and “Deep Dive” where presenters offer practical tips on living their faith more intentionally through prayer and scripture.
The Oklahoma groups also visited “The Global Village,” a building where different sections represented a continent from around the world.
“In one ‘North America’ booth you would find teens helping to make mats for the homeless, in another you would find a booth promoting pro-life, in another you might find priests promoting the life of the priesthood,” Martinez-Bowlby said.
Adoration was the highlight of the trip, Rebekah Cleary said.
“Having 20,000 people surrounding you laying down themselves before the Lord is truly life changing.”
Nguyen’s favorite part of the trip was making new friends.
“I made so many new friends from around the country, countless memories, and an unforgettable experience that has completely changed my life for the better.”
The next NCYC will be in 2021 and the theme will be “Ablaze.” It will take place Nov. 18-20 and the emcees will be Sister Miriam Heidland and Brian Greenfield.
Kaleigh Bennett, a teen who attended with Saint John, said she had a great experience at NCYC.
“It’s an amazing way to get to grow closer as a youth group and parish,” she said.
Martinez-Bowlby encouraged everyone to attend the conference, “It will be the best decision of your life if you choose to go. You will make tons of friends, step out of your comfort zone and have lots of fun! I can’t wait to see what NCYC 2021 has in store for us!”
Miranda Renteria is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic and a sophomore intern from Cristo Rey OKC Catholic High School.
