Epiphany Youth Attend the National Catholic Youth Conference

This past November, 4 seniors from the Senior High Youth Group attended the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Kansas City, MO. Over 22,000 youth from across the nation attended the Conference. The Archdiocese of Louisville sent almost 300 youth to the Conference. Annie Golemboski, Kelly Brand, Matt Welding, and Michael Gruber were the Epiphany members who attended.

NCYC was a weekend full of music, prayer, and spiritual growth. There were many musicians at the Conference who lead praise and worship services with over 20,000 youth assembled in the Sprint Center jumping up and down, dancing, and praying through song. NCYC also had numerous different sessions on various topics for personal growth including chastity, discernment, and putting faith into action. The theme of the weekend was Christ Reigns. The focus was to enlighten the youth about how Christ reigns in their own lives and how they could bring the reign of Christ to others. Annie, Kelly, Matt, and Michael all enjoyed NCYC and came back from it re-energized in their faith. Matt and Kelly both wrote reflections they wish to share with you:

Matt Welding

A few weeks ago I attended the National Catholic Youth Council in Kansas City. Over 22,000 teens attended this year and it was the biggest NCYC so far. This year’s theme was Christ Reigns. We went to many group meetings and concerts. I was most touched by Sal Solo’s song “50 cents a Day”. The message of this song is that we Americans do not realize how good we have it. We have money but yet we feel the need for more. This song explains to us that poor nations like Africa and China live on pennies a day. “50 cents a Day” means if we cut back on a 50 cent candy bar or coke and save it for each month then we could feed a family in Africa. If we all saved just a little amount each month and send it to an organization we could stop world hunger. Doing this would be how I know Christ Reigns in me.

Kelly Brand

I loved NCYC! It was a fantastic way for me to rediscover how much I love my faith. With school, sports and work, religion was just another thing to do on my list, and I needed a reminder that it wasn’t merely something I thought about on Sundays, but something that I had to incorporate into my daily life. The music was so awesomely touching and upbeat that I listen to it all the time now! It’s a great tool to use to remind myself of how present God is in everything. I had forgotten how much of a celebration Catholic worship is and the fact that I felt like I was going to huge concerts every day reminded me of that. It touched my heart to see 21,000 people so genuine and excited about celebrating their faith. NCYC provided a fantastic atmosphere that showed me that it was O.K. to let the world know what I believed in and that I definitely wasn’t alone. I also gained valuable new ideas and insights from the speakers and other people there! It was amazing to look around and see everyone singing the same words and doing the same hand motions to all the songs: it made me realize I was part of something that was so much bigger than myself!

NCYC was a great experience for all the seniors. The Conference is held every 2 years and is on a rotating city basis. In 2 years, NCYC will be held in Indianapolis, IN. The Conference is open to any Senior High Youth who wishes to go. If it sounds like something you would like to do, please join us in 2 years!