Pope to U.S. teens at NCYC: “You matter!”

I hope it will help me open up more to God back home and realize that I can do anything he wants me to do, because he will always be with me.”

James Lamm, a member of St. Peter Parish in Fulton

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Light from a gigantic TV screen reflected off the faces of over 16,000 young Catholics congregated in the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The face on the screen was of none other than Pope Leo XIV, bishop of Rome, vicar of Christ, servant of the servants of God.

“Your voices, your ideas, your faith matter right now, and the Church needs you,” the pope told the assembly.

Pope Leo spoke via livestream, for close to an hour, on Nov. 21 with participants at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).

Two hundred sixty-five people from the Jefferson City diocese, including Bishop Ralph B. O’Donnell, attended the Nov. 20-22 event in Indianapolis.

Personnel from the diocesan Youth/Young Adult Ministry worked with the Vocations and Women’s Ministry offices and with parishes to organize the trip.

During the digital encounter, Pope Leo responded to questions from five high school students from regions across the country.

The questions were developed in meetings with other students and adults and were sent to the pope in advance.

The pope did not disappoint. He urged young Catholics not to let their hope be disappointed by worldly ideologies.

He spoke about prayer and distractions, mental health and stress, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital communication.

He invited everyone present to choose the path that brings about their most authentic self. 

“The live chat with Pope Leo — that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Mabry Caton, a senior at Boonville High School and member of Ss. Peter & Paul Parish in Boonville.

Equally memorable for her were the frequent reminders in workshops, keynote sessions and homilies of the importance of prayer.

“Something as simple as that you must pray to be close to God,” she said. “That’s a direct connection to God and something I need to think about before I do anything.”

NCYC is a three-day, large-scale Catholic event that gathers young people from across the United States for a life-changing encounter with Christ.

It’s an experience of prayer, community, evangelization, catechesis, service and empowerment for high school aged Catholics and their adult chaperones.

The theme for this year’s was “I Am” (“Yo Soy”), which was God’s response when Moses asked him whom he should tell the Israelites had sent him to them.

James Lamb, a senior at Fulton High School and member of St. Peter Parish in Fulton, said a recurring theme at NCYC is that “no matter who you are, Jesus will be with you, no matter where you are and what you’re doing.”

“I hope it will help me open up more to God back home and realize that I can do anything he wants me to do, because he will always be with me,” he said.

“God wants you here”

Buses of young Catholics from central and northeastern Missouri and their chaperones converged in Effingham, Illinois, for Mass and lunch on the way to the conference.

The young travelers had departed early that morning and were road-weary.

Father Paul Clark, vocations director and director of seminarians for the diocese and chaplain at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, urged everyone to let go of any fears and distractions.

“From the beginning of time, God knew you’d be sitting in these pews,” he proclaimed from the pulpit of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Effingham. “He knew you would say ‘yes’ to going to the National Catholic Youth Conference in 2025.”

He emphasized that God’s story, the story of his interaction with people throughout Salvation History, from creation through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, through the lives of the saints is the greatest love story of all time.

“And it’s your story! It’s our story!” the priest stated. “It’s why we’re here. It’s not just a story that you’re a small part of. It’s YOUR love story of a God who is zealously and passionately in love with you!”

The priest urged everyone present to give over to God anything that would keep them from saying “yes” to that love.

“We’ve got to be ready to enter more fully into the story of how much he loves us,” said Fr. Clark. “We need to be ready to respond. So, if there’s anything that is in any way going to keep us from entering more fully into this experience, let’s leave it at this altar.”

Put on Christ

At the conference, participants wore joyful clothing and distinct, sometimes ridiculous headgear and engaged in happy conversations with Catholics their age from all over the country.

Evening keynote presentations were filled with music, reverence and joy.

Numerous priests spent time hearing Confessions throughout the event.

Representatives from numerous religious orders, missionary and charity organizations, vendors and Catholic institutes of higher education were on hand to visit with the teens.

Organizers provided break-out sessions with nationally-renowned speakers on various themes and topics.

Mabry enjoyed visiting the massive interactive exhibit hall, filled with tables and booths.

“It’s really fun,” she said.

Bishop O’Donnell offered Mass in a hotel ballroom for everyone from the Jefferson City diocese.

It was the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Gospel reading was the passage in which Jesus says, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother,” (Matthew 12:46-50).

“The reality,” said Bishop O’Donnell in his homily, “is, if we’re going to be brothers and sister in Jesus, we have to LOOK like Jesus looked while walking among us.

“And to look like the Lord, he tells us, we have to ACT like the Lord,” he stated. “When we extend ourselves in kindness and charity, when we help others, when we are kind to others, when we lift others up by what we say and what we do, Jesus, our brother, our Savior is present.”

Referring to the matching blue sweatshirts of everyone present was wearing, he asked: “How, beyond what we wear, will people know that we are believers, that we are Catholic Christians from the Jefferson City diocese, that we’re brothers and sisters of the Lord?”

He urged everyone to pray for help in recognizing Christ fully present in the Eucharist at Mass and in Adoration, and to “let the virtue of the meditation of the Rosary affect us.”

“As we draw strength from these realities, we can bring real strength into the world, to the glory of God, our Father,” the bishop said.

Trusting in mercy

During the digital encounter, Pope Leo XIV urged young Catholics to be “intentional” with their screen time, their prayer time and their involvement in a local parish.

He called to mind St. Augustine’s relentless search as a young man for fulfillment and happiness. 

“Nothing satisfied him until he opened his heart to God,” the pope noted. “That is why he wrote, ‘You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.’”

Pope Leo encouraged the teens to ask themselves: “What can I offer the Church for the future? How can I help others come to know Christ? How can I build peace and friendship around me?”

He pointed out that all people at some time have difficulty forgiving themselves, but God always forgives.

“We may struggle to forgive, but God’s heart is different,” the pope stated. “God never stops inviting us back. We experience this mercy of God in a special way in the Sacrament of Reconciliation; in Confession, Jesus meets us through the priest. When we honestly confess our sins and accept our penance, the priest gives absolution, and we know with certainty that we are forgiven.”

“Look to Jesus, trust his mercy and go to him with confidence; he will always welcome you home,” the pope said to applause.

Voice and vocation

More than 25 bishops and 250 priests concelebrated the closing Mass on Saturday night.

Before Mass, Bishop O’Donnell hosted a gathering with everyone present from the diocese.

Megan Bruce, a member of Immaculate Conception parish in Jefferson City, asked him: “How can you let the voices of the young people be heard in the Church today?”

The bishop began by pointing out that disciples of Jesus have a clear and unique understanding of the word “voice.”

“Because the first voice we are to be mindful of is the voice of the Lord,” he said. “And what we try to do as disciples is to recognize his voice in what’s going on around us and pattern our voice in imitation of him.”

Catholics need to help each other single out the voice of Christ and also be that voice to one another, the bishop stated.

He said young Catholics bring their own experience of discipleship to any conversation

“I’m so mindful of what you experience in your schools, in your communities, in your faith communities, in your families,” he said. “What you bring right now by your joy, your encouragement and most importantly your love will have an impact on parishes, your communities and indeed, the world.”

“So, I’ll continue to call upon you to be that voice,” he stated.

The bishop emphasized that every Catholic has a vocation in the Church.

“Everybody is called by virtue of our Baptism to live out the beauty of our baptismal promises, in a vocation,” he said. “Our work is to discern, ‘Where is God calling me to serve?’”

Keep it going

Mabry said she hopes to remember everything she learned and experienced at NCYC and “bring a small piece of that back home with me.”

“You can’t experience anything like this unless you’re here, but I hope to bring some of it back to my friends and my family,” she said.

She wants to be a Catholic disciple for the rest of her life.

“I want to spread the word about Jesus,” she said. “The people here are telling us that to be good Catholics, you have to be bold about telling people about God. I want to do that.”

She hopes every young Catholic gets to attend an event such as NCYC and regional Steubenville Conferences.

“It’s puts into perspective that people our age want to be followers of Christ, and encourages us to do the same,” she said.

James said more opportunities for Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation would also be helpful.

For him, Adoration is an opportunity to rest in the Lord and be reassured that Jesus is there with him.

“He listens and knows how to respond,” said James.

God takes away sin in Confession.

“When I exit the confessional, I always feel way better because the sin has been lifted,” James stated.

Mabry asked for prayers for the people coming home from NCYC: “that we all find peace with God and always remember that he makes us worthy of his love.”

Contributing to this report was Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service, and Father Simon Jude Kanyike, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Eldon and Our Lady of Snows Parish in Mary’s Home.