Winds of Change—Or—The Hum of “Awesome God”
The Sunday evening my son Kevin returned from Atlanta became one of those nights of really good conversation and story telling. The National Catholic Youth Conference ended the previous evening and after getting very little sleep in a hotel full of youth, followed by a 10-hour bus trip, I had expected to be greeted by a tired, hungry, and perhaps grumpy teenager. Instead of heading for the shower or his bedroom, he sat at the kitchen table and began to talk about his previous four days. His enthusiastic opening line was simply, “this was the best ever, it was just amazing!”
A month shy of turning 18, Kevin has been involved in a number of youth ministry programs including diocesan youth gatherings, various retreats, service programs and CLI. He is active in theater, music, played basketball, and broke his collarbone playing on a competitive Ultimate Frisbee football team. He has had many good times and meaningful experiences during high school. NCYC in Atlanta was a highlight of what has already been an eventful senior year.
I attended my first large gathering for Catholic youth close to 35 years ago and I can vaguely remember some of the pins and hats and tee shirts. I imagine I may have resembled my son as he arrived home wearing traded souvenirs and signed articles of clothing. Far more meaningful than what he collected were several experiences he spoke about that first evening home and has often repeated since then. In the past few weeks, hearing and seeing some of the impact of these conference experiences through my parent eyes, has been wonderful.
There are three things I hope for when I think of Kevin and his journey towards a deepening faith and spiritual maturity: that he will discover the presence of God in the people he meets; that he can experience the value of Christian community that the Church has to offer; and that he develops a fulfilling prayer life centered around the Eucharist. As I listened to his stories, I learned that for him NCYC was an experience that combined all three.
After several conversations, I asked Kevin to write down what was most significant to him. I offer a bit of what he has shared, using his own words, as a witness to the good ministry done in Atlanta.
After NCYC in Houston, and now after Atlanta, Kevin described the scene of walking into the arena and seeing thousands of teenagers. He learned again that God is present in everyone.
“If you’ve ever felt exiled or alone in your faith, this experience will change you for the rest of your life. 20,000 other Catholic teens…when you look around the stadium it looks like a rainbow because all of the different groups are wearing matching t-shirts of every different color.”
“ I remember the region 5 meeting, when I got to speak to all of the different youth from parishes all over the region. It is so much fun to learn that even though these kids live so far away, they are exactly like my friends and me. I found it amazing to be able to listen to some of the people from New Orleans as they shared their stories from the hurricane. One girl, in particular, told me about how she was rescued but also how hard it was for her since her mother had died.”
The influence of the peer group is evident whenever youth gather. That influence is a powerful force when used to build up the Church, the Body of Christ, and a community of believers.
“So many teenagers go to the conference as Catholics who never have known any faith but their own; NCYC makes them proud of their faith and church traditions. Parents have given their children faith but NCYC helps them to make it their own.”
“The young church is active and alive, and NCYC proves that. They will come home realizing that they are not alone in their Catholic identity, and it is this ideal that will give them more confidence than they could have dreamed of before the conference”
More than anything else Kevin repeatedly spoke of the conference prayer and the closing mass as powerful faith-filled experiences. The Eucharist is the focal point of our faith and NCYC celebrated and prayed very well.
“Imagine what Sunday mass is like: 20,000+ people going up to communion, people singing, a cantor/choir leading them in song. Well, that’s what the final part of NCYC is like, except it’s a mass of 20,000+ people receiving the Body of Christ, 20,000 teenagers praising God in song at the top of their lungs, a group of students and musicians leading the group in song, 20,000 people all holding hands reciting our Lord’s prayer as it was meant to be said. The final day mass is an incredibly powerful experience…never have I appreciated mass more in my life… the images of unity among the church left few eyes dry on that day. It is a day I will never forget.”
I asked Kevin to tell me about a message to give to parents about NCYC. He wrote: “When your sons and daughters come home humming “Awesome God” for the 3 weeks, you won’t be sorry you sent them. They will come home with a new appreciation of the mass, and how sacred the body and blood really are. You will be proud to be the parent of a teenager who has had these wonderful experiences.”
This parent is pleased and proud and also grateful to NFCYM for all the good that you do.