Local teens invited to attend National Catholic Youth Conference

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney is inviting teenagers of the Paterson Diocese to join him for a “life­changing” spiritual experience: a pilgrimage to the 2023 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), to be held from Thurs­day, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18, in Indianapolis, Ind. This will be Bishop Sweeney’s first time joining a contingent from the diocese for this three-day premiere Catholic event, which is expected to draw 25,000 faithful from around the United States.

“Indianapolis is not a holy place — it’s not the Holy Land — but we will make it a holy place during this pilgrimage experience. It helps young people grow in their faith and celebrate that belief in Jesus,” said John Cam­marata, director of the diocesan Youth Ministry. Recently, he spoke to youth ministers and young people interested in attending NCYC at a meeting at the Evangelization Center at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison.

NCYC promises to inspire participating Catholic high-school-aged teens and their adult chaperones to become more enthusiastic about their faith and more committed to spreading the Gospel in their home dioceses and beyond. Spiritual activities will include catechetical sessions, an outdoor Eucharistic procession, and Masses, notably a closing liturgy, to be attended by 25,000 faithful and led by U.S. bishops, including Bishop Sweeney.

“The closing Mass is inspiring. Seeing all those Catholics from around the U.S., the young people start to feel a part of something they didn’t realize — that they may come from small parishes, but they are part of a much larger Church,” said Cammarata, also youth minister of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsip­pany. “It’s also wonderful that Bishop Sweeney will be spending so much time with us.”

The conference will present lots of fun activities, such as presentations, catechesis, worship, and performances led by popular Catholic speakers and musical artists. There will be games, crafts, obstacle courses, meetups, live radio shows, challenges, and breakout sessions. Topics will include Catholic identity, Catholic social teaching, cultural diversity, family relationships, forgiveness, global issues, leadership, self-esteem, sexuality, and spirituality and prayer.

“It [NCYC] is a powerfully unique experience of prayer, community, evangelization, catechesis, service, and empowerment. It is the premiere Catholic youth event on a national scale that gathers people from all across the United States for a life-changing encounter with Christ,” states the website of NCYC, organized by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.

At this major national conference, Paterson participants will have opportunities to embrace their diocesan identity, including a Mass with those from Region 3— from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Each night, parish leaders are urged to gather their groups for “Parish Time” to pray and process the day together.

NCYC is for Catholic high-school-aged teens for the 2023-24 school year. Chaperones must be at least 21 years old. There should be at least one adult for every six youths. All adults must comply with the diocesan Safe Environment Policy, which means they must have cleared a background check and completed initial safe-environment training.

Each parish or school will make its own arrangements for transportation to and from Indianapolis and for meals. The cost is $1,054.55 per person: $325 for NCYC fees, $719.55 per room, and $10 for a Region 3 T-shirt.

Permission slips should be uploaded to the NCYC website, https://ncyc.us, no later than Aug. 15. Payment in full will be due in September.

For information, call John Cammarata at 973-377-1004, ext. 403, or email him at [email protected]. Visit https://insidethewalls.org/youth or
https://ncyc.us for more details.