April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
NCYC TRIP

Local youth experience joy and intensity of national gathering

Hundreds of Catholic teenagers stormed the arena floor on the first night of the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis last week, cheering for pop and rap musicians and showing off their favorite dance moves as tens of thousands of their peers from all over the country clapped along.

"No body surfing, please," an announcer warned jokingly. "No sitting on shoulders, please. Let's be careful with our conga line!"

The participants - including 280 from the Albany Diocese - traded hats, pins, noisemakers and glow sticks, delighted in seeing their tweets on the giant arena viewing screens and made up proud Catholic chants they would later practice in hotel and convention center hallways, in the middle of workshops and on the streets during long, cold walks with throngs of people.

But when it was time for prayer and reflection during the start of the opening session, the teens dutifully returned to their seats and fell reverent in what seemed like an instant. Their ability to switch gears persisted throughout the weekend, impressing even the teens themselves.

"It's amazing that 23,000 people can just be quiet so quickly," said Zachary Peterson, a 15-year-old from St. Mary's parish in Coxsackie.

Danielle Phillips, 17, of St. Mary's parish in Ballston Spa, described NCYC as "breathtaking - especially in those intense moments."

The local teens gathered for dinner with Bishop Howard J. Hubbard at their hotel prior to the first session. Some told The Evangelist they didn't know what to expect, but the theme of the weekend would be quickly spelled out that night.

"Baptism is setting up a life where you come to know how much you desperately need Jesus," a keynote speaker, musician Matt Maher, told the crowd. As he described finding his toddler son sitting on the living room floor without his diaper, a picture of that moment flashed on the screens, to the laughter and groans of those in the arena.

"We're covered in our mess," he explained seriously. "We're covered in our sins. Your expectation is that God has condemnation or shame. This weekend, God wants to empower you and help you realize how perfect you are in His sight."

Speakers, workshop presenters and musicians would drive home this message in the ensuing days. Youth from the Albany Diocese embraced it.

Tara Josberger, 14, attended a workshop about feelings of inadequacy with her friend and fellow Coxsackie parishioner, Abigail Hellen, 14. The speaker's point that "despite what other people say about you, God still loves you" was a relief to Tara.

"Everybody tells you you have to be perfect," she said, "but God doesn't care if you're not. Maybe next time someone asks me to do something, [I'll say] this person doesn't have my best interests at heart."

Rachel Stiffen, 16, of Immaculate Conception parish in Glenville, took a similar lesson away from a workshop called "The 'Perfect' Trap."

"Don't fall into stereotypes and try to fit in," she said. "I struggle with that. You should be who you are. I learned to love God and not be afraid to show it."

(More coverage of NCYC will be featured in an upcoming issue.) [[In-content Ad]]

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