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Where can you find about 150 energized teens, Eucharistic adoration and the "largest homemade slip 'n slide this side of the Mississippi"?

These diverse elements came together July 10-13 at the fourth annual St. Isaac Jogues Youth Conference, held at the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville.

The three-day conference, which brings together youth groups from throughout the Albany Diocese and as far away as Buffalo and Vermont, is open to all students entering freshman year of high school through freshman year of college.

The conference is a "weekend dedication toward helping kids see how much God loves them," explained Mike Trudeau, conference coordinator. This is accomplished through workshops, speakers, song and dance, the celebration of Mass, and self-examination.

The youth conference was energized by a core group of 19 enthusiastic students, known as "peer disciples." They arrived on Monday and spent the week setting up, planning skits and preparing for the arrival of their fellow participants.

"The peer disciples really energize us," explained Kristine Winne, a conference chaperone. 

One of the peer disciples, Sarah Wagoner of St. Mary's Church in Amsterdam, explained the role as an opportunity to "reach out to your peers, because they are going through what you're going through."

According to Mr. Trudeau, the goal of the conference is to create an opportunity for teens to hear and respond to the call of God. He said: "If you're in a really loud room and someone is calling to you, it's really hard to hear. Maybe you start to think He's not there." He went on to explain that the youth conference can provide the "quiet room" necessary for the call of God to be heard.

That is not to say the actual conference lacks sound or even noise. A rock band played and time was set aside for messy games, such as racing to spit baby food through a cone. Youth groups competed in a tournament titled "Epic Battle Royale," completing silly tasks to earn points for their parish.

"It's crazy stuff, but it creates the environment that's fun and crazy, so people are happy to be there," explained another peer leader, Nicole Kujan of St. Ambrose parish in Latham.

Fun and talk
The students heard from local and national speakers. This year, the teens chose from a variety of workshops, such as "Pro-choice: Choose to Love" and "If Desire Were a Bullet, What Would Be Your Gun?"

Speakers included comedian Judy McDonald, Echodown Ministries founder Dewey Szarkowski, and Life Teen contributor and author Todd Lemieux.

The conference was also attended by several priests, who spoke on their decision to enter the priesthood. On Saturday, the students were joined for lunch by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, who also celebrated Mass that morning in the open-air tent used for most events.

Mr. Trudeau said the St. Isaac Jogues Youth Conference is made possible by the efforts of more than 200 volunteers, whose "compensation is purely the joy of participation in faith." 

Their labors, combined with extensive fundraising, allow participant costs to remain at a relatively low $145. The fee covers hotel expenses, as well as a conference t-shirt and water bottle.

The theme of this year's conference was "Extraordinary." Mr. Trudeau said the theme was chosen to remind participants of their "extraordinary call from God, the extraordinary love God gives us and the extraordinary people who hear the call from God and live out this message."

Now Catholics
After Eucharistic adoration on Saturday night, the assembled participants were reminded: "We are the Church of today, not the Church of tomorrow." They were called to "be the saints God wanted us to be."

"I think I've grown in my faith," said Rachele Prawdzik, a first-year participant from St. Paul's Church in Schenectady. "Hopefully I'll continue to pray more and keep that relationship without letting everyday life get in the way."

Nicole stressed the great potential for growth offered through the conference. "If you put your heart into, it if you give it your all, you're going to take back so much more than you ever even thought you could," she said.

She added, "The experience of God, just feeling God...that can stay with you for a long time."
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