A powerful encounter of faith and hope

Nearly 30 students from the Diocese of Tucson attended this year’s National Catholic Youth Conference held in Indianapolis, Indiana.  

The theme of the three-day conference was titled “I Am.” The 28 youth from the diocese represented parishes in the Tucson, Casa Grande, and Yuma vicariates. The Tucson delegation included eight adults. Over the course of the three-day conference students worshiped in Mass, sang, prayed the Rosary, and attended Adoration.
For students from the Diocese of Tucson the conference was a life-changing event. Hilda from Yuma said, “This was such a transformational experience for me. It was an experience full of faith, support, and friendly experiences.” 
One of the historic highlights of the conference was Pope Leo digitally joining the 16,000 in attendance. The Holy Father spoke for more than an hour and answered live questions from a handful of youth. In his remarks Pope Leo said, “What a blessing it is to see so many young Catholics seeking the Lord with sincerity and joy.” He answered questions from youth including one young woman who asked about sin to which the pope in part responded, “Because of original sin, we sometime do the opposite of what we know is right. But there is good news. Sin never has the final word. Whenever we ask for God’s mercy, he forgives us.”

Father Manu Franco, O.Carm., the Director of Youth Ministry for the diocese said students were selected based on their applications and recommendations from their parishes. He hopes they returned rejuvenated and ready to lead their church communities in new directions, “Some students come back wanting to bolster their music ministry program or empowered to attend Adoration. All those things are positive and it’s why we strive to attend every year.”

Melanie, a student from Tucson said, “This was probably the best thing I have experienced in my life so far. I got to go with my closest friends and make some new ones along the way. I loved that we all were able to match each other’s energy while getting closer to God.”

Next year’s National Youth Conference will be held in California. If you are interested in learning more about support for youth in the diocese please visit Youth Ministry