|
| Jacqueline, right, swapped her bishop's hat for a Philly cheesesteak hat with Tiffany from Philly! |
NCYC: "I wouldn't trade it for anything!"
The National Catholic
Youth Conference happens every two years. More than 21,000 Catholic youth and adults came together Nov. 19-21 in Kansas
City, Mo., including about 700 from our diocese. One of them, Jacqueline Vonderhaar, shares her experience in this
story.
NCYC changed my life and
the way I allow God into it. Through this outstanding opportunity, I met so many people and had a life-changing experience.
The people at NCYC made NCYC truly amazing.
In my group we wore hats that looked like a bishop’s miter. My group
would not have met as many people as we did if we had not had these hats. We could not go anywhere without being stopped and
asked, “Do you want to trade hats?” We got asked this about 10 times an hour. Luckily, we could not trade until
Saturday, because we used the hats to keep our group together. I had some pretty interesting offers for mine. One girl offered
me
|
| Daniella and Carrie swapped for some seriously cool hats. |
her jacket and shoes, and someone else offered me $600,000. You are probably thinking: why did you not take
that offer?! I can honestly say I do not regret rejecting it, even if it would have been a serious offer.
Instead of
worrying about what we got in return, two girls in my group and I were determined to make a difference and bring a smile to
someone’s face. One of the girls gave her hat to a priest who had set up a church in a third-world country. Another
gave hers to a deaf boy. He had a deaf friend who really wanted one, too, but there were no more hats to trade. So, phone
numbers were exchanged in case there was a miter to be found. I had been other places
that day and had carried around my hat and hid it so that I would not have to say no to trades with a lot of people. When
my group rejoined for
|
| Even Bishop Amos and Fr. Nick Adam got into hat-swapping! |
dinner, I still had my hat. I heard about the
deaf girl wanting a hat and I agreed to trade hats. I met her before Mass and traded hats. The smile on her face was worth
the price of the whole trip. I took a picture with her so I could remember the difference I made in this girl’s life
just by trading hats. After that experience, I no longer cared if I could have made a better trade, because nothing could
top that.
I had another great experience. I had the opportunity of being an ambassador, a youth leader for the conference,
along with Quinn Montgomery (DYMC’s chairman this year). We represented Iowa in the ambassador group. We each led a
prayer at a breakout and we closed one breakout together. We decided to make our closing an amazing experience in itself,
so we made up a rap and rapped our thank you while one of the presenters beat-boxed for us. It was a lot of fun and a good
and entertaining way to thank them.
NCYC was a life-changing experience for me.
|
| Megan and Alissa do the Catholic Dance! |
I could feel Jesus’ presence everywhere I went. The energy from all the singing and dancing was
indescribable. Having 20,000 other kids my age praise Jesus along with me is the coolest thing I have ever experienced. All
the talks touched my heart. Having Mass with everyone at the end of the conference was perfect, because we all got to share
the body and blood of Christ. I have come back with a new perspective on life and I am now closer to God than I have ever
been before.
I encourage every high school student to attend NCYC and experience how awesome this trip is. Talk to
your youth minister and
|
| Phil, Adam and Joshua enjoy the Reign Forest. |
start planning for NCYC 2011 in Indianapolis! I have traveled all over the country and nothing
has come close to this experience. I would not trade it for anything!
| More NCYC photos and news beneath this crazy photo |
|
| Has a plague of frogs descended upon Kansas City? Nope, it's just the gang from Clinton! |
|
| Tiffany & Kelsey enjoy the view at Sprint Center. |
Something I will never forget
Katie Paris, a senior
at Pleasant Valley High School and member of Our Lady of the River Parish in LeClaire, wrote this for her parish newsletter.
I recently traveled to Kansas City for the National Catholic Youth Conference
or NCYC. NCYC is a three-day conference held every two years for high school students from all over the country. At NCYC the
teens pray, sing, learn and celebrate the goodness of our God.
There are various workshops to attend, all about different
issues teens have to face in life and how to deal with them. On the final day everyone comes together for a Mass led by the
bishops who attend. This year at NCYC, more than 20,000 teens, priests and adult helpers participated.
My experience at NCYC was something I will never forget. I grew an incredible amount in my faith and learned a lot
about how Christ works in all areas of life. Of course, there is much more to NCYC than praying
|
| The Eucharistic Procession on Friday was inspiring. 18,000 people walking eight blocks with Jesus! |
and growing in faith. There are things like concerts, dances and of course, making new friends.
I can honestly say I feel blessed to have made friends with some amazing teens. One of the easiest ways to meet people is
to trade items brought by your parish: things like crazy hats, T-shirts and buttons. It is not uncommon for someone to come
up to you and ask to trade hats or some other crazy item with you. I highly recommend NCYC
to all high school Catholics. It is an unforgettable experience that you will cherish in your heart forever. The next NCYC
is going to be held in 2011 in Indiana. Until then, I highly recommend getting involved with the church. Go to a retreat like
QUEST or COR. Attend the ditch
|
| Some of our folks (you can tell us by the cool shirts and hoodies!) wait for the Blessed Sacrament. |
clean up, or serve at Café on Vine. You could even start you own program to help others. To get started, ask
around for support. Trust me; there are people out there who would be more than willing to help you. There are so many ways
to get involved with the church, even little things like helping to decorate the church for Christmas or Easter. You won’t
regret helping out and getting involved. As in the motto for NCYC, step up, step out and get involved. Thank you and God bless.
Click here for an interview with MC Steve Angrisano
|
| You never know who you'll meet at NCYC! |
Assumption HS youth reports
Mary Agnoli from Our Lady of Victory reports on the NCYC closing Mass.
NCYC is something you've got to experience, writes Austin O'Brien of St. Paul the Apostle
|
| Our Lady of Victory youth wait in their cool hardhats to enter Sprint Center for a keynote session. |
Youth keynoters impressed Jessica Yackley of Our Lady of Victory
Chastity speakers bring tough message in a cool way, writes Elizabeth Evans
NCYC 2011 is set for Nov. 17-19
in Indianapolis! If you're in grades 7-10, tell your parish youth leader you're revved up for Indy!
|
| Mandi, Megan and Maria enjoy the Grand Ballroom scene Friday. |
An NCYC reunion Mass is being planned with Bishop Amos this Fall in Iowa City. We'll
look back at '09 and look ahead to '11. Watch here for details!
Click here to hear Steve & Jesse sing "Sacred Silence"
|
| Julia, Natalie, Jacqueline and Max relax at NCYC. |
|
