World Youth Day

• For anyone ages 16+
  
• Next World Youth Day will be in 2005 in Cologne, Germany
  
• Past World Youth Day locations: Rome, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Compostela, Czestochowa, Denver, Manila, Paris, Rome, Toronto

“The following year, 1985, the Holy Father again invited young people to Rome on Palm Sunday for the observance of the United Nations (U.N.) International Year of Youth. Thus, the celebrations of World Youth Day were initiated.

“The Holy Father’s meetings with young people and special letters to them have continued beyond the U.N. observance and have become a yearly celebration. Since 1985, Pope John Paul II has issued a letter addressed to the youth of the world to meet with him at one location for catechesis, fellowship, worship, and renewal.”[1]

Faithful Servant: A Christ-Centered Leadership Experience:

Annual Diocesan Event for High School Youth

A 5-day Christian Leadership Training Program in the summer

Co-sponsored with the Diocese of Raleigh

“The goal of Faithful Servant: A Christ-Centered Leadership Experience is to actualize the Christian leadership potential of each participant while heightening his or her awareness of the dynamics and responsibilities of leadership roles in high school, parish, youth ministry and beyond.

This retreat provides an opportunity to develop leadership skills through an intense week of experiential learning within the context of Christian Community. At Faithful Servant, participants are challenged to create a vibrant Christian community which shares prayer, meals, lessons, and life together while focusing on organizational skills, communication skills, leadership styles, group dynamics, planning skills, diversity training, and consensus seeking skills, all of which are rooted in a Gospel-centered environment. Attendants are challenged to employ the various skills developed at the Faithful Servant at home in their family, parish, school and larger community. The week includes worship, skills development, and recreation.”[1].

Faithful Servant: A Christ-Centered Leadership Experience:

Annual Diocesan Event for High School Youth

A 5-day Christian Leadership Training Program in the summer

Co-sponsored with the Diocese of Raleigh

“The goal of Faithful Servant: A Christ-Centered Leadership Experience is to actualize the Christian leadership potential of each participant while heightening his or her awareness of the dynamics and responsibilities of leadership roles in high school, parish, youth ministry and beyond.

This retreat provides an opportunity to develop leadership skills through an intense week of experiential learning within the context of Christian Community. At Faithful Servant, participants are challenged to create a vibrant Christian community which shares prayer, meals, lessons, and life together while focusing on organizational skills, communication skills, leadership styles, group dynamics, planning skills, diversity training, and consensus seeking skills, all of which are rooted in a Gospel-centered environment. Attendants are challenged to employ the various skills developed at the Faithful Servant at home in their family, parish, school and larger community. The week includes worship, skills development, and recreation.”[1].

Lenten Retreat, 2002

Reflections Retreats

• Two annually: Fall and Lenten
  
• A weekend-long retreat for High School teens
  
• Approximately 30 people per retreat

Some past themes include:

• “Into the Wild” (based on Luke 4:1 and 15)
• “Into the Wild led by the Spirit…Out from the Wild, armed with the Spirit.”
• “Proclaim a year of Favor” (based on Luke 4:16-20)
• “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has sent me to proclaim…a year of the Lord’s Favor.”
• “Take up your Cross and Follow Me.” (based on Luke 9:25)

Extreme Faith (formerly Spring Fling):

• Annual Diocesan Event
  
• A day-long retreat for Middle School youth
  
• Approximately 300 youth from around the Diocese attend each year
  
• Held at different parishes throughout the Diocese

 HIPP (Help Increase the Peace Program):

• Annual Diocesan Event or for individual parishes, by request
  
• 2-day retreat for either High or Middle School
  
• Program which seeks to deal with conflict and embrace non-violence

All of the HIPP workshops use participatory activities and discussions to help participants build community, develop interpersonal skills, analyze the social forces which contribute to violence, and envision the steps that would lead to a more just world.

HIPP combines serious, focused reflection with energetic, fun activities, creating a balance that engages people… It builds a heightened awareness among participants of the need to reduce hatred and build understanding among different social groups. It builds a community based on dialogue and encourages participants to see each other as valuable resources for creating change.”

True Love Waits:

• For individual parishes, by request
  
• For Middle and High School youth

• Promoting the value of living a non-sexually active lifestyle for adolescents
• Providing resources which champion the social environs that enhance teenagers’ sexual abstinence
• Providing resources which encourage the development of systems which support the families in which teens live
• Communicating and clarifying the Catholic Church’s moral teaching on human sexuality
• Affirming young people in their commitment to be witnesses for Jesus Christ as Christians in the modern world True Love Waits is a vehicle for renewing and revitalizing this core message.”

Closing Mass, Indianoplis, 2001

National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC)

• Biennial National conference
• For 20,000+ High School youth
• Four-day-long conference, consisting of workshops, entertainment, keynote speakers, daily Mass, and many other community-based activities
• Similar to the DYC (Diocesan Youth Conference), but on a National level
• The next NCYC is scheduled for December 6-9, 2001 in Indianapolis, IN
• For more information, please visit www.ncyc.org

  “My trip to the National Catholic Youth Conference was the most spiritually-enriching event I have ever attended and probably ever will.  The atmosphere from the 22,000 teenagers from all over the country was so invigorating and upbeat.  It was wonderful to see that there still are plenty of young people who aren’t afraid to admit their Catholic faith so openly.  Simply the fact that 22,000 teens paid a large sum of money to make the journey to St. Louis says a lot about the Lord’s pull.  I believe that His presence is more evident now in the 22,000 attendees than it was before the conference.  That one week that we spent in St. Louis strengthened His Church more than anyone can imagine.  It was a wonderful experience and I strongly recommend the attendance of as many Catholic youth as possible.”

“I am a youth minister and I have seen a new spirit in the members of our regional youth group since their attendance at the 1999 NCYC gathering. They are more likely to accept leadership roles in events being planned and they are becoming a potent faith presence with their peers. They are quicker to reach out, invite, include, and affirm others who have not been a part of previous events. On the flight home from St. Louis, there were several instances where the “God is good, followed by the “all the time” response, was used, which raised a positive response from other passengers on the plane. Their identity as Catholic youth is more evident; it is something about which they are proud.”

                            -Anonymous Youth Minister and NCYC attendee