The Third Diocesan Synod highlighted youth and young adult ministry as a high priority. The Synod Pastoral Initiative No. 6 called for the “development, support and funding of a comprehensive youth and young adult ministry” which empowers young people to live as disciples of Christ, participate responsibly in the life of the Church, and engage in peer communities which nurture their personal and spiritual growth. This priority was affirmed and underscored by being included in the recently promulgated Diocesan Statutes (No. 14).

Providing opportunities for young people to gather in faith experiences as Catholics is one of the ways of achieving this objective. Events such as the annual Diocesan Youth and Young Adults Convention and World Youth Day have long provided an opportunity for young Catholics to develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation of their Catholic faith and greater participation in the life of the Church.

On July 21-22, some 700 youth and young adults from around our diocese gathered together at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville for the 2007 Diocesan Youth and Young Adult Convention. As an overnight experience this year, we sought to give the young people a sense of what the World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, next summer will be like and to motivate as many as possible to attend.

The convention gave the participants the opportunity to explore diverse ways to grow deeper in their relationship with God through prayer, ministries, mission work, and vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The enthusiastic spirit of the convention was a good preparation for World Youth Day 2008.

Pam Stenzel was the keynote speaker of our convention. An internationally-renowned teacher of sexuality from a Catholic perspective, Pam was up front and down to earth about sex, its consequences, abstinence before marriage, and the call to holiness and witness. Her direct approach and her use of language familiar to young people of today captivated the participants. All were grateful to Pam for sharing her experience and convictions with them so as to help them make choices in their life that will draw them closer to God.

Curtis Stephan and his music team provided great music for the event. Curtis is well-known for his music ministry in his own parish in Texas and for his appeal to youth. Curtis also shares his music at youth gatherings around the country. Curtis gave a great concert to our young people on Saturday evening that was very popular. In addition, he provided music for the prayer services, liturgies and talks. Curtis has a gift of getting the young people actively involved in the praise and worship of God.

The convention also offered a variety of workshops to help young people to explore the possibilities of greater and deeper involvement in the life of the Church. The workshop topics were: explaining and defending one’s Catholic faith, sacred Scripture and youth, activities for youth ministry, charismatic prayer, lay missionary work, and discernment of a possible religious vocation. Some were in Spanish as well as English.

A Vocation Café was also held. Some 16 religious communities of men and women made information available and had displays telling about themselves and their ministries. The café was a popular attraction and helped the youth to interact with various religious, seminarians, and priests. Many showed interest in exploring the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood or the religious life. The workshop on vocations also drew a large crowd and many questions.

It was especially inspiring to me to see how the young people joined me so reverently for the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. It was impressive to see their devotion. After Benediction, over 200 of the participants took advantage of the opportunity to go to Confession — until 1:30 a.m!

Sunday’s closing Eucharist took place at noon. In spite of the heat, it was truly awe-inspiring to witness the sincerity, joy, faith and devotion of these good young people from our parishes. Their excitement about their faith and their love for Jesus were very palpable. This shows real hope for the future.

I want to thank all those who prepared and assisted with this Youth Convention. Victor Alvarez, Diocesan Director for Youth and Young Adults, is especially to be commended — but also many others, including the young people who attended and their parish youth directors.

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