Monticello youth renew faith at NCYC

     Just before Thanksgiving, 45 Sacred Heart Catholic Church members (29 youth and 16 adults) embarked on a four-day trip to Indianapolis, Ind. The mission was to attend the 2019 NCYC (National Catholic Youth Conference) with youth from all over the country.

     This is the fourth time Sacred Heart attended NCYC, which takes place every other year. The first time they went, the church had about a dozen in attendance. Now, their numbers have grown exponentially. (St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Hopkinton is linked to Sacred Heart. They sent some attendees as well.)

     NCYC is geared toward youth in grades 9-12. This means some youth get to go twice before they graduate.

     “It’s an all new experience for some,” shared Connie Goldsmith, one of the adult chaperones.

     Over 20,000 youth and adults attended NCYC this year.

     “That’s pretty amazing,” boasted Goldsmith of the numbers.

     The Dubuque Archdiocese, of which Sacred Heart is a member of, took over 1,600 attendees.

     “That was the biggest representation,” said Goldsmith.

     NCYC is about enriching the faith of the youth, seeing the Catholic church as bigger than their community church, and inspiring the youth to get involved in mission work.

     Fr. Paul Baldwin of Sacred Heart/St. Luke’s said NCYC is about helping the youth.

     “It’s a way to help the youth (young church) grow in the Catholic faith,” he said. “It is also an opportunity for them to see that they are not alone, but that they are part of a larger community of peers from all over the U.S.”

     A couple hundred priests and bishops attend as well, including Fr. Baldwin.

     While in Indianapolis, the youth attend several breakout sessions where they hear from guest speakers. Some of the Sacred Heart youth even led a session or two.

     “We encouraged them to attend all of the sessions,” said Goldsmith. “There was so much good information.”

     “The hope is that through their experience at NCYC they will understand they are not just the future of the Church, but they are the Church today,” added Fr. Baldwin.

     Another aspect of NCYC is social interaction. And the Sacred Heart youth did not shy away from that! One way to encourage the youth to make friends from other parishes around the country is through trading hats. Goldsmith said that was a big thing to see all of the youth trading hats.

     “Once it caught on, oh my gosh!” she said. “There was a lot of camaraderie. You get to know a lot of people.”

     A powerful moment for Goldsmith was witnessing the entire stadium in silence for over an hour during adoration.

     Overall, NCYC renewed everyone’s faith, said Goldsmith.

     “It showed them that the church is bigger than small-town Iowa,” explained Goldsmith.

     Fr. Baldwin said the youth found that the Church really does value them. “They know how much God the Father truly loves them, how much the Lord Jesus is truly within them, and that the Holy Spirit is guiding their lives.”

     Fr. Baldwin admitted it’s neat for the adults to see the youth of the church in a whole new light while on the trip.

     On the bus ride home, the youth were still singing and chanting songs they learned while on the trip.

     The youth worked hard to earn the money to attend through church fundraisers such as bake sales. The adult chaperones paid their own way.

     “This year was the first year the youth were asked to pay half of their expenses,” Goldsmith said. “It showed they were committed to going.”

     Some parishioners donated generously to assist the youth as well.

     Fr. Baldwin said the youth raised enough money to not only cover the trip and t-shirts, but to donate to the Dubuque Archdiocese toward the NCYC Scholarship Fund. This helps youth throughout the region whose families are not able to pay their portion for the trip.

     Two Monticello High School sophomores and Sacred Heart members had nothing but positive things to say about their NCYC experience.

     “I wanted to go because I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to learn more about my faith and meet new people,” said Grant Hospodarsky. “I took away from the experience that my faith is very strong. Just being in a building with 20,000 other people in the same mindset as me is very moving and really changes your perspective.”

     Karle Kramer said she would definitely go back again in two years. “I wanted to get closer to God and truly figure out what faith meant to me personally. We are always growing in our faith. NCYC showed me how powerful prayer can be, and that we should live our lives through our faith.”

     Kramer shared her favorite quote from one of the NCYC speakers: “The youth are not only the future of the church, but they are the present as well.”