Late on Wednesday, November 18th, eighty-four people, a mix of high school students and their chaperons, met in Atco, New Jersey. We filled up two buses, and set off on our trip to Indianapolis, Indiana for the National Catholic Youth Conference, or NCYC. Seven hundred miles, fifteen hours, and forty people on a bus. As hard as it is to sleep in a crammed bus, every one of us found a way, because we knew what was coming. The bus ride was only the beginning.
When I told my friends I was going to a Catholic conference, they all gave me the same look and nodded their heads. They were clearly wondering what the heck I would be doing at this conference. For their benefit, and for those of you who are asking the same thing, I have the answer to that question: I sang, I danced, I traded blinking pins for cheese necklaces and glow in the dark key chains. I watched a priest break dance, and I stuck stickers on people’s backs when they weren't looking. But most of all I strengthened my faith with thousands of other Catholics.
On Thursday we arrived to the hotel in the afternoon. After settling in, we headed off to celebrate mass. Our mass had about a thousand people in it: that was just one region out of thirteen. Later that night we filled, yes, filled, Lucas Oil Stadium for the fun part. Twenty-four thousand Catholics danced and sang, chanted and prayed. Father Leo Patalinghug taught us discipline and the power of the sign of the cross, while kicking boards in half and break dancing. 
On Friday morning, Chris Padgett took the stage and showed us a picture of a hair on a lady's butt that he took during mass while teaching us about Mary, our blessed mother. Later, during what we call a breakout session, I wiped away tears as we listened to a real life example of God saving one of his lost sheep. Later, our whole group spent an hour packaging meals for the poor. We worked together in an assembly line style setup to bag and box thousands of meals. Over the whole weekend, over fifty-thousand meals were packaged. That night, we shared in an amazing experience known as XLT. XLT combines adoration with praise, worship music and testimonies. To experience and accept the Lord like that is unforgettable. To experience it with more than twenty-thousand people is even better. Chills went down my spine as the whole auditorium sent up prayers as one.
On Saturday, my group of fourteen spent some time in the exhibit hall. All of the keynote speakers had booths, along with colleges, missionary groups, and so many other organizations and people. Our group was then put to the test in the game area. We had to work together to balance a giant teeter totter, and get in height order on a balance beam. We had a lot of fun, while learning how to work in a group. Saturday night, we had a closing celebration and a giant mass in the stadium.
The part that always gives me chills is the music. Since I was a little church-goer, I've been told that singing is praying twice. Little me always thought that was the coolest thing ever. As I grew up, I tried to live by this statement. At church and at youth group events I would sing the songs with all my heart, not caring what I sounded I like. Singing has always been my way to feel connected to God and my faith. Now I have a question: if singing is praying twice, how powerful is thousands of people singing together?
That moment came to sing a song together, and every single person was on their feet and animated: that is why I go to NCYC. To me, the feeling of community I get from sharing in mass with a thousand people, or trading silly homemade tokens and talking about all of the places everyone is from is the whole reason for these conferences. The talks and speaker sessions are priceless, and equally important, but the one thing that you cannot get anywhere else is the community. Nowhere else is it acceptable to stick clothespins and stickers on random strangers. Nowhere else will you find so many people willing to strike up a conversation with the next person to walk by. The love that is present for the three days of this conference can only be described as the love of Christ.
Now I know I sound like this devout Catholic who is totally into their faith, but right now, I wouldn't consider myself that at all. That's just what NCYC does to me. Being around all of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and listening to all of these great speakers makes me want to be better. Away at college I find myself surrounded by so many people, but so few proud Catholics. I developed this fear of talking about my faith because I didn't want to be labeled or judged. I stopped going to church every Sunday because I didn't want to go alone, or miss anything my friends were doing. I want to be better.
In Indianapolis, during the conference, we stood in the middle of the sidewalk and yelled things like “I believe in Jesus Christ.” We were loud and proud about our beliefs and our faith. I want to be that way in my regular life. I don't think I'll be yelling my beliefs in the middle of the street at home, or walking around doing hand motions while singing how much I love God. I'll save that for when I'm surrounded by other faithful weirdos. But I should be proud enough to say I'm a Catholic. I should be strong enough to tell my friends I can't hang out because I need to go to mass. Each time I go NCYC it ignites in me this need to be not only a better Catholic, but a better person altogether.
Each one of us left with a lanyard full of buttons and other trading items, silly hats, crazy pictures and unforgettable memories, but most of all we left with a strengthened faith and an unforgettable experience.
