Youth

Youth initiatives of the Secretariat for Parish Life and Lay Leadership: 

National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) 2019

Thank you to all who participated and supported our Diocesan Delegation to NCYC 2017! We were blessed to be numbered among the 25,000 who attended. If you and your parish would like to attend in 2019, please start promoting and fundraising now. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. George Dragan at gdragan@diokzoo.org.

Scheduled for November 21th - 23th, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana, this biennial conference is for youth in high school and is truly an amazing encounter with the universal Church. Made up of 23,000 - 25,000 youth from around the nation, NCYC offers 3 days to experience the faith at the spiritual, human, intellectual, and pastoral levels through keynote addresses, breakout sessions, Mass, Adoration, Reconciliation, service projects, contemporary Christian music artists, and so much more! Stay tuned for more information and start fundraising now! Cost for each participant (youth and chaperone) is $550 per person. God bless you!

NCYC General Release Form - Youth Form
NCYC General Release Form Spanish - Youth Form
NCYC Medical Treatment Form - Youth Form
NCYC Medical Treatment Form Spanish - Youth Form

NCYC General Release Form - Adult Form
NCYC General Release Form Spanish - Adult Form
NCYC Medical Treatment Form - Adult Form
NCYC Medical Treatment Form Spanish - Adult Form

NCYC Youth Code of Conduct Form
NCYC Adult Code of Conduct Form

THE PRESENCE 2020

Date TBD:  The Presence is an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist specifically for 9th – 12th grade high school youth that brings them to the merciful, and loving real presence of Christ. Cost for next year's retreat is estimated to be approximately $90. This past year's event took place at the Sherman Lake YMCA. Next year's venue os still being determined. Participants must attend as part of a group.

The Presence Retreat is usually an option to complete a Confirmation retreat for those of high school age preparing to receive that sacrament and we anticipate that it will be again. Confirmation candidates should coordinate their attendance at The Presence with their parish Director of Religious Education.

All adult participants must be properly background-checked and Virtus complete. No exceptions. For information on background-checks and Virtus certification, contact your parish or collaborative Safety Environment Coordinator. For more information about The Presence,,  please visit The Presence website. or contact George Dragan at gdragan@diokzoo.org or by phone at 269-903-0141.  

NEWMAN CONNECTION

Serving as a bridge between high school and campus ministers, Newman Connection contacts every CYM, DRE, and High School in the Diocese to collect names and contact information for graduating seniors. One piece of information collected is where these seniors are going to college, allowing Newman Connection to provide the senior's contact information to the appropriate college campus minister. These campus ministers are encouraged to reach out to the young adults who will be coming to their college in order to maintain a Catholic connection from the get-go of their college careers. For more information on how to implement this process, please follow the link above or contact Cassie Campton at ccampton@newmanconnection.com.