Fourth annual DCYC attracts more than 500 youth from across diocese
By Tami S. Scott
Editor
For the fourth consecutive year, Sacred Heart Parish in Cicero hosted the Diocesan Catholic Youth Conference, also known as DCYC. Growing in popularity, more than 500 middle and high school kids from across the diocese attended the Nov. 22 day-long event.
“[The conference] has grown each year,” said Bob Walters, director of Adolescent Catechesis and Discipleship. “Catholic youth don’t get to connect with others from across the diocese, let alone parishes, so it’s a real opportunity,” for the teens to discover and experience a much larger church and the important fact that they’re not alone.
Renee Laux, director of Faith Formation at St. Ann’s in Manlius, brought 60 students (ninth- and 10th-graders) to this year’s event. Last year, her ministry discussed organizing a retreat of its own, so she posed the question to the students: What do you want to do? They chose DCYC. “They said that they liked coming here and feeling like they were part of a bigger Catholic community,” Laux shared. “That’s what I think is important for them here … there’s a big Catholic community of people their age.”
The day included talks, games, music, a Chick-fil-A lunch, Mass with Bishop Lucia, adoration, and the sacrament of reconciliation.
The morning began with everyone gathered in the nave to listen to keynote speaker Nic Frank and worship leader John Von Arx. During one part, Frank told a story about his then-infant daughter who was pulling on her hair and wouldn’t let go, even though it hurt.
“We do that to ourselves,” said sophomore and St. Ann’s in Manlius parishioner Colette, reflecting on his words. “Like, we can know we’re in this bad place, and we just keep denying God. That stood out to me a lot, because you can know you’re in the wrong but then not do anything to fix it.”
Frank shared how he best connects with the kids. “Whenever I have a chance to share the gospel, I always just try to be honest with where I am and where I’ve been, knowing that the human heart is pretty similar to one another,” he said. “I don’t try to pull punches. I don’t try to sugarcoat it. I don’t go into all the nitty-gritty details of what kids are probably experiencing or the struggles of life, but I think that I can talk about our human experience and then build to something beautiful, good, and true when it comes to our faith.
Attendies take advantage of the fun activities at DCYC.
“The gospel is power, and so sharing the love of God with kids is one of the greatest opportunities, greatest things, most important things that we can do today,” Frank added. “I mean, kids have so much coming at them today through social media and school and friends. They need truth, and they’re hungry for it.”
Colette also shared one of her favorite worship songs that Von Arx played, called “Reckless Love” (by Cory Asbury). The lyrics allude to the Parable of the Lost Sheep, illustrating how God’s love is persistent and unwavering in seeking out humanity, even when we are flawed or lost. “I just, I relate to that a lot,” she said. “I found God. I’ve always known God, but I really found him in the past year or two.”
The conference also coincided with the three-day National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) held in Indianapolis. Unique to this year, the teens had the opportunity to watch a digital dialogue via Zoom between Pope Leo XIV and youth from around the country at the national conference. The live recording took place the day before, on Nov. 21, which can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/3dvbeu3k. The pope answered a range of questions, from how to accept God’s mercy after letting others down to finding balance between phone use and fostering real-life faith connections.
The hope of the conference, said Father Christopher Seibt, pastor of Sacred Heart in Cicero and Divine Mercy Parish and the Mission of St. Bernadette in Central Square, is that the youth encounter Christ through the Church and return to their parishes with a zeal to “become active, get involved, and take part in the mission of the Church.”
Based on the smiles, enthusiasm, and positive feedback from those The Catholic Sun interviewed that day, the goal is well within reach.
