In this age of Rapid Developmentand technological advancement, the Catholic Church is increasing her presence within the World Wide Web. Recognizing it’s where the youth are and that the youth are the future of the Church, the Catholic Church is taking nearly every opportunity to employ technological tools of advancement.
Right now, a gathering of no other is happening, 22,000 Catholic teens have converged on Kansas City for a conference that is introducing them to the Church and her message face to face….
- Photos courtesy of Kansas City Star and Joe Cory of The Catholic Key
…and text message to text message.
As KMBC news reports in the above linked video, this conference is employing technology like never before. Teens can ‘text saints,’ Wii bowl with bishops, and stay abreast on their social networking, all while learning about the Catholic Church and deepening their relationship with Christ.
The message hasn’t changed, but the way the message is portrayed has.
Gail Pearson, a volunteer from Overland Park, said this conference, which grew by 4,000 participants compared with two years ago, was an outgrowth of an effort by Pope John Paul II.
“One of his main ministries was to bring more excitement for young people,” Pearson said. “Seeing so many (Catholics) here helps bolster their faith.”
And this shift in communication in the Chruch is getting through to teens.
Tanner Pruett, 16, of Lebanon, Ore., also was looking forward to the spiritual aspects of the conference.
“I’m hoping to get a stronger relationship with God, my heart, my prayer life — everything,” Tanner said.
Caitlin Henning, a freshman from Virginia Beach, Va., said she looked forward to workshops.
“You talk about fun stuff like pressure on Facebookor parties or boyfriend and girlfriend fights,” she said. “God/teen stuff.”
To help get the faith message across to teens, 60 bands are showcasing their talents and“radical faith” during the weekend, said concert organizer Dana Nearmyer.
As bands played, other youths began to move toward the Sprint Center, where a speaker would motivate them, where they would be able to text messages to the big screen floating above the stage, where Denver kids would shout out to their Colorado counterparts from Colorado Springs, and Baltimore would shout out to D.C.
“It’s about celebrating life at its deepest,” said Nearmyer. “The kids love it because it’s real.”
Having worked with Dana Nearmyer, Shawn Madden, and some of the other event organizers for many years, I can attest to the constant energy and creativity these missionaries have for teens and the Church and so the ingenuity of this conference is of little surprise to me. There is a true fire in the hearts of the leaders of youth ministry in Kansas City to ignite the fire of Christ in the hearts of teens and carry them through a life journey of faith-by all means possible.
In the days leading up to the conference, their Facebook statuses counted down with the message “Veni Sanctus Spiritu”- Come Holy Spirit. As they continue in this weekend of conversion, let’s pray with them for those 22,000 hearts ”Veni Sanctus Spiritu” –Come Holy Spirit, come!