Tree houses in a simulated rain forest are just one of the fun features that await thousands of Catholic youth attending a national conference next week in Kansas City.
After three years of planning, the two local dioceses are ready to welcome more than 20,000 youths and chaperones to the National Catholic Youth Conference Thursday through next Saturday.
The largest Catholic youth event in the country will be at the Sprint Center and the Kansas City Convention Center and will include prayer, worship services, workshops and recreation. “Christ Reigns” is the theme.
This will be the second time Kansas City has hosted the biennial event, the first being in 1997. And it will be the third largest convention in Kansas City for 2009, with an economic impact of $15.5 million, according to the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association.
Organizers from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas say they and their 1,000 volunteers are ready.
“My hope is that the youth will experience the love of God through the church,” said Jon Schaffhausen, director of youth ministry for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. “We also hope they come away with a deeper sense of their belonging to the church, a closer relationship with Christ and that they put their faith in Christ and his plans for their lives.”
A highlight will be a 191,000-square-foot thematic park that opens at noon Thursday in Bartle Hall. The “reign forest” will feature three mega tree houses constructed from more than 10,000 feet of lumber, interactive sports, social justice projects and 700 exhibitors. Also, 40 live bands will perform on stage in the coffee house throughout the conference.
At 10:30 a.m. Friday, attendees will walk — praying and singing — from the Sprint Center to Bartle Hall. Leading will be Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston and a keynote speaker; Bishop Robert W. Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
“By processing through the streets, our Catholic youth will signal that they are united around this living presence of Jesus Christ and that we carry Christ’s love and promise of salvation to the world,” Finn said.
Naumann said, “I pray that the NCYC will be a catalyst for the Holy Spirit to draw us all deeper into the heart of Christ.”
Sponsoring the conference is the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, which provides training and support for youth ministers and promotes youth ministry through a variety of programs and services, working with 62 youth-oriented groups in the Catholic church.
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