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More than 200 teens attended the “Hope in Darkness” gathering
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March 25, 2024If something is lacking among young people, it is hope. The future is uncertain, and the present is marked by division and conflict. Where can young people find hope? Certainly, in Jesus! More than 200 teens from all over the diocese experienced a bit of this hope at the Youth Conference 2024, held on Saturday, March 23, in St. Patrick’s Parish in Corpus Christi.
The day was filled with music, engaging speakers, games, and prayer. Sister Gemma Barnett, SOLT, shared in a very personal way how she realized that she had to honestly believe in the words that God loved her as she was. Benjamin Nye, a teacher at St. John Paul II High School, invited the teens to choose a culture of life instead of death and get to what fulfills every human’s heart.
Bishop Michael Mulvey celebrated Mass with the teens. In his homily, he encouraged the participants to participate actively in Holy Week, living the Paschal Mystery, the ultimate expression of hope – Jesus overcomes death. He shared that he went to the Newman Center last Thursday, and many students’ questions were about fear. “Do we want to live in a world where everybody is bullying everybody? Do we want to create images of us always on our phones?” It all goes back, so the bishop, that we lack the knowledge of who we truly are. “Fear creeps into our lives because we lack a relationship with God.”
Holy Week ensures us God’s presence, “I love you because I died for you.” The fact that God loves us gives us hope: “Let’s strengthen our relationship with God, the Father, with Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,” said Bishop Mulvey, quoting the bible phrase written on the T-shirts of the participants, “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Rom 31:38).
During the day, everything had its place: going to confession, playing outdoor games, chatting with friends, enjoying ice cones. In the afternoon, artist Jason Rodriguez shared his life story about overcoming darkness and mental illness to become “an artist of God.” He created a painting of a monstrance right in front of the stunned audience.
In breakout sessions, the teens deepened their understanding of specific forms of prayer—the rosary, Lectio Divina, Praise and Worship with the band, and silent prayer. The day ended in the church, where speaker and podcast host Sara Soto invited the teens to surrender to the Lord. An hour of adoration followed.
The teens enjoyed the joyful atmosphere: “It is great that there are so many of us,” said one girl, who often experiences few youths in her parish. “I liked the talks and that there was time to play,” added her friend. Sister Caritas Sparke, SOLT, the diocese’s youth minister, was very grateful to all the volunteers and youth ministers who helped make this day a huge success.