Joy and challenge await as 12,000 youths come to Indianapolis for NCYC

Katie Tipker, left, her daughter Eden and her mother Becky Kruer share a joyful generational moment. As the director of discipleship for St. John Paul II Parish in Sellersburg, Tipker will lead a youth group to the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis on Nov. 16-18. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)

By John Shaughnessy

At 27, Katie Tipker is experiencing the joy of being a mother for the first time—with her now-5-month-old daughter, Eden.

As the director of discipleship for St. John Paul II Parish in Sellersburg, Tipker also hopes there will be an extra element of joy for the 12,000 youths from across the country who will attend the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis on Nov. 16-18.

For Tipker, it’s the great joy that can come from a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and a closer connection to the Catholic faith.

“My hope is that they come back with a renewed appreciation of being Catholic,” she says. “That’s what I received as a teen, and that spurred my lifelong desire to stay Catholic when there were times when maybe I could have faltered in my faith. It helps me to know there are like-minded people my age who love Christ.”

She’s already thrilled to share the conference with the 13 youths from St. John Paul II, who are among the 1,113 teenagers from across the archdiocese who will attend the event that has been life-changing for many.

“When I went to conferences in high school, just to see the overwhelming number of young Catholics together was such a cool experience,” Tipker says. “So, I’m really looking forward to see how my teens experience that, and what they have to share about that pin-drop silence during adoration and being there for Mass with so many people. Those are the things I’m really looking forward to.”

While Tipker will lead a group to NCYC for the first time, it will be the third experience for Veronica Rogers, director of youth faith formation and teen ministries for St. Patrick and St. Margaret Mary parishes in Terre Haute.

One moment from the last biennial conference—in 2021, in Indianapolis—already has Rogers excited for the start of NCYC, which this year has the theme, “Fully Alive.”

“I think the biggest impact for me is when I get to see these teens get hit by the Holy Spirit,” Rogers says. “We had 15 girls crying, emotionally moved by the Holy Spirit during adoration. It’s such a moving moment in their faith. I love to see that.”

Rogers also knows the powerful impact that the conference has on adult group leaders, chaperones and volunteers, because it’s happened in her own life.

“When I went with my son as a chaperone many years ago, it changed my faith. It really did,” recalls Rogers, who will lead a group of 20 youths and six other adults from her two parishes to this year’s conference. “It really sparked everything. It led me to be with teens and get this job.”

Rogers is especially pleased that several youths who attended NCYC in 2021 have led the charge to sign up more youths for this one.

“They’ve been my biggest cheerleaders for this, telling others, ‘You have to go,’ ” Rogers says. “They really enjoyed the bonding experience of getting closer individually within our group because they all go to different high schools. They loved adoration. They enjoyed just being a part of this experience with everything that was happening with all these kids from all over the nation.”

When the conference ends, Rogers always stresses to the youths who attend, “Let that fire, that ember, keep burning. When you have a bad experience, reflect on what was good in the conference and bring it back in.”

That’s the challenge post-conference, according to Rachel Gilman, director of youth ministry for the archdiocese—to channel all the emotion, electricity and excitement of NCYC into a sustained faith for the youths.

“It’s utilizing the experience of NCYC to bring it back to their own regular life, and engaging in prayer more, getting involved in their youth ministry programs, and allowing it to impact their faith going forward,” she says.

At the same time, Gilman loves all the positives that NCYC creates during the three-day event. She knows its impact from the three times she led youth groups there from Holy Spirit at Geist Parish in Fishers, Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese.

“The impact of seeing so many other teens around the country who have the same exact faith, living the same lives as them, I think that was the greatest ‘a-ha’ moment for my kids,” Gilman says. “And then coming back to their public school with the feeling, ‘I’m not alone.’ It’s so rewarding to watch them find that confidence and use that experience to make their faith more of a commitment in their life.”

She has one great hope for the youths who attend this year’s conference.

“My hope is that teens can see the face of God more clearly through the experience, especially for teens who haven’t had a relationship with Christ.

I hope they have an awakening—to come from [the conference] knowing God loves me, God cares for me, God wants a relationship with me. And to use it to propel them going forward.” †