Connections

Program planning for the 2005 National Catholic Youth Conference is well underway. The task group has been meeting since November and has spent quite a bit of time discussing how to ensure that NCYC programming will be obviously Catholic and not just Christian in its content. They have focused on three areas: speaker selection, sacramental and prayer opportunities, and topics to be addressed in concurrent and workshop sessions.

Speaker Selection

(above, left) Steve Angrisano will emcee the 2005 NCYC and Jesse Manibusan (above, right) will be the final keynote speaker on Saturday evening. Friday's keynoters will be (below, left) Tammy Evevard in the morning and (below, right) the Most Reverend Gordon D. Bennett, S.J., Bishop of Mandeville, Jamaica.

Speaker selection has always been a top priority for those planning NCYC programming, but for Atlanta special consideration has been given to selecting speakers whose messages connect with the themes of the day, who are recognizable to young people, and who represent the diversity of our church. They are pleased to announce that Steve Angrisano has been selected as emcee and that Tammy Evevard, Bishop Gordon Bennett, and Jesse Manibusan will give keynote addresses. Tammy will speak on Friday morning. She was a co-presenter with Mike Norman at the 2003 NCYC and may be familiar to many who have attended Steubenville conferences. Bishop Gordon Bennett, formerly auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and now bishop of Mendeville, Jamaica, will give the Friday evening address. Jesse Manibusan, past NCYC-emcee, presenter, and performer, will speak on Saturday morning. NCYC will conclude with liturgy on Saturday night celebrated by Bishop Jaime Soto.

Sacramental and Prayer Opportunities

In looking at sacramental and prayer opportunities, the task group acknowledged that these have always been present at NCYC, but that they have not been adequately promoted. For 2005, the program production team will be given explicit information on these opportunities to be incorporated into main stage scripts including exactly what is available and where to go to participate. This information will also be posted in advance on the NCYC website and printed in the program book and quick guide. The prayer and worship sub-committee of the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s Host Steering Committee have been making plans for chapel programming that will include prayer styles and formats with which young people may or not be very familiar, such as the rosary, eucharistic adoration, vespers, and benediction.

Concurrent Sessions

In Atlanta there will be three rounds of three concurrent sessions each for a total of nine sessions. The following topics will be addressed: the Eucharist, morality, XLT (worship experience), sexuality, giftedness, media and values, the difference Jesus makes in our lives, discipleship, and social justice. Speakers have been identified, including several bishops, and invitations should be made by April. Once speakers are confirmed, they will be posted on the NCYC website. The facilities in Atlanta will also allow for smaller workshop sessions to be offered. There will be approximately ten one hour sessions per round with an expected four rounds. These sessions will be repeated one to three times depending on anticipated interest level. The task group is still considering workshop topics. Workshop topics and schedule should be announced in spring.

Bishops prepare for the sprinkling rite at the closing mass of NCYC 2003.

Bishop-Youth Interaction

Finally, there are some new and exciting opportunities emerging for young people and bishops to interact with one another. In response to evaluations from young people, table facilitators, diocesan directors, and the bishops themselves, the Youth Congress task group was asked to rethink the Youth Congress model. Their recommendation was to eliminate Youth Congress as originally envisioned and implemented and to look at including bishops in all aspects of NCYC programming. This approach will allow bishops more opportunities to participate in the whole of NCYC and to have contact with more young people in dynamic, productive and life-giving ways. Their recommendations include: celebrating daily Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation; leading and participating in various celebrations of prayer in the chapel; having a special booth in the thematic park to meet and visit informally with NCYC participants; being able to spend more time with their diocesan and regional delegations; and being keynote presenters and team members for concurrent session presentations. The vast majority of these suggestions have been incorporated. Expect to see more details on bishop participation in late spring.