Ten pilgrims from the Barron cluster attended NCYC in Indianapolis in November. They are (from left) Mindy Hamilton, Anne Stephens, Sarah Hauck, Blanka Beckel, Morgan Hauck, Emelia Kann, Easton Hamilton, Collin Duncan, Matt Hamilton and Brianne Duncan. (Submitted photo)
More than 16,000 teens and their chaperones attended the National Catholic Youth Conference from Nov. 20-22 at the Lucas Oil Stadium and Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
Among them were five students and five chaperones from the Barron cluster of parishes, which includes St. Peter, Cameron; St. Boniface, Chetek; St. Joseph, Barron; and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Strickland.
“It’s pretty breathtaking to have that many high school youths come together in one place to pray, worship, build community, and interact with people from across the country who are all on fire for Jesus,” said Mindy Hamilton, director of faith formation, “otherwise they would not have made the choice to attend this event.”
Hamilton said her parish cluster has been sending groups to NCYC for years. Patty Gerber, parish director, plays a vital role in coordinating details for the trips. “It has only been with our most recent NCYC trips (2025 and 2022) that I have helped with a small part of the planning and led the groups,” she added.
The pilgrimage to Indianapolis started the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 19. Fr. Mariadas Vallabhaneni celebrated daily Mass with the group and blessed their cars before they embarked on their journey.
One new tradition Gerber started with the 2021 NCYC trip was making a stop at the University of Notre Dame campus on Thursday morning, Nov. 20, before NCYC kicked off later that night.
“It was such an incredible experience for the kids that we continued the tradition with this trip too,” Hamilton said. The group walked around campus, taking in the sights like the football stadium, the ‘Touchdown Jesus’ mural, the beauty of the buildings and statues before heading into Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
“The beauty of this church takes your breath away,” Hamilton said. “This was my second time attending Mass at the Basilica, so I knew what was coming once we entered the doors. It was so fun to hear the reactions of the students and chaperones as they entered for the first time.”
Once Mass was over, the group took a self-guided tour behind the altar and went into the relic room to see the relics of more than 200 saints.
“The kids really enjoyed looking up their favorite saints and trying to find the relic,” she commented.
Their final stop on the Notre Dame campus excursion was the grotto, a replica of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in France that has a small piece of stone from the French grotto below the statue of Mary.
Seven of the 10 pilgrims from the Barron cluster were going to NCYC for the first time, Hamilton explained. “NCYC is much like Extreme Faith Camp where the days are jam-packed with so much fun and growing in your faith that you don’t know just how tired you are until the trip home.”
The theme this year was ‘I Am,’ inspired by God’s encounter with Moses at the burning bush. The theme celebrates how the sacraments reveal God’s love, unites Catholics with Jesus and the church, and bring his tangible presence.
Sarah Kroger was the musician who kicked off NCYC 2025. There was a personal testimony from a high school student who was recently baptized and going through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults program.
Meg Hunter-Kilmer was one of the featured speakers at the general session.
“She was a dynamic speaker that had some great points in her talk for the youth and chaperones to hear,” Hamilton recounted. “‘He knows your brokenness and still wants you.’ ‘By your baptism, you were chosen, and God does not take back his choices.’
“Meg went on to share stories of saints who were broken, but because of their faith in God, did become saints,” Hamilton added. “She said, ‘There is no sin that God can’t reach you in.’”
Pope Leo XIV, who joined the youth conference via Zoom, was the featured speaker Friday morning.
“What an awesome opportunity for the youth to experience,” she said. “I know people from all over the world watched the session online, but there was something special about being in that stadium with the Holy Father. Core memory for sure!”
After the session with Pope Leo, the group headed over to the convention center for breakout sessions and the exhibitor hall. There’s an NCYC tradition of exchanging “tradeables” –participants bring small items from their home parish or diocese to give away or trade with others; examples include keychains, stickers, T-shirts and hats.
Most groups wear fun hats that represent their state, and that typically ends up being the coveted tradeable, Hamilton added. “It’s all in good fun and a great way to meet new people!”
Another tradition of the tradeables are the clothes pins. Students decorate their clothes pins in a variety of ways and then try to “pin” other people while not getting caught.
“It can be tricky at times, and the best times to try are in passing during the breakout sessions or in the crowded exhibitor hall,” she said. “As a chaperone, it’s so fun to watch and very entertaining to see people trying to accomplish this task. Sometimes you even get to assist in the ‘pin.’ Our students really enjoyed this part of the experience! It was fun to hear their stories about trying to ‘pin’ someone, exchanging their tradables and what fun hat they were going to try and get – and the new connections/friends they made along the way.”
On Friday night, Sr. Miriam James Heidland spoke about healing, which led into adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Hundreds of priests were available to hear confessions.
On Saturday morning, the group had the opportunity to sit in the floor seats for the morning session. Joe Melendrez, a Catholic hip-hop artist, woke everyone up with an energetic praise and worship session. After hearing from Bishop Joseph A. Espaillat and Cynthia and Evan Pssencik, the pilgrims went to the convention center for the last day of breakout sessions.
The teens’ favorite breakout session speakers were Dr. Alex Gotay and the Doug and Dave Show, according to Hamilton. “Dr. Alex is an energetic, dynamic speaker who has a gift for connecting with teens through storytelling, high energy and a deep love for Jesus, and The Doug and Dave Show is a fun, interactive, engaging faith-filled experience with music and quirky characters.”
The day ended with Mass in the Lucas Oil Stadium. More than 240 clergy, including deacons, priests and bishops, assisted at and concelebrated Mass.
“NCYC … is such an incredible experience for teenagers to be a part of,” Hamilton concluded. “They are able to hear from a variety of speakers from all walks of life, interact with thousands of youths from around the country and hopefully encounter Jesus. It takes a lot of planning for a trip like this, but it is so worth it when you see the smiles and hear the stories from the kids. We are already looking forward to the next NCYC trip in 2027!”
