The National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) is a trip that took place in November of 2025, which sent over 14,000 catholic teenagers all over the U.S. to Indianapolis Indiana. During the trip teens further their faith and to learn about God and different methods of worship. Students get the chance to hear from religious speakers and officials on how to get closer to God.
“During the trip we did a lot of things like mass and adoration. My favorite part was adoration. Being there in silence talking to God was really cool. The only part I didn’t like was the long bus ride, but it was definitely worth it,” Cameron Barrett, Junior, Public Service said. During this specific trip, the catholic youth also got to attend a video call with Pope Leo XIV.
“Hearing his perspective on a lot of things was really interesting. We talked about how important daily prayer is and he also told us it was important to try our best in school without cheating or AI,”Barrett said. A lot of the youth trip was spent on learning about individual faith and how to improve day-to-day.
“There was one part where we were in a big open gym and there were different stations where you would talk to people and learn about God. We’d have sessions in between where they told us how we could apply the stuff we learned to our daily life, which was my favorite part.” Austin Ackerman, Sophomore, Public Service said. The trip only happens every two years, but many students are given a chance to go again either during high school or as an adult.
“I think I’m going to go again my senior year. I would recommend it to people who are trying to grow their faith, and I made a lot of friends there too.” Ackerman said.
”If I could I would definitely go again, maybe as a chaperone since I’d be graduated by then.” Said Barrett.
The trip means a lot to many catholic teens and can have a significant impact on them.
”I would describe the trip as very life-changing. It was definitely a much different environment than Garden City,” Jencie Stocking, Junior, Public Service said. “My favorite part was the breakout sessions with rotating speakers where you learn about people’s testimonies and how they incorporate God into
their lives. I would recommend it to other people because it can have a big influence on your faith and is a good chance to watch other people’s faith grow as well. I would 110% go again if I got the chance.”
