Picture this: a group of about 16,000 high schoolers sitting in a “chapel” at Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the Indianapolis Colts), which was transformed into a chapel for the National Catholic Youth Conference during adoration, and it’s so quiet you can hear a pin drop.
The conference for Catholic youth is run by Religious board members and priests who are the heads of the hosting event. I interviewed an amazing student here at Feehan, Grace Callaghan, from the class of ‘26, who attended the conference.
Grace provided great detail about the experience. She explained that she and the other Feehan students who attended the conference carpooled or drove to Logan Airport in Boston separately. They had to arrive before 11:00 to catch their flight to Indianapolis. Once they arrived in Indianapolis, they soon began to make their way to the hotel. Then once they went to the hotel, they placed down their bags and made their way to the conference
Bishop Feehan High School had 30 of our students, 4 chaperones, including Mr. Deramo, Miss Hannon, Ms Silva, and a friend of Mr. Deramo’s named Zach.
The conference held several events, workshops, and fun activities to do. Some activities were for the entire group of 16,000, while others were smaller breakout sessions that allowed for student choice.
For example, a wooden cross that was 300 pounds was on display for students to get a sense of how heavy the cross Jesus once held as he made his way to the mountain of Golgotha was. Because Feehan students were meeting other students from all over the country, they were able to participate in the hat trading game. The Feehan students showcased their Feehan pride by choosing hats with shamrocks. The hat trading game was a way to engage others in conversation and meet new people. You would ask if you could trade random items for hats like an ice breaker.
In my interview with Grace, she stated that “Pope Leo was there virtually, and a panel of high schoolers got to directly ask him questions. It was Pope Leo’s first virtual visit to the U.S. since becoming pope.”
“On the last day, they had a beautiful mass served by 130 priests. The night before was the sacred adoration, which was such an amazing and powerful experience.” Grace remarked.
The National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis sounds like an amazing trip to grow closer to God. Hey, after hearing about this, I want to attend myself, meet the pope, and show him my “Catholic and Proud wallpaper!”
I especially thank Senior Grace Callaghan ‘26 for making this article possible.
