Lost and Found at Iowa Catholic Youth Conference

By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger

More than 420 middle school youths gathered at St. Ludmilla Parish in Cedar Rapids March 30 to grow closer to God and others at the Iowa Catholic Youth Conference.

“It sounded really fun and I wanted to try it,” said Kenadie Hansen of St. Joseph Parish in DeWitt. “I wanted to come and build my faith,” said McKenna Fransk of St. Mary Parish in West Point. Ruby Steffensmeier of the West Point parish enjoyed last year’s event and was excited to go again. 

The Dubuque Arch­diocese and Davenport Diocese host ICYC annually to engage middle school-aged youths and their parents. This year’s theme, “Lost and Found,” took inspiration from the day’s Gospel reading on the parable of the Prodigal Son. Participants from the Davenport Diocese slightly outnumbered those from the archdiocese, said Trevor Pullinger, diocesan director of Faith Formation and Catechesis coordinator.

Five college-aged emcees, including Brynn Beenblossom of St. James Parish in Washington, led icebreaker games to start the day. Participants walked to the church for Mass with the parish’s pastor, Father Ken Glaser. “We come from different dioceses, we come from different parishes to celebrate the one thing we have in common: our faith in Jesus Christ,” he said.

The pastor offered words of encouragement to the standing-room-only congregation in his homily, weaving in messages from the Gospel reading. “We are aware that we’re not perfect on this journey. There are times that we’re lost, times that we’re confused, times that we’re afraid, and the Gospel passage today provides an example of this.” There will be times in our lives that we may walk away from God, but he never abandons us. “There are times we feel we need to rejoice because we’ve been found and people have welcomed us back.”

After Mass, youths enjoyed a taco lunch and kolaches, participated in interactive activities and attended breakout sessions led by teens and adults from the Davenport Diocese and Dubuque Archdiocese.

One of the most popular sessions was “Where God and Sports Collide.” Deacon Brian Logan and his family, members of St. Joseph Parish in Marion, Iowa, shared how they find faith-building opportunities in sport. They encouraged parents to take advantage of the wait times during games and practices by praying, reading spiritual materials, using faith-building apps or journaling. Road trips offer opportunities for family prayer, said Deacon Logan’s wife, Emily. Daughter Josie, a high school sophomore and three-sport athlete, said she prays before games and matches to remind herself that God is present and that winning isn’t everything. Peninah Pidgeon of St. John the Baptist Parish in Houghton said she learned from the Logan family that “even if things don’t go your way, maybe there is a reason, not because God is mad at you.” Kaylee Moeller of St. James the Less Parish in St. Paul, said she appreciated the Logan family’s message that it’s important to attend Mass on Sundays even if you’re busy with sports or other activities.

Alex Gast, a student at Central College in Pella who attends St. Mary Parish-Pella, led the breakout session “Go to Mass? Y Bother?” He spoke about the joys of Mass and the importance of the Eucharist and gave youths the opportunity to write questions anonymously on sticky notes. He answered questions about head coverings, Catholics making the sign of the cross after Communion, and the limited presence of female voices in the Bible. Even if women aren’t mentioned as often, they were very much present in the early Church, Gast said. 

Steven Phillips, a member of St. Mary Parish-Oskaloosa, led a parent session, “I C God at Home.” The father of eight asked parents to write examples of where they see God at home and in others, then compared their answers to those expressed by Oskaloosa youths before the conference. “Seeing someone else give to others is a very strong witness,” he said, noting that children internalize what they observe from their parents and the adults around them. Phillips encouraged parents to be open with their faith at home and to pray and attend Mass as a family.

Father Glaser led a breakout session in the church and shared what makes the building special. For example, the cross in the crucifix tells the story of the parish’s Czech roots and resilience. The wood came from a pin oak tree of Czech origin that had been on the property for generations but fell during the 2020 derecho. He encouraged youths to “stop and look around” in their own parish to find stories of saints, past and present parishioners, and more. These stories “connect you to God and the people of God.” People make the church vibrant, he explained. “Otherwise, it’s just a building.”

Juliet Morris of Prince of Peace Catholic School in Clinton said she appreciated a breakout session on loneliness. “We learned about self-love, how we can cope with sadness, and how we can make ourselves and others feel better.”

KayLeighana Davis, also a Prince of Peace student, likes meeting people and going to new places so she was grateful to celebrate Mass in another church and make friends at ICYC. Mabel Jo Sumpter of the DeWitt parish enjoyed learning what others think about God and how they grow closer to him. ICYC concluded with a scavenger hunt and a concert from Catholic hip hop artist Connor Flanagan.

EPIC event for high schoolers

The Davenport Diocese and Du­buque Archdiocese experimented hosted a high school event in conjunction with this year’s Iowa Catholic Youth Conference (ICYC). About 70 youths attended EPIC (Em-Powering Iowa Catholic teens) the evening before ICYC, said Trevor Pullinger, the Davenport Diocese’s Faith Formation director and Catechesis coordinator. Youths shared a pizza dinner and participated in three sessions of small-group work to discuss discipleship, faith and their personal relationships with Jesus. The evening ended with a concert by Catholic hip hop artist Connor Flanagan.