World News
Thousands of youths converge on Kansas City to celebrate their faith
Published:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (CNS) -- They clogged downtown streets, jammed restaurants, took up hotel rooms, ate up parking spaces and generally inconvenienced downtown Kansas City. But the nearly 21,000 teens and their 3,000 adult chaperones and local volunteers also gave the city a three-day gift of faith. They came to bring themselves closer to Christ. By the time they left the 2009 National Catholic Youth Conference Nov. 19-21, they showed Kansas City -- and the world watching live on the Internet -- what happens when Jesus Christ pours out of the hearts of thousands of believers. The theme of the conference was "Christ Reigns." It was co-hosted by the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kan. Participants heard from keynote speakers, were entertained by various musical artists and attended dozens of workshops on such issues as social justice, the Bible, prayer, spirituality and social networking. They spent time at a special conference theme park called the Reign Forest, a 200,000-square-foot interactive venue with more than 150 exhibits. Mass was offered daily, and there were opportunities for the sacrament of reconciliation, eucharistic adoration, meditation, recitation of the rosary, prayer through music and a labyrinth experience.
Copyright (c) Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .
