Blog

Many of you already know me, but for those who don’t, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Kevin Morales, Director of Evangelization at our beloved parish of St. Vincent de Paul. I am a missionary who has had the blessing of preaching at large events of 2,000 to 3,000 people. But today, I don’t want to talk about myself—I want to share what God did this past Thursday, November 20, at NCYC.

We attended with 12 students and 2 chaperones. When I saw that number—twelve—I immediately thought of the passage where Jesus walks along the shore calling each of His disciples. When He approaches the boat, He asks Peter to cast his net, and then calls him to become a fisher of men. Seeing our group of twelve, I couldn’t help but reflect on that moment. I felt that Jesus was also calling us at NCYC in a very real way.

At this national Catholic youth conference, God manifested Himself powerfully. Many of us had a true encounter with Him. Looking around the stadium and seeing 16,000 Catholic young people worshiping one God—a living God—filled me with deep joy.

I want to share one of the students’ testimonies:

“Before, I didn’t believe that Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist, but during Adoration, when I saw the Blessed Sacrament processing through the crowds, all I wanted to do was kneel—even though my knees hurt from the concrete. The more intense the pain became, the stronger I felt God’s presence in me and throughout the whole place.”

Another student added:

“Scripture says that where two or three gather in His name, He is there… and we were not just three—we were 16,000 people!”

On Saturday night after Mass, I felt moved to share something with one of the students. I told her, “Jesus put in my heart to remind you: do not leave Him waiting. He is there in the Eucharist, always waiting for you.”

She responded, “Kevin, I wasn’t sure about the Catholic faith before, but after everything I experienced here, I called my mom to tell her I’m ready for my First Communion and Confirmation.”

Another powerful moment was confession. Hundreds of young people lined up—some lines with more than 400 youth—seeking God’s mercy. The whole place began to feel spiritually clean.

As a chaperone, one of my main goals was to accompany the students so they could have a genuine encounter with God. Seeing their faces filled with joy and peace is the greatest reward for me. Helping others cross that bridge into a deeper relationship with God—a God of love and mercy—brings purpose to everything we do.

I reminded the students that God does not come looking for perfection or titles—He simply wants your heart.

Parents, I encourage and exhort you: motivate your sons and daughters to experience NCYC 2027. Before that, we are hoping to attend Steubenville this upcoming summer. We are also working on forming a youth group that will meet once a month.

I ask that we pray and fast. Prayer without fasting is incomplete, and fasting without prayer is powerless. We need both to move mountains and bear fruit.

As Pope Leo XIV said while speaking to us live at NCYC, “Young people are not just the future—they are the present of the Church.”

Let us work together to guide our young people, who are the living present of our Church.

God bless you all.