‘I just feel so seen’: Catholic teens find community at first EXULT conference
The inaugural EXULT Youth Conference offered high school students a day of worship, fellowship.
More than 600 high school students gathered at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 24 for a youth conference, with participants sharing how the experience reminded them they are not alone in their faith.
The Archdiocese of Washington’s inaugural EXULT Youth Conference, centered on the theme “Let My Prayer Rise Like Incense,” aimed to help teens build a life founded on faith and prayer, according to a press release from the Archdiocese of Washington.
Yanelli Garcia, a Maryland sophomore who attended the conference and is discerning a call to marriage or religious life, encouraged other young people to spend time in Eucharistic adoration and listen for God’s direction.
“In the most silent times, in the most unexpected times, you hear a calling from him,” she told the Catholic Standard.
The day was scheduled to include Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration, music and outdoor activities. Father Danny Morrison, parochial vicar at the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, Maryland, developed the idea for the conference, which was hosted by the archdiocese’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.
Summer Landa-Belo, a senior from Lanham, Maryland, told the Catholic Standard that being with other Catholic teens gave her a sense of belonging.
“I just feel so seen,” she said.
Molly Pieslak, a freshman at St. Peter the Rock Academy in Bowie, Maryland, appreciated seeing young Catholics from across the archdiocese.
“I think it’s really good to see all of these people here who are Catholic,” she said. “It helps me feel like it’s not just our church that’s Catholic.”
Daniel Vargas, a Maryland high school senior and youth group leader, welcomed the chance to attend a Catholic youth conference.
He said, “It’s honestly amazing seeing everyone with the same mission, of growing in our faith.”
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