Pope Leo’s vantage point during his livestreamed digital connection with 16,000 people at the NCYC conference in Indianapolis (CNS photo/Vatican Media).
By Linda Norris Behrens and David Wilhelm
Messenger Staff
On Nov. 21, history was made as the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, embarked on his first-
ever digital visit to the United States, live from the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis and livestreamed by EWTN Catholic News Network.
In this Jubilee of Hope year, the Holy Father extended a heartfelt invitation to young people everywhere — to come together in faith, to be seen, heard and valued. This momentous occasion represented a new chapter in the Church’s mission to encounter all people where they are, guided by the light of Christ and the promise of hope.
More than 16,000 youth and their adult leaders filled Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the NCYC, held Nov. 20-22, with the digital encounter with Pope Leo being the highlight of the conference.
Included in the conference attendance numbers was nearly 50 students and adults from three youth groups in the Diocese of Belleville: St. Joseph in Prairie du Rocher, Mary Help of Christians in Chester and St. Mary Church of Divine Maternity in Ellis Grove; St. Augustine and St. Dominic in Breese; and St. John the Baptist in Piopolis.
Because the nearly hour-long digital visit with the pope was live-streamed, students and teachers from many schools in the diocese were also able to “meet” Pope Leo and hear his message for them.
The presentation may be viewed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHSWW-c-fHM.
Following are two stories about this first-of-its-kind encounter with a Catholic pope.
Insights from a diocesan youth group that attended the conference
“For the young people, hearing the pope was amazing,” said Fr. Sebastian Ukoh, CM, pastor at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Prairie du Rocher. “There was pin-drop silence all across the stadium. People didn’t take selfies or pictures too much because they were all interested in what he was saying.”
Fr. Sebastian and Jill Whelan, leader of the Prairie du Rocher/Chester/Ellis Grove Youth Group, or the “Triple Strength Youth Group,” accompanied the 14 students and four adults to the NCYC.
“The pope had an amiable nature. He was down to earth. He was smiling,” Fr. Sebastian said.
Students from various dioceses at the NCYC were selected to ask Pope Leo questions based on five themes.
“One of the themes that was popular was artificial intelligence. It was something everyone knew. The young people, they all knew about it,” Fr. Sebastian said. “He told them to not use AI for their homework.”
Living out their faith was another topic the pope addressed, especially because the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was on the day of his “digital connection,” as he called it.
“He said to present their hearts and minds to God and always say, ‘Yes,’ to God, like Mary did,” Fr. Sebastian said. “He said to live out their Christian identity and live out their baptismal promises. It was very good.”
Whelan asked the youth group participants about the experience seeing the pope on this livestream in the stadium and hearing his message.
“‘Best day ever,’ one of the girls said. ‘Amazing’ kept popping up. ‘That was so cool,’” Whelan said.
“They were floored they got to be that close, and technology brought them that close,” Whelan said. “Two of the seventh-graders said attending the conference was way out of their comfort zone, but they would do it again if they could see the pope again.”
Whelan said they all appreciated that they were noticed.
“The kids felt they were not some minority and no one cared about their opinions, because he (Pope Leo) really does,” she said. “He had genuine answers. He didn’t read from a script. He put thought into his answers. There was pin-drop silence there. They hung on to every word he said. It gave me goosebumps to sit there and listen to the silence of 16,000 people listening to the pope.”
Whelan said when the pope appeared on the mega screen at the stadium, cheers erupted.
“He got a standing ovation. Isn’t technology great?” she said. “This was an ultimate experience, and I didn’t need a passport and travel to Rome. I was still with 16,000 people, but at least I could see him.”
Fr. Sebastian and Whelan said Pope Leo told some jokes during his talk.
“He made a comment about being from Chicago,” Whelan said. “A group from Chicago was in attendance, and they cheered. Katie Prejean McGrady, the moderator of the event, said she had her pope socks on. And he said, ‘Well, I only wear white socks.’ He was obviously referring to the Chicago White Sox baseball team. It was more like a dad joke, but most people got it.
“I got the impression he really wanted to encourage the young church to be more present in the church. The whole ‘what would Jesus do’ thing is coming back. Our youth group kids talk about it. What would you do in situations? Kind of what the whole thing was about.”
Fr. Sebastian said Pope Leo talked about not just being the Church of the future but being the Church of today.
“The kids were excited about that,” he said. “It’s not just about when they get older, but here and now. He told them to go back to parishes, go back to their schools and get more involved. It was important to note that.”
During his welcome, Pope Leo told the students at the stadium and the people around the world who were watching the livestream: “You all hold a special place in my heart.”
And he, too, holds a special place in the hearts of people from the Diocese of Belleville and around the world.
Althoff High School sophomore greatly impacted by pope’s words
Althoff High students assembled in Heritage Hall to watch Pope Leo’s livestream.
The event provided a huge boost for sophomore Lenora Bryce, who wept as she discussed her recent battle with anxiety.
“At first, I didn’t know what we were going to hear or what we were going to be watching,” Bryce said. “I thought it was going to be a short, simple thing, but it ended up being something you can carry with you the minute you finished watching it.
“One of the kids mentioned something about … struggling with things like anxiety and depression. I heard the (pope’s) answer: ‘You just have to trust God. You have to give it up to Him, and he will help you along the way.’ The minute I heard that, I felt (better).”
Talking three days after the livestream, on Nov. 24, Bryce said she feels she is beginning to make progress.
“I’ve had a lot of struggles with waking up and coming to school — just being scared and trying to finish the day,” she said. “After hearing (the pope), I went home and opened up my bible. I went to Proverbs. I don’t remember the verse, but it was about trusting in God with all your heart because He’s understanding. I kept crying, but it’s something you need to hear sometimes.
“I’ve always felt scared to talk to someone about some things. I didn’t have to bring it up to anyone because I heard what I needed to hear. I think I have (made progress). Today was the first day in a while where I woke up and was happy about being able to go to school. I was excited to see people. I don’t feel like I have to be dreading anything.”
Another Althoff sophomore, Grace Jansen, said she particularly enjoyed the pope answering questions from the youth.
“They were questions that I’ve also had,” Jansen said. “My favorite question was when one of the kids asked how to get closer to Jesus as a friend, because a lot of times, I feel I’m just asking God to give me things or help me with things. The pope explained how I can talk to Jesus and God as friends. By building those relationships, it makes your life a lot better. You can feel Him working through you, and you see Him more as a friend and not just someone you turn to when you need help.”
Jansen said the event “was powerful just to hear the pope’s opinion on things.”
“It was nice that he’s also from Illinois,” she said. “I feel like I related to him a little bit more that way. It was really interesting to hear all of the things he had to say. He did a good job of relating it to things that happen in life.”
From talking to other students, Jansen said she sensed it was a significant experience for all of them.
“To hear the pope speak and answer questions that kids our age have … I think a lot of people were able to relate to it,” she said. “It wasn’t just one thing the pope said. Everyone was able to relate somehow. It made my day so much better. I felt the presence of God in my life, and I was calmer throughout the day.”
After the pope’s livestream, Fr. Brian Barker addressed the students. That was also meaningful because Fr. Barker is a personal friend of Pope Leo’s and was in attendance at the Papal Mass of Installation and was part of a private audience with the pope on May 18 in Rome.
John Bouc, director of campus ministry and dean of students at Althoff, considered the day a major success.
“I heard a lot of positive responses,” he said. “People enjoyed the interaction with Pope Leo. People were plugged in and were paying attention for 45 minutes with the pope and a little bit longer with Fr. Brian afterwards.
“It not only made a difference for Lenora, but I feel like the whole day was worth it. I enjoyed it a lot. I hope we made connections and did good things for the people of our school. I believe it did.”