What’s the Point of Big Catholic Youth Events?
And why you should run at least one every year.
I was 16-years-old when I attended my first “big” Catholic youth event. It was a weekend youth festival called “Set Free.” There a guest speaker from the USA, a band from Australia, and 250 other young people
The entire weekend, I kept looking around and thinking, “Woah, it’s not just me who believes this Catholic stuff.” There was this deep sense that I was part of something bigger than myself.
When I returned home after the weekend, my parish hadn’t changed – the music was still bad, the pews were still half-empty, the average age was still 75. But I was different. I would look at these less-than-ideal aspects of parish life and think, “There’s more to the Catholic Church than this. I’ve seen it.”
Ever since then, I’ve been a believer in the value of big Catholic youth events.
The Common Criticisms
In my diocese, we run a big World Youth Day event every year. The event aims to give young people a taste of the international World Youth Day experience (the OG big Catholic youth event), and over 1000 young people attend.
This event receives its fair share of criticism. Big Catholic youth events always do. And I’ve noticed that these criticisms commonly fall into two categories:
1. The resources spent on this event could be better used elsewhere.
“The time spent organising this event should have been used to support grassroots youth ministry,” “The money spent should have been given to the poor,” and so on.
These criticisms present a false dilemma. A diocese doesn’t need to choose between either running big events or supporting local ministry. The best diocesan youth ministry strategy will include both.
Supporting local ministry is the most important thing your diocesan youth team can do. Local ministry is where discipleship happens. But large-scale events can play an important role building momentum for local youth ministries.
2. It’s hard for young people to return to their parish after attending a big youth event.
“Young people attend this big event with great speakers, great music, and lots of other young people. But then they return to their parish, which doesn’t have any of these things, and they get discouraged.”
Or, to put it another way, “My parish is doing a mediocre job ministering to young people, so your diocesan events should be mediocre as well – for consistency.”
If you receive this criticism, it’s even more important that you do a fantastic job with your large-scale youth event(s). Because these events will show young people that there is more to the Catholic Church than their parish experience.
When I was 16-years-old, a big Catholic youth event showed me that the music could be better, the preaching could be better, the ministry to young people could be better. Far from causing discouragement when I returned to parish life, these big youth events kept me going. They inspired me to make things better at a parish level.
Why Run a Big Youth Event?
There are three reasons why your Diocese needs to run at least one large-scale youth event every year.
1. Big youth events give young people a powerful experience of the Church
When I attended large-scale youth events as a teenager, I remember feeling a deep sense that I was part of something bigger than myself. It was inspiring to be surrounded by hundreds of other young Catholics who believed what I believed.
Sundays at my parish sometimes felt like a Church on life-support. But these events were an experience of the Church powerfully alive – filled with young people, providing relevant formation, and encouraging us to live our faith boldly.
2. Big youth events create an opportunity for young people to encounter Jesus
The Bible is filled with stories of people stepping out of day-to-day life and having a “mountaintop” experience where they encounter God. Large-scale events can provide young people with a similar experience.
These events should build towards a session that gives participants the opportunity for a personal encounter with Jesus. This session will typically incorporate Eucharistic adoration and/or the sacrament of Reconciliation.
I’ve been in the room for dozens of these sessions. God always shows up. Multiple young people experience a personal encounter with Jesus, many for the first time. And it transforms their lives.
3. Big youth events create momentum in your Diocese
Three years after we launched a big youth event called “Set Free” in my home diocese, three new parish groups had been started. In each case, a young person had a powerful experience at Set Free and then returned to their parish, wanting to start something.
If large-scale youth events aren’t creating momentum at a local level, then I’d agree with the critics that the money is better spent elsewhere. But my experience has been that big youth events inspire young people to live out their faith in bigger ways.
Every Diocese Should Run At Least One
Coordinating large-scale events is one of the key roles of a diocesan youth team. These events should have an important place in your diocesan youth ministry strategy.
If you’re a large archdiocese, “large scale” might mean a multi-day Catholic youth conference attended by 1000+ young people. If you’re a small diocese, it might mean a one-day event that brings together all 7 of your local parish youth ministries .
You’ll inevitably face criticism around any big youth event that you run. Don’t be discouraged. These criticisms are far outweighed by the opportunities that big youth events create: for young people to experience the living Church, encounter Jesus, and be inspired to live their faith boldly.