Local News

Aug. 17, 2006

Hundreds of youth locked in for social, religious gathering

By Ambria Hammel
The Catholic Sun

A basketball court is ordinarily a site of intense competition, especially the hardwood shared by the Phoenix Suns and Mercury. Yet hundreds of teens recently found themselves on the same court as a sign of unity a few hours after the women of the Phoenix Mercury lost a close game at U.S. Airways Center.

The first-ever Catholic youth lock-in July 30-31 created an opportunity for teens from youth groups to socialize with friends and youth ministers.

The diocese teamed up with Phoenix’s professional basketball teams and the U.S. Airways Center to coordinate the overnight event. The youth, who hailed from 16 different parishes as far north as Prescott, quickly realized the lock-in was also about a larger community.

“Evangelization happens in relationships,” said Bill Marcotte, director of youth and young adult ministries for the diocese. “But to try to do that without a relationship, you may mean nothing to them.”

The teens bonded as they set up sleeping bags and played impromptu games even before Matt Maher, associate music minister at St. Timothy Parish in Mesa, opened the night with a concert. 

The youth formed a semicircle around Maher and his band on the basketball court. The set list included “Better Is One Day,” where the teens declared it is better to spend one day in God’s court than thousands elsewhere. Later, they swayed to the music — some with arms around each other — as they prayed the “Hail Mary.”

Kevin Starrs, ministry coordinator for youth in prison, concluded the program portion of the lock-in. He defined spirituality as how a person handles pain and identified pain commonly experienced by teens. He emphasized the need to rely on relationships with each other and with God to help work through that pain.

“Sometimes Jesus seems far away and He’s not. He’s here. We know He’s in the Eucharist. We know He’s in prayer. We know He’s around us, but sometimes He just seems so far away,” Starrs said. “So we need to be Jesus to each other.”

The teens demonstrated that community support through basketball, volleyball and indoor soccer games.

They also listened to additional concerts presented by the FLIGHT band (Freedom Lives in God’s Holy Truth) from Holy Spirit Parish in Tempe and musicians from Christ the King Parish in Mesa.

“If you’re one body, one community, we have to come together as a community,” Mike Erickson, FLIGHT’s lead singer, said. Other teens shuffled cards, explored team-oriented board games or watched movies.

The youth ministers overwhelmingly hoped their teens left the next morning with new friendships and a greater awareness of the Church.

“It was an opportunity for everybody to see that it’s a greater Catholic community, not just the church you attend every Sunday,” said Eric Porteous, the coordinator of high school youth ministry at St. Patrick Parish in Scottsdale.

For Lauren Johnson, St. Timothy’s assistant youth minister, the event was also about evangelization. She hoped the night would be a springboard for her youth group to get further involved.

Vincent Gallegos, youth minister at Sacred Heart Parish in Prescott, agreed.

“We can hopefully use these opportunities to bring them back to be actively involved in the Church,” he said.

Ambria Hammel/CATHOLIC SUN
Local teens sing praise and worship during a Matt Maher concert that opened the program portion of an overnight Catholic lock-in at U.S. Airways Center July 30. More than 300 teenagers spent the night sharing their faith.