Local News

Sept. 21, 2006

Diocese plans youthfest for high schoolers

By Ambria Hammel
The Catholic Sun

In just three weeks, teens throughout the diocese won’t need to think of a reason to party. They will already have one.

The Office of Youth and Young Adult Evangelization is making final preparations for the Oct. 12 Southwest Youthfest, a daylong “megaconcert” experience for high school teens across the Phoenix Diocese. The event will be held at the U.S. Airways Center in downtown Phoenix.

Church leaders believe this celebration will help teenagers grow in their faith and remind them of how the universal Church extends beyond their parish.

“An event like this takes the gifts and talents of everybody,” said Bill Marcotte, director of youth and young adult evangelization for the diocese.

An advisory team consisting of youth ministers and teens worked for more than a year to plan the youthfest. The result: a program filled with speakers and musicians known locally and nationally.

Their appeal reaches out to teens at various places in their faith walk and challenges them to go farther.

Catholic rapper Righteous B will serve as emcee.

“You can call me a Christian rapper, a rapper who is Christian or a bologna sandwich for all I care — I’m just a dude who is trying to find a forum to share his heart,” a statement from Righteous B reads on his Web site.

Matt Maher, a nationally recognized musician and associate music minister at St. Timothy Parish in Mesa, will open the event with praise and worship. He will also perform a concert with his band during lunchtime.

Marcotte selected Fr. Billy Kosco from St. Henry Parish in Buckeye as one of the guest speakers. He called Fr. Kosco a dynamic preacher who will give a challenging message in a humorous way.

That should lead naturally to Catholic comedian Judy McDonald, who uses laugher to bring people together.

“It’s a universal language and as Catholics, we know all about being universal,” she said. “After we laugh together, I like to share my faith with them and hopefully they can see that loving Jesus doesn’t mean you have to turn into some serious person that doesn’t enjoy life.”

Renee Bondi, who has appeared at two World Youth Day gatherings, will also speak at the Southwest Youthfest. Her topics often include CPR for teens (Choices, Prayer and Responsibility) and the power of praise.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted will celebrate Mass for the teens.

Brian Cannon, coordinator of youth ministry at St. Paul Parish, said he hopes the youthfest will help the teens realize church doesn’t just happen on parish grounds and that communion with each other can occur anywhere.

“When we come to something like this, we recharge,” Cannon said. The youth are often strengthened and re-committed to leading faithful lives.

The Southwest Youthfest is the first event in the Phoenix Diocese linked to the international and wildly popular World Youth Day, which was established by Pope John Paul II in 1985. He wanted to celebrate youth and help them learn about their faith on a regular basis.

Celebrations are held yearly in each diocese and every two to three years internationally. The next global gathering will be in Sydney, Australia, in 2008.

Southwest Youthfest

When: Oct. 12, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Registration: $25
More information