Nearly 300 teens, chaperones and youth ministers from Detroit area joined peers at 2025 National Catholic Youth Conference
INDIANAPOLIS — Approximately 300 teens and chaperones made their way back to the Archdiocese of Detroit after spending three days at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, all uniquely touched by the Holy Spirit, having spent time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and in conversation with Pope Leo XIV.
The Detroiters joined nearly 16,000 high schoolers from across the United States who descended upon Lucas Oil Stadium from Nov. 20-22. Alongside bishops and priests, they celebrated Mass and prayed in adoration, spent time in breakout sessions and joined their peers in small groups.
However, for the majority of the teens in attendance, it was a digital encounter with Pope Leo, who made a live video call into the conference, that was a decided highlight.
During the Friday video call, the pope answered questions and engaged with young people, making many feel inspired, seen and loved.
“Pope Leo's time answering questions made me realize that I am not the Church's future, but its present," said Grant Poulton, a junior from Shrine High School in Royal Oak. "As a result of attending, I feel a call to live my life in reverence to God and to center my relationships around Him as well.”
Poulton, along with many of his peers, reflected upon the stirring spiritual experiences at the NCYC, which he wrote "inspires me to use my voice and my abilities to better the Church in the world and advance Catholic missions such as the pro-life movement and all the things that lie within that," as well as spreading the Gospel message of peace.
Via a livestream connection, Pope Leo spoke with the young people for nearly an hour, answering five questions and offering his take on the issues young people face today.
Engaging with an American-born pope in English made the faith seem more accessible, said Anna Corsetti, a high school freshman who attends St. Irenaeus Parish in Rochester Hills.
“Pope Leo was a normal Catholic American,” Corset wrote in her reflection. “Knowing this, I feel like I can be close to God and live out my faith like Pope Leo.”
Laura Piccone-Hanchon, associate director of discipleship formation for the Archdiocese of Detroit's Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, attended the conference along with the teens. Piccone-Hanchon said Pope Leo's willingness to dialogue with the young people for so long was an unexpected blessing.
“It really speaks to his desire to connect with the young people and to inspire them,” Piccone-Hanchon told Detroit Catholic. “He wanted the young people to know he was praying for them. Having him live with the young people made him so much more relatable. I think they all felt a real connection with the Holy Father; he was so present, and there was a warmth about him. His responses to the questions were just so thoughtful and clearly inspirational to this particular high school age group.”
To have been “noticed, named and known” by a sitting pope will go a long way for the teens on their road to discipleship, added Katy Frederick, coordinator of small groups and youth ministry support for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
“He sent a huge message to the young people that the youth of America were so important as to take extra time out of his busy schedule,” Frederick said.
Although no Detroit teens were chosen to ask the pope a question directly, many played important roles in this year's conference, including 17-year-old Khloe Duneske, a junior at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, who was one of seven teens chosen to share a testimony during breakout sessions as part of the Marian University Preach Challenge.
Duneske, a parishioner of Our Lady of Victory in Northville, shared about growing in faith through her relationship with the Virgin Mary before a room of approximately 1,000 young people.
“I felt super prepared, and something I said before I went on was, ‘Holy Spirit, come,’” Duneske told Detroit Catholic. “I wanted the word I was speaking to be of the Holy Spirit and what God wanted the message to be preached to others. As soon as I left the stage, I felt like as long as one person received the message, if it touched their hearts, then the reason I got up on that stage — the purpose — had been fulfilled.”
Duneske called her experience “a ripping off the Band-aid moment,” adding that sharing her testimony in front of such a large crowd gives her the courage to continue to do so throughout her life.
Although Duneske attended the National Catholic Youth Conference two years ago as a freshman, she said this year's conference was profound and fulfilling as she's grown in her own faith.
“There are so many takeaways, but if I could say one word about how I feel right now — and it's honestly been the word of the year — it's 'fulfilled,'” Duneske said. “I am overfilled with the Spirit, with the community I've made, and being able to be with 16,000 other kids who love the same God that I do and who live their faith so boldly and passionately is so inspiring.”
Duneske said she hopes her experience is a reflection of the experiences so many of her peers had in Indianapolis.
“Everyone's walk is so different, but we can come together as a universal Church and be bold in our faith," Duneske said. "Yours might be the only church someone will ever walk into, and so I am walking away to continue to live out a bold faith.”
During the conference, the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry announced its 2025 award winners, which honored seven youth ministers from across the country who "have made significant contributions to the field of pastoral ministry with young people in the United States."
Among this year's winners was Joyce Francois, the parish and community outreach director for the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance, who was a recipient of the Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman Bridge Building Award, which "recognizes an individual, apostolate, or organization on the national or regional level that develops bridge building pathways fostering efforts in diversity and inclusion."
Francois, who has worked with youths and young adults for more than 30 years, including in the Archdiocese of Detroit's Office of Youth Ministry, was honored for her "passion for young people and social justice," as well as her "extensive experience in youth programing and youth leadership development."
“These individuals represent the heart and soul of youth ministry — mentors, leaders, and bridge builders whose faithful witness has shaped the lives of countless young people,” said Christina Lamas, NFCYM executive director, in a news release.
As Detroit-area youths and youth ministers made their way back to the Archdiocese of Detroit, many expressed a renewed hope for the future.
Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Robert J. Fisher, one of the hundreds of clergy who attended the conference, said he struck up a conversation with other attendees about their experience.
“One youth leader just talked about how much they'd hoped that this would really change the young people's faith, and not only their faith, but the faith of their family,” Bishop Fisher said. “We hope this radiates out to many people, whether they were in Indianapolis or not.”
