What is the National Catholic Youth Conference?
In a distinctly Catholic setting, the National Catholic Youth Conference invites participants to encounter Christ, experience church, and be empowered for discipleship.​

NCYC is the largest Catholic youth gathering in the U.S., with over 25,000 young people, clergy, religious, and adult chaperones attending from all over the country. A true pilgrimage of faith, NCYC is an exciting, biennial three-day experience of prayer, community and empowerment for Catholic teenagers addressing a wide variety of topics including Catholic spirituality and prayer, social justice issues, sexuality and leadership.

This pilgrimage features a huge interactive village where hundreds of exhibitors, musicians, games, food and learning centers of all types will be available throughout the conference.​

NCYC 2021, with the theme Ablaze, will take place in Indianapolis, Ind., November 17 to November 20, 2021. The diocesan contingent will depart November 17.

Who should attend NCYC 2021?
The conference is open to all high school youth for the 2021-22 school year. This includes our current 2020-21 school year eighth graders. Adult chaperones, 21 years of age and older, must have all required diocesan clearances, but are welcome to join in this pilgrimage of faith.

What is the registration fee?
The total cost is $560 for teens and $870 for adults. A $100/person payment is due by February 22, 2021, to secure your spot on the trip. Checks can be made payable to St. Barbara Parish with NCYC denoted in the memo line or payment can be made online using stbarbara.weshareonline.org. 

View the NCYC 2021 Registration Form.

Who do I contact to register or if I have questions?
Please contact Elisa Esasky in the Parish Office at 724-744-7474 for further information about this pilgrimage.

​How You Can Help

The first and most important way in which anyone can help our 2019 pilgrims from St. Barbara is through prayer. Over the next several months, please hold these teen pilgrims, chaperones and our entire diocesan contingency in prayer. Second, this amazing, transformative, faith experience comes at an economic price. The cost of the trip covers transportation, hotel, meals, and registration.

Each teen is responsible for paying $785 for the trip to Indianapolis, Ind., Nov. 20-23.  Many will receive a Francis Fund grant that will drop their total cost to $550. Over these next few months, our ministry is striving to raise $540/pilgrim, and we need your help on our Road to Indy. 

Your support won't go unnoticed and every dollar donated will go straight to our teen pilgrims. We are asking that you find it in your heart and your wallet, to help us fund this pilgrimage for our young people. This is one investment that you won't regret having stock in - trust us!

Buy Stock | Donate

View the NCYC 2019 Stock Brochure and Buy Stocks via Cash or Check

Complete the Stock Certificate and Buy Stocks Online

The cost is $10 per share!  Sponsors will be publically acknowledged. Upon the teens return from the pilgrimage in November 2019, you will receive a "stock report" via email with personal stories from each teen who attended, as well as photos. We also encourage those who make an investment to share special intentions with our pilgrims. They will take these intentions to NCYC. Prayer is powerful and the pilgrims want to pray for you before, during and after the pilgrimage.

Return the form and payment to St. Barbara Church, Att. Elisa Esasky. All checks made payable to St. Barbara Church; denote NCYC in the memo line. You may also drop your Stock Certificate Form in the collection basket or leave it with a hospitality team member at our Hospitality Desk in the Narthex. This year, you can also complete a Stock Form online and pay online using WeShare. 

Any way you choose to support the young church -- we appreciate. Thank you so much!

Energy. Enthusiasm. Vibrant Power of the Spirit.

Pilgrims from St. Barbara Parish first attended the National Catholic Youth Conference in December 2001. All these years later, we can proudly say, countless young people from our community have returned from this pilgrimage with a newfound perspective on their Catholic faith. They also find a new realization - we truly are all in this together.

Bishop Frank Caggiano says, "Ninety percent of the battle of faith is keeping our eyes fixed on what is most important." There is an energy, enthusiasm and vibrant power of the Spirit at NCYC. Anyone who has ever made this pilgrimage will tell you it becomes a life changing encounter with Christ.