Relic chapel at NCYC draws teens in quiet prayer closer to the saints
People pray in the relic chapel at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis in November 2025. (Photo by Sean Gallagher)
By Sean Gallagher
The Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis was often filled with laughter and loud excited talk as thousands of teens made their way back and forth through its wide hallways during the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) on Nov. 20-22.
But all that hubbub went away just a few steps off of one of those hallways in a eucharistic adoration chapel, which has been a common feature of NCYC during the years. Adjacent to it this year was a new additional chapel—one that invited its visitors to venerate the relics of several saints.
Present there were the relics of saints connected to each of the Church’s seven sacraments: St. Francis Xavier for baptism; St. Catherine of Siena for confirmation; St. Carlo Acutis for the Eucharist; St. John Vianney for the sacrament of penance; St. Teresa of Calcutta for the anointing of the sick; SS. Joachim and Ann for marriage; and St. Alphonsus Liguori for holy orders.
All of the relics were what have traditionally been called “first-degree relics”—a part of a saint’s body.
Pauline Sister Bethany Davis helped oversee the eucharistic adoration chapel and the relic chapel at NCYC and was glad that the 16,000 youths at the conference could venerate the saints and learn more about them.
“It’s a really tangible expression of our faith,” she said. “It’s a tangible way for them to learn that a life of holiness can actually be lived in real life. It’s a unique opportunity for them. Not a lot of parishes have a lot of relics. So, for them to have the opportunity to encounter the saints, saints they may not have heard of before, could be an important step for a person’s faith journey.”
Mason Smith of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia spent time praying before the relic of St. Catherine of Siena because she was his girlfriend’s confirmation saint, and he had been confirmed earlier this year.
“A lot of the time, we feel that the saints are so above us, that they’re special and one-of-a-kind,” said Mason. “And they are. But we can be saints too through deliberate prayer and living through Christ every single day.”
Although venerating relics may have been new to many NCYC participants, it wasn’t for Hope Dierker of the Diocese of Covington, Ky. Earlier this year, she traveled to Assisi, Italy, where she visited the burial place of Carlo Acutis.
“He’s a millennial saint,” said Hope. “He makes it more real for us that that can be us.”
Although only a small relic of St. Carlo was at NCYC, Hope still appreciated praying before it.
“I got the opportunity to be in the presence of his entire body,” she said. “But to be able to be in the presence of a small part of him is just as important because it was part of him and a part of his life. It’s incredible and powerful. It makes me want to be a saint.”
Hope also appreciated how the adoration chapel and the relic chapel offered an opportunity for quiet prayer amid the often loud atmosphere of NCYC.
“There’s a lot of craziness,” she said. “There is a lot of people everywhere and a lot of excitement. That’s super good. But where you really encounter the Lord personally is in silence. It’s really important to hear his voice. Sometimes, it’s just a whisper. And you need to be able to have silence to hear that.”
Sister Bethany said that the quiet that the chapels offered was an important aspect of them, especially for the teenagers attending NCYC.
“There aren’t a lot of opportunities for silence in our lives today, especially in the life of a young person, whether that’s of their own making or just the noise of the world today,” Sister Bethany said. “So, I think it’s important for them to know that they can be alone.
“A lot of times, people aren’t afraid to pray. And maybe they’re not even afraid of God. But they’re afraid of what might be said in the silence, or they’re afraid to be alone with themselves. So, to provide them with an opportunity for them to know that it’s OK, that Jesus is there and there are people like them [in the saints] all around is a really beautiful opportunity.”
This was a message that Pope Leo XIV shared with the 16,000 youths at NCYC on Nov. 21 during a live video encounter that took place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
“To entrust our struggles to Jesus, we have to spend time with him in prayer,” he said. “We have to have a relationship with him. In quiet, we can speak honestly about what is in our hearts. During eucharistic adoration, you can look at Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and you know that he looks at you, and he looks at you with love. He often speaks to us gently in the stillness.
“That is why daily moments of silence are so important, whether through adoration, reading Scripture, talking to him, looking for those little spaces of time where we can be with him. Little by little, we learn to hear his voice, to feel his presence, both within and through the people that he sends to us.
“ … Remember also Mary, the mother of Jesus, and our mother. She understands what we go through and she prays for us. There’s a powerful way to ask for her help, and that’s praying the rosary, through her intercession.
“And with all the saints praying for us, we can confidently place everything in God’s hands, knowing that he always hears us, he’s always with us.”
See more stories from the National Catholic Youth Conference here
