Archdiocesan youth and event coordinators danced together on stage at the I Am event, March 15, closing out an evening of praise and worship. (Record Photo by Mary-Catherine Kinslow) 
Keynote speaker Gian Gamboa led students in grades 8-12 in meditative prayer during his speech at the I Am Encounter on March 15 at Sacred Heart Academy. (Record Photo by Mary-Catherine Kinslow) 
Keynote speaker Gian Gamboa opened the I Am Encounter on March 15 at Sacred Heart with a speech on searching for one’s identity through Christ. (Record Photo by Mary-Catherine Kinslow) 
Archbishop Selton J. Fabre made an appearance at the I Am Encounter on March 15 where he led adoration and benediction for the attendees. (Record Photo by Mary-Catherine Kinslow) 
Youth attendees joined in prayer during the “I Am Called to Keep The Faith” breakout session on March 15. (Record Photo by Mary-Catherine Kinslow) 
Teens knelt in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament during the I Am Encounter youth conference held at Sacred Heart Academy on March 15. More than 400 teens attended the event organized by the Office of Youth and Young Adults. (Record Photo by Mary-Catherine Kinslow)
Teens from more than 22 churches in the Archdiocese of Louisville were given six pointers for living a happy life on March 15 at the I Am Encounter, organized by the Office of Youth and Young Adults.
The night of praise and worship at Sacred Heart Academy drew more than 400 teens in eighth to 12th grade for a follow-up to the National Catholic Youth Conference, known as NCYC. Hundreds of teens from the archdiocese attended the national event in Indianapolis last fall. They were invited to gather again March 15, along with those who couldn’t attend.
With the theme “Come as You Are, Leave as You are Called,” the evening included a keynote speaker, break-out sessions, dinner and eucharistic adoration.
Keynote speaker Gian Gamboa kicked off the event with an anecdote, regaling attendees with his experience as a junior in college. He noted that he blindly signed up for an event called “Tough Mudder” with a dozen of his buddies from the college’s Newman Center for Catholic campus ministry.
That obstacle course — meant to test endurance — was one of the most challenging things he’s ever done, he told the crowd. Afterward, he and his friends discussed why they’d put themselves through such a challenging obstacle course.
“We all gave different versions of the same answer. … We were trying to understand, ‘Am I enough?’ ‘Do I have what it takes to complete the world’s most challenging obstacle course?’ In other words, we were all searching for worth and our identity,” he explained.
“Every single one of us has been given gifts from the Lord. … Also, every single one of us has been given certain crosses … and what our faith teaches us, is that Jesus wants all of it … both the beautiful and the ugly.”
— Gian Gamboa, keynote speaker
Gamboa gave the teens three questions to ask themselves and offered six points to take home with them from the event:
- Who am I? — “You are a beloved child of God,” he said.
- How am I supposed to live? — Gamboa provided three pointers for Christian living:
- Accept your weakness — In explanation, he cited 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.”
- Bring what you can — “Every single one of us has been given gifts from the Lord. … Also, every single one of us has been given certain crosses … and what our faith teaches us is that Jesus wants all of it … both the beautiful and the ugly.”
- Choose to surrender — “Everything you’re seeking in life, every desire you have, can be found in our Lord, Jesus Christ.”
- What am I made for? — “We are made for eternal happiness with God in heaven.”
After dinner, participants attended breakout sessions. One of the six sessions offered, “I Am Called to Keep the Faith,” was led by Ellie Crawford and Jack Spurlock, who are involved in Louisville’s Young Catholic Professionals group.
Crawford shared her college experience, saying, “As I’m sure many of our seniors in the room are going to realize, going into college is quite a different animal from the Louisville Catholic high school scene.”
Crawford noted that her experience at a secular college made it harder to stay “grounded and rooted” in her faith foundation, but she heard a spiritual “knock at the door” from God and eventually started going back to church.
“When I finally listened, the impact was so big,” she said. “Whether you’re ready for it or not — whether you’re ready to hear that voice — Christ is going to offer that foundation for you.”
Spurlock, who was baptized Catholic but raised in a more protestant setting, told listeners that he reconnected with his Catholic faith in 2023. He began his testimony with a verse from Psalms 34, “The Lord is near the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Spurlock said that in the midst of a tragedy and heartbreak, he felt guided “into the fullness of faith and to experience the real sacraments and the real love of God and real Christian fellowship.”
Spurlock noted that he “understood Christ as someone innocent who has suffered.”
Following the breakout sessions, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre processed into the gym with the Blessed Sacrament, beginning an hour of adoration-centered praise and worship. Once the monstrance had been placed on the altar, youth and their chaperones were invited to assume the “posture of prayer that feels most comfortable” to them, and were welcomed to gather closer around the Eucharist. Many reverently processed to the altar and knelt until Benediction.
As the I Am Encounter drew to a close, Father Tony Cecil and Jonna O’Bryan — leaders of the Office of Youth and Young Adults — addressed the room. The pair announced plans for a new LCYC (Louisville Catholic Youth Conference), which will take place every other year, when the biennial NCYC is off rotation.
Attendees erupted into a cheerful applause before the closing song, then many joined Cecil and O’Bryan on stage, praising the Lord in dance.
