Okay, so maybe setting myself up to daily blog about Ignite NW wasn't as realistic as I initially thought - but here we go nonetheless! Despite the publication date, this post is a reflection on the first (half) day of the youth conference (Wednesday) and the first whole day (Thursday).

As the leader of the greenshirts (the volunteer core of this whole thing) put it, 'enjoy breakfast today - it's going to be the only meal you'll have in peace for the rest of the week!' Indeed, the morning of Wednesday was a kind of calm before the storm - though a calm filled with excited anticipatory energy more than anything else. I sat with Sister Solanus Casey(here's a neat EWTN article about her and a few other religious sisters) and Father David Brokke (the formation director for SOLT - here's a little reflection he wrote on the SOLT website), both members of the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity. We talked story for all of breakfast and a little beyond. It is amazing and delightful to compare stories about the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives, within our ministry - as well as to just chew the fat!

At the religious & clergy orientation meeting, we went around the room and introduced ourselves to each other. I won't re-list all the communities represented (check that out in yesterday's post), but you'll perhaps be impressed as I was at the breadth of locations represented: Arizona, Detroit, California, Kentucky, Nigeria, and beyond!

By the way, a particular feature of the conference that is a daily delight is how the children of our leaders are always underfoot. In the case of our orientation meeting, the daughter of the MC and the newborn child of the executive director were (and are) just hanging out with us. These are definitely kids who won't be frightened of or intimidated by priests, brothers, nuns, or sisters! ....not least because the aforementioned religious & clergy are spoiling them rotten 😏

A behind-the-scenes moment that caught m attention was that the greenshirts - remember them, the young adults who paid to volunteer for this conference?! - set up a plan to have someone praying for the conference before the Blessed Sacrament every hour of each day of the conference (Mass excluded). The attention to spiritual care is deliberate, conscious, and eagerly undertaken - as well as the realization that those who minister must also allow themselves to receive from the One they're serving.

I spent some of my free time today entering the schedule into my online calendar - just doing so impressed upon me how tired we'll all be by Sunday afternoon! Not only are there talks and events, but every small group is led by a cleric, religious, or seminarian. Three of the five days will feature workshops (also presented by clergy, religious, and other leaders) from which participants can choose. There will be Mass every day - and in different forms (one day we're going to a Dominican rite high Mass!)! We will gather for the Liturgy of the Hours every morning and evening (Lauds/Morning Prayer and Vespers/Evening Prayer). 

When the kids at last arrived, the fun really began. I'm always reminded of the tension our teenagers live in. Being at a youth conference as a young man or woman is both exciting and nerve-wracking. Will this be a fun time with friends old and new? Will it open up new things that are delightful and interesting? Will it be boring and a drag? Will it push and pull beyond the bounds of comfort? All of this and more filled the air as kids - and their chaperones! - piled out of cars in the field.

A neat moment as a priest of some years in the Archdiocese of Seattle: seeing so many familiar faces & friends from all over our archdiocese - lots of hugs and catching up ensued.

We had an awesome talk from Father Augustine Wetta, OSB as he shared about his struggle with Parkinsons and the miraculous work of the Lord along the way. Father Thomas Nathe presided and preached Mass that evening, sharing about God's call amid a life distant from Him - breaking open the story of his conversion and encounter with the Lord's love. 

We had planned to offer the rosary in a procession outside, but God saw fit to send us thunder and lightning - which ROCKED....but the strikes were a bit close for comfort, so we prayed inside before sending the kids off to wind down for the night. The greenshirts, by the way, notably do NOT wind down right away - staying up another hour or so to plot out the next day before praying night prayer in the basement chapel. And although all of us (greenshirts, religious, and clergy) were officially done for the day, our fellowship went on for quite some time!

Today being the first full day of the conference with the youth present, I found myself ready & raring to go - not least because the religious & clergy building is air conditioned. I know, I know, first world issues here, but I am SO grateful for the blessing of wisdom & intellect applied for the care of our (my!) frail humanity.

I forgot to note that the temperatures yesterday were absolutely bonkers: it hit 100 degrees fahrenheit at one point - we were cajoling/exhorting/demanding that the kids hydrate-hydrate-hydrate throughout the day. Happily, it seems that the (passing) thunderstorms marked the end of triple-digit temperatures - and it was reflected in the cheer of all.

Mass today (and tomorrow) was in the University of Portland Chapel of Christ the Teacher (featured to the right). Despite being Masses in Ordinary Time, all the stops are being pulled out even for daily Mass: we have chant, organ, and otherwise beautiful liturgical praxis (practices) going on. As a Catholic and a priest, I love it. As a pastor, I tremble a bit at the expectations we're raising in our youth - not because we shouldn't strive to attain such splendor, but because of the work we'll need to (and are!) undertake to get there! And yet, totally worth it.

Breakfast was another fine meal. Of particular note was a soliloquy from the MC about the offering of 'vegetarian sausage'. Saint Thomas Aquinas (I was informed) teaches that evil consists of pretending/presenting as a good that is not actually present, prompting the question: is vegetarian sausage immoral? I'm not convinced - and it was surprisingly delicious!

Today's keynote was by Father Gary Thomas - director of the Propaedeutic year at Saint Patrick's seminary in Menlow Park, California. He also served as an exorcist for 15-some years. As you might imagine, his talk on intentional faith - moving from focusing on the instutional Church to personal relationship with Christ - was fascinating! Definitely a great way to start the day off with a bang.

Today - and the next couple of days - feature what is probably the most potent of Ignite NW's formal offering: workshops! There are three foundational workshops from which youth can choose in the morning and then 6-8 workshops (depending on the afternoon) to choose from in the afternoon. I had hoped to go to the workshop on spiritual warfare presented by our own faith formation leaders (Deacon Dan & Morgan), but they were so popular that not everyone who wanted to go could attend! I guess I'll have to try for a private presentation - maybe over coffee!

The day ended with perhaps my favorite part of the week: adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confessions, and healing prayer teams. Though the schedule planned on an hour and a half for all of that, we priests ended up - as always, I hasten to add (so we're expecting it!) - hearing confessions for two and a half hours. 

It. Was. Awesome.

The day ended with the typical (I'm coming to understand) greenshirt daily debrief and planning for tomorrow. I am so blessed to be the more-or-less official spiritual director for these young men and women. They are a BLAST to be with even at 10:30 pm when we're all tiredand have (yet) an(other) hour of planning for the next day. Despite everyone's fatigue, there was much joy, laughter, and good cheer.

After night prayer, I retired to the religious & clergy lounge, where the blackshirts (have I told you about the blackshirts? They're the director-level staff!) had set up camp. I want to tell you that we all were responsible adults who briefly touched base and then went right to bed to get a good nights sleep. That's what I want to tell you..... but I what I can tell you is that ending the day (and starting the next one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) with these folks was a blessing!