Archbishop Vásquez to 2,000-plus teens: ‘You give me hope’

More than 2,500 attended the closing Sunday, July 27, Mass, which included a commissioning blessing from Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez for the 2025-2026 Archdiocesan Youth Council. (Photo by James Ramos/Herald)

HOUSTON — At times rocking with music and a vibrant and frenetic youthful energy, one of the largest ballrooms in the Archdiocese became a sacred place of solemn prayer of Mass and Eucharistic Adoration with silence and worship during the 2025 Archdiocesan Youth Conference (AYC). 

Held July 25 to 26 at the Hilton of the Americas Hotel in downtown Houston, AYC welcomed more than 2,000 teenagers for a weekend of Sacraments, prayer, Masses, Liturgies and activities, including times of Eucharistic Adoration.

Various workshop topics included Marian devotions, intercessory prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours, praying with art and movement, mental health, vocations, dating, college futures, and Latino and Asian Catholic issues. Keynotes featured addresses by Gian Gamboa, who emceed the weekend, as well as Katie Prejean McGrady and Sister Nicole Trahan, FMI, each reflecting on the conference’s theme of “Pilgrims of Joy.” Sheer joy and friendships between teenage parishioners grew as the weekend continued.

By the Sunday closing Mass, presided over by Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez, the conference grew to more than 2,500 as parents and families attended the Mass.

Speaking directly to the young people during his homily, Archbishop Vásquez said, “I’m truly impressed with your enthusiasm and your joy. You give me hope. I believe Jesus Christ is working in and through your lives, and He will continue to be in your lives as long as you allow Him.”

He said knowing that the young people continue to choose Christ, “This fills me with hope to know that Christ is alive in you. Please know that each and every one of you is a blessing to the Archdiocese.”

He encouraged the teens to live a life of prayer.

“To be pilgrims of hope, we must be people who pray,” he said. “To pray for another person is truly a gift and a blessing. Jesus spent a great deal of time in prayer. All of us hunger and thirst for God. The thirst for God is often described as a longing in our hearts that cannot be satisfied by anything or anyone here on Earth. In every person, man, woman, or child, the longing is ultimately a desire to be close to God and, eventually, to be united with God. But what is also extraordinary is that God longs to be united with us. He has a desire to be close to each one of us. He wants to always be close to us.”

Recognizing the gifts already alive in the young people, Archbishop Vásquez lauded the hundreds of teens who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation from the dozens of parish priests.

“All of us who pray the ‘Our Father’ are asking that God’s will be done here,” he said. “We want God’s mercy, goodness, peace and justice to be here and now as it is forever in heaven. The kingdom is not just for me or my friends or for those that I like. The kingdom of God is for everyone.”

The Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization, which hosts the annual youth conference, also presented several recognition awards. 

Melissa Alexander and Yudith Cortez were recognized as outstanding youth ministry volunteers, while Aileen Jimenez and Paul Tran received youth minister awards. Vanessa Cadengo was honored with the Youth for Christ award, and Father Victor Perez received the Good Shepherd award. Finally, Megan Spies received the Cardinal DiNardo special recognition award. 

The 2026 Archdiocesan Youth Conference is set for July 31 to Aug. 2, with a theme drawn from the first words of Pope Leo XIV: “Peace Be With You All."