Halfway through Utah's first Catholic Youth Rally, a Salt Lake teenager named Tom Green pondered the effect it was having on him.
"I think it has rekindled the fire, in a way," Green said, referring to the enthusiasm engendered by his trip to Denver to see Pope John Paul II three months ago. "We've been going over what we learned there."More than 550 young Catholics from throughout Utah attended the rally Sunday, crowding into the Salt Lake Marriott Hotel ballroom for religious pep talks, songs, food and reflections on the pope's message to youth.
"When we planned this six weeks ago, we were hoping to get maybe 300 participants," said Michelle Mello, associate diocesan director of youth ministry. "It has far exceeded our expectations."
Organizers said the rally was intended to "build community" among Catholic youth, provide a forum for the celebration of their Catholic identity and "harness the spirit and love instilled" by the pope.
"We need to continue to provide these young people with positive experiences in which they can take an active role in their church and their faith development," Mello said.
The pope's visit provided the theme for the rally - "Crossroads from Denver" - and was featured in videos of the trip, prayers and speeches. Most of the young people at Sunday's rally had seen the pope during his pilgrimage to the United States.
"You can go to Denver and cheer for your religion and cheer for the pope, but if it doesn't mean anything to you, it doesn't mean anything at all," keynote speaker Pat O'Meara told the youthful crowd.
O`Meara, a Catholic student leader at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, said he came to the crossroads in his life seven years ago at a religious retreat. He said he realized that his principles and his faith were slowly eroding under the pressure of conformity.
The turning point came when a priest at the retreat asked him, "Is it going to be your faith or your parents' faith?" The point of the question, O'Meara said, is that young people must embrace their religion for their own sake.
"It's your choice," he told the young Catholics. "Here, at the crossroads, is where you decide what your faith means to you."