The fourth annual “City of Saints” conference will kick off with Mass and outdoor procession led by Archbishop Gomez, and feature a roster of national and international speakers and a sacred space to learn prayer paths.

Archbishop José H. Gomez and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Religious Education will host the fourth annual City of Saints Teen Conference on August 3-5 at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to offer teens an encounter with Christ through fellowship, praise and worship as they participate in workshops presented by renowned speakers, including youth leaders. 

More than 1,200 teenagers are expected to attend from 80 parishes and schools throughout the tri-county Archdiocese (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura).

Archbishop Gomez will celebrate Mass at the De Neve Auditorium, 351 Charles E. Young Drive, West, Los Angeles, 90095 on Friday, August 3, from 3-4:30 p.m., and then will lead an outdoor Eucharistic procession to open the Sacred Space, where spiritual directors will share different prayer paths during the weekend.

The event will be emceed by the author and speaker Katie Prejean McGrady, who represented the U.S. at the Pre-Synod of Youth held in the Vatican in October 2017. Additional speakers include Fr. Agustino Miguel Torres, director of Evangelization for the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Bob Perron, director of the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry at the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, Brian Greenfield, director of Campus Ministry at Jesuit High school in Tampa, Florida, and participating for the second consecutive year is Chika Anyanwu, from the Diocese of San Bernardino.

The three-day conference will feature music by nationally-known recording artist Ike Ndolo, worship and prayer, evening liturgies, and facilitated group time. Participants will receive the sacrament of reconciliation at the evening liturgies and worship and prayers. 

For more information about the conference, visit www.cityofsaints.org.

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