When Jessica Cox, a Catholic motivational speaker born without arms, took to the stage to kick off the Religious Education Congress’ Youth Day, she wore Mickey Mouse ears she’d just acquired down the street at Disneyland, the “Happiest Place on Earth.”
“While it was fun, it was only temporary,” Cox said. “But the thing that is incredible about today is the joy you experience right now, where you are and today in your faith — that my friends, is eternal.”
Cox was the keynote speaker for the Congress’ annual Youth Day on Feb. 20 — a part of the four-day Religious Education Congress at the Anaheim Convention Center — where more than 7,500 young people gathered for a day of talks, music, entertainment, prayer and community.
Cox spoke about the challenges — and liberation — that came from growing up with no arms. She repeatedly emphasized the event’s theme, “You Are Enough! You Belong,” in telling her story of constantly overcoming her deficit and finding God along the way.
As she spoke, she demonstrated her ability to do things with her feet that might seem impossible to others: Tying her shoes, picking up her cellphone, unfolding a paper to read a poem.
“I know you may not have the same adversity I have, but every single one of you has something you are facing, something that you are struggling with, and with that challenge, I want you to lift it up to the Lord and know that he is strengthening us,” said Cox.
Other speakers throughout the day touched on similar issues facing young people today: Prayer, making deeper connections, feeling alone, and discerning God’s will.
Also, rap music.
Whether it was a Scripture rap battle between presenters Chris Estrella and Joe Melendrez — with surprise contestant Rhyan Ramirez — or Father David Michael Moses talking about hip-hop-inspired songs he’d written, the day had a musical theme.
Moses, the popular guitar-playing, comedy video-making, breakdancing, rapping priest with a large social media following, picked up his guitar and broke into song several times during his talk, singing about the Eucharist, his prayer book, and even his dating history. Comedy videos included “Clergy Spoon,” suggesting priests could use their clerical collars in case they run out of utensils, and “Rate My Confessor,” a parody of “Rate My Professor.”
But in between the entertainment, speakers shared several modern-day parables to explain how God is meeting young people in their lives.
Newly ordained Father Tommy Green, an associate pastor at St. Philomena Church in Carson, spoke during his session about how God is with us through the highs — for him, being ordained a priest — and lows — for him, suffering a career-ending football injury — of our lives.
“God sees you and he’s invested,” Green said. “He knows you. He knows what you’re going through right now. He knows what you’ve been through. He absolutely loves you.
“That’s just how good our God is.”
In their respective sessions, Maggie Craig and Noelle Garcia McHugh used some painful lessons in their lives to highlight how to let God help.
For McHugh, it was walking her dogs and being dragged when they began chasing after a rabbit. When telling a friend later, they asked her, “Why didn’t you let go?” She urged the crowd to “let go” in their prayer lives and let God take control.
Craig relayed a childhood ordeal that led to needing 37 stitches in her leg, which segued into letting God heal our own wounds.
“When we keep our wounds wrapped up, we never heal,” she said. “What does Jesus want for you? He wants your healing.
“So what do we have to do with our wounds? We have to be vulnerable with God.”
Many students in attendance came with youth groups, confirmation classes, or with families.
Joel Castro, 15, a confirmation student at St. John Chrysostom in Inglewood, was impressed with Green’s workshop and how he rebounded from his football injury.
“He still found a way with God,” Castro said. “Even though something bad happens, just look forward ahead. God might have a plan for you if the great thing doesn’t happen.”
Shaila Kuo, 14, a parishioner at St. Columban Church in Garden Grove, received inspiration from Father Agustino Torres, CFR, and his presentation, “Go Make a Mess.”
“It’s OK that we’re imperfect, and that God still loves us and we should still try for him,” Kuo said. “I hope that I’m able to go up to people if they’re having a hard time too, I can also tell them that God loves them and that it’s OK. We’re having a bad day, and I can use my bad day to help their day.”
Patricia Atrian, a confirmation coordinator at St. Agnes Church in Los Angeles, said she likes to bring the students to Youth Day so they can see how big the Church is and find Catholic speakers to follow on social media.
“Part of it is getting them exposed to it, and then kind of seeing that diversity within our Church,” she said. “So living the Church is a big one, and then how they kind of see the faith in their families, in their parish, and then the archdiocese.”
Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez bookended the event, first by leading the crowd in the morning in Eucharistic adoration, and later by celebrating the day’s closing Mass.
In his homily, Archbishop Gomez asked the youth to use Blessed Carlo Acutis — whose soon-to-be-a-saint relic was featured at the event’s Sacred Space — as a model for their lives.
“If you say to Jesus, as St. Peter did, ‘You are the Christ,’ then he will set your life in a whole new direction,” Archbishop Gomez said. “If you put your life in his hands and follow him, then Jesus will show you how to live a beautiful life, a life filled with love and service, a life that will become your path to heaven.”
