Several young adults from Orlando gathered at Bishop Moore Catholic High School from Friday to Saturday, Oct. 8-9. 

The delegates reportedly attended the 'Young Adult Summit' hosted by the Office of Laity, Family, and Life's Young Adult and Youth Summits. 

Praise, Worship

According to the Facebook post, the young people from Orlando were given a chance to praise and worship God through the summit. 

In a report with The Florida Catholic, Bob Perron served as emcee for the two-day event. Perron is the current director of the JMJ Pregnancy Center. 

The director discussed the five ways the attendees could follow to become saints. He said that they have to "be authentic, grow in prayerfulness, avoid sin, know it can't be done alone, and embrace struggle."

He also told the attendees that they needed to build a strong prayer life. Perron urged the delegates to learn how to thank God for all the things He has given them. 

Moreover, the director shared that by doing so, he realized that he would never run out of things to thank God for. He also said that he learned to trust God with "the bigger things" in his life. 

In his speech, he shared a quote from Thomas Keating, a pioneer in the Christian contemplative prayer.

"Silence is the language of God; everything else is a poor translation," he quoted. 

Reflect on Life

Orlando Bishop John Noonan also attended the event and encouraged participants to reflect on their lives. He asked them if they were "running away from something" for fear of the unknown. 

Instead of fearing, he urged the youth to involve themselves in community activities. Bishop Noonan also asked them to live out the Gospel's message through example. 

The Orlando Bishop assured them that "God calls everyone in some way." He further noted that they have a chance to encounter God each day through the people they meet and the stories they share. 

Invitation Is Important

Aside from those guests, Paul J. Kim also served as keynote speaker. He told the youth that listening to God is "necessary for transformation."

He reminded them that in the Gospel, people are invited to encounter Jesus. 

He added that "the invitation to see and meet Christ was important, but it was the encounter that mattered." 

Kim further noted those who accepted the invitation and had an encounter with Jesus experienced a change in their lives. He pointed out that the same truth holds today. 

The facilitators invited the delegates to reflect during the moments of silence segments. They also told the attendees to offer themselves in prayer and encounter God. 

Meanwhile, a Sacrament of Reconciliation was also conducted for those who wanted to confess their sins to a priest. 

Hunger for Truth, Meaning

Dan Boyd, secretary for Laity, Family, and Life, said that the youth in the church had a "hunger to be holy." 

He explained that an event like that gave the youth a chance to hear from Bishop Noonan. It also allowed the bishop to understand the young people and hear out their problems. 

Boyd noted that today's youth are "seeking truth and meaning." He said that they could find all these in Christ, and events such as this one would help point out the way. 

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