Emmaus Conference reminds high school students of God's love
Paul J. Kim, right, brings volunteers to the stage during the Emmaus high school retreat at Good Shepherd Parish in Colleyville on Saturday, November 15, 2025. (NTC/Kevin Bartram)
COLLEYVILLE — The underlying message of the third annual Emmaus Conference on Nov. 15 was straightforward — young people are loved by God, and they have a place within His community.
The daylong event held at Good Shepherd Parish in Colleyville offered an assortment of activities, from a morning pep talk to confessions, Eucharistic Adoration, rosary making, games, and eventually a Mass to close out the day.
Victoria Ramon, diocesan director of youth, young adult, and campus ministry, said the annual Emmaus conference is designed for high school students in grades 9-12.
"It's really just a time for them to come together with the whole Church here in the Diocese of Fort Worth and to grow in their knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church," Ramon said. "That means what He has done for us, what He continues to do for us, and giving them an opportunity to respond to their call to follow Him."
When the conference started three years ago, just under 200 people participated in the event. This year's conference had nearly 300 participants.
Ramon said witnessing that growth is a testament to the idea that Emmaus is something that parishes want for their students and parents want for their children. She is also hopeful that those in attendance pass on their experience to friends at school, encouraging classmates to attend in the coming years.
"I wanted them to be able to come to an event that really focuses on evangelizing the students — proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus that's lived in and through His Church," Ramon said.
Just before the keynote address from Paul J. Kim, a noted Catholic youth and young adult speaker, a musical act led by Jorge Ochoa performed the song “Refiner” to an engaged audience. Students swayed back and forth and sang along with the music, and at one point, used their cell phone flashlights to imitate lighters used at concerts, creating a sense of connection with each other and the performers.
But some present preferred the quieter, more reflective aspects of the conference.
Jacob Smith, 17, a Timber Creek High School senior who attends St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Keller, said what made the biggest impression on him were the more spiritual components of the event.
"I really liked all of the quiet prayer time and Adoration," Smith said. "That's where I find peace the most, and I found a lot of peace out of it."
Later in the afternoon, Kim spoke to the students for just over 50 minutes, providing a scriptural foundation for church practices and teachings, discussing contemporary issues and problems facing many young people these days, and sharing his own faith struggles and eventual path to spiritual fulfillment.
"Someone told me that the Rosary was not just a repetitive prayer, it was a meditative prayer... there are all these people talking about meditation, but it turns out Catholics have been meditating for 2,000 years,” Kim said. “We're not meditating on ourselves — we're meditating on the person of Jesus, and that is the heart of what the Rosary is. We're just asking Mother Mary to join us in that prayer, by the way. She doesn't answer our prayers so much as it's her joining in prayer with us to her son Jesus. Do you see the difference?”
Students in the upper room of the parish center laughed and nodded as Kim described his struggles with his faith early on and the importance of the sacraments.
“I knew I needed to change my life,” Kim said. “But I didn't want to ... I knew I needed to go to confession ... so I finished my confession and was like, 'Go ahead, Father, you can smack me around. I deserve it.' But He didn't do that. He gave me some encouragement and some advice, and then I heard those beautiful words, 'I absolve you of your sins. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.' And a lifetime worth of sins was washed away instantly by going to Jesus.”
Kim later addressed mental health issues affecting Gen Z, and particularly young women.
Keylly Martinez, 17, an Azle High School student who attends Holy Trinity Church, said she, too, was looking for peace from the Emmaus conference and said Kim's comments about mental health affected her deeply.
"I have been having a rough time this week," Martinez said. "I thought I could get away from all that has been going on this week and just spend some time with God … on my part, and with most of my friends. I 100 percent agree with what he was saying."
Weatherford High School senior Itzelh Acosta said Kim's words resonated with her as well.
Acosta, 17, attends St. Stephen Parish and said that listening to Kim and absorbing the welcoming environment of the conference made her feel comfortable and accepted, which was precisely the conference's most important objective.
"I felt like everyone was connected," Acosta said. "I did not feel excluded at all. I felt like everyone was connected in their faith, and overall, it was just a great experience."