In his first letter to Timothy, St. Paul writes, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”
 
Churches from around the Diocese of Cheyenne embraced this call as they sent around 50 teenagers to Conception Abbey and Seminary in Missouri for a week-long, July liturgical conference called One Bread, One Cup (OBOC).
 
High schoolers from Cheyenne, Douglas, and Aladdin jumped into the thick of liturgy as they were divided up into small groups to learn how they can actively serve their home parishes during Mass and other liturgical events. The Wyoming teens were pushed out of their comfort zones once they were placed in the following liturgical formation groups: Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Eucharist, Prayer in the Life of the Body of Christ, Altar Servers/Sacristans, Liturgical Arts, Chant, Cantor Development, Instrumental Music, Proclamation of the Word, Preaching the Liturgy of the Hours, and Stewardship and Hospitality.
 
Whether setting up a beautiful worship environment with hand painted banners or building community by encouraging song and chant, the young adults left Missouri trained and on fire with the desire to serve the Lord and their parishes in the Liturgy surrounding their everyday lives as young Catholics.
 
Father Brendan Moss, a Benedictine monk and President-Rector at Conception Seminary, has been working with teenagers through OBOC for 20 years. In the closing Mass, he reminded the youth in attendance of their great importance to the Church, saying, “Don’t wait—the future Church is now—it’s you.”
 
Many came to Missouri apprehensive of what they would be asked to do and who they would be grouped with, especially as this was the first time the conference was held at Conception. But, everyone in leadership at the conference, from OBOC Director Tammy Becht to the college-aged interns who coordinated daily activities, consistently encouraged the teens and their talents, refusing to allow anyone to look down on the young Church. It is a beautiful testament to the creative, youthful energy the Catholic Church has fostered in society for millennia.  
 
A perfect example of OBOC’s encouragement of youth is the Liturgical Formation of Eucharistic Ministers. The significance of this role in the Mass is often overlooked, but at OBOC, not only were three of Cheyenne’s teens trained to physically hand Jesus to their friends, they also spent time daily praying Lectio Divina, learning about the Eucharist, and fostering an overall respect and deep understanding of the sacrament.
 
The other teens received similar instruction in their respective formation groups, spending much of their day in prayer, community, and reflection, preparing to come home to share their newfound talents with their friends and family.
 
This community development only improved the experience of all in attendance, as Nolan Gerdes, a now trained Eucharistic Minister from Cheyenne’s Church of the Holy Trinity, noted, “Seeing the people who came up [for Communion] fully aware of what was actually being given to them made it worthwhile.”
 
We cannot afford to look down on this youthful energy, and it is truly encouraging that Wyoming parishes believe in and support the work of One Bread, One Cup.