By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles
LAKE CHARLES — It was an encounter with the Holy Father like no one has seen before, and students at St. Louis Catholic High School watched as history-in-the-making unfolded before their eyes.
The first-ever live digital dialogue between Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and U.S. Catholic teenagers in Indianapolis occurred on the morning of November 21. The unprecedented visit, lasting nearly an hour, took place during the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) at Lucas Oil Stadium.
While some high school students from the Diocese of Lake Charles were among the 16,000 attending the three-day conference, students on the campus of St. Louis were connected in more ways than one. Moderator for the historic event was SLCHS alumna, Katie Prejean McGrady (Class of 2007).
McGrady let it be known that she was wearing her pope socks for the special occasion, to which the first American-born pope responded that he only wears “White Sox,” a nod to his unwavering loyalty to the Chicago baseball team.
In other breaking news, the Vicar of Christ shared that he uses a different word for Wordle every day, “so there is no set starting word,” the pope said about his pontifical strategy.
“Dear young people, dear friends, good morning! I am very glad to be with all of you through this digital connection,” Pope Leo said in his opening comments. “I want to greet everyone gathered at the National Catholic Youth Conference, and I also want to greet all of you who are joining online or joining on television from across the United States or other parts of the world.”
The Holy Father expressed his gratitude to those who made the dialogue possible even if it was only through a screen.
Speaking directly to the youth, the pope said, “You all hold a special place in my heart, and I look forward to answering your questions.”
Before the questions from five pre-selected students began, Pope Leo invited all to join him in praying the “Hail Mary.”
Topics on the minds of those representing their teenage peers ranged from accepting God’s mercy, distractions in prayer, balancing social media, giving worries to Jesus, technology, the future of the Church, overcoming anxiety, and more.
At one point, the NCYC crowd erupted into applause when Pope Leo reminded the youth that they are not only the future of the Church but also the present.
“Your voices, your ideas, your faith matter right now. The Church needs you. The Church needs what you have been given to share with all of us,” he said, offering three challenges to the teens:
- What can I offer the Church for the future?
- How can I help others come to know Christ?
- How can I build peace and friendship around me?
LOCAL REACTION
Several St. Louis students shared what was on their minds while listening to Pope Leo respond thoughtfully to the questions posed to him.
• Bayleigh Vincent, a senior, said that she could relate to everything the NCYC teens were asking.
“Something that resonated with me was the question about technology and how it can take over our lives. I liked Pope Leo’s response in that we should make sure technology serves our lives and not the other way around,” said Vincent. “I also like his suggestion of setting a timer for however long you spend on your phone. Putting it away and spending time with your family can make a difference.”
• Kaleb Katoch, a senior, said that he was glad to hear Pope Leo talk about the importance of discernment.
“A vocation is a big decision a lot of young people need to make. I am leaning toward marriage right now, but I am open to whatever God wants me to do,” said Katoch. “I like the part when Pope Leo said we should pray for our future spouse that they will be able to help us grow in our faith.”
• Laney Duhon, a sophomore, was glad the school offered the opportunity for the students to listen to the Holy Father.
“The pope’s advice on prayer was great,” she said, noting that she struggles with distractions at times. “I recently started getting into a big prayer life. His advice about quickly refocusing and turning back to God when we drift away in prayer was very helpful.”
• Benjamin-Isaac Duplechin, a senior, said a couple of things the pope said caught his attention. One was when he cautioned the youth to use artificial intelligence in such a way that if it disappeared tomorrow, they would still know how to think.
“It was a good reminder to be prudent and careful when using AI. I use it sometimes to help me with my homework,” admits Duplechin. “I also liked when he said we should be missionary disciples in every aspect of our life, to be intentional in the way we live out our faith.”
• Lizzie Austin, a senior, said that for her the digital experience felt surreal.
“I am still processing it. It felt weird to listen to the pope speak and be able to understand his language,” said Austin, “but I feel so honored that he chose to spend so much time with the youth. I kept thinking to myself that he is so relatable.” Austin noted that a lot of what Pope Leo said is what she needed to hear.
“When he was speaking about having good friends, he emphasized making Jesus a good friend,” she said, realizing, “when we talk to our friends about our struggles, it is important to share those struggles with Jesus, too.”
NOTE: The National Catholic Youth Conference is hosted annually by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, Inc. NCYC2026 will take place in Long Beach, California, November 19-21, 2026. For tickets, visit https://ncyc.us/future-ncyc/
Katie Prejean McGrady served as moderator during an historic live digital encounter with Pope Leo XIV at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 21, 2025. Pope Leo answered questions from pre-selected students during the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis. McGrady is a 2007 graduate of St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles, LA.
