Detroit — Now in its 31st year, the Catholic Youth Organization’s annual Rainbow conference drew more than 1,400 teenagers and adult volunteers to downtown Detroit for a weekend of faith, fellowship and fun Feb. 2-3.
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Rainbow XXXI drew teens from parish youth groups throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit to the Detroit Marriott Hotel in the Renaissance Center to learn more about their faith, worship together with Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, and take part in fun social activities.
Attending the conference is an experience “that makes you understand God more,” said Alicia Stephenson, 17, a member of St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Allen Park and a senior at Cabrini High School.
“Before I started coming to Rainbow, I wasn’t really religious, but now I am and I like it,” said Alicia, who was attending her fourth Rainbow conference.
Patin, with his strong Cajun accent, humor and energetic speaking style, was an obvious success at connecting with the teenage audience and keeping them engaged during his presentations.
“He makes me laugh so hard. He takes these stories from his own experience, and makes them into something we can relate to,” said Alicia, who said she thinks Patin is successful “because he’s a dad and works with kids.”
Fellow Cabrini parishioner and Cabrini High student Lillia Lattanzi, 16, also said she enjoyed Patin’s presentations: “I think he’s really funny. He’s good at telling stories about himself and his daughter, and he made it interesting — he wasn’t just sitting there talking to us.”
The overall effect of a Rainbow conference is to “make you want to get more involved with your faith,” said Lillia, who was attending her second Rainbow.
Rainbow XXXI was a first-time experience for Addi Helz, 14, from the youth group of St. Damian and St. Theodore of Canterbury parishes in Westland.
“I thought it would be boring, but it isn’t; it’s a lot different from what I thought it would be. I like that I can meet new friends, and be myself without being judged,” said Addi, a freshman at Franklin High School.
Besides liking the main speaker, Addi said she enjoyed the break-out modules she attended on several subjects. “In the modules you can really open up,” she said.
Courtney Winn, 15, also from the St. Damian and St. Theodore youth group, said, “I like it a lot, because I’m more open with people now.”
Many teens cited the common faith they shared as providing an opening for meeting new friends from other parts of the archdiocese.
“I really like Rainbow. It brings so much joy meeting new people, and you become closer to people even in your own youth group,” said Ijeoma Ndupu, 16, from Prince of Peace Parish in West Bloomfield Township and a sophomore at West Bloomfield High School.
She said she also liked Patin’s message about “letting God into our lives.”
Ijeoma and fellow Prince of Peace parishioner Akunna Amadi, 16, were both attending their first Rainbow conferences.
Courtney Veneri, 17, attending from Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Grosse Pointe Woods along with fellow parishioner Meghan Van Cleve, 18, said she enjoys the Rainbow experience, “because it’s nice to meet a lot of people who have the same religion I do.”
Besides being a lot of fun, Matteo Matheny, 16, from St. Patrick Parish in White Lake Township, said his first Rainbow had been valuable from a faith standpoint.
“I’ve been getting back into my faith recently, so coming on this trip definitely helped me get more into my faith,” he said, a sentiment shared by Emily Kearns, 17, from St. Mary Parish in Port Huron.
Emily said Patin’s message — to make time for God and prayer — had been especially meaningful. “Sometimes taking the time out of a busy schedule is hard to do, but it’s wonderful to do.”
Ryan McNabb, 18, from St. Sabina Parish in Dearborn, said his experience at Rainbow XXXI — his first — had been “probably the most fun I have had in a long time.”
Besides the fun, “It teaches you how to pray in a better way, and to get things off your chest in a more positive way,” said Ryan, a senior at Waterford Mott High School.
For Audrey Gotko, 18, from St. Mary of the Hills Parish in Rochester Hills, her third and last Rainbow was also her first time on the CYO Youth Council leadership team that plans and puts on the conference.
She said she appreciated Archbishop Vigneron’s message in his homily at the Mass on Saturday night, “on how it is important to live your faith and show it to others.”
On attending her last Rainbow before going off to college, she said, “I’m sad, but I’m happy at the same time. There are a lot of people here, and they’re energized about their faith, and ready to share it.”
