Priests and Religious

Priests and religious play a central role in teaching, interacting with and ministering to the high school students. Priests, Brothers and Sisters from the most vibrant and fastest-growing religious orders and communities, as well as diocesan priests, speak at general sessions and workshops, lead small discussion groups, and interact with the youth through games, meals and casual conversation.​

Some of the religious communities who regularly participate at Ignite Your Torch are pictured below. (Click on a picture below to learn more about that community.) 

Some of the other religious communities that have attended Ignite include: Carmelite Nuns; Franciscan Friars of the Renewal; Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration; Salesian Sisters; Carmelite Friars; Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, MI; Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne; Community of St. John; Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George; Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver; Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate; Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus; Little Sisters of the Poor; Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis; Dominican Sisters of the Immaculate Conception; and Marians (Priests) of the Immaculate Conception!

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Click on a picture to find out more about that community.

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Diocesan Priests

& Seminarians

Sisters of Life

Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word

Benedictine Monks

Sister Servants of the Eternal Word

Dominican Friars

Servants of the Lord

and the Virgin of Matara

Nashville Dominicans

Fathers of Mercy

Sisters of St. Joseph

the Worker

Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters

Testimonials and Endorsements

"These conferences have helped

'FAN THE FLAME' 

of the faith of many young people

from my parish. 

The EUCHARISTIC FOCUS

of the conference also helped them

to have more appreciation for

Jesus in the BLESSED SACRAMENT.

They have enjoyed the enlightening talks, the lively music, the games,

and the chance to meet so many of their peers who have a STRONG faith. I hope MANY MORE young Catholics will experience

Ignite Your Torch and continue to spread the LIGHT OF CHRIST." 
- Fr. Anthony Mendoza, Vicar General, Diocese of Laredo, TX

"This conference is a rare combination of BEAUTIFUL, reverent liturgies, SOLID faith formation, Christian FELLOWSHIP, and just plain FUN. We have much enjoyed attending and speaking at Ignite Your Torch and pray for its continued SUCCESS!"

 - Sister Servants of the Eternal Word

Endorsement from Sr. Jane Dominic, OP

"This is the youth conference that has it ALL! Our Lord is the center. The Mass and Eucharistic adoration are the focal point--everything else flows out of and back to the Eucharist. The conferences feed our love and understanding of the riches of our faith; the joy of friendship and fun encourage us to hope and a deeper love of one another. Come! You will meet the Lord."

Endorsement from Fr. James Brent, OP

Director of the Angelic Warfare Confraternity

"The Ignite Your Torch youth conference is simply the best Catholic youth conference out there today. The combination of a catechetical emphasis, a pro-life focus, traditional devotions such as the Rosary and Eucharistic adoration, as well as the presence of so many religious men and women is unmatched anywhere else. Every year there are teens who have conversions and find their vocations at Ignite. At this hour of history, teens are particularly vulnerable to being caught up in chains of sexual sin. The chastity promotion carried out at Ignite will make a difference in eternity."

Testimony from

Archdiocese of Louisville Seminarian (now Fr.) Tony Cecil

"At its core, the Ignite Your Torch Catholic Youth Conference is designed to give the youth of our Church a challenge.  This challenge is expressed in several ways: on the t-shirts, in call-and-response type chants, and even in the theme song.  The challenge is simple—“Ignite Your Torch, and Conquer for Christ.”

Ignite calls us to change. We receive a calling to be a follower of Christ—to be countercultural, just as He was. 

There are two key aspects to Ignite that I found myself taking farther than just the four days in Springfield. First, there is the call to live as a pro-life American. Ignite is a very pro-life conference—the youth even pray the rosary at the abortion mill. This experience inspired me to take action. Thanks to Ignite, I was able to take the passion of pro-life ministry back to another community and put it into action.

Secondly, Ignite allowed me to be more open to the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood. At the conference, there are priests, brothers, and sisters just about everywhere you look. This unique interaction with them gave me the idea that these are real people, and that they’re not that different from me. This was definitely one of the huge factors that led me to openly discern a vocation to the priesthood. 

All in all, what I want to say about the Ignite Your Torch Catholic Youth Conference is this: it is amazing.  It’s one of those things that you really have to experience in order to fully understand it. And I can say without hesitation that it is fully worth experiencing. Ignite gives the youth of our Church a challenge: to go out, spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, and change the world around them. Not only that, but it gives them the confidence that they can really do it.

Contact Us

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Registration questions: Jessica Oaks, Registrar

 

Other conference questions: Ann Brown

 

Phone: 800-764-8444

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