Future cardinals? (signs of the times).

INDIANAPOLIS--With nearly 24,000 teenagers and adult chaperons, the 26th National Catholic Youth Conference was billed as the largest Catholic youth conference in U.S. history. There were also 48 bishops at the RCA Dome and Indianapolis Convention Center December 6-9 for the event, and with all those young people in one place, they decided to push vocations.

"It may be you," Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein of Indianapolis told the crowd. "I see you as teachers and youth ministers and religious in charge of Catholic health care and universities and schools. I see pastors and chaplains. And yes, I see future bishops and archbishops and cardinals."

As part of the weekend's events, 250 youth delegates were selected to meet in small groups with bishops. Although he appreciated the opportunity, Norman Mallory of Chicago said he would have liked the bishops to ask them what their ideas were to get young people more involved. Still, he said the conference was a powerful experience. "It was good to see all the youth there at one place, at one time, for that purpose," he told The Catholic New World.