Alejandra Barrios, an Austinite, described the event as encouraging and unforgettable.

“The whole event, from beginning to end, was very memorable and every single moment I experienced was very special and unique for me,” she said.

Nominated by a friend to be a youth leader who led prayer during the Encuentro Spanish session, Barrios never thought she would be selected and credits God for preparing her for the moment. As much as the entire event was inspiring, two moments stood out for her.

“First, being on stage and leading prayer while seeing our Hispanic community come together as one Body of Christ, praising the Lord all together, and seeing hands up in worship. There is truly no description,” she said. “The second moment was when we had worship time with Matt Maher and Jesus was present in the middle [of the stadium]. During this there was a long silence where I felt Jesus very close to me and where he talked to me and made me feel like his child.”

The NEC was the first congress in 83 years in the U.S. Massive crowds silently adored Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Bishop Robert Barron, Father Mike Schmitz, Sister Josephine Garrett, Scott Hahn, Katie McGrady, Jonathan Roumie from the Chosen and many others gave presentations; 200,000 hosts were consecrated throughout the event, which was also streamed by millions.

Prepared to lead

Barrios fell in love with her faith and the church at a young age and has served as a leader in many capacities. She is a parishioner of Cristo Rey Parish in Austin, where she participates in the choir and music ministry, helps with events such as retreats, and is a leader in Renovación Carismatica Catolica (RCC), Misas Interparroquiales, and Pastoral Juvenil Hispana. Even with a full-time job, Barrios ministers many hours each week. In 2020 she started the Renovación Carismatica Catolica Juvenil Austin at Santa Barbara Parish and hasn’t stopped since.

Yazmin Mani Malone, outreach associate with Pastoral Juvenil Hispana for the Diocese of Austin, said Barrios shares her love for Christ with youth and young adults.

“She’s made it a point to encourage people to not be afraid of Jesus and to follow him,” Malone said. “She is joyful and responsible; she radiates joy from her love of Jesus and serves many ministries through her strength in Christ.”

Building connections

For the NEC, Barrios was initially invited to help lead the Holy Spirit prayer during the Spanish Encuentro session, representing not only the Catholic Charismatic Renewal but also the Diocese of Austin. She was also asked to be a panelist for the session “Building Bridges for Our Shared Mission: Connecting with Parishes with Movements and New Communities.” Attending the NEC has invigorated her goal of inspiring youth, and attending the NEC only inspired her more.

“I want to motivate the youth of Austin to get closer to God and be missionaries of the Eucharist,” she said. “In the sessions, we learned a lot about the importance of recognizing the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and our Catholic faith in general.”

The young people are the present and the future of the church, Barrios said.

“I always say we are the Joshuas of our church; learning from our Moses (adults) who are teaching us how to lead the church,” she said. “I feel it’s important to get Catholic youth more involved in their faith because their energy, enthusiasm and charisma can help motivate other youth and adults. They also have new ideas to share the Word of God with others and strengthen our faith with a unique brand of motivation and energy.”

Healthy faith

Malone agrees and works to create programs and lead both youth and young adults to follow their faith, which offers strength and hope.

“It’s important for youth and young adults to be involved with their faith because it is healthy,” Malone said. “We see more and more with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts; many use gateway drugs; and few have healthy coping skills. Faith is a healthy coping skill.”

Barrios looks forward to creating more opportunities where youth and young adults can talk about God and feel they have a safe and encouraging place in our church. It’s also important to allow them to be presenters, not just in the audience as attendees.

“I want young adults to recognize that Jesus is our Lord, he loves us, and he will always be there with his hands open,” she said. “I also want them to know that God has called us to be missionaries and to help expand the Kingdom of God.”