Column by J1 Reporter Rachel Kenney 

In a powerful moment filled with hundreds of voices, I found myself gazing at the Eucharist alongside nearly 150 other teens, all reaching out with arms stretched wide. 

The scene was noisy and alive, people in every crevice of the room, all looking and longing for one thing: Christ. And when light hit the altar where the Eucharist stood, for a minute everything else fell away. 

URLVD, You are loved, was started by Alex Zimmerman almost 15 years ago. Zimmerman leads the St. Patricks Youth group in Elkhorn, Nebraska and his passion for the retreat started with one thing; his desire to give young people a real chance to experience Christ and his unending love in a raw and natural way. What began as a small weekend gathering, has grown into a retreat that draws nearly 150 students every summer and winter. Alex’s goal is simple; help teens know God and themselves through God. 

My connection with the community began a couple years ago when I was dragged along by my brothers and a fellow Marian student, Rosie Sanchez. I came to the retreat, frankly, with low expectations. And this came from the fact that I had been struggling with my faith. 

I grew up in a big Catholic, Christ centered family. I was truly blessed to be around so many Christ centered people. But for the longest time, I couldn’t experience Christ in the way I witnessed other people do. I knew I desired and longed for it, but I was struggling with encountering Christ in the ways my friends and family had. But during that first retreat, a seed was planted and something changed. 

The change in me was not some dramatic, life changing conversion. It came slowly, through small things I witnessed in others and in myself. I learned that faith should not feel like a chore you check off every day. It’s not something to dread participating in. Faith is a relationship that is constantly changing and growing. And when you understand that, it makes you yearn for it more.

What happened to me at retreat and in my community is not unique, it fits a wider movement happening among young people today. Across the United States, reporters and church leaders are calling it a Gen Z revival: a renewed interest in Jesus and in living out his infinite love. Whether that be student worship nights, evangelization on social media, and higher attendance at church, the Holy Spirit seems to be working through this generation. 

And the importance of this is huge. My generation has grown up in a loud and divisive world. Mental health struggles are common and the pressure to figure life out so early is so high. So when young people discover a loving God to lean on and a real community to belong to, it makes a difference. 

I still think about that moment in adoration, the noise, the hands lifted, the silence over the room as the Eucharist was raised. It wasn’t just emotional. It was a room of children of God choosing hope, choosing love, choosing something bigger than themselves. If that isn’t the beginning of a revival I don’t know what is.