Ave Maria Press author Katie Prejean McGrady is one of three young Americans invited to Rome in March for a meeting that precedes the Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment.
She will represent the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at the meeting. The two other USCCB delegates are Br. Javier Hansen, FSC, a religion teacher from El Paso, Texas, and Nick Lopez, the director of campus ministry for the University of Dallas. All three have local and national connections to the life of the Church, according to the USCCB, and they represent the cultural and vocational diversity of the U.S. Church.
“It is easily one of the greatest honors of my life," Prejean McGrady said. “While there, I am greatly looking forward to the chance to learn through dialogue and discussion, how other countries uniquely lead young people into an authentic and personal encounter with Jesus Christ, and to bring this information home to share with our bishops, priests, and lay men and women working in ministry.”
Prejean McGrady is a Catholic speaker and the author of Room 24 and the forthcoming Follow: Your Lifelong Adventure with Jesus, a book geared toward young people.
She shares the gospel with a unique blend of humor and storytelling that weaves in theological truths to engage audiences of all ages and sizes. She has spoken at the National Catholic Youth Conference, Steubenville Youth Conferences, the National Conference for Catholic Youth Ministry, the National Catholic Educational Conference, the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, and in dioceses and parishes across North America. Prejean McGrady has appeared on EWTN, CatholicTV, Relevant Radio, Radio Maria, and on SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel. She lives with her husband and daughter in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Pope Francis and the Synod of Bishops called the meeting to listen to young adults around the world in the advance of the 2018 Ordinary Synod that will take place in October at the Vatican.
"We are delighted that Br. Javier, Nick, and Katie have accepted the invitation to represent the youth and young adults of the United States at this important gathering in Rome,” said Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., chairman of the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, and Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth. “We hope that all Catholics will join us in praying for them and for all the young delegates from around the world, participating in the pre-synod conference.”
For more information, check out the complete announcement on the USSB website. Find out more about the synod on its official Vatican website.
