Guess what the news of the week is….  Two days to go.  See you in KC.

KANSAS CITY, MO – -Tree houses in a simulated rain forest are just one of the fun features that await thousands of Catholic youth attending a national conference next week in Kansas City.After three years of planning, the two local dioceses are ready to welcome more than 20,000 youths and chaperones to the National Catholic Youth Conference Thursday through next Saturday.The largest Catholic youth event in the country will be at the Sprint Center and the Kansas City Convention Center and will include prayer, worship services, workshops and recreation. “Christ Reigns” is the theme.

A highlight will be a 191,000-square-foot thematic park that opens at noon Thursday in Bartle Hall. The “reign forest” will feature three mega tree houses constructed from more than 10,000 feet of lumber, interactive sports, social justice projects and 700 exhibitors. Also, 40 live bands will perform on stage in the coffee house throughout the conference.

At 10:30 a.m. Friday, attendees will walk — praying and singing — from the Sprint Center to Bartle Hall. Leading will be Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston and a keynote speaker; Bishop Robert W. Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. “By processing through the streets, our Catholic youth will signal that they are united around this living presence of Jesus Christ and that we carry Christ’s love and promise of salvation to the world,” Finn said.

Read the entire Kansas City Star article.