The Message photo by Megan Erbacher
By Megan Erbacher, The Message editor
On a sunny Saturday in September, 11-year-old Noah Herrmann saw God during Adoration.
“I felt the presence of God during the quiet time,” he said. “I also went to confession.”
A member of Resurrection Parish in Evansville, Herrmann attended the 2025 Diocesan Middle School Youth Day. On Sept. 27, about 320 students in grades 6-8 and their chaperones gathered at St. John the Baptist Parish and School in Newburgh for the retreat. The afternoon included a cookout lunch, snow cones, cotton candy, carnival games, live music by Lee Roessler, and reverse charades led by Bryan Macke. The day concluded with Eucharistic Adoration, confession and Mass.
Herrmann, a sixth grader, said he most enjoyed Eucharistic Adoration.
“It was awesome because the Eucharist was in the center of the room, and you could kneel down and pray,” he explained. “There was nice music during that, too. The games were fun, and the talks were also awesome.”
Bishop Joseph M. Siegel offered an invocation before the keynote speaker. Bishop Siegel said it was great to be with everyone, and he thanked all those who were responsible for organizing the day’s retreat. He told the youth that they were coming together for fun, food, and to grow in their faith and grow closer to our Lord. He said we’re called to be followers of Jesus.
Bishop Siegel told everyone that it was wonderful they had attended the retreat and given time to the Lord. He said that he and Father Tyler Tenbarge, who was also present, had just returned home the night before from Rome, where they were on a pilgrimage for the Jubilee Year 2025. One of the places they visited was Assisi, where St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, is buried.
Bishop Siegel then offered a prayer to St. Carlo, asking for his intercession for all the youth.
Jimmy Mitchell, a seminarian of the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, served as the keynote speaker. Mitchell spoke about the Kerygma and what youth can do about it.
“What an amazing Bishop you have,” Mitchell noted. “He just got in from the Eternal City last night. He must be jet-lagged, but what does he do? He comes and kicks off this entire day in prayer with all of you.”
During his keynote, Mitchell told students that they’re all coming from different places in their lives.
“You might be on the brink of canonization,” he said. “What does that mean? Yeah, becoming a saint. This might also be the first time you ever really hear and begin to understand who Jesus is. And one of the best places to start is by asking: Who are you?”
For 11-year-old Herrmann, confession was the most impactful part of the day.
“Because it was cleansing my soul for the rest of the day, and it was a great experience,” he said.
Jeremy Goebel, Diocese of Evansville director of youth and young adult ministry, said the day was a success. Goebel thanked the ministry team and all the volunteers at St John the Baptist who helped to plan and execute the event.
“It was so great having the presence of priests, deacons and seminarians,” he said. “We had well over 300 youth and adult chaperones in attendance. The weather was beautiful, the speakers and musicians were great, and the youth were very engaged.”
Goebel hopes the youth were able to feel supported by the Diocese as a whole and to see that they are not alone in their faith as young people.
“We focused the theme on the Kerygma, which is the essential message of our faith,” Goebel said. “Students were exposed to talks about our identity in Christ, his saving act for us on the cross, and what their response could be as young people. We also spent time in Eucharistic Adoration with confessions available, and we tried to create an environment for them to personally encounter the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.”