It's Saturday night in the northeast San Fernando Valley. Teenagers from several neighboring Catholic churches have been invited to Santa Rosa Church in San Fernando for what organizers hope to be a huge praise and prayer evening fostering community and evangelization.

As a teen, Santa Rosa youth minister Jessie Rodriguez, now 20, had always yearned for the opportunity to attend such an event. Fairly confident that other Catholic teens felt the same way, Rodriguez e-mailed invitations to local parishes for an "XLT" (Exaulted) event Jan. 17 after getting permission from the pastor, Oblate Father Carlos Alarcon. He also invited San Fernando Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson, trusting Providence would provide the crowd.

He was not disappointed.

More than 700 people, including at least 400 teens, adults, clergy and religious from neighboring parishes, as well as special guest speaker Tricia Tembreull from "Life-Teen" in Mesa, Arizona, gathered together for a spirited program of music, adoration and liturgy, lasting from 5-9 p.m. Besides parishioners from the host parish, congregants included members from Assumption, Holy Rosary, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of the Rosary of Talpa, St. Didacus, St. John Eudes, St. Francis Xavier and St. Mel.

Jacob and Matthew, popular Religious Education Congress Youth Day musicians, opened the session with lively music that brought everyone, including the bishop, to their feet. Many clapped and danced to the praise music in the area between the pews and the raised dais, where the altar had temporarily been removed for the guitarists and drummer.

"A lot of things you wouldn't think teens would be attracted to, they're hungry for. It surprises a lot of people to see that," said Tembreull, speaking to The Tidings before the Eucharistic adoration which was followed by a concelebrated liturgy with several clergy, including Fr. Bill Antone, OMI Pacific area councilor. "When teens are in the midst of adoration, they're able to center in on God in a way they normally can't on a day-to-day basis."

In his homily, Bishop Wilkerson stressed that prayer is not just a monologue with God, but a dialogue. "Communication is not only talking, it's also listening. I challenge you to pray five minutes every day," said the bishop. "And," he added, "two or three times a week, say nothing" and just listen and spend time with the Lord.

Speaking later with The Tidings, Bishop Wilkerson said the youth event drawing hundreds of teens committed to their faith was "so positive and prayerful," adding he "was grateful for that display of their own spirituality and faith and their willingness to take it back to their parishes."

Santa Rosa youth ministry co-leader Adrian Barrios thought the event was truly representative of the local church. "Not just the parishes," he explained, "but the many ethnicities, cultures and ages represented. It was just a wonderful way for people to charge their spiritual batteries and to use that to serve the community and the Lord."

"I really liked it a lot because it was a new experience," said Jose Orozco, 13, from Holy Rosary in Sun Valley, who attended adoration for the first time at the event.

Michael Wong, 17, from St. Francis Xavier in Burbank, said the event was "great" and called such youth gatherings valuable "since it brings us closer to God as we all unite."

Youth minister Maribel Cadena, 27, also thought it was a great event. "It really enlightened [the youth] and filled them. The way it spoke to the teens was in their language."