Thousands of teenagers together paying close attention for close to an hour to what is being said from the pulpit may not happen often. But at noon Feb. 26, a pin drop could have been heard on the floor in an Anaheim Convention Center Arena filled to capacity with some 7,500 high school youth.

The same was happening at two other Convention Center venues, where another 7,500 teens were assembled for midday liturgies at the Education Congress Youth Day. The reason?

"We are here to meet other people and to learn more about God," said 15-year-old Ginachakija Amah and Chester Day, as they arrived, accompanied by their chaperone and confirmation teacher, Society Devoted to the Sacred Heart Sister Frances Kennedy, from Cathedral Chapel in Los Angeles.

The duo spoke for thousands. Fellowshipping, evangelization and spiritual and faith empowerment were the main purposes of the event that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has sponsored for the last consecutive 42 years.

"This is all about the community," said Mike Norman, associate director of the Archdiocese's Office of Religious Education, who for the last 14 years has overseen the event that kicks off the annual Congress. Youth Day annually sells out well ahead of time, and has expanded to accommodate 15,000, some attending from Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Alaska as well as California.

"We want to help young people see that church is much bigger than their youth ministry program and that church even, is much bigger than that," Norman told The Tidings. "Students feel empowered in their faith and they go back excited about church."

The excitement began with energetic keynote speaker ValLimar Jansen entering the Arena stage dancing to the rhythm of drums, setting the tone. She challenged the audience to step up to three challenges: daily dedication of three minutes of silence to God, learning one line of Scripture during Lent, and using their cell phones to send a daily spiritual message.

Diego Cruz, 14, a member of South Gate's St. Helen Church, said he will accept the challenges, although he admits memorizing Scripture verses will be challenging because he has to keep up with a lot of homework every day. His youth minister, Jose Gonzalez, 26, said the parish will do a follow-up with activities that involve reading and learning Scripture.

At the Arena liturgy, Cardinal Roger Mahony introduced two youths to share their tough life experiences and how their involvement in church helped them find a way out. "We are not in this journey alone," he told the youth.

He encouraged them to love, help and inspire each other by inviting God into their lives. "When we do for ourselves and for one another, we too will be stepping up to life," Cardinal Mahony said.

As he has done in previous years in his Youth Day homily, the cardinal took the opportunity to promote vocations. "The church needs more priests, sisters and brothers because there are more Catholics to serve," he said, and he asked those who have heard a "whisper from our Lord" to stand up.

Bakersfield's Leah Altman, 18, from St. Philip the Apostle Church, was one of close to 30 youth who stood up in the packed Arena. The oldest of three siblings who are home-schooled by their divorced mother, Altman said that for a year she has started to seriously consider becoming a nun. Her mother was shocked when she told her two weeks ago, but told her she will support her in her decision. And her 15-year old sister Hannah thinks her decision is "cool," she said, though she admitted she is still afraid to tell her father.

Not coincidentally, veteran youth minister Mike Patin from Lafayette, Louisiana, told the teens in his workshop, "Fearles Faith Freaks," that challenges await for those who believe in God.

"Someone is going to look at us a little different after we leave this place," he told the attentive audience after telling them that each one had a "freak" sitting next to them. And, like all the day's speakers, he reiterated the importance of believing in a God who loves them just as they are.

While the workshops have a catechetical content, Norman believes Youth Day is more about evangelization. "Young people who attend see how excited other people are," he said, "and then that excitement builds and they feel supported because when they go back to their parishes their coordinators keep it up."

The event, attended by both Catholic and non-Catholic students, is prepared by a coordinating team, including teenagers, that started the planning in April 2008. They chose the theme, "Step Up to Life," after reflecting on the day's Scripture reading, and analyzing church and world events. They also selected workshop topics and speakers.