The archdiocese plans to bring our next generation face- to-face with Jesus Christ: the new Live Vertical program will guide teens to Christ, working with campus ministers and Catholic high school staff to build a structure for transformative and long-term evangelization.

“I believe that our students need to personally know and meet the person of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,” said Kateri Richardson, Director of Campus Ministry at Bishop Fenwick High School. “Ultimately, our greatest hope is that our students know how deeply loved, seen and known they are by the Lord. This is where Live Vertical comes into play.”

Live Vertical works to help young people know Christ through adoration, small groups and retreats. Started around Philadelphia by Rob Longo and Luke LeTourneau, it also seeks to equip high school campus ministers and staff to similarly serve their students. When Father Jacob DuMont, L.C., Director of Faith Development in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Schools Office, heard about the program, he said he sensed the Holy Spirit was definitely at work.

“Having worked with many of the campus ministers in our high schools, I knew that this program would be well received,” he said. “[It] will help many of our students become greater disciples of the Lord and experience being alone with God.”

Fenwick, Elder and Carroll are the archdiocesan Catholic high schools piloting the program first; they started training sessions in August. Longo and LeTourneau visit the schools monthly to help facilitate a full day of adoration and train leadership teams, which include students who will eventually run Live Vertical at their schools.

Al Kovacic, Director of Campus Ministry at Elder, said he is looking forward to more involvement from the entire faculty and staff in elevating the school’s Catholic identity. “Live Vertical offers an outside look into our campus ministry program, helps evaluate programming and guides faculty and staff in seeing themselves as ministers,” Kovacic said. “I’m looking forward to them returning once a month to lead all-school adoration, making Christ the center of everything that happens here.”

Richardson is equally excited for the program’s effects. “I already feel supported and heard by the team at Live Vertical,” she said. “They are helping us think outside the box and be creative in how we approach ministry.”

Expressing excitement for monthly full-day adoration, Richardson said, “Guided adoration is new for our students; teaching them how to listen to God in prayer, sharing themselves with Him and resting in silence. The greatest gift we can give our students is a relationship with Jesus, and we believe this program will be another means to accomplish this goal.”

Once the program is fully off the ground, including formation and support to help school members lead the program, students and staff will run the monthly guided adoration, working toward offering it to students weekly. Fenwick also plans to have an evening adoration session for the school community’s families.

“We are looking forward to giving our students more tools to be missionary disciples in the school community and beyond,” Richardson explained.

The power of Adoration was clearly visible during the National Eucharistic Congress this past summer, and Father DuMont hopes this is a catalyst for what is to come in the schools.

“Adoration is a great stepping stone for unlocking a deeper understanding of the Mass and other sacraments,” he explained. “Living in a world of noise and distractions, I believe high school students truly appreciate the time of silence and reflection that adoration offers. In order to listen to the Lord and His call to our hearts, we need to provide the space and time for Him to speak.”

In an age of technology and instant connectivity, solitude isn’t something Father DuMont believes our teens are familiar or comfortable with, but nonetheless yearn for. “Solitude provides students with the opportunity to listen to the voice of God,” he said. “There are many other voices speaking loudly in their lives, and these voices are so strong. Students long to hear the words of Christ, ‘You are my beloved, and that is enough for me.’”

This personal encounter with Christ, Richardson believes, will be the foundation for a stronger Catholic identity at Fenwick. “I am hoping this program helps us become a more Eucharistic-centered school, where our students are excited each time they meet Jesus in the Eucharist,” she said. “I want to see this lived out in all we do at Fenwick—in and outside the classroom, on retreats and in athletic programs.”

Kovacic agrees that this program’s effects will be seen in every part of Elder, including athletics. “With our faculty and staff involved in campus ministry, we can bring the Catholic faith into the classroom, no matter the subject,” he said. “I also want to use athletics as a platform for evangelization, creating a chaplaincy program where our faculty and staff get involved.”

Several other high schools have expressed interest in starting Live Vertical, Father DuMont said. Additional training begins in late spring 2025, with four to six schools welcoming the program that fall.

As their goal to expand the program succeeds, so will its cost. Those interested in supporting it through donation can reach out to:

Father Jacob DuMont, LC, Deputy Superintendent, Catholic Identity & Faith Formation [email protected]

This article appeared in the October 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.