INDIANAPOLIS — Starting Thursday, more than 16,000 Catholic students will be in downtown Indianapolis , hoping to grow their faith and hear from a Catholic world leader.

The National Catholic Youth Conference kicks off this weekend, and students will hear virtually from Pope Leo XIV.

"There's never been anything like it," Matt Cannaday said.

Cannaday is a teacher at Cathedral High School. He's preparing students for the yearly convention that takes place in Indianapolis every other year, bringing in thousands of Catholic high schoolers from across the country.

"I'm really excited, so many people have told me how amazing it is," Alice Michael said.

"They've been pretty excited for this, so it's been kind of hyping me up for it, but very nervous for it as well," Nolan McCraken added.

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