June 7-10, 2026 | Arizona Grand Resort | Phoenix, AZ

This Is Where Ministry Gets Stronger
This is where youth ministry leaders step back, breathe, and gain clarity.
This is where scattered ideas become a plan.
This is where your ministry—and your parish—get stronger.

The Catholic Youth Ministry Convention (CYMC) is Life Teen’s premier training conference and the largest annual gathering of adults serving teens in the Church. It exists for one reason: to help parishes build youth ministry that is healthy, sustainable, and truly rooted in Christ.
When you attend CYMC, you’re not just investing in yourself—you’re investing in the future of your parish.

Who Should Come

CYMC is for all adults who care about the faith life of young people, including:

  • Youth ministers & parish staff
  • Priests, deacons, and seminarians
  • DREs & campus ministers
  • Core team members & volunteers
  • Anyone supporting teens and their families

If your heart is for teens and the future of the Church, this conference is for you.

What CYMC Will Do for Your Ministry

CYMC is designed to help you return home with clarity, confidence, and direction.
You’ll leave with:

  • A clearer vision for how youth ministry fits into the life of your parish
  • Practical tools you can implement immediately
  • A renewed sense of purpose and confidence in your calling
  • Language and strategies to engage pastors, parents, and volunteers
  • A deeper understanding of today’s teens and the culture they’re navigating

This is formation that moves your ministry forward—not just for a season, but for the long haul.

What CYMC Will Do for Your Parish

Healthy youth ministry blesses the entire parish—and CYMC is built with that reality in mind.
Attending CYMC helps your parish:

  • Build a more welcoming, youth-friendly parish culture
  • Strengthen leadership and volunteer teams
  • Reduce burnout by creating sustainable ministry rhythms
  • Align youth ministry with the sacramental and pastoral life of the Church
  • Foster deeper engagement among teens, families, and parish leadership

This isn’t about adding programs.
It’s about strengthening the Church where you serve.

WHAT CYMC CAN DO FOR YOU

Formation That Meets You Where You Are

No matter where your ministry is right now—thriving, rebuilding, or just beginning—CYMC meets you there.
You’ll experience:

  • Inspiring keynote talks from trusted Catholic voices
  • Breakout sessions grounded in real parish life
  • Formation rooted in the sacraments and the mission of the Church

You’ll return home encouraged, equipped, and reminded that this work matters—and that you are not alone in it.

Resources You Can Actually Use

CYMC brings Life Teen’s parish-first approach to life.
You’ll gain:

  • Tools that are adaptable to parishes of any size
  • Strategies that work within real schedules and real budgets
  • Resources that free you to focus on people, not paperwork

Everything is designed to help you minister more effectively, not more exhaustively.

A Place for Renewal

CYMC is also about your spiritual life.
Alongside training, you’ll encounter:

  • Daily Mass
  • Eucharistic Adoration
  • Reconciliation
  • Praise & Worship
  • Space for prayer, rest, and reflection

You’ll leave renewed—spiritually and ministerially—ready to serve with joy, conviction, and hope.

The Location

CYMC takes place at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. The resort offers suite-style accommodations, resort amenities & a seven-acre water park, convenient 10-minute access from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, It’s the perfect setting for learning, connection, and renewal.
Learn more here

Check-in runs from 12:00pm-4:00pm on Sunday. The first session starts at 4:00pm and the conference ends at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

A full detailed schedule to come soon.

$650 Subscriber Discount // January 13 – 27
$670 Regular Rate // January 13 – March 31
$690 Last Chance // April 1 – June 5th

Registration closes on June 5th

Each event registration includes general sessions, breakouts, Sunday dinner, Monday lunch and dinner, Tuesday lunch and dinner, and conference materials. Participants are responsible for booking their own accommodations. See the Hotel Info for discounted rates and booking details.

Click here to pay your balance.

All registration fees must be paid no later than May 1st. Payment can be made by check or credit card.
Checks should be made out to Life Teen and mailed to:

Life Teen, Inc.
ATTN: CYMC 2026
P.O. Box 117299
Atlanta, GA 30368-7299

To submit a credit card payment, please click here to view and pay your balance.

  • All registration fees are due no later than May 1st
  • Cancellation before April 1st: $150 cancellation fee
  • Cancellation April 1st-April 30th: $300 cancellation fee
  • Cancellation after April 30th: no refund
  • Unpaid registrants who cancel after April 30th will be held responsible for payment. No shows will also be held responsible for payment. Please let us know if you cannot attend!
  • Registrants who were registered via any type of scholarship, grant, or other complimentary spot who choose to cancel will be charged cancellation fees according to the above listed policies.
  • Registrants who were registered using a premium conference credit who choose to cancel will have the option to forfeit their credit or pay the cancellation fees according to the above listed policies.

Events Team
events@lifeteen.com // 800-809-3902 ext. 231

Maximilian Kreslins, Events Registration Coordinator
mkreslins@lifeteen.com // 800-809-3902 ext. 231

Julianna Nett, Events Manager
jnett@lifeteen.com // 800-809-3902 ext. 229

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

This premier training conference is perfect for any and all adults involved in youth ministry— youth ministers, core members, music ministers, confirmation coordinators, DREs, campus ministers, priests, deacons, seminarians, religious sisters. Basically, something valuable is offered at this event for everyone who works with teens in any capacity. As much as we love teens, this event is for adults only. All participants must be at least 18 years old and graduated from high school in order to attend. Teens who are interested in being leaders and evangelizing their peers should check out our Life Teen Leadership Conference.

Your Convention fee includes all general sessions, breakouts, and materials. In addition Sunday dinner, Monday lunch and dinner, and Tuesday lunch and dinner are included. Guests are responsible for booking their own hotel rooms.

We have a limited amount of scholarship money available for youth ministers only. Unfortunately, we do not have funds available for core members. If you are in great need of financial assistance, click here to apply for a scholarship.

Priests and seminarians should see the Shepherd’s Scholarship info.

Simply indicate you are a priest or seminarian when you register and your registration fee will be waived. If you’re a priest or seminarian who has never been to a Life Teen event before, we will also cover your flight and hotel expenses! To receive this portion of the scholarship, please register online for the conference and then submit your application, hotel receipts, and airfare receipts via this form.

Yes, we will have a digital audio download of all keynote and breakout talks for sale at the conference. The digital download will not contain music that is played at the conference as we cannot distribute music for copyright reasons. In the registration process, you will have an option to pre-order the digital download. You can also purchase the download on site. Digital talk downloads cannot be ordered after the event ends or by people who don’t attend the event, so be sure to pre-order yours or order it on site! Cost is $70 beforehand and $75 on site.

Check-in runs from 12:00pm-4:00pm on Sunday. The first session starts at 4:00 and the conference ends at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

Check back soon for the full conference schedule.

The closest airport is the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). It’s about a 10 minute drive from the Convention site.

No, we are unable to provide transportation to or from the airport for the Convention. We recommend Uber and Lyft as good options for transportation from the airport to the resort as well as for getting around Scottsdale/Phoenix.

These hotels host numerous events throughout the year and sometimes the reservations agent isn’t looking in the right place for our conference. It may be a simple mistake in relaying the proper information to you. Our first recommendation is to hang up and call back to speak with a different person.

The next recommendation is to ask if every night of your stay is full or if only one night or room type might be the issue. If the problem continues after trying both of these things contact our Events Team, at 800-809-3902 ext. 231 or events@lifeteen.com so that we can look into it for you.

There are many hotels in the area that would be happy to accommodate you should the room block be full.

If you have a food allergy or dietary restriction we need to be aware of, please let us know. There is a section that allows you to share this information with us during the online registration process. We always do our very best to accommodate your needs; however, it never hurts to bring some supplemental snacks.

Yes, you are more than welcome to bring your families to enjoy the resort while you attend the conference! If family members would like to join you for conference meals, you can purchase an additional meal plan for each of them when you register. The meal plan for non-registered guests costs $225/person. While conference sessions are for registered participants only, family members are welcome to attend Mass with you each day.

All priests attending the conference must submit a Letter of Good Standing.

This can be emailed to eventsforms@lifeteen.com or mailed to:

Life Teen, Inc.
ATTN: Convention 2026
P.O. Box 117299
Atlanta, GA 30368-7299

Please submit this no later than May 1st.

We would love for all priests to concelebrate at the conference liturgies! We ask that you bring your own vestments (alb & stole of the proper liturgical color) for Mass and to assist with the Sacrament of Reconciliation.