BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The 8th annual Kern Catholic Prayer Breakfast is taking place on Wednesday, February 25th, at Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in downtown Bakersfield, followed by a larger event at Garces High School to welcome Father Mike Schmitz, with thousands of people expected to attend.
The event at Garces High School begins at noon on the school's football field. Around 3,000 people are expected to attend, including approximately 1,500 middle and high school students from Catholic schools across the valley.
Following Father Schmitz's keynote address, the event will include a Eucharistic procession, adoration, and confessions — all held on the football field.
Luke Tobias, ASB president at Garcia's High School, joined us in the studio to talk about the event. Tobias has attended several of the prayer breakfasts over the years and described what makes this year's gathering especially meaningful.
"It's very sacramental," Tobias said. "It's just really so important to me to be able to be in the presence of our Lord and the blessed Sacrament. This event is just, it really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I couldn't be more grateful to have this going on at Garces."
For those unfamiliar with Father Schmitz, Tobias described him as one of the most prominent Catholic voices in the country.
"He is probably one of the most sought-after American clergymen other than the Pope himself," Tobias said. "He's the host of the Bible in a Year podcast, which is one of the most popular religious podcasts on the Internet."
Tobias said the reach of platforms like podcasts has made it easier than ever to bring faith to young people.
"Obviously, with the Internet, it makes it a little bit easier than it was back in the day, where people would throw on a backpack, and they'd walk across the world and try and preach the good news," Tobias said. "The Internet has made it a lot easier. Kind of just record yourself, and all of a sudden millions of people are hearing the good news."
Tobias also reflected on broader trends he has observed in faith among young people in recent years.
"So many people are returning to their faith," Tobias said. "I can just see personally in my life I've seen people who, you know, they grew up in the church and but they've kind of distanced from it as they've gotten older, but thanks to everything that's going on in the world, all the bad things, people, they need something to turn to, and religion has kind of just been something that everyone's kind of fallen back on and they've returned to their roots."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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