Nearly 200 high school teens and 50 adult youth leaders from throughout northwest Indiana are in the midst of experiencing and celebrating their Catholic faith this weekend at the sixth annual Catholic Youth Xperience in Valparaiso. More than 30 of them, all incoming high school seniors, will learn a hands-on lesson in Christian service.

The teens are being bussed to a handful of work sites in Gary today to perform flood relief work for victims of the September 2008 flooding that ravaged Northwest Indiana.

The work sites are coordinated by Lakeshore Area Regional Recovery of Indiana and are expected to include demolition, painting and "muck and guts" chores.The teens will be joined by a crew of adult volunteers from the St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Student Center in Valparaiso, led by the Rev. Kevin McCarthy, chaplain.

In addition to the service project, McCarthy will teach the teens about serving their neighbors, and the rich tradition of Catholic social teaching.

Others at CYX are helping as well. All of his weekend's CYX participants and their families were asked to make a financial contribution to the Catholic Charities-designated flood relief fund.

Kevin Driscoll, director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Gary, said in a written news release that the LARRI project will teach the teens more than they could learn in a classroom. "Months after a flood, the front page headlines go away, but the work remains in homes all around the region. There are a lot of teens who love to help their neighbors in need, we just have to give them the tools," Driscoll said.

The three-day conference for teens is organized by the Diocese of Gary Office for Youth and Young Adults, in conjunction with youth ministers and volunteers from many of the more than 70 parishes in the diocese comprised of Lake, Porter, La Porte and Starke counties. CYX is being held through Sunday at various locations at Valparaiso University and the adjacent St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Student Center.