In the spirit of celebrating the hip side of faith, the Archdiocese of New York sponsored a skateboard design contest that was open to 11- to 18-year-olds in the region.
"This is part of the culture of the city," the Rev Peter Pomposello of St Elizabeth's Church told the New York Post. "The Holy Father encourages us to realise that we have to take the good in our culture and capitalise on that to get the word out about Jesus Christ."
The winner's design will be made into a skateboard that will be given as a gift to the Pope, according to Catholic News Service, although a public demonstration of the gift is not yet in the plans. Father Pomposello, who organised the contest, told CNS that replicas of the winning papal skateboard would be available for sale, with the proceeds donated to Catholic charities.
The 2008 youth rally is being held to encourage youth to seek vocations within the Catholic Church.
The Church's younger generation considers religion important but does not necessarily attend church. A Barna Group survey last July reported 68 per cent of Catholics said religious faith is important in their life.
Recent surveys, however, confirm that only 15 per cent of college-aged Catholics said they attended mass, according to University of Connecticut Professor and Emeritus of Sociology William d'Antonio, author of American Catholics Today: New Realities of Their Faith and Church. Younger Catholics also hold more liberal views than their parents and grandparents regarding abortion, homosexuality and divorce, studies have shown.
Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reported last month that for the first time in history, Muslims outnumbered Catholics in the world. Catholics accounted for 17.4 per cent of the world population - a stable percentage - while Muslims were at 19.2 per cent.
But many are hoping that the Pope's six-day visit from April 15 to 20 to the US will inspire young Catholics in their faith.
"So often they think of the church as just our parish. This will help them see the Catholic Church is universal," Krissy Brown, 26, a youth leader, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
"One of the things he said early on was the church is always young," said Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl, according to the newspaper.
"It's always there for young people. I think young people see that in this pope. They hear in his message words of hope, words of challenge."
The Pope will celebrate his 81st birthday on April 16. He is slated to hold an open-air mass in Washington DC before heading out to New York on April 18 where he will address the United Nations.
