Saints in the City
NOT A PUBLIC EVENT: For honored young disciple with their family and parish/school representative only. Questions regarding this event? Email youth@dsj.org.
Youth Disciples!
The Saints in the City Celebration is an opportunity for leaders in the Diocese of San José to honor our High School teens who have carried the torch of discipleship with fearless faith, enduring hope, and bountiful charity.
To participate in the nomination process contact the youth minister at your parish.
Sponsorship Opportunities
To support Diocesan Youth Programs please consider becoming a sponsor at the Saints in the City Celebration. Please enjoy this recent quote from a youth at the DYR 2025.
“At DYR, I learned that God’s presence is constant, even in silence and struggle, and that when we open our hearts, He welcomes, forgives, guides, sends, and transforms us. The retreat helped me grow closer to God and reminded me that His love is meant to be shared. What made DYR truly special wasn’t just the view or the fun, but how it transformed me from the inside out.” — Kaleb Tang, St. Clare
Click here for the Sponsorship Opportunity Letter
Saints in the City Sponsorship Suggested Opportunities below:
- $1,000 Friends of Kecharitomene
- $500 Friends of Young Disciples
- $250 Friends of Saints in the City
- $ Other recognition as appropriate
Last Year’s Awardees
Kecharitomene Award
Nathan Villalobos
Read Nathan’s Award Speech published at The Valley Catholic
St. Francis of Assisi Awardees
Anthony MacDonald, Beyonce Olmedo-Perez, Carolina Ramirez, Elania del Real, Emma Kluge, Gerardo de Jesus, Castaneda Alvizar, Jehanne Llantada, Jordan Derse, Lukas Martin Winter, Madelyn Carmen Kwan, Margaret Alvarado Lugardo, MJ Winter, Nicole Sandrini, Noah Liu, Zachary Poirier
St. Maria Goretti Awardees
Amabelle Nguyen, Azucena Landeros, Cristina Young, Emily Sandrini, Harvey Ly, Joseph Tadros, Nathan Ibañez Villalobos, Tesfay Tesfay
St. Thomas Aquinas Awardees
Alessandra Broussard, Enzo Buenaventura, Ethan Felipe, Jeremy Nguyen
Santa Teresa Awardees
Christopher Hourani, Cristina Young, Eamonn Donnelly, Fernanda Avila, Tomas Lugardo Cruz
Award Descriptions
Saint Francis of Assisi
Award
(Pastoral)
Honoree demonstrates strong evangelization charisms; unafraid and willing, the honoree possesses the spirit of evangelical outreach and expresses his/her faith freely, totally, fruitfully, and faithfully. He/she shepherds others to follow the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ and inspires peers to witness to a broken world; the honoree leads by example and longs to make Christ known everywhere h e/she goes.
Saint Maria Goretti
Award
(Human)
Honoree exemplifies the love of Christ through his/her character and living out the virtues of faith, hope and charity. He/she is determined to reach the unreached and serve the lost, the least and the last of his/her community; the honoree is particularly sensitive to the needs of his/her brothers and sisters in seasons of trial and hopelessness; he/she gives freely without expecting anything in return simply to share God’s good love to the world.
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Award
(Intellectual)
Honoree possesses a deep understanding of the Catholic faith; he/she spends time learning the truths of the faith by means of the Holy Bible, Catechism and classic Catholic literature. At the core, the honoree is a defender of the faith; his/her knowledge of the faith inspires others to learn the beauty and richness of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
Saint Carlo Acutis
Award (New)
(Intellectual | Technology Focused)
Honoree reflects the joyful and creative spirit of Blessed Carlo Acutis, using modern means as a digital missionary to make the eternal love of God visible to the world. He/she demonstrates a deep devotion to the Eucharist, inspiring others by living with authenticity, simplicity, and joy. Rooted in prayer and trust in God’s providence, the honoree shares the Gospel with innovation and courage, reminding peers that holiness is possible for every young person in today’s world.
Santa Teresa
Award
(Spiritual)
Honoree demonstrates maturity in Catholic spirituality; understands the beauty of the interior life and longs to attain the greatest heights of holiness; well versed in the ways of interior prayer, vocal prayer and contemplative prayer; lives every single day as an oblation to God’s good providence and is resolved to find God’s perfect will in every situation; he/she longs to fulfill the vocation God has plan for him/her