Leah Darrow

Former model Leah Darrow will be the featured speaker when high school students from throughout central Illinois gather on Saturday, March 23, for the 2019 Diocesan Youth Rally.

“Love and Self-Worth” is the theme of this year’s rally, set to begin at noon at the Spalding Pastoral Center in Peoria and conclude with a 6 p.m. Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral celebrated by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC.

All youth in grades 9-12 are invited and may sign up through their Catholic school or parish youth coordinator. The registration deadline is Wednesday, March 6.

The cost of $30 per person covers all activities and includes snacks, a dinner, and a rally t-shirt.

Darrow, a former contestant on the television show “America’s Next Top Model,” will present two keynote talks during the afternoon. Now married and the mother of four, she lives in the St. Louis area and is a popular Catholic speaker, author, and host of the podcast “Do Something Beautiful.”

Darrow is familiar to many in the Diocese of Peoria. She was a co-presenter at the 2012 Diocesan Youth Rally and accompanied Chris Stefanick’s “Reboot Live” tour at central Illinois stops in 2016.

The 2019 youth rally also includes music, games, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation, vocation talks, and a procession to the cathedral for Mass.

Youth who are not a part of a school or parish group but wish to attend should contact Julie Enzenberger at (309) 671-1550 or jenzenberger@cdop.org for information on how they can join an existing youth group at the rally. Youth groups must have one adult chaperone for every seven youth. All adults must also register.

More information is available at cdop.org or by calling the Office of Evangelization at (309) 671-1550.