Every summer, hundreds of Catholics flock to the lovely Napa Valley of California for the annual Napa Institute summer conference.

And with good reason.

The conference, which just wrapped its 15th year, featured some of the most prominent, influential and inspiring Catholic thought leaders. The extravaganza also kicked off with a Catholic music and film festival that highlighted new projects from Catholic actors David Henrie and Eduardo Verástigui, Patricia Heaton — and more.

And this year, the intensity was different, as so many talks and dinner discussions focused on the excitement of the moment: Our American-born Pope Leo XIV!

Pictures are even circulating of a Trinitas Vineyards special selection wine named after the Pontiff.

Many priests and religious attend the event, thanks in part to the founder’s generosity for complimentary accommodations. Tim Busch announced this year that Catholic priests were invited to stay for free at his Pacific Hospitality Group hotels. Each hotel is built with a chapel so they can offer Mass for lucky guests on-site.

One of the many priests to attend the star-studded affair was none other than the Register’s own Msgr. Roger Landry. On the ground, fielding interviews with several of the 17 bishops in attendance this year, the EWTN Radio host said the experience is always edifying.

“I am always very moved at Napa, hearing about the various Catholic apostolates, new and old, the leaders of which speak between the keynote presentations. They give witness to the extraordinary vitality of our faith in action. This year, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul spoke about the work it’s doing in about 4,000 U.S. parishes. But we also had updates on the work happening at the new campus of the Augustine Institute in St. Louis, the new initiatives of EWTN, the signs of hope coming from various Catholic colleges and universities, and a preview of The Chosen’s upcoming focus on Jesus’ passion.”

If you missed out on the fun this year, here are some of the best moments.

1. Nuns doing anything always top the charts, but the conference this year brought a crowd of nuns to the bowling alley. Decked in their full habits, the Sisters of Life and many Dominican nuns, alongside Carmelites and the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa, tallied up strikes and spares.

Grady Connolly, who captured much of the viral moments on social media, said that “the images captured something beautiful: religious sisters embracing fellowship and showing the world that holiness and fun go hand in hand.”

2. David Henrie discussed his new project and living his faith as an actor. The Catholic actor known for the latest Reagan biopic and the Wizards of Waverly Place took part in a panel entitled “Reclaiming the Arts.”

Henrie also released a new trailer for a new EWTN Studios project that features some beautiful places in Italy. Other actors who took part in the panel included Dan Peate, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Bas Rutten and Ben Everard.

3. Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, Norway, provided spot-on insights on the impact of the Second Vatican Council for those who lived through it and younger generations who have no "collective remembrance."

“Today’s young Catholics are not ungrateful for the Council’s great gifts, but unable to proceed with their grandparents’ mindsets, uninclined to flog dead horses, unenthused by fossilized projects of aggiornamento when the sun has set on the giorno by which they were defined. What they long for is to awaken the dawn, to know the saving power of Christ, the same today, yesterday and always, yet making all things new, often enough by exploding time-bound dichotomies.”

4. The Eucharistic procession was a beautiful witness of faith. Led by Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, the Blessed Sacrament was accompanied by the faithful around the conference grounds.

5. Msgr. Roger Landry gave an inspiring keynote about “Crossing the Threshold of Hope.” Highlighting the Jubilee of Hope. the director of The Pontifical Missions Society, USA, did not mince words on the current state of teenagers and the constant struggle with mental health and depression. He reminded those gathered of this particularly sobering statistic: “57% of our teenage girls feel persistently sad and hopeless.”

Msgr. Landry pointed to hope as an anchor, reminding all those gathered to be “anchored in God,” not the things of this world. He said we are called to be “heroes of hope.”

Speaking to the Register after the event from Rome, where he is presenting to nearly 1 million teens gathered for the Jubilee of Youth this weekend, Msgr. Landry said the Napa conference is always full of hope for the future of the Catholic Church:

“I am also always inspired by many of the people I meet: the religious and laypeople who are catalyzing so much good in the Church; the Catholic benefactors who make so much of the Church’s work possible; the hardworking men and women who in public or unsung ways are bringing Christ to people; the faithful priests and bishops who even at Napa generously bring the sacraments to people throughout the day. It’s always among the most inspiring four days of the year.”

It is not too early to start planning for next summer, as the Napa Institute has already released the 2026 dates!