For a few days following August 28th, 12,000 young people from more than 100 countries gave a youthful face to the Hungarian capital of Budapest. Among them were fifteenyoung people from the Midwest. It was the tenth edition of the international Genfest, the "celebration" of the youth, with the title: "Let's Bridge"- let’s build bridges!

During the 2012 Mariapolis, over 500 participants from across the Midwest experienced the joys and effects of living the "Word of God" in their lives.