About Wyatt
Wyatt's background
Meet Wyatt Olivas: a student from Cheyenne, Wyoming, currently studying education at the University of Wyoming, and a powerhouse for youth engagement in the Catholic Church.
Wyatt’s faith journey, rooted in his strong Hispanic community, led him straight to the top. He was selected as the youngest U.S. delegate to the worldwide Synod on Synodality in Rome, a major initiative by Pope Francis to shape the future of the Church. His presence on the global stage highlighted the urgent need to bring younger voices into the conversation. (He even convinced Pope Francis to sign a permission slip to get him out of class—talk about a flexible schedule!)
Beyond Rome, Wyatt is deeply involved: he’s a youth minister at the St. Paul's Newman Center in Laramie, and he serves on the International Youth Advisory Board, advising the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. Whether he's assisting the Diocese of Cheyenne or working with the Pope, Wyatt's mission is clear: he believes the Church is a home for all, and he’s committed to bringing young people into positions of responsibility and walking together in faith.
Where are you going?
"Stepping into uncomfortable situations pushes us beyond our faith's comfort zone." cited from "where are you going?" Spicy Catholic Blog
Bring it home
"The document is our guide to synodality, but can’t contain the whole of it. Synodality doesn’t come through a piece of paper but through the person." "Bring it home", cited from The Tablet
Newman University News
"If you can’t trust the person you are walking with, how can they bring you to Christ?"
Cited from "Youngest Synod delegate in U.S. to speak at Newman University" Newman University News
Someone Will Let You In
"The synod’s key message to young people is: ‘This is your Church, too.’ We’re all on this mission together."
Cited from "Someone Will Let You In", The Tablet.
U.S. Latinos are the future of the church. They deserve a place at the Synod
"No matter who sits in the pew next to you, say good morning and give them a smile."
Cited from "U.S. Latinos are the future of the church. They deserve a place at the Synod", America Magazine.
Catholic Youth Are Assets, Not Problems
“When he was ‘figuring life out’ during his transition between high school and college, Pope Francis’s message to walk together as a synodal Church spoke deeply to him. Wyatt is now sure that ‘for the rest of my life I want to live like this…seeing our brothers and sisters and talking to them—talking with them and not talking for them.’ He was inspired by Fr. Timothy Radcliffe’s invitation to ‘let yourself be emptied and be filled by other people and by the Holy Spirit.’”
Cited from "Catholic Youth Are Assets, Not Problems", Commonweal Magazine.