This afternoon, teens could choose to attend a workshop presented by Matt Regitz about life in the Holy Spirit. He helped show teens how they can be more open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their own lives, especially this weekend.

The talk fittingly began with a prayer asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance both in the talk and in our lives. In order to receive the gifts that God wants to pour upon everyone present tonight, we must be open to receiving them. For example, as Matt explained, if you have an umbrella held up, it does not matter that water is being poured; you still will not get wet. The water is the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the umbrella is our own fear and resistance. We have to be open to what the Holy Spirit wants to give us.

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Same-sex attraction is not an easy topic to talk discuss but it’s an important one in our society today. Joel Stepanek tackled this topic at one of our afternoon workshops.

Same Sex Attraction: A Matter of People

Joel started by acknowledging how challenging the topic of same-sex attraction is to talk about. But the heart of this discussion is not a matter of philosophy or politics. When we talk about same-sex attraction, we are talking about people. We must always approach this through the lens of people.

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College can be difficult; that’s not exactly a secret. You’ve got to deal with new spaces, new people, new classes, new teachers, time consuming homework, weird sleeping schedules, and of course, the dreaded freshman roommate who may be you new best friend or worst enemy.

High school has prepared you some, but the next four years are still an unwritten story. When you unload you bags in that dorm parking lot, you will be walking into a world more daunting than it is familiar. So how do you survive? How do you navigate the complex changes while still keeping your personality, your faith life, your soul?

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If you want to see joy, look no further than the members of religious life.  You will find them in many areas of ministry here at our conferences, from ushers to working the bookstore.  Although they are great at these tasks, they are also a gift simply by their presence here. Continue reading

Katie Prejean started the women’s session with a Hail Mary and a simple prayer to call upon God’s truth, especially when it comes to our roles as His beloved daughters.

Katie shared that the fundamental part of who we are is that we are loved; it’s our greatest identity. We are wanted by the very God who forged us in his sacred image. This means that, even in our mess, when our breath smells and our hair is bedraggled, we are Jesus’ chosen image to represent beautiful, selfless love. We are love incarnate! It’s also our greatest purpose. We were created specifically to love others and to be loved by Him.

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