As we do each conference, the weekend began with our volunteers gathering for Mass. In his homily, Bishop Rice centered everyone on the divine love we find in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He considers the 1st Friday devotion a reminder to return to the heart of Jesus.

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“Fearless is the theme of our gathering… Indeed, to truly be hospitable, to truly be welcoming, we have to be fearless. We cannot fear that others may reject us. We cannot fear that others may not take our message to heart… We have to be fearless because we are welcoming others to the greatest gift we have been given… the gift we recognize when we welcome Jesus into our hearts.”

Fr. Chris Martin reminded everyone that when Jesus called His disciples, He then spent time with them. “The first step in following any vocation is friendship with Jesus… Seek holiness. Seek virtue. Continue to grow in intimacy with Jesus and everything else will be revealed.”

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During our Sunday morning session, Cooper Ray shared a childhood story about his group of friends at recess. They invented a game where they linked arms and walked around chanting, “We never stop! We never stop!” Cooper used this story as a starting point for his message about how to take the experience of this conference into our daily lives at home.

“The Lord is not going to stop.” Philippians 1:6 tells us that God will complete the work He has begun in us this weekend. Our experience is not over. Even though we don’t get to stay here forever, the work that God is doing does go with us. “The Father is not done with you yet, but it doesn’t mean you get to stay here,” Cooper explained. Leaving this conference, we might miss the feelings, the atmosphere, the big experience, but we have to trust that God is still working.

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“Your heavenly Father feels so much joy as you reach up to Him… You don’t have to have an awesome band to praise God; it should be part of your everyday lives. You drop everything and praise God… That’s where everything begins; it’s the foundation of Catholic worship.”