Commitment and Baptism Call

Katie Prejean McGrady began our Sunday morning talking about God’s desire for our commitment to Him and His call. She said, “God didn’t make the light because he was bored.  He made light because He knew you would need the light to step out in the light and live.”  We are called to make a commitment to say from here on out, “We are disciples of the Lord, let us bring the light of Christ to the people around us.”

Katie then recognized that some attendees at the conference were not Catholic. She spoke about the importance of the day we are Baptized. Baptism is not just the sign of our faith, but the cause of it. Katie then invited those who felt the Holy Spirit’s call to think about joining the Church through Baptism. A number of young people stepped forward, showing their interest in embracing the faith and becoming baptized members of our Catholic family. Let’s keep them in our prayers as they embark on their journey of faith!

Acts 2:42

“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” Acts 2:42

The members of this week’s ministry team spoke to the different parts of this verse that we are challenged to grow in as we leave the Conference:

• Looking into the idea of devotion to the teachings of the apostles, Brian Greenfield spoke on the importance of coming to understand what the Church is teaching us. He said, “Know who you are and know your story. Know God and God’s story.” Break open the scripture. Find ways to learn more about the Church and her teaching. Prepare your mind and your heart to lead others to Christ.
• Looking into the idea of communal life, Kyle Huelsing spoke of the community we are to build going home. Kyle said, “I challenge you to find at least one person who can walk with you to Heaven.” No person is an island. Being christian is not an easy thing, but no matter what, we are not meant to do it alone.
• Looking into the breaking of the bread, Jackie Francois Angel spoke to the importance of the Sacraments. “We need grace to run the race,” Jackie said, challenging us to find healing in the Reconciliation, time away from distraction in Adoration, and faith receiving Jesus in the Mass.
• Looking into the idea of prayer, Fr. Fallon spoke to how the Lord wants a relationship with us. “Speak heart to heart. Don’t just talk to the Lord, but listen for his encouragement to grow in faith,” said Father as he challenged us to deepen the relationship we have as we leave the conference.

Holy Mass

Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski, from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, joined us to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. His homily was focused around our need to be a beacon of hope in a world of darkness. Archbishop Rozanski said, “Sure, we can grow in despair by the deeds of darkness, but nothing will overcome those deeds except the light of Christ shining through each of us, and that light is truly the hope of all.” Remember to hold on to the hope the Lord provides to us, and continue to receive His love, strength, and totality in the Eucharist.

Vocations Call

Fr. Brian Fallon stepped forward before the final blessing and dismissal to remind the participants that as God has illuminated our hearts, we are now called to go out and serve as we live out our vocations.. In a particular way, he spoke to the male teens present who have had even just an inkling on their hearts that God may be calling them to discern priesthood. As several young men moved into the aisles of the arena, Fr. Fallon urged them to do something about it and not be afraid to respond because as St. John Vianney said, “the priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.”

Sister M. Magdalene Therese, a Carmelite Sister of the Divine Heart of Jesus, then spoke to the young women present. She joyfully introduced herself as a Bride of Christ and explained that as such, the Lord has expanded her heart so that all of His children have become also hers to love. After inviting forward any young women who also have a desire to pray about the vocation of religious life, many rushed toward the stage hand in hand. Sister Magdalene Therese encouraged them all to spend time with Jesus by committing to daily prayer and listening for His still, small voice.

Conference Closing

This weekend, hearts and minds were illuminated by the love of Jesus Christ. Our Sunday session provided time before the Lord in the Eucharist and reminder of our call to holiness as we leave this space. Continue to pray for each and every soul longer to serve the Lord.

You can watch the live stream of the closing conference session here!

Afternoon Keynote: The Darkness has not Overcome

As we gathered back together following our afternoon break, Fr. Brian Fallon spoke  to us about the places of light and darkness in our lives. He explained that God did not create us to be the light, rather to see and share in the life of Christ who is the  light of the world. We often strive for perfection, grasping at worldly things that we cannot attain, when in reality we should open our arms and be received by our loving Father.  Fr. Fallon reminded  us that, “Jesus loves us too much to keep us in the darkness.” Jesus bore the cross, thinking of us and our struggles, demonstrating that trusting in the Lord allows us to experience more than mere earthly obligations. He urged us to abandon the need to be the light and instead witness and reflect God’s light. As bearers of the light, how are we called to bring the love of Christ to others?

Watch the live stream of the afternoon keynote here.

Keynote: The Road Illuminated 

Tonight, Jackie Francois Angel reminded the conference of the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We receive the Holy Spirit for two reasons: to grow in our own holiness and to build up the body of Christ. Jackie said, “Let’s let our heart be burning with the Holy Spirit,” as we are called to let that fire spread to the world around us. She also spoke of Saint Jose Sanchez Del Rio, a teenager in the early 1900s who was captured during battle and told to deny the faith. With the strength of the Spirit within him, he held true to the Lord, shouting, “Viva Cristo Rey!” without fear. God calls us to be His hands and feet in the world, but we must remember we cannot do it alone. Looking at Luke 24,  we hear of the disciples who were on their way to Emmaus. Jesus met them on their walk, and as they journeyed with Him, they invited Jesus to stay and He broke bread with them. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him before He vanished from their sight, illustrating how the Holy Spirit illuminates and opens our hearts to understand and recognize the presence of Christ.  Let us continue to ask the Holy Spirit for the fortitude we need to be courageous witnesses to the Lord in all that we do.

Adoration

Fr. Brian Fallon processed through the crowd with the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance. And just like the disciples stood in Christ’s presence over 2,000 years ago, we were able to be with Jesus in the Eucharist. We had a moment of encounter with the Lord, and something happens when a group of people encounter the Lord and decide they are going to respond. As Fr. Fallon said, “We know for sure, Lord, that You will show us the path to life. The fullness of joy is in Your presence. At Your right hand, happiness forever.”

Watch Saturday night’s live stream here.

Holy Mass 

Along with over 50 concelebrating priests, Bishop Rice offered Mass on Saturday morning in honor of Our Lady and her Immaculate Heart. During the homily, Fr. Brian Fallon reminded us that everything in the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament. In the same way that Isaiah was healed from the embers of the altar, so too we are healed when we receive Jesus fully present in the Eucharist. Fr. Fallon then said, “The same Jesus that was walking two millennia ago in Nazareth and Jerusalem and all these other places, who died on the cross is now in my heart. If I’m recognizing what is happening in the word, then my heart is illuminated. Have the audacity to say, ‘Send me.’” Let us be reminded each and every Mass that we  are worth something. While we  might not feel it in every moment, we mean something to the Lord, have value in His eyes, and He longs for us in the Mass.

Watch the live stream of morning Mass here.

Women’s Session: Femininity Illuminated 

Jackie Francois Angel spoke to the women today about God’s love for us and how we desire that love but struggle to receive it. Often, we can grasp for worldly love, whether that be relationships, money, popularity, etc. These worldly desires can lead us away from God, causing us to believe that we are not good enough, that if someone really knew us, they wouldn’t love us, that we are meant to be alone. But Jackie reminds us, “God loves you just as much when you are in adoration as when you are in your darkest moments of shame and sin. He loves you unconditionally.” Jesus calls us out of that darkness, reminding us that He wants us more than anything. Nothing in this world matters or will satisfy a heart that was made for eternity. We cannot be the women God wants us to be if we sit in the dark, we need to bring our wounds to the light.

Watch the live stream of the Women’s Session here.

Men’s Session: Masculinity Illuminated 

Brian Greenfield spoke to the men about God’s call for His sons. At the beginning of creation, God created light, and in that light He brought forth Adam, created in His image and likeness. Taking Adam’s rib, which protects the heart, He created Eve. Eve is welcomed into Adam’s heart, and Adam is called to protect Eve. Similarly, men are called to protect, provide, and serve. When the moment arose for Adam to come to the aid of his beloved and to protect her, he was confused and fearful, the opposition of faith. However, this is not where the story of Adam ends, God rescues him still. In the same way, our moments of sin, fear, or doubt do not have to be the end of our story.  God sees us individually, and regardless of these moments, asks, “Where are you?” just as He did of Adam in the garden. Then in giving us His Son, Jesus  Christ, we have an example of  what a man is called to be. Jesus is our constant. Jesus is the one that heals us. How? Giving His whole life so that we will know who we are.

Watch the live stream of the Men’s Session here.

Conference Theme

Across our country, eighteen different times this summer, thousands of teens are gathering at Steubenville Conferences to reflect on the theme Illuminate which comes from John 1:5.  In this verse  we hear, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus Christ came to bring the light of God’s love into a spiritually dark and dying world where we can often get lost. By allowing the Lord to bring light to our lives, we can shine that light to one another through love.

Tonight, Katie Prejean McGrady led us deeper into this  idea of Illuminate. She started by asking for all to trust in what the Lord has in store for us. Katie said, “In this world that has convinced us that we are only as good as what we can give, God is not asking us to do anything but receive what He has to offer.” God didn’t need any of us. He wanted us! God said, let there be light, not because He needed to see anything but because He wanted us to be able to see everything. Let us walk in the light together this weekend!

Ministry Team

• Host: Katie Prejean McGrady
• Worship Leader: Kyle Huelsing
• Team Priest: Fr. Brian Fallon
• Keynote Speaker: Jackie Francois Angel
• Keynote Speaker: Brian Greenfield

Keynote: God Illuminated

Brian Greenfield began our weekend talking about our desire to be free, but our inclination to be guarded out of fear. He challenged us all to take the moment that we have been given right now to come to know God more. He asked us to reflect on three questions:

1. Are you willing to believe that there is a God bigger than your sin?
2. Are you willing to trust in Jesus and his love and call for you personally?
3.  Are you willing to respond to that call?

From this, Brian recounted the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar from Jericho. In Mark 10, we meet Bartimaeus as he sits on the side of the road. Bartimaeus called out to Jesus, knowing this was his opportunity to bring his desires to the Lord. Despite people around him telling him to be quiet, Bartimaeus cried out louder saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus calls him closer and we are reminded of the fact that Jesus desires to give us the longing of our hearts. He wants to bring light to the darkness in the same way that he gave sight to Bartimaeus. Fear is the opposition to encounter. Instead of reaching out to Jesus like Bartimaeus, fear makes us fall back. But we must take courage and get up, because Jesus is calling us. Brian closed with a powerful message, “Sometimes we have to let go of the things that we hold onto, to be able to hold the things that we need. Let’s give our all to Jesus, and see what he can do!” This moment is our opportunity to respond to Jesus’ call.

Click here to watch the recorded live stream of this session!