How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. The way you encouraged your youth to attend Steubenville conference this summer – from the charming pleas to your parish after Mass to nagging your students in person during Open Office – you did it, you made it happen. Thank you.
2. The way you figured out the hassle of finances, fundraisers, transportation, chaperones, rooming lists, compliance requirements, and registration – you did it. Thank you.
3. The way you gave into wearing matching shirts with your teenagers – you did it, and you look great. Thank you.
4. The way you pray with and for these teens through their highs and lows of life. You are Christ’s hands and feet – you are doing it with such love and grace; you are such a gift to them. Thank you.
5. The way you eat pizza for 50% of your meals with a smile – you’re doing the Lord’s work, my friend. Thank you.

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Lisa Cotter shared her heart with us this evening as she told her testimony of finding where she belonged. She began by visiting her teen years and telling us of a “Jesus filled” Spring Break trip she took where she never quite felt like she belonged. Like many of us, she found herself asking “Where do I fit in? Do I belong here?” Upon coming home she found herself living in two separate worlds – her Friday night party world and her Sunday night youth group world. Two competing worlds which again left her asking “Where do I fit in?”

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Mark and Beth Stevison are parishioners at Mary Mother of the Church Parish in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. They have been married for 24 years and have three boys. They met on a youth retreat (how cute is that?) called Teens Encounter Christ where Mark was on the music ministry team and Beth was a retreatant.

This weekend Beth is serving as an usher, and Mark is serving as a prayer minister – and he was a youth group chaperone last weekend. This is Beth’s 5^th year attending our conferences, and Mark’s 6^th.

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They say that it takes a village to raise a child, and I think there’s some truth in that. But I can tell you for sure that it does take quite a crew of dedicated volunteers to put on a Steubenville youth conference!

Last weekend’s youth conference was staffed by 108 volunteers – and there are 112 volunteers staffing this weekend! When you consider that each volunteer is here in Springfield from at least 10 am Friday until at least 1 pm on Sunday, that means that over 6800 volunteer hours are put in each summer by amazing people devoted to making our conferences a positive experience for every teen and every adult who attends. And I couldn’t even begin to calculate how much time and energy and prayer that staff members of the Office of Youth Ministry and Franciscan University of Steubenville devote to these amazing events!

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“I am really, really, proud of you.”

Fr. Mike Schmitz began his vocational call by thanking every vocation in the house. He thanked the single people, the married people, and the religious. Everyone is called to some vocation, and it is inspiring to see so many people answering their call through Christ.

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