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.

Continue reading

The greatest commandments of our Catholic faith are to love God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

But, as Bishop Edward Rice reminded the 3,000 teens, leaders, and volunteers today during the Steubenville Conference closing Mass, Jesus calls us to go a step further. We need to love with our whole heart, so we can become fearless disciples.

Continue reading

Our world is hurting. We all need healing, yet many of us are separated from the very source of our strength. Jesus Christ invites us to return to — or encounter for the first time — the very source and summit of our faith — His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist (National Eucharistic Revival).

As we did tonight during Adoration, let us bravely approach Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament anytime we need His strength, peace, joy, and love. “There is no place He’d rather be. He’s for us. He’s for you. He delights in you. We believe in Your love for us, Jesus,” Fr. Joe Freedy reassures us.

Continue reading

Being a member of God’s family is more than just belonging; it’s also an adventure of learning to love each other the way God loves. Fr. Joe Freedy explained this during our first workshop of the afternoon.

For Fr. Joe, that adventure began with learning to love himself. As a young adult, he battled with addiction and anxiety. The different ways in which he was struggling, and also the ways he was trying to prove himself in sports, were really a result of a fundamental need that we all share: the need to be fully seen, fully known, and fully loved.

Continue reading

We have a host, a worship leader, a priest, and three speakers who have traveled to share the faith with us this weekend! Keep reading to find out a little bit about each one. We look forward to hearing from them throughout the conference.

Bob Rice – Host

Bob is a Catholic speaker who loves his life. A husband to his wife, Jennie, and father of their seven children, Bob is also a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio. He is a Professor of Catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville, and an accomplished podcaster, musician, and author.

For more about Bob, check out his website and follow him on Twitter.

Continue reading