Our Saturday morning Holy Mass was celebrated by Bishop Rice of the Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau. This was a votive Mass, celebrated in special recognition of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We were blessed to be joined by priests and deacons from different youth ministry groups that came to the conference. Our team priest, Fr. Joe Freedy gave an empowering homily where we learned about how exciting in can be to be “all in” for Jesus.
Sometimes we can feel scared of what life with Jesus actually looks like. Fr. Freedy let us know that living for Christ is not stifling, but an opportunity to live life to the fullest. The saints have gone before us. Saints like Teresa of Calcutta and Maximillian Kolbe listened to the stirring of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, and they were all in for God. Their fearlessness and examples of selfless love provide us inspiration for our faith lives today.