Here at Steuby STL, we are blessed to have so many priests and religious with us during the weekend. We would be remiss, however, if we didn’t highlight one of our favorite members of the clergy: Cardboard Pope Francis.

He has been a faithful volunteer at the Steuby Bookstore for years, and while he always intends to help unload merchandise and ring up patron’s purchases, he is far too busy posing for selfies with his adoring flock. Especially his favorites—teenagers.

“I never wanted to be a celebrity, but a cardboard cutout’s got to do, what a cardboard cutout’s got to do.”

I found Dave G. at the “Packet Pick Up” table during the hustle and bustle of registration. His wife Kyra was just a few feet away, helping groups to check-in and handing out name tags. Dave said this is the 13th year he and his wife have been volunteering as prayer ministers at Steubystl. He’s from Incarnate Word parish in Chesterfield and all four of his kids have attended this conference.

Meet Bishop Edward Rice

He is the sixth of ten kids. He runs 5 miles a day. He is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. He likes cheering on the St. Louis Blues hockey team.

Meet Bishop Edward Rice.

Anyone meeting this bishop of the Diocese of Springfield – Cape Girardeau for the first time will be struck by how easy it is to talk to him. Bishop Rice truly has the heart of a shepherd. His humility and humor are a magnet for young and old alike. He has a particular heart for the young people of the Church.

Some of the unsung heroes of SteubySTL are the interns of the Office of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. They dedicate a majority of their summers to making sure that our conferences go as planned. One of these awesome humans should be a familiar face by now: meet Drew.

One fascinating feature of every SteubySTL conference is the presence of seminarians from the Archdiocese of St. Louis. We are excited to introduce you to one of them: David H.

David H. is a lifelong Catholic who grew up in a family of 7 children; he has 4 sisters and 2 brothers! He entered seminary immediately after attending high school at St. Pius in Festus, MO.