Latest Steubenville Youth Conference News
Teens Rooted In Christ
Teens Rooted in Jesus Christ
STEUBENVILLE, OH—"What am I worth? I'm worth that guy's life," said author Chris Stefanick, pointing to the image of Jesus Christ on the cross. "We're not the sum of our accomplishments. Our worth is not diminished by our failures. One Eucharist is your net worth. You are worth God the Son to God the Father."
Stefanick spoke to over 1700 teens, youth ministers, chaperones, priests, and religious, who packed Finnegan Fieldhouse June 17-19 for Franciscan University of Steubenville's first on-campus High School Youth Conference of the summer. Nearly 40,000 teens will attend Franciscan's conferences this summer in 11 states and Canada.
"I know that God wanted you here," said conference host Bob "Righteous B" Lesnefsky. "Somehow in God's mystical plan for your life, you were meant to be here."
This year's youth conference theme, "Rooted," taken from Colossians 2:6-7, guided the experience.
"Sometimes it all hits at once," said Father Rick Martignetti, OFM, in his Saturday morning homily. "People will hurt us. People who love us are going to die. Storms come. But when the wind comes, the tree that's well planted isn't uprooted—it dances in the wind. It rejoices.
"Mary wasn't spared the storms and troubles of life. But she was rooted. She can teach us the way of holding on to God at all times," said Father Martignetti, director of the Priestly Discernment Program at Franciscan University.
The weekend centered around Jesus Christ, present in the Eucharist at Mass and in adoration, and his Holy Spirit, speaking through God's Word in Scripture and the magisterial teaching of the Church to bring the life and love of the Father to every human heart.
A conference highlight was a quiz-show style contest to win free copies of the new international youth catechism, YouCat, made possible through a partnership with Ignatius Press.
"YouCatis a beautiful gift to Catholics," said John Beaulieu, Franciscan University's director of Youth and Young Adult Outreach. "We look forward to helping spread that gift through the conferences, and we are very grateful to Ignatius Press for working with us to make it happen."
Other highlights of the weekend included talks by former MTV personality and director of Internet Ministries for Life Teen Matt Smith, a concert with Catholic singer and songwriter Kelly Pease, and life-changing encounters with Jesus Christ, especially through the sacraments.
After Saturday night's eucharistic procession and adoration, Dan McCartney, a member of St. Joan of Arc Parish's youth group in Columbus, Ohio, said, "You could just feel Jesus in the air...It was like the most insane and the most awesome thing I've ever experienced in my life."
"Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, and come to know him in a deeper way," said Bob Rice, leader of the music ministry at the University's summer conferences. "As beautiful as it is to adore Christ in the Eucharist, it's even more beautiful to receive him."
Many youth were moved throughout the weekend to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.
"My kids went to reconciliation...I think this is a big move for them," said Nixon Silfanus, the chaperone for a group of three teens from the parish of Maria Bunda Karmel in Jakarta, Indonesia ("it's about 20 hours to Steubenville in the plane alone"). "They followed all the sessions very well and enjoyed being immersed by the whole thing. This is beyond our expectation."
Silfanus says he doesn't believe it was an accident that he and his group were able to attend the conference, or that they had such a powerful experience. He hopes, "with the Holy Spirit to guide us," to spread the word about the conferences in Indonesia and return next year with a larger group.
Three Steubenville Youth Conferences occurred simultaneously in three different locations - Houma, Lousiana; West Palm Beach, Florida; and Steubenville, Ohio. The next "Rooted" conferences will be Steubenville South in Alexandria, Louisiana, and Steubenville Main Campus 2 at Franciscan University, June 24-26. For more information, see www.franciscanyouth.com.
Video clips and more highlights of the High School Youth Conference can be found under News and Events at www.franciscan.edu. For audio recordings of the main talks by conference speakers, go to www.franciscan.edu/bookstore and click on the "Conferences" tab at the top of the homepage.
Upcoming Franciscan University summer conferences for adults include the St. John Bosco Conference (July 20-24) for youth ministers, directors of religious education, and others involved in faith formation, the Applied Biblical Studies Conference (July 27-29) for those seeking a deeper knowledge and understanding of Scripture, and the Defending the Faith Conference (July 29-31), which focuses on Catholic apologetics. For more information, including a complete list of conferences for adults and youth, go to www.franciscanconferences.com.
Steubenville Youth Conferences on EWTN’s Life on the Rock!
Franciscan University’s youth conference outreach will be the subject of the February 17 airing of EWTN’s youth-oriented show Life on the Rock. Director of Youth Outreach, John Beaulieu, will sit down with the hosts of the show to discuss the history, the mission, the message, and the experience that is a Steubenville Youth Conference. The show will feature clips from past participants and their experiences as well as footage from various conference weekends. The show will be a great way to learn more about the youth conferences and Franciscan University.
The show will air at the following times on EWTN:
Thursday, February 17 at 10:00 p.m. – Eastern Time
Friday, February 18 at 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m – Eastern Time
Saturday, February 19 at 1:00 a.m. – Eastern Time
The show will also be available to watch on the Life on the Rock website by clicking the link below.
Click here to the learn more about EWTN’s Life on the Rock.
Summer 2011 - Rooted
This summer will be radical!
The Theme for 2011 Summer Youth Conferences is Rooted.
The Scripture that will guide the planning for the conference programming is:
Colossians 2:6-7 “As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
This Scripture will also be guiding Pope Benedict XVI as he guides youth and young adults through the World Youth Day celebration in Madrid, Spain next year.
The word root comes from the Latin word radix. The radish, which is a root, is named from the Latin word radix. The radicle is the first and primary embryonic root of every germinating seed that extends into the surrounding soil anchoring a plant in the ground and allowing it to absorb nutrients. The word “eradicate” means to pull up by the root.
But even more to the point is the word radical. It comes from the Latin word r?d?c?lis, which literally means “to have roots.”
We are constantly asking teens to be radical for Jesus. When used as a noun, the word radical can be defined as, “a person who holds or follows strong convictions or extreme principles.” In today’s culture truly believing and living the truth of the Church makes someone a radical. But what we are really asking teens this summer is to be rooted. To be truly radical is to be deeply rooted in the love and person of Jesus. The primary movement of the saints was not an external action or ministry. It was a profound movement to root every part of their lives in Jesus Christ. We cannot expect teens to make radical decisions for Jesus if their lives are not firmly rooted in Him.
So we are going to invite and challenge teens to be radical, that is, be rooted in Christ.
Keep checking back at the website for more info on registration for 2011 conference season!
Youth Minsters Retreat Open
Taste and See God's Goodness!
Registration for the 8th Annual Youth Ministers Retreat is now open. Come join other youth ministers from across the United States and Canada for a weekend of prayer, renewal, and encouragement. To go to the regisstration and information page, click the link below.
Vote for 2012 Theme Song
Visit www.franciscanyouth.com on November 16th-18th to vote for your favorite theme song! On the morning of November 16th, the top three theme song submissions will be posted online for you to listen and vote. The voting will only last three days, so be sure to mark your calendar.
2010 Summer Conferences Change Teens Lives
The Word Became Flesh for 37,500
Please join Franciscan University in thanking God for another amazing summer of youth conferences. Over 37,500 teens attended one of the 18 youth conferences held across the United States and Canada. There are thousands of stories of teens who had new hope, new faith, and new love poured into the hearts as they opened their lives to Christ. So many teens testify of coming to know Christ in a deeper way and tasting His forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The theme of this past summer was The Word Became Flesh. Throughout the weekend teens learned of God’s perfect love manifested in Christ. In Jesus, God became man that we might know God’s love, be reconciled to God through Christ, and partake in the divine nature.
Participants were challenged to allow God to live His life through them and to serve the Church with generosity and joy. Thousands responded generously to the call to pursue and discern a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. Once again, God worked miracles in the lives of thousands of teens.
Please accept the humble gratitude of all of us at Franciscan University for your ongoing support for our outreach. Please pray for all those who will attend a conference in 2011 that they my encounter of Lord’s great love and have their own lives transformed by His grace.
Summer Youth Conferences Call Men to Priesthood
The results are in - God is working!Last month, the USCCB released the results of a survey given to every man who was ordained a priest this past year. Of the 440 men ready for ordination, 339 men responded to the survey. The results were amazing.
Almost half the men ordained said that they were part of a youth group at their parish. So do not ever underestimate your role in calling this generation into heroic service of the Church through the priesthood.
Amazingly, 8% said they had attended a Franciscan University of Steubenville Youth Conference. At each conference, young men are asked to come forward if they are open to hearing a call to the priesthood. Each summer, thousands of young men say yes, they are open.
We have personally received stories from dozens of current priests who say they first heard their call at a Steuebenville conference. God is so good!
Please, let us continue to pray for vocations. Let us together work to build the Kingdom of God. Thank you for all you do! God bless.
Come to World Youth Day 2011 with Franciscan University
Seats are still available on a Franciscan University of Steubenville sponsored pilgrimage to the 2011 World Youth Day. Join popular youth conference speaker Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, and a select team for an amazing journey into the living heart of the Church.
Starting in Italy, our pilgrims will be guided through Rome and Assisi before heading to the WYD celebrations in Madrid, Spain. Grow in your faith like never before with faithful peers from all over the globe, gathered around Pope Benedict XVI for preaching, prayer, and sacrament!
Franciscan University has led pilgrimages to every WYD since Denver in 1993. Hurry and join us from August 7-August 22, 2011 for a holy and inspiring pilgrimage—a journey you will never forget!
For more information: Click Here.
