Steubenville Lone Star
In high school, I never had the opportunity to attend a Steubenville Youth Conference. When I moved to Dallas , I discovered there was a regional conference here and adults could volunteer for the conference. I signed up so fast and lived out my high school youth ministry dream of attending a Steubenville Youth Conference. Three years later, I still volunteer for the conference as part of the Prayer Team. Each time, I leave the weekend filled with joy and a renewed spirit, commonly known as the Jesus high following a conference or retreat. This year was particularly special. The joy I witnessed throughout the weekend was beautiful. Hearts were transformed and seeds of truth were planted in the minds of 4,100 youth.
One of the coolest parts of the weekend was during the opening session. There was a special video message from POPE LEO! He shared about the life of Saint Francis of Assisi since it is the 800th year since his passing. His message was a reflection on the teachings of Saint Francis and how those lessons apply to us today. The two lessons he focused on were authentic peace and perfect joy; two things that were prevalent in the Saint’s life. Some of the things that Pope Leo shared that stood out to me were:
Do we ask ourselves, “Do I desire true peace for those who come into contact with me?” or “Do I treat others in such a way that brings them peace?”.
St. Francis could sow peace not because of his own efforts but because he possessed within himself the source of true peace. It is a gift from God. A gift we receive when we invite the Lord into our hearts. We are called to be instruments of His peace.
If difficulties are embraced with patience, without complaining, and with love for God, this is perfect joy. It is only possible to have this joy if our life is founded on our relationship with God as the loving Father.
One day, we will leave wealth, goods, and health behind.
Many of you have heard since you were little that God loves you. Do you really believe it?
Cultivate a relationship with God through regular prayer and participation in the sacraments.
Abandon yourself in His hands. This is the secret to facing challenging circumstances with a smile.
True peace and perfect joy are gifts from God when we open ourselves up to Him.
Do not be afraid to turn to God and say, “Here I am, send me.”
His words reminded me of a prayer using the words from St. Francis and a song called Send Me.
The theme of the conference this year was Worthy. We are worthy. Each of us. Throughout the weekend, there were several talks, and here are the nuggets of faith that stood out to me that I want to share with you.
The Lord can do a lot with an empty hand. We grasp at so much in this world. We fill our lives and schedules with constant busyness. We look for the next fix, the next thing, the next event. The Lord wants our empty hands to transform the world through simple acts in our daily lives.
You were made for a time such as this. God created us to be born at a particular day, in a particular time of history for a particular reason. There is only one you. There will only ever be one of you.
He created you for a purpose, for now. He doesn’t create carelessly. He doesn’t make a mistake. God formed you in your mother’s womb. He uses us how we are, as we are. We do not need to be a certain weight, look a certain way, have a certain car or job or home, be at a certain place in our life. He created us with care, with love, with purpose.
The Saints did not start out that way. There was a moment they decided to be close to God. Then they decided again, and again, and again. We are all sinners. No one is perfect. Every one makes mistakes. What sets a saint apart is they get up again. They say yes to God again. They chose each day to turn to God. It is a constant choice we have to make, not just when we wake up in the morning, but when we encounter the person who annoys us, when we encounter the beggar on the street corner, when we encounter the challenge at work or school, and even when we celebrate life’s milestones. Every moment, we must decide to choose Christ.
We are worthy, because He is worthy.
God does not need you. He wants you. He desires our hearts and our lives. He will not force us to be united to Him, but He will invite us to be united with Him.
Be an agent of change. We can live in the world the same way we always have been, or we can be an agent of change. Take the love of Christ that you have felt and experienced and bring it to the world to change the world, starting with your friends, your family, your school, your workplace.
As part of the Prayer Team, we pray with and over youth during the Eucharistic Adoration procession. This is always my favorite part as I see the joy, love, and peace resonate in the faces of each person. This year was incredibly powerful and moving. The phrases I heard over and over again were “I feel so loved.”, “I am filled with joy.”, “This is peace.”, and more just like this. It was truly beautiful to hear those words and see their faces! A common prayer request from the young men were for discernment to the priesthood (WOOHOO!). One young man had an extremely powerful experience revolving around this call for giving his life to the Lord as a priest, and it was beautiful to witness. A heavier prayer request to hear from several young ladies in the room was for struggles with anxiety, depression, or general mental health. My heart breaks for them. As we prayed with them, we reminded them they are daughters of a King and are loved, known, worthy, and seen.
Another part of Prayer Team is monitoring the chapel area and directing the participants towards the chapel following Reconciliation for a space to do their penance. It is simply incredible to see hundreds, literally, walk out of Reconciliation with a smile on their face and a pep in their step.
Steubenville Conferences are part of Franciscan University in partnership with Life Teen. Their purpose is to create a space for encounter with Jesus Christ. There are six adult conferences and the youth conference that takes place across the country each summer. While I have never been to an adult conference of theirs, I cannot recommend the youth conference enough! If you have a high schooler, y’all should consider this conference. It is not all prayer and talks; there is plenty of fun built into the weekend. And if you do not have a high schooler, consider volunteering for the conference. I will be there again next year!
The speakers this year were outstanding! Check out their websites or social media below.
Ali Hoffman (a Texas girl!)
She has a mail club for young girls where each month they’ll receive inspiration in their mailbox. If there is a girl in your life who is old than 8 years old, consider sending them to her!
Josh Blakesley (worship leader)
Every year that I leave the conference, singing the songs we sang during the conference. They shared the list of all the songs from the weekend, so I made a Spotify playlist. You can find it here! The song I have on repeat is House of The Lord by Phil Wickham. There surely is joy in the House of the Lord!!
**The preview is picture is of the Eucharistic Adoration Procession during the conference.