Steubenville Conference

INVITING HIGH-SCHOOLERS INTO A LIFE-CHANGING ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST! 
Steubenville of the Rockies
  June 21-23, 2024 
Gaylord Rockies Resort  |  Denver, CO

This June, twenty high school youth and four adults from Notre Dame had an unforgettable weekend together as we encountered Jesus at the Steubenville of the Rockies conference in Denver, Colorado.  We wanted to give you a “glimpse” into our experience and say thank you to Fr. Rafal, our Notre Dame staff, and so many in our parish family who helped make this trip possible!

As an outreach of Franciscan University of Steubenville, the mission of these conferences is to build the Church by helping teens encounter the love of Jesus Christ, especially in the sacraments. On June 21-23, 2,900 Catholics from around the country gathered at the Gaylord Rockies Resort to experience the light of Jesus Christ, who is always faithful and breaks through the darkness of the world. This year’s conference theme, ILLUMINATE, led us in reflecting on the opening words of John’s Gospel: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5

Our trip began at 3:00am on Friday, as we departed from Notre Dame to catch an early morning flight to Denver. Upon arriving to Denver, we enjoyed a much needed breakfast together before making the drive out to Boulder, CO to spend the afternoon hiking in Chautauqua Park.  Taking in the fresh air and beauty of God’s creation was the perfect way to start our time in Colorado.  

Once we arrived to the Gaylord, the excitement of Steubenville of the Rockies began with an introduction of the weekend’s amazing lineup of speakers – Bob Lesnefsky, Paul J. Kim, Jackie Francois Angel, and Fr. Mike Schmitz! Fr. Mike blessed the weekend and reminded all teens that no matter where they came from, or what they were experiencing in life, they matter to the world and to the Church. Later that night, Fr. Mike was our first keynote speaker of the weekend…he is the same humble, genuine and enthusiastic man in person as you see on YouTube and hear in the podcasts.  He has such a love for Christ and the Church and shares this in a real and powerful way that captures the attention of those listening.  Fr. Mike passionately retold the story of Bartimaeus calling out to Jesus for help and being healed of his blindness (Mark 10:46-52).  He reminded us that we can all have our own “version” of Jesus, but the real Jesus is not an option.  We, like Bartimaeus, must be desperate for Jesus and open to His question to us, “what do you want me to do for you?”  And then, when answering His question we must turn our hearts to Jesus so we can give glory to Him with our lives.  This first night of the conference included a time of worship led by Ben Walther and his band, as well as a time for students to experience the power of praying over one another.

Saturday morning began with the celebration of Mass, but of course in true Fr. Mike Schmitz fashion he first gave the conference attendees a pep talk!  Fr. Mike urged us to keep in mind that the Mass is our highest form of worship, which is all about sacrifice.  We shouldn’t ask ourselves “what am I going to get from Mass?” but rather, “what am I going to give to Jesus in this sacrifice?”  Through the grace of our baptism we have become kingdom priests…and at the Mass priests make sacrifice, which includes us! In his homily, Fr. Mike shared that ignorance is not that same as indifference. The problem with today’s church is not that we are ignorant to God’s truth, but that too often we don’t care and we don’t want what we need.  We must move from a place of indifference to a deep love for that which only God can give to us…especially in the Eucharist!

Saturday afternoon included men’s and women’s sessions from Paul J. Kim and Jackie Francois Angel.  Both did an incredible job inspiring the teens to see that what Jesus offers us through a relationship with Him is so much more than what our sins can give us.  As C.S. Lewis stated, 
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world”…and that world is a life in Jesus Christ!

Following dinner, Jackie Francois Angel shared a keynote before our time with Jesus in Adoration and a Eucharistic procession.  Jackie asked the teens to consider that “you may be the only Gospel someone ever reads.”  They were told to have the courage and strength to live a life of witness to Jesus while relying on the help of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit for two reasons, first to increase our own personal holiness and second to guide us in building up the Body of Christ.  Jackie encouraged the teens to use their gifts and charisms to bring Christ’s light into the darkness of the world.  During the powerful time of worship, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was processed down every aisle of the conference venue giving each participant an opportunity to stare closely and intently on the Eucharist and say, “My Lord, and My God!”  What a beautiful encounter it was for all 2,900 young men, women and adults.

On Sunday morning before the closing Mass, the conference speakers guided us through a reflection on Acts 2:42, which says that the first converts “"devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers." Fr. Mike encouraged students to turn to the vast teaching of the Church that Jesus established, the Catholic Church, where we find truth, beauty and goodness. Paul J. Kim told the students "you are an average of the top 5 people you hang out with... so who is in your crew?"  He encouraged them to spend quality time with those they can first share their faith with. Jackie Angel urged the students to turn to Jesus often in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist to be spiritually fed. And Bob Lesnefsky shared a daily formula he uses for prayer...PAL…Praise, Ask, & Listen.

At the close of Mass, Fr. Mike Schmitz called forward all of the religious sisters in attendance to pray over the young women who may explore a call to the religious life, and then all the priests who were with their groups for the weekend did the same for the young men who feel they may be called to the priesthood.  I am assured that the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church is certainly in good hands by seeing how many young people responded throughout the weekend with open hearts and then the number who are actively discerning God’s call and their vocation!

I must also compliment in particular our group of twenty students from Notre Dame.  They were an absolute joy to be around all weekend, but perhaps I am most proud of what occurred on our flight home.  Our group was the last to board, which meant that only middle seats were left available.  Many of our students had a story to tell once we landed in San Antonio…one who shared all about the conference to the person sitting next to them on the plane, another “talked the entire flight” with someone about the Catholic faith, and others who were moved from conversation to actually praying aloud for the intentions of the stranger next to them!  I asked one student, “would you have prayed with a stranger before this weekend?”  He responded, “No, never….that was a God thing.”

We want to thank everyone who supported this trip through generous donations and of course your prayers.  We are also grateful for help from our Kerrville Police & Fire Departments and the Kerr County Sherriff’s Office as Notre Dame Youth Ministry was a beneficiary of this year’s Guns and Hoses charity football game!  Please continue to pray that these students who went to Steubenville of the Rockies, and so many more in our ministry will continue to be brought to the Sacred Heart of Jesus!