2019 Steubenville Youth Conference Rocks!

In the Diocese of Corpus Christi alone, about 300 lives and hearts were forever changed by attending three of 24 Steubenville Youth Conference this summer. Youth and chaperones from eleven parishes in the diocese traveled by bus to Irving, Texas, Alexandria, Louisiana or Houma, Louisiana. The conferences included speakers, Christian music, adoration with procession, liturgy and Mass. Youth attended workshops on dating, eternity and friendship. 

Every summer the Franciscan University of Steubenville partners with a Catholic youth ministry (in Irving it was LifeTeen and Lift 3:16 in Houma), along with area dioceses to bring Christ to over 50,000 high school age youth to any of the different locations spread across the United States. 

“Belong” was this year’s central theme of all Steubenville Conferences held throughout the nation. The convention was a reminder of God’s faithfulness and overwhelming love and mercy for all God’s children. It was an opportunity to experience freedom from despair, isolation and sin and youth were reminded of who God says, we are — His sons and daughters.

These evangelistic conferences are meant to both encourage and inspire individual youth and youth groups to deepen their love of the Church while nurturing and strengthening a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Many of the chaperones experienced real joy seeing the beauty of God’s love and faithfulness to the Church through the youth in attendance. 

“The theme, ‘Belong,’ emphasizes the importance of relationships and how relationships either build us up or tear us down. While acknowledging that belonging is at the core of our beautiful human existence, the desire for love, authenticity, intentionality, and meaningful relationships are enduring, but our true identity and peace is found only in Christ’s love for us,” said Danyelle Coe, a parishioner of St. Philip the Apostle and chaperone to 35 members of the youth group. 

During Saturday Adoration and Eucharistic Procession, Coe said she witnessed many of the youth receive spiritual healing. “During small group sessions the majority of our youth entered into a time of sharing and prayer where I saw youth and adults praying and e x p e r i e n c e s being shared. The Holy Spirit was incredibly present within the community and in the fellowships that were cultivated. 

“This year’s message could be seen in the spirit of recently celebrated Pentecost, with a reminder to take this love and faith we have back home to share with others and those throughout the world,” Coe said. 

“The youth group at St. John of the Cross has been dormant for a few years,” said Anna Perez, youth group leader at St. John of the Cross in Orange Grove. “This trip was our first activity in an attempt to relaunch it and we left Steubenville with a fire in us to get an official youth group started. The experience we had in Houma was so moving, watching the kids be inspired in different ways (adoration, confession and worship) and hearing them share their stories was amazing.” 

Lindsay Saenz, a member of the youth group at St. Patrick, said this year’s conference had a huge impact on how she viewed herself and others. “During the women’s talk, the speaker talked about being enough for ourselves and for others. In today’s society, women put each other down and we compare ourselves to other girls because we want to be “perfect.” She taught us to be kind to each other because we are all fighting a battle within ourselves and we need all the support we can get,” Saenz said. 

Chaperones and youth ministers witnessed their youth experiencing real forgiveness, freedom, comfort, a conviction of heart and love. “The Steubenville Conference is an amazing opportunity for our youth to experience God in a natural/supernatural way. To hear them say that adoration was the best part is sooo worth the time and money spent. Experiencing adoration with so many young people from different places is personally enriching and hope-giving,” said Marian Swetish, an adult chaperone from St. Patrick Parish. 

At first Manny Camarillo, a chaperone from Christ the King Parish, said the bus ride to Houma scared her a little, and she prayed and asked God to help her be present and available to the youth. “What I wasn’t prepared for was the way that God was going to answer my prayers,” she said. “This conference not only made me present and available, but God filled me up until I overflowed with His love and mercy. 

“Each and every one of those talks spoke to me directly and gave me exactly what I needed for the situations I had been dealing with. I was able to go to confession and really lay it all out and it felt so good. Adoration was also such a powerful part of this conference and to see our kids praise and worship was so amazing,” Camarillo said. “I felt such a connection with everyone there and seeing so many kids living out their faith was an incredible sight to behold.” 

“As we headed back home, we asked the kids to recap their experiences, and I was blown away with each and everyone one of them. Their comments and feedback were so moving and inspiring. I came back so renewed and ready to take on the world so to speak. I can’t wait for the next one,” Camarillo said. 

St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas the Apostle in Robstown and St. Philip the Apostle in Corpus Christi attended Steubenville Lone Star in Irving on June 21-23. Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Portland, Sacred Heart in Rockport, St. Paul the Apostle in Corpus Christi and Most Precious Blood in Corpus Christi attended Steubenville South in Alexandria, Louisiana on June 21-23. Christ the King and St. Patrick in Corpus Christi, St. John of the Cross in Orange Grove and Sacred Heart in Mathis attended Steubenville On the Bayou in Houma, Louisiana on June 14-16.