Just as \u201cthe light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,\u201d as reads the prologue of the Gospel of John from which this year\u2019s conference theme comes, attendees were built up to be a light to the nations.<\/p>\n
Like the other Steubenville conferences across the country, Steubenville of the Rockies includes dedicated time for prayer and the sacraments, with Mass and confessions being offered daily, as well as keynote talks delivered by engaging Catholic speakers from all over the world.<\/p>\n
Serving as a \u201cspark,\u201d the Steubenville of the Rockies conference is meant to ignite \u2013 or reignite \u2013 the faith of young people in a new environment, away from their norm of Sunday Mass at their parish and together with other people their age, explained Father Mike Schmitz of the Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year podcasts, who was one of the keynote speakers for this year\u2019s conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey provide an environment or an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus, the person of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit,\u201d Father Schmitz said. \u201cObviously, every time we pray, go to Mass or receive the sacraments, we\u2019re encountering the Lord. But I think a lot of us, especially young people who have never had an encounter with Jesus that is life-changing, sometimes need to be in a new environment like a retreat or a conference like this. It\u2019s not about the loudness or the noise or the crowd. It\u2019s about being in a different setting and giving the Lord space to move.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teens from as far as Texas, Nevada and Wisconsin joined archdiocesan youth groups at the Gaylord of the Rockies in Denver for that opportunity of retreat and encounter with the Lord Jesus.<\/p>\n
Henry McMenus was one of those teens, having attended Steubenville of the Rockies last year with Immaculate Conception Parish in Lafayette. He knew he wanted to participate in this year\u2019s conference again after a moving experience that reinvigorated his faith and led him to take it more seriously at last year\u2019s conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cSteubenville last year was a great experience. It\u2019s the reason I care about my faith,\u201d he told the Denver Catholic<\/em>. \u201cI came back this year hoping to keep going and diving into my faith.\u201d<\/p>\n After finding himself in a difficult place last year, McMenus said he\u2019s seen how God transforms and gives life.<\/p>\n \u201cGod has helped me so much and helped me have a more enjoyable life through him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n This year, McMenus is moved knowing he\u2019s not alone in that deepened faith, having run into friends and classmates from his public school at the annual conference.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, I saw two kids from my school, and it\u2019s really weird because I go to public school, and I don\u2019t see a lot of Catholics there. I was like, \u2018Wait, they\u2019re here?\u2019\u201d McMenus shared. \u201cIt was really exciting for me that I\u2019m not alone at my school. My faith is everything to me, so it\u2019s really nice to know that.\u201d<\/p>\n The same communal element that struck and inspired McManus also moved Michaela Fritz, another teen at Immaculate Conception. Her first Steubenville, this year\u2019s conference is leading her deeper in faith and friendship with Jesus and others her age.<\/p>\n \u201cI think my faith is a base foundation for me right now; it\u2019s what\u2019s holding me down,\u201d she told the Denver Catholic<\/em>. \u201cBeing together with so many people from church is a great way to strengthen my faith because I know I\u2019m doing it with other people.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, over the course of the weekend, the young attendees are introduced \u2013 or reintroduced \u2013 to the person of Jesus, who opens hearts, heals wounds and pours out love.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the most beautiful things is watching people open up,\u201d Jackie Francois Angel, another keynote speaker at this year\u2019s conference, told the Denver Catholic<\/em>, reflecting on the types of teens that attend the Steubenville conferences. For her, she said, seeing the teens with more protected or nervous hearts slowly unfold and open up to Jesus is a great joy.<\/p>\n \u201cThat vulnerability leads to intimacy with Jesus; without that vulnerability, you can\u2019t have that intimacy. Over the course of a weekend, it\u2019s so beautiful to see that. It\u2019s a beautiful honor to see God working in people,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n By the end of the conference, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, teens like McMenus and Fritz have encountered the Lord, made known in the breaking of the bread.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s setting up that encounter so that they can have an actual experience of the presence of God so that their faith can go from head knowledge to a visceral, lived-out experience where they can say, \u2018I met Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,\u2019\u201d said Paul J. Kim, another of the conference\u2019s keynote speakers, of the annual conference.<\/p>\n Rather than a one-off weekend of encounter, Steubenville of the Rockies is just the beginning for many teens\u2019 faith journeys. The spark having been lit, attendees return to their communities with faith aflame, ready to begin following Jesus or to recommit to him.<\/p>\n \u201cThe purpose of this conference is a spark. That\u2019s all it is; that\u2019s all it can be,\u201d Father Schmitz said. \u201cThis is the place of encounter so that when they go back to their parish, someone can say, \u2018I’m here to walk with you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n With that sort of accompaniment awaiting the young participants, they can be led ever deeper into the Christian life, encouraged to continue a meaningful prayer life, to receive the sacraments and to cultivate a relationship with Jesus.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the spark that\u2019s meant to start a fire that continues to be burned in a parish,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n Teens all over the country return Monday from the community of the Steubenville conference to the community of their parishes with belief ablaze, ready to be Christ\u2019s light shining in the darkness.<\/p>\n As they continue to engage their faith after the Steubenville conference, Fritz and McMenus encourage teens like them to remain open to what God has in store.<\/p>\n \u201cTry to be open to whatever God is taking you to because you really have no clue. But try to be open and focus on God, not yourself,\u201d McMenus concluded.<\/p>\n Your support of the Archbishop\u2019s Catholic Appeal impacts youth formation, ensuring that students of all backgrounds have access to quality, faith-filled education and activities. By donating, you help nurture the next generation of Catholics. Every gift makes a difference. To contribute, please visit: archden.org\/GiveNow<\/a>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n+++<\/span><\/h3>\n