SEEK25 comes to an end in Salt Lake City

The goodbyes were bittersweet as young adults, families, religious, priests and others prepared to leave the youth conference that attracted more than 17,000 attendees, some Catholic, others exploring their faith.

The SEEK conference, held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States from January 1 to 5, was much more than a retreat, attended by clergy and religious.

Father Dave Pivonka, president of Franciscan University of Steubenville and first-time SEEK attendee, said the conference was “like a family reunion for me.”

Father Pivonka, who heads a Catholic liberal arts college in Steubenville, Ohio, said he saw “a lot of our alumni who are in the trenches doing the work.”

“Being with young people who are interested in pursuing a relationship with Christ is always a blessing,” he told CNA, EWTN News’ English agency.

Father Pivonka called SEEK “a great testimony to the city of Salt Lake.”

“For me, it’s more of a gathering of different people from different parts of my life,” added Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, a long-time attendee. Bishop Conley has attended the SEEK event about 10 times since it came about.

Both Father Pivonka and Bishop Conley felt a connection to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana, last summer.

“Everyone is having a direct encounter with our Eucharistic Lord, they are still in the Eucharistic Renaissance,” Bishop Conley told CNA. He called the night of Eucharistic adoration “the highlight” of the conference.

Bishop Conley noted that SEEK’s vision for missionary discipleship ties well into the final year of the National Eucharistic Revival, which is a “year of mission.”

Focused on evangelization, the Community of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), which organizes SEEK, sends missionaries to college campuses to minister to college students.

The bishop noted that one-third of U.S. seminarians currently in formation have been involved in some way with FOCUS, a statistic that comes from a survey of 2019 carried out by the National Conference of Diocesan Vocations Directors.

This year, SEEK attracted many clergy, with 46 bishops and hundreds of priests present at SEEK25 in Salt Lake City and Washington DC, SEEK’s secondary location, this year.

Curtis Martin, founder of FOCUS, told attendees Sunday that SEEK “is not intended to be a conference.”

“SEEK is intended to be an iconic moment on a journey,” Martin said. “Our hope here is to encourage people, inspire them to participate and become missionary disciples.”

The conference in Salt Lake City closed Sunday with final presentations from Carrie Wagner and Jason Evert, who spoke about the importance of sharing the Gospel with others. Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, gave a homily at the closing Mass on directing our dreams toward Christ. Fort Worth, as well as Columbus, Ohio, and Denver, Colorado, will host SEEK26 next year.

Father Mike Schmitz shared his ideas on what to do when attendees return home from SEEK. At a news conference on January 4, he reflected on the existence of “retreat ecstasies,” which he said sometimes occur because limits on faith have been removed.

How is it possible to “keep the flame of faith alive in my life if I continue to tolerate fire extinguishers?” he asked himself.

“You need to have an environment where some of those extinguishers are eliminated and where there is the opportunity to grow and grow,” Father Schmitz said.

“SEEK is one of those places with an oxygen-rich environment,” continued Father Schmitz. “It is an environment conducive to encountering the Lord, encountering others and transformation.”

Sister Tonia del Corazón de Jesús Borsellino of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who has long participated in SEEK and became a religious, said she noticed “a great openness to religious life” at SEEK this year.

“Many young women came up to our booth and asked us questions,” she said. “They are not afraid to meet us. “It has been very nice to see them.”

Sister Tonia herself was in a moment of discernment when she attended SEEK as a college student. She shared that she has been reflecting on how much the Lord has done since then.

“I am praying for those who are discerning and who want greater openness, trust and surrender, and to simply know that there is nothing to fear,” Sister Tonia continued. “As JPII said: ‘Do not be afraid.’ And it’s true. There is nothing to fear with the Lord, and just allow Him to take you on a beautiful journey.”

Sister Josephine Garrett, one of the keynote speakers, noted in her speech on Saturday, the final night of the conference, that she felt she had been growing with the attendees.

“I realized that there are many of you here that I have known since you were in high school in various forms of ministry,” Sister Josephine said. “I want to tell you that we have been growing together and we are also getting older. “We’re getting older,” he joked.

“Before I entered religious life, all I saw were promotions and money,” Sister Josephine continued. “Even when I entered religious life, all I saw was the 20 hectares on which that convent was located. “I never imagined that I could go on a journey with you, walk alongside you through the years.”

“I want to tell you that all of you have been a great gift to me and you have been a great gift to the Church. “Each and every one of you are necessary members of the body of Christ,” he said. “If they were not here in the Church participating in its sacramental life, they would be missed. The body would mourn them and long for their presence.”

“You have been a great gift and I have loved meeting you around the altar over the years,” Sister Josephine said.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.