Youth experience “restoration” in Christ after Steubenville weekend

“Restoration is different than renovation,” said Sister Miriam James as she welcomed over 1,900 youth and adults from across the Midwest for the annual Steubenville Youth Conference in Rochester, Minn. “When you renovate something—a house, a car—you fix what is broken or outdated and add material to make it look good. When you restore something, you bring it back to its original state when it was new. That is why you are all here. God doesn’t want to renovate your heart, he wants to restore it and restore you to what he created you to be.” 

Amidst a full Mayo Civic Center, a rock-star quality worship band, fog, and lights, the atmosphere of Steubenville was electrifying and invigorating. Deidra Lies, a chaperone from St. Anthony’s Church in Fargo said, “It was a beautiful, quality experience. Seeing young people’s faith grow in such a short time, thanks to the enriching speakers and, above all, access to the grace that comes flowing from Mass, adoration, and confession with their peers and parish leaders, gave my own faith life a welcome boost! Young people and adults alike can benefit from such a welcoming encounter with Christ.”

More than 100 high school students, leaders, and priests from the Diocese of Fargo attended this event—many for the first time. For most, it was a life-changing experience. Amanda, a youth from the diocese said, “I was having a hard time trusting in God and hearing his voice, but during a break, I went to the adoration chapel to pray and there was this wave of peace that I’ve never experienced before.” 

Throughout the conference, various keynote speakers unpacked the theme “Restored,” which drew its inspiration from Psalm 80:3, “Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” Participants were reminded of God’s love for them, and that they were created to be his disciples. Speaker and musician Cooper Ray said, “This is your gig, this is your church, and it’s time to rise up and go against what the culture says. Sometimes your yes will require a risk, just like it did for Mary.”  

Father John Burns, a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, spoke about the two thieves to our peace: anxiety and insecurity. “Peace is the normal condition of the heart, but we look around too much and we lose it.” He gave examples of the various lies that rob us of our peace and encouraged attendees to grow closer to Jesus through personal prayer and the sacraments.

Speaker Chris Mueller challenged youth with the mission of discipleship, saying, “We have to explode out of here with the love of Jesus and the zeal of the apostles.”

When asked about her youth’s experience, Audrey Gyolai, youth minister at St. John’s in Wahpeton, said, “They loved it! I heard a lot of great things about the speakers and the music. They were surprised by how moved they and other teens were by adoration on Saturday. I got a lot of promises to come back next year!” Father Reese Weber, pastor of St. John’s in New Rockford, said, “It was exciting to experience God’s grace with so many others at Steubenville, and I strongly encourage others to attend.” 

As a former youth minister, Steubenville was one of the staples in my summer ministry because of the tangible fruit it bears. Participants encounter Jesus in a very real way that launches them into a curiosity about their faith. As Father Eric Seitz stated, “a week out, I noticed that some of the youth were attending Mass without their parents, and some of the girls seemed to be growing closer in friendship.”

Steubenville and other events throughout the year have the ability to transform and restore hearts. As we move forward from this experience, I ask that you spend a few moments praying for the youth of the diocese, for those who participated in our trip, and for guidance as we prepare for Steubenville 2022. 

To help the youth of the Diocese of Fargo continue to encounter Jesus through these events, we rely on generous donations that fund our diocesan youth scholarship program. About 20% of the individuals who attended received some sort of scholarship from the diocese. To ensure that we can continue providing scholarships to our youth, I ask that you prayerfully consider making a donation to our scholarship fund. If you have any questions, contact Brady at (701) 356-7902.