Dear Parishioners:
In 1976, Franciscan University of Steubenville held its first youth conference on its campus in Steubenville, Ohio. This summer, the Catholic university celebrated 50 years of a conference that has changed many lives. Since its founding, the youth conferences have helped over 1 million young people encounter Jesus Christ through dynamic talks, the Mass, adoration, confession, prayer, and fellowship. Fr. Brodeur and a group of youth from OLM, along with Fr. Mahoney and the youth of St. Pius X Parish, attended this conference just two weeks ago.
According to the Center for Applied Research (CARA) in the Apostolate’s 2026 survey of newly ordained priests, 18% of priests ordained this year attended a Franciscan University of Steubenville Youth Conference during their vocational journey. Fr. Brodeur attended the conference when he was a teenager at St. Pius.
Separate CARA studies found that 21% of women religious and 15% of religious brothers who recently professed perpetual vows also attended a Franciscan youth conference. Combined, 18% of newly professed religious men and women reported participating in a Steubenville Youth Conference — more than any other Catholic conference ministry in the United States. Clearly, this Youth Conference is bearing good fruit for the Church and for those who attend. I would like to share with you reflections from the young people who attended the conference this summer.
One OLM youth writes: “Living in such a secular society, this conference gave me hope for Gen Z. Whether it was the amount of devotion in adoration, or the worship and praise throughout the weekend, it was inspiring to see so many young teens, not only coming back, but running with wide open arms towards God.” Another writes: “When we participated in the first Mass of the trip in Steubenville, I felt this deep conviction, one that I hadn’t felt in years, and I broke down crying. I felt the hardness of my heart shattered; it melted upon hearing the music and the scriptures.
This got even more powerful once we entered adoration, and it was just too much. The wafer broke me down; I was weeping and weeping. I remembered God’s love for me because it wasn’t a wafer; it was Jesus. I came back with both tears of sorrow and joy. I was so ignorant, but I had finally seen the power of Jesus. I never felt love like this; I wanted to share it with you, the one present in the Eucharist, the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus.”
Another writes: “This was my second time going to Steubenville and I am extremely glad I went to it! As a Catholic teen in today’s world, there is always that judgment factor. I have always felt extremely nervous about sharing my faith with my friends, but seeing so many other teens there with the same purpose was amazing. Everybody was trying to get closer to God. The speakers were so open about what they were saying, and I didn’t know how unconditional God’s love is.
A speaker, Paul, gave us an amazing talk, but I won’t get into details. It was truly inspiring and definitely made me realize I needed a closer relationship with Jesus. Adoration was also so incredible, and I could just see Jesus walking beside the priest holding the monstrance. When we were in Steubenville, we went to confession, and I just felt so much closer to God afterward and so happy. Anyways, I truly love this conference, and I can’t wait for next year!”
Another writes: “Even though the Steubenville retreat only lasted a couple of days, I learned so much. I believe God led me there so that I could become closer to Him and a better person. I already feel like I’ve gained more of that “Jesus spark,” and I can’t wait for that connection to grow. I’m so glad I went on this trip. Thank you to the chaperones for this amazing experience! I can’t wait to share my experience with my friends, my family, and my community.”
We are grateful to God for this opportunity for these young people. We thank Fr. Brodeur and Fr. Mahoney for organizing it, the chaperones who gave of their time, those who financially donated to the trip, and the young people from OLM who took up the challenge to attend. As you can see, it bears good fruit! Be well. Do good. God Bless.