‘A great witness:’ SEEK25 wraps up in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan 5, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Goodbyes were bittersweet as young adults, families, religious, priests, and others prepared to leave the youth conference that drew 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 from Jan. 1-5.  is much more than a retreat, clergy and religious in attendance observed. 

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

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

“To be with young people who are interested in pursuing the relationship with Christ is always a blessing,” he told CNA. 

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

“It’s more of a reunion for me of different people from all different parts of my life,” added Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, a longtime attendee of the event. Conley has attended SEEK off and on from its inception, about 10 times.  

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

“Everybody is directly encountering our Eucharistic Lord, being in the Eucharistic Revival still,” Conley told CNA. He called the night of Eucharistic adoration “the high point” of the conference.  

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

Centered on evangelism, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), which hosts SEEK, sends missionaries to college campuses to minister to college students.  

The bishop noted that a third of seminarians in the United States currently in formation have been involved in some way with FOCUS — a statistic that comes from a 2019 survey by the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors.  

This year, SEEK  drew many clergy, with 46 bishops and hundreds of priests in attendance SEEK25 at Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C., SEEK’s secondary location, this year. 

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

“Seek is intended to be an iconic moment in a journey,” Martin said. “Our hope here is to encourage people, inspire people to step in and become missionary disciples.”

The conference in Salt Lake City closed on Sunday with final keynotes by Carrie Wagner and Jason Evert, who spoke on 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 orienting our dreams toward Christ. Fort Worth, in addition to Columbus, Ohio, and Denver, Colorado, will host SEEK26 next year. 

Father Mike Schmitz shared his thoughts on what to do when attendees go home from SEEK. At a press conference on Jan. 4, he reflected on the existence of “retreat highs” which he said sometimes occur because boundaries to 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.  

“You need to have an environment where some of those fire extinguishers are removed and where the opportunity to justgrow and grow,” Schmitz said. 

“SEEK is one of those places that is an oxygen-rich environment,” Schmitz continued. “It’s an environment that’s conducive to encounter with the Lord, encounter with others, and into transformation.”

Longtime SEEK attendee turned religious sister, Sister Tonia of the Heart of Jesus Borsellino, of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, said she noticed “a great openness to religious life” at this year’s SEEK. 

“We’ve had many young women come to our booth, ask questions,” she said. “There’s not a fear of getting to know us. It’s been really nice to see.” 

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

“I’m praying for those who are discerning for greater openness, trust, and surrender, and just know that there’s nothing to fear,” Sister Tonia continued. “Like JPII said, ‘Do not be afraid.’ And that’s right. There’s nothing to fear with the Lord, and just allow him to take you on a beautiful journey.” 

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

“It dawned on me that there are many of you here that I have been encountering since you were in high school in various forms of ministry,” Sister Josephine said. “I want to tell you we’ve been growing together and we’re also getting old. We’re getting old,” she joked. 

“Before entering religious life, all I saw was promotions and money,” Sister Josephine continued. “Even when I entered religious life, all I saw were the 20 acres that that convent set on. I never imagined that I would be able to go on a journey with you, to walk alongside you over the years.”

“I want to tell you that you all have been a great gift to me, and you have been a great gift in the Church. Each and everyone of you is a necessary member of the body of Christ,” she said. “If you were not here in the Church participating in her sacramental life, you would be missed. The body would grieve you and long for your presence.” 

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

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261389/a-great-witness-as-seek25-wraps-up-in-salt-lake-city-religious-and-clergy-reflect