Steubenville conference asks youth to 'Just Live It'

By Renee Webb, Globe editor
August 21, 2003

"Just Live It" was the theme of the youth conference at the Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, attended by about 220 high school students and adult chaperones from the Diocese of Sioux City in mid-July.

According to Randy Ricklefs, youth minister from St. Mary Parish in Spirit Lake, larger groups attended from various locations of the diocese such as Sioux City, Madrid, Boone and the Hartley/Primghar/Sanborn/Sutherland cluster. Smaller numbers came from Dedham, Rock Rapids and numerous other diocesan communities. Groups outside the diocese from Des Moines, Sioux Falls and Jackson, Neb., teamed up with the diocesan group as well.

Ricklefs said he believes that many students "come to know Christ in their hearts for the first time" at the conference.

To tie in with the theme, most of the talks focused on how people can live their faith. He pointed out that one of the favorite speakers was Father Stan Fortuno, a priest from the Bronx who raps.

"When he comes out, that place just erupts," said Ricklefs. "He has been there a number of years. He does one of the Masses and several of the talks."

For Justin McCarty, a junior in high school from St. Joseph's Parish in Hartley, this was his third trip to Steubenville.

"This year I went as a Young Apostle and felt that I grew so much in my faith. While I was there we had talks and speakers, which I learned so much about my faith from," he said.

He described the Saturday night adoration as awesome "because you can truly see God working in all the kids lives."

McCarty added that he believes every teen "in the world" should go to a Steubenville conference.

Claudia Hardy, youth leader from Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City, has made five trips to Steubenville.

"I continue to go back because I can see how the kids are nourished in their faith," she said. "I see the changes in the kids from the time we go out there to the time we get back. When you see that, you can't help but be touched as an adult. I know my faith has deepened from what I have experienced out there."

As a huge music lover, Hardy has always enjoyed that element of the conference.

"Between the great music and the wonderful speakers, it is an awesome experience," she added.

For Liz Smith, a high school freshman from St. Mary Church in Spirit Lake, this was her first trip to Steubenville.

"It was a very unique, Catholic experience. It was something that I have never done before," she said. "I came out of it, feeling really good about being Catholic with a lot more knowledge about our church."

While she would recommend it to others, Smith suggested that future participants should go to the conference with no particular expectations - that way they are open to the experience.

April Andersen, a high school senior who is a parishioner at St. Cecilia Parish in Sanborn, has attended three years because of the fellowship and spiritual renewal that the experience offers. She has found the conference to be an avenue to deepen her relationship with God and learn a lot about herself.

"For me, I get a lot out of the talks on ways to live my life and guidelines," she said.

Part of the value in attending such a conference, noted Ricklefs, is seeing the "thousands of other kids who are on fire for Christ."

He pointed out that he took the first group of five high school students to the conference about 14 years ago. Since that time, it has grown every year.

"It really sets the stage for my upcoming youth ministry year," he said. "Because Steubenville is so far away - about a 22-hour bus ride one way - the kids really bond. It is a journey, a pilgrimage."

On the ride home, the conference-goers spend several hours sharing thoughts about their experiences. Ricklefs said, back at home, it helps them realize the need for God in their lives and the need for them to live their faith.