Over July 14-16, several BCCHS students made the trip to Spokane, Washington to attend Steubenville Northwest, a Catholic youth conference sponsored by the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio. The week was filled with praise and worship, inspiring speakers, Eucharistic adoration, and celebration of Catholic sacraments, such as reconciliation and the Eucharist.
Steubenville conferences are widespread across the U.S., with four conferences in Steubenville and 14 regional conferences serving thousands of Catholic teens. Senior Keagan Reas said this conference was a very different and unique experience. “Every aspect of it was special, and seeing our Catholic faith on fire within all of us was really inspiring and fun,” he explained.
Each year’s conference focuses on a particular theme based on a Bible verse. This year’s theme was “refuge,” derived from Matthew 11:28. Speakers at the event came from all walks of life. Fathers, mothers, a theologian, and a priest added diversity to the talks to appeal to everyone in the audience. Students also met priests and nuns who were ordered religious (as opposed to diocesan), something that is very rare in the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings.
Students said the conference made real impacts. “The aspect of the conference that left the biggest impact on me was how God can really speak to you in your everyday life through prayer,” sophomore Jordan Nielsen said.
“When Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was in the monstrance walking by us… I was able to have my own experience and encounter with Jesus in that moment,” Reas added.
The outlook on involvement by the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings is hopeful. Several youth groups have expressed interest in joining the group from St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Billings that attended this year to make a diocesan trip to Spokane in 2024. Students who attended are very excited to experience it all over again and look forward to sharing the experience with other students.
“Going to something like this could potentially change your life for the better… there are many different things that you could get out of it, and learning from other people there could help you along your faith journey,” Nielson said. Reas agreed. “We were all ready to sign up for next year based on how big of an impact it made on us and our relationship with God… Give it a shot, because you won’t regret it.”
