Catholic youth conference focuses on the thirst for God

Linda Sprunt
Special to Spur Ottawa

Youth from many Ottawa parishes are making final preparations for the Steubenville Toronto Catholic Youth Conference. From July 24 to 26 more than 2,000 Catholic high schoolers from across Ontario will gather at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, in Oshawa, to worship the Lord and learn from His word.

“We want to see the youth of Ontario encounter Christ in a new and life-altering way,” the event’s website reads. “This conference is all about glorifying God and bringing souls back to Him.”

The Steubenville Catholic Youth Conference started with 1,000 young people gathering on the campus of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, in 1976. It has since grown to nearly 60,000 participants in 23 locations across North America. This year’s theme is “Thirst”.

Speaking of the theme, Matt Fradd, a leading Catholic apologist and speaker, says, “It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness. He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you. He is the beauty to which you are so attracted. It is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise.”

Screengrab from www.steubenvilletoronto.com.

The Toronto conference is pulling in Ottawa-area recording artist Joe Zambon as their featured worship leader. The conference also features a variety of speakers from within the Catholic faith, aiming to inspire the young people to have their faith awakened and their hearts set on fire through a personal encounter with Jesus.

Speakers include popular youth-retreat guest Father Christopher Martin and radio talk-show host Kyle Heiman, as well as comedian Katie Prejean and speaker/song writer Jimmy Mitchell.

“I know the Lord better and it strengthened my faith.”

Julia Bredfeldt is a Steubenville conference veteran, having attended in both Ohio and Toronto. She currently serves as the youth leader at Holy Name of Mary Parish in Almonte, Ontario.

“It fed the fire that was already in me,” Bredfeldt says of her experiences. “I learned more about the Bible and faith through the talks. It gave me a Jesus high. I know the Lord better and it strengthened my faith. I learned different things each time I attended.”

Gabriel Jahn is another young local who has attended.

“It’s exciting to be there with so many other people who have the same desires,” he says. He sums up the event by saying, “It’s food for the soul and a fun experience.”

It has been said that the “youth of today are the hope of tomorrow”. This notion, along with the past success of the Steubenville Toronto Catholic Youth Conference, inspires bright hope for the future.