by John Notaro
As the young students filled The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, each proudly representing their college as many of them waved flags with their school colors, you could cut the electricity with a knife.
The music was blasting; there was screaming and chanting, and the energy levels were off the charts. The countdown began for the big event they were all anticipating. You could see the expressions of joy and laughter as the noise level amplified.
It wasn’t a homecoming. It wasn’t a big college football game or a pep rally. No, the young people who were in attendance were all there cheering for Jesus.
The event was the latest annual SEEK conference organized by FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), an organization that works on college campuses throughout the country and beyond to help young people develop a relationship with Jesus in the Catholic Church.
I was privileged to join Bishop Robert Brennan, along with many of our seminarians, priests, and a large contingent of students from Queens College, where FOCUS was established this past year. In a relatively short time, there are already dozens of young people on campus at Queens College who are seeking the truth, looking for a greater purpose and battling upstream against a modern society that often frowns upon the Church.
They joined 20,000 other college students who were there to unapologetically and joyfully express and deepen their faith.
Two Queens College students, Genesis and Jackie, glowed when talking about their experience at the conference, sharing, “We love being close to God and God’s people and connecting with other Catholics. [When we return to Queens College], we want to share the word of God.”
Sebastian, another Queens College student, added that when he returns to campus, he won’t be afraid to show his faith to other people. In reaction to being a part of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with 20,000 other young people, he declared, “I never felt like that in my life!”
The conference was full of high-profile presenters, like Father Mike Schmitz and Msgr. James Shea, who gave motivational and spiritual talks to help guide those in attendance on building their relationship with Christ. You could hear a pin drop in the dome when Msgr. Shea spoke about the presence of Satan in our world today and the negative effect it has on young people.
The silence and trepidation were quickly replaced with joy and excitement when the crowd erupted as he exclaimed:
“But Jesus came to break the power of Satan. To deal with our guilt and to bring us back to life!” That moment sent chills down my spine and will be something I will never forget!
To say I left the conference with hope would be an understatement. Because besides hope, I had a strong sense of wonder at how many young people have been moved by their faith in Jesus at a time when it seems like many aspects of our Church are in decline.
In my role as executive director of Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens, I am thrilled that our board of directors decided to award a grant to help start the FOCUS program at Queens College. It is one of many initiatives the foundation seeks to support as part of its grants program and “Generations” initiative.
Having seen firsthand the fruit of the impactful efforts, I feel confident that the present state of our Church remains strong and the future bright.
Through the foundation’s “Generations” program, we will continue to find ways to foster and cultivate youth and young adult ministry throughout our Brooklyn and Queens communities.
As we guide our young people to walk with Jesus, it is an exciting time to be a Catholic in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Contact us at catholicfoundationbq. org or 718-965-7375 to learn how you can get involved in the incredible work being done in our diocese to connect young people to their faith.