Archdiocesan Teens Journey Together to Steubenville East Youth Conference
Story by Shelley Wolf
Parish youth ministry groups from throughout the Archdiocese of Hartford journeyed together for the first time to the Steubenville East Youth Conference in Springfield, Mass., where they encountered Christ through the sacraments, dynamic speakers, Eucharistic Adoration and high-energy praise and worship.
Approximately 300 high school-age teens, chaperones and clergy from 16 parishes attended, boarding buses from Hartford and other points around the archdiocese for the three-day conference, slated July 24 to 26, all heading to the MassMutual Center in Springfield. The conference drew 1,500 attendees from throughout Southern New England.
“To my knowledge, this is the first time the Archdiocese of Hartford organized a trip to the Steubenville East Youth Conference to bring multiple parishes together,” says Joshua Kay, associate director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Archdiocese of Hartford.
The archdiocese spearheaded this year’s trip and invited parishes to join in, recognizing that not all parishes are experienced with travel logistics, Kay notes. So, his office took on that role and freed up parish youth ministers for mission.
“In other words, they got to be a youth minister to their teens for the duration of the trip,” Kay explains.
Father Hector Rangel, pastor in solidum for Blessed Michael McGivney Parish in New Haven, and Father Daniel Valente, parochial vicar for Our Lady of Sorrows Parish and the Cathedral of St. Joseph, both in Hartford, accompanied the teens, providing priestly spiritual support.
Before leaving town on Friday afternoon, the travelers were treated to a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, followed by a mini retreat that included games and a keynote talk by Kay, titled “Worth the Wait,” comparing what the world deems as worthy to what God says is actually worthy.
At the Steubenville East Youth Conference in Springfield, where this year’s theme was “Worthy,” a number of speakers shared how all are loved in the eyes of God. The teens also took part in Mass and the sacrament of Reconciliation.
The conference was an opportunity to experience the wider Catholic Church, grow in personal faith and make new friends.
For Gabriel Cardichon, 15, a youth ministry teen from St. Paul VI Parish in Hamden, this spiritual experience was a first. “This was my first ever time going to the Steubenville East Conference, but it definitely won’t be the last. It was one of the best times I’ve ever had,” he says.
The highlight for Cardichon was the Eucharistic Procession, in which priests carried Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament around the stadium for the purpose of Eucharistic Adoration.
“There was a moment where I felt especially close to God, and that was during the Eucharistic Procession on Saturday,” Cardichon recalls. “It was probably because Jesus was literally right in front of me and seeing so many people my age get so emotional, which I’ve never seen before in my life. Usually, I don’t cry happy tears, but on that night, I couldn’t hold it in. Definitely one for the ages.”
The teen also received a holy reminder that he plans to cherish. “The second-best moment was when I got my tiny saints (the keychains) blessed by a priest,” he says. “I’ll never be losing those.”
Steubenville Catholic Youth Conferences are produced by Franciscan University of Steubenville and hosted by Life Teen.