All four of us got back yesterday evening from the Rochester Steubenville conference, wow was that fun! It was very similar to the phenomenal NCYC: lots of great music, Mass in a stadium-style environment, Adoration, Confessions, and so on. Thanks Cassie for taking this picture of us!



I have been praying for a long time now for Henrietta to be able to make more friends in our geographic area. In the answer to those prayers, one of the girls on our trip essentially embedded into our family, I felt like I had another daughter for the weekend. What a blessing!

One of the coolest parts was the way the conference ended: in front of the thousands of us, amidst the colorful bright lighting and high-decibel worship music and all of the excitement, one group at a time they invited those who wanted to be baptized but who hadn't been already, to come up to the stage; then those discerning to be Religious Sisters; then finally, those discerning to the Seminary.

One of "my guys" from when I chaperoned at NCYC last Fall, and who was also on this trip, bravely went down to make public his discernment to the Priesthood. We were all so proud of him, it was very moving. We also had another, younger member of our group who had not been baptized, and he also went down during that section.

I encourage anyone and everyone to go on these trips. For anyone young reading this, you will be transformed, the more you expose yourself to these experiences, if not immediately on the very first one. And for you adults, do volunteer to go as chaperones! You can model for the kids what it means to surrender to the Holy Spirit, and you yourself will also be transformed by God's grace in the process.

Anyhow, I'm off to a business-related meeting in town imminently, God bless you all.