“There are 20,000 young Catholics. We need to be there.” With those words, my boss began my experience with SEEK Conference 2026.
Prior to this I’d never heard of SEEK, so I did the logical next step: I googled it. That’s how I learned that “SEEK is a five-day experience where thousands of Catholics come together to encounter Christ through prayer, Adoration, the sacraments, and inspiring speakers. It’s a chance to focus on what matters most, grow in authentic community, and be transformed in your faith.” OK. As I started asking fellow Jesuits, I learned that SEEK had a reputation as an event for more traditional Catholics. “They don’t like Jesuits there” one priest warned me. (Ironically, such viewpoints ignore the reality that Fr. Kevin Dyer, SJ, a Jesuit, serves as the national senior chaplain for FOCUS, the organization that puts on SEEK).
It was thus with some trepidation that I began the process of securing Thrive For Life Prison Project a booth at the SEEK26 Conference. I soon learned that there were 3 separate conferences being held, in Columbus, OH, Denver, CO, and Fort Worth, TX. We decided to focus our efforts on the Columbus conference, as it was projected to be the largest, with over 20,000 attendees expected. Over the course of 2025, I helped my boss raise the money, wrote the checks, and prepared.
Before I knew it, it was New Year’s Eve and I was sitting in a Columbus restaurant with a fellow Jesuit. As we talked about our work and swapped stories, we couldn’t help but notice the influx of college-age patrons in the restaurant who, judging by the very visible crosses and religious t-shirts, were there for SEEK.
The next morning I arrived at the convention center bright and early to set up the Thrive For Life booth, making sure that the numerous posters were centered, the information sheets were neatly stacked, and the rosaries were easily accessible. Even as I was setting up I was struck by the number of fellow religious who I saw walking around the convention center floor in full habit. There were more nuns than I had ever imagined! Plus, my booth-neighbors from the Augustine Institute were incredibly friendly (which was key, considering that I would be standing next to them for over 50 hours over the next 4 days!).
And then it began. The doors opened and a veritable horde of college students swept into the hall, chattering excitedly. It wasn’t long before someone saw the very prominent “SJ” on my nametag and asked me “You’re a Jesuit, right?” Mentally I took a deep breath and prepared for the worst. What was I about to hear? You’re not a real Catholic? So I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when the next words were “I love Ignatius of Loyola! Can you help me with how to use discernment in my life?” This repeated itself numerous times. People noticed that I was a Jesuit, or asked which religious order I was a member of, and asked questions that showed genuine interest and a desire to learn.
Soon it was time for the opening Mass. I put on a cassock and surplice, the uniform of any seminarian who wanted to participate in the Mass, and went to find a seat in the seminarian section. Soon the entrance hymn started and the amazing sight of a procession with over 200 priests and 10 bishops began. It was incredibly moving to be surrounded by tens of thousands of Catholics. When it came time for Communion, there were more lines than I’d ever seen before! Was all of the music to my liking? No, but that goes for any parish I’ve ever been to where I wasn’t the one controlling the music!
This routine of Mass followed by intensive engagement with thousands of young Catholics repeated itself day after day. Since Thrive For Life is a small organization, I was at our booth almost constantly, which provided me with a unique opportunity. Due to our prime location directly across from the entrance I was able to engage with everyone entering the hall- college students, chaperones, other religious, seminarians, you name it! At one point I was chatting with two bishops about their own experiences in formation. Following that I had a wonderful conversation with a Poor Clare that resulted in Thrive For Life being adopted as one of the causes that the cloistered nuns specifically pray for. Even living in New York City for years, there was a wider breadth of the Catholic experience present at SEEK than I had ever experienced.
Just like Ignatius and the First Companions, there were so many opportunities to have informal spiritual conversations. Perhaps it was surprising to the (Catholic) brother who wanted me to talk to his (Protestant) older sister and “figure out what her problem with Mary is”, but even in a space with so many deeply held beliefs, there is always room for another perspective that might be inviting us to deepen our understanding of God without attacking or causing guilt. And the analogy that I used to talk about Mary’s relationship to Jesus was the same as I use with many of our incarcerated brothers and sisters: that of the lawyer. We want a lawyer because they are more familiar with the law and the judge than we are and can confidently speak on our behalf when we might be unsure. Imperfect? Yes. Does it make sense to someone in jail or a law student? Also yes. Such opportunities for ministry also included the numerous people who came over to me to speak about their own experiences and struggles when loved ones were incarcerated. Being able to listen deeply and provide a space where people could feel comfortable discussing such a vulnerable topic was such a grace.
A story that illustrates how impactful SEEK26 was for me comes from the last day. I had already packed up our booth and shipped materials back to NYC and was attending the closing Mass before trekking over to the airport. As I walked out of the Mass, in the midst of thousands of people, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and directly behind me was a group of students who I had met on the first day and who had made a point of coming to say hi to me every day because “you’re so happy and we like how you talk about God and prayer as such a normal part of your life”. They had been searching for me to say goodbye before returning to Iowa.
People who I’d never met before, and had very little in common with, found a connection in our shared Catholic faith. SEEK was an example of something that seems like it is all too often lacking in our world and in our church today. No matter the external form of our worship or the preferences of the individual, our shared love for God and the human in front of us allows us to grow together into the loving and generous people that we were created to be.
Photo License: (OSV News photo/Juan Guajardo, courtesy North Texas Catholic)
