Daughter of God: My growth in understanding my identity and learning to root my sense of self in something deeper.

We are all created in the image of God, by a God who loves us as His children. Encountering God helped me to discover who I truly am. Rooting my identity in Christ alone has helped me to better understand my purpose and direction in my daily life. In the past, I have struggled with placing my identity in my past, my accomplishments, and even in physical attributes. After attending SEEK, I can more clearly see that these things do not define my worth. This realization also helps me to see the dignity, beauty, and humanity in every person, regardless of their background, actions, or any other labels the world places on them.

To the Heights: Learning about holiness, joy, purpose, trust, and courage from the lives of the Saints.

The patron saint of SEEK this year was Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, an Italian man who died in the early twentieth century at the age of 24. He modeled a deep trust in God and a life of faithful and joyful Catholic discipleship through his fight of injustice, service to the poor, and adventurous spirit. He was recently canonized in September, alongside Saint Carlo Acutis. Saint Carlo Acutis was a teenager who died at the age of 15 in 2006, and is known for his love of Jesus, devotion to the Eucharist, and used the internet for widespread evangelization. Together, these saints remind me that sainthood and holiness are not reserved for the few, but that we should all strive “to the heights” of Heaven.

The Church is Alive: Understanding community, shared faith, and belonging.

Over 17,000 Catholics gathered in Columbus, Ohio (along with thousands more at the other conference locations) to learn, worship, and grow together. The Catholic Church is not dying, outdated, or boring. It is alive and thriving. The church that Jesus Christ Himself created, the universal church, is on fire with faith across all generations. Seeing this shared love of God reflected in every face at SEEK was inspiring and deeply moving for me. We are not simply individuals in faith, but a community, a family, and one body in Christ. 

All for Jesus: Shifting my attention away from myself, and having it shape how I live with intention and purpose.

The purpose of SEEK, and the point of my own life as a Catholic, is to grow in knowledge, love, and service to God. God’s love for us is so great that He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for our sins, offering us freedom and promising eternal life with Him. He continues to give Himself to us in the Eucharist, His body, blood, soul, and divinity, which we are able to adore. Through worship, our gaze is drawn off of ourselves and onto the One whom we follow.