STEUBENVILLE, OH — The 39th season of Franciscan University of Steubenville Summer Conferences kicks off at the end of May with the first of 30 conferences for youth and adults. This year brings brand new conferences for young adults, as well as two more youth conferences.

Two new Young Adult Conferences, Encounter: Awakening a Generation, will expand upon the talks typically given at Franciscan University summer youth conferences while also addressing more mature spiritual themes of interest to 19-to 29-year-olds.

The first Young Adult Conference will be in St. Charles, Missouri, May 30-June 1. A second, one-day Encounter conference will be held on November 8 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Adult Conferences

The first of five Adult Summer Conferences is the Catholic Charismatic Conference. With the theme, “The Promise of the Father,” June 6-8, the conference is for Catholics who want to grow in their knowledge of the power and person of the Holy Spirit. Keynote speakers include Bishop Emeritus Sam Jacobs of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, who will speak on “The Holy Spirit: The Promise of the Father and Jesus” and Sister Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, who will speak on “Hungry for More: Deeper Healing in the Holy Spirit.”

The Priests, Deacons, and Seminarians Retreat will be held June 16-20 as an opportunity for religious leaders to refresh themselves in mind and heart. With the theme, “Only Jesus: Awakening Discipleship,” the retreat will feature 10 well-known preachers, theologians, and speakers, including Father Bruce Nieli, CSP, founder of the Center for Spiritual Development in the Archdiocese of New York, who will speak on “Christ in Me: How the Holy Spirit Brings Christ Into Our Hearts,” and Dr. Mary Healy, Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, who will give a talk titled “The Spirit Will Guide You to All Truth.”

The St. John Bosco Conference for Religious Educators, July 14-17, equips DREs, youth ministers, and RCIA instructors to be effective teachers of the faith. Keynote speakers include Dr. Petroc Willey, consulter for the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization in Rome; Gloria Zapiain, director of catechesis and adult faith formation for the Archdiocese of San Antonio; André Regnier, co-founder of Catholic Christian Outreach; and Franciscan University professors Dr. John Bergsma, Sister M. Johanna Paruch, FSGM, and Bob Rice.

On July 22, the Journey Through Scripture Training begins, followed by the Applied Biblical Studies Conference, July 23-25, centered on “The Word of God and the Life of Prayer.” This conference instructs Catholics on the Bible and how to effectively communicate the truth of Scripture. The keynote speakers include Dr. Scott Hahn, Franciscan University’s Father Michael Scanlan, TOR, Professor of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization, on “Prayer as Covenant: The Word of God and the Life of Prayer”; Dr. Brant Pitre, professor at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, on “Lectio Divina and Your Spiritual Life”; Dr. John Bergsma, “Calling on the Father With the Fathers: The Patriarchs and Prayer”; and Jeff Cavins, author of The Great Adventure: A Journey Through the Bible study program, “Praise and Thanksgiving: Which Leper Are You?”

The adult conference season will end on July 25–27 with the Defending the Faith Conference, which features the theme, “Holy and Heroic: The Courage to Be Catholic.” This conference helps Catholics learn how to take the lead in the new evangelization and rebuild the faith through knowledge and witness. Keynote speakers include Mark Hart of Life Teen International on “Marching Orders: Unleashing God’s Power Against All Odds”; Tim Staples of Catholic Answers on “Catholics and the Culture War”; Jeff Cavins on “From Envy to Contentment: Conquering What Is Not True”; Patrick Madrid, president of Catholic Apologetics Academy, on “Search and Rescue: How to Bring Your Family and Friends Into or Back Into the Catholic Church”; Dr. Scott Hahn on “Saints and Angels: Holy and Heroic Help”; and author Kimberly Hahn on “In Joy and in Sorrow.”

More information about the adult or young adult conferences can be found at steubenvilleconferences.com or 800-437-8368.

Youth Conferences

Franciscan University expects a total of 45,000 teens to attend 20 summer Youth Conferences in 11 states and two Canadian provinces. Two new youth conferences will be held are July 18-20 in Steubenville, Ohio, and July 4-6 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, sold out.

This year’s conference theme is taken from Isaiah 12:2: “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation.”

Here is the 2014 summer Youth Conference schedule:

• June 13–15: Main Campus 1 in Steubenville, Ohio
• June 20–22: Main Campus 2 in Steubenville, Ohio
  • Steubenville South in Alexandria, Louisiana
• June 27–29: Main Campus 3 in Steubenville, Ohio
  • Steubenville on the Bayou in Houma, Louisiana
• July 4–6: Steubenville Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Steubenville Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
• July 11–13: Main Campus 4 in Steubenville, Ohio
  • Steubenville Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Steubenville St. Louis/Mid-America 1 in Springfield, Missouri
  • Steubenville North-Rochester in Rochester, Minnesota
  • Steubenville Florida in Orlando, Florida
• July 18–20: Main Campus 5 in Steubenville, Ohio
  • Steubenville of the Rockies in Denver, Colorado
  • Steubenville St. Louis/Mid-America 2 in Springfield, Missouri
  • Steubenville East in Lowell, Massachusetts
  • Steubenville West in Tucson, Arizona
• July 25–27: Steubenville North-St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota
  • Steubenville San Diego in San Diego, California
  • Steubenville Northwest in Spokane, Washington

For more youth conference information, including speakers, musicians, videos, and registration information, go to steubenvilleconferences.com/youth, or email [email protected], or call 800-437-8368.