STEUBENVILLE, OHIO—More than 600 women from across North America gathered at Franciscan University of Steubenville June 5-7 for Glory: Women’s Gathering, opening the 2026 Steubenville Conferences summer season with a weekend dedicated to prayer, healing, friendship, and a deeper encounter with Jesus Christ.

Hosted in partnership with Life Restoration Ministries, the conference invited women into the theme “Graves Into Gardens,” exploring how God brings hope, healing, and new life even in the midst of suffering and uncertainty. Through dynamic presentations, daily Mass, eucharistic adoration, prayer ministry, worship, and fellowship, attendees were encouraged to bring every part of their story before the Lord and trust in his power to restore what has been lost.

“This is not the end of the story,” said Heather Khym, assistant director of Evangelization at Franciscan University and cohost of the internationally acclaimed Abiding Together podcast, during her opening session. “I think sometimes we expect too little of God. And this weekend, I have been praying that we could just raise our expectations of who God is and what he can do with our stories.”

That message resonated throughout the weekend as speakers reflected on the Christian journey from suffering to hope, lament to trust, and death to resurrection.

Debbie Herbeck, founder of Pine Hills Girls’ Camp and Be Love Revolution, encouraged women to embrace the biblical practice of lament, reminding attendees that “lament talks to God about pain” and allows believers to bring their deepest wounds to the Lord with honesty and confidence.

Michelle Benzinger, co-host of the Abiding Together podcast, shared from her family’s experience of enduring difficult trials, reflecting that “the only way is to go through them” and that God can transform even seasons of suffering into preparation for what lies ahead.

Monica Richards, full-time missionary and director at Damascus, invited participants to see Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection not merely as historical events but as a pattern for everyday Christian life, while Sarah Kaczmarek, director of Pastoral Ministry at Encounter Ministries, reflected on the Father’s unwavering love and presence in every season of the spiritual journey.

Beyond the conference sessions, women spent time in prayer throughout Franciscan University’s campus chapels and gathering spaces, building friendships and sharing stories of faith. Prayer ministry teams accompanied attendees throughout the weekend, while a Holy Hour led by Franciscan University President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, provided an opportunity for participants to encounter Christ in a profound and personal way.

For many women, the weekend became a tangible reminder of God’s providence and love.

“This was divine Providence and the Lord just wanting to show his particular love for me and loving on me in particular ways that I needed this weekend,” said Sister Marie Therese of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. “Praise him for that.”

Early survey results also indicate a 91 percent satisfaction rate among attendees, with many reporting meaningful spiritual renewal over the course of the weekend. One participant wrote, “I left with a sense of peace that I haven’t felt in years,” while another reflected, “I felt like God was breathing life into places of my life that had felt dead for too long.” A third attendee shared, “For the first time in my life, I was able to leave behind shame and accept God’s forgiveness.”

As the conference concluded Sunday morning, attendees departed carrying not only practical tools for prayer and spiritual growth but renewed confidence that God remains at work in every chapter of their lives.

Glory: Women’s Gathering was the first of six evangelistic conferences for adults this summer. In the weeks ahead, Franciscan University will welcome thousands of Catholics to campus for the Power & Purpose Conference, the Priests, Deacons, Seminarians Retreat, the St. John Bosco Conference, the Applied Biblical Studies Conference, and the Defending the Faith Conference, along with four on-campus Steubenville Youth Conferences.

This summer also marks the 50th anniversary of the Steubenville Youth Conferences, one of the most influential youth evangelization ministries in North America. More than 43,000 teens are expected to participate in 19 conferences across the United States and Canada during the 2026 season.

Select photos from the Glory: Women’s Gathering can be found here.

For conference schedules, registration information, and livestream opportunities, visit SteubenvilleConferences.com.