by Bishop James Conley
In a nationally syndicated article in last week’s Southern Nebraska Register, we heard about the huge success of SEEK24, the annual conference for college students sponsored by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) hosted, for the second year in a row, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Always held during Christmas break, this year’s conference topped 20,000 attendees for the first time. I was privileged to attend this year’s SEEK, with more than 300 college students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Hastings College, and other colleges within the boundaries of the Lincoln Diocese. We also brought along 50 high school seniors from St. Pius X in Lincoln, Lourdes Central Catholic in Nebraska City and Bishop Neumann in Wahoo. Accompanying our students this year were 14 of our priests, a good portion of our seminarians, and a number of our dear consecrated religious women. This year 30 US bishops attended SEEK, as well as bishops from Germany and Ireland. It was truly a remarkable event.
One of the central themes of this year’s SEEK was the ongoing three-year Eucharistic Revival which is now in full swing. We are exactly half-way through a three-year initiative. The culmination will be the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis July 17-21.
I had two gatherings in October in McCook and Seward with “parish point persons” from across the diocese, and we are now preparing for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage which will pass through Nebraska in mid-June. The Blessed Sacrament will travel through the state of Nebraska on the western route to Indy, through North Platte, Lexington, Grand Island, Doniphan, Hastings, Seward, Lincoln, and Omaha.
There are 50 diocesan spots still available for the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. These spots will be available until the end of the month, at which time we will return these reservations to the national office as there is a huge national waiting list. Please sign up at https://lincolndiocese.regfox.com/national-eucharistic-congress if you are interested in attending.
We also had our 10th pilgrim complete our diocesan Eucharistic Passport Pilgrimage here in Nebraska. The Register featured four beautiful stories on local pilgrims making this journey, two of which have been shared at the national level.
Despite the incredible darkness, evil and violence of our age, this is a very exciting and hopeful time to be alive. The birth of Jesus our Savior is still fresh in our hearts and minds. He comes to bring us “comfort and joy,” as the famous 17th century English Christmas carol reminds us. That might seem counterintuitive to sing during these challenging times, but it is true. In fact, this was the theme of one of the keynote talks given at SEEK24 by Msgr. James Shea, the President of the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. All the SEEK talks are now available for free on-line and I would highly recommend giving them a listen: https://seekreplay.com.
In his keynote address, Msgr. Shea said “we live in a culture where everything is permitted, and nothing is forgiven.” When a tsunami of information is streaming at us through all our devices like never before in history, is it any wonder that young people are feeling overwhelmed, isolated, lonely, and disillusioned? Anxiety and depression are certainly on the rise among young people. As I have said before, it is like being given a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, with no picture on the box to show how all the pieces fit together, no integrating principle, just streams of data and information. Why should we be surprised that more and more young people are experiencing struggles with their mental health?
As Msgr. Shea noted, maybe that is the natural response to the overwhelming demands and expectations that our young people are facing today. He suggested that we should really listen to them and hear what they are telling us; and try to understand the world in which they live.
And yet, amid all the demands and expectations these strange times place upon our youth, there is an unmistakable joy and hope and in their hearts. I saw it their tear-filled eyes on the night when the St. Louis dome was filled with young people on their knees adoring and worshipping our Eucharistic Lord in song and praise.
I saw it in the smiles on the faces of the four busloads of high school students that I blessed on Tuesday evening as they set out for Washington, D.C. to the March for Life where they will be marching on the National Mall on Friday, in freezing temperatures, to proclaim that life is good, holy, and sacred, from conception to natural death!
As the National Episcopal Advisor to the Catholic Medical Association, I see it in the young medical students and residents who make up the fastest growing segment of the CMA, who want to practice medicine according to the truth and teaching of the Divine Physician and the Catholic Church. These young students and doctors are standing in the breech, speaking up for conscience protection and religious freedom, at the risk of being expelled from medical school or losing their medical licenses for refusing to violate their conscience.
To be sure, we are in for tougher times. But, like I’ve said before, we were made for these times; these are our times. And I believe very strongly that God is planting seeds for the future. God is planting seeds right here, right now, in the Diocese of Lincoln, in our schools and in our parishes and in our families. He has been for many years. We are poised to take on the next challenges if we can but remain united on the same mission. Many of us have given our lives to tending these seeds and helping them to grow. I want to thank all of you for your faithfulness and ongoing support for the work you do in our diocese. As we look ahead, we know that He is calling us to remain faithful to His calling to prepare the Church in our diocese for the challenges of the coming generations.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, and one of the keynote speakers at SEEK24, spoke about the so-called post-Christian age in which we live. But he said there has never really been a time when the whole world was Christian. Since the day of Pentecost, Christians have always lived in an age of apostolic mission. The Church by her very nature is missionary, and we need to see ourselves as missionary disciples.
So, for these next seven years here in the Diocese of Lincoln (or however many more years the Lord gives me), I want to be devoted to true unity of purpose and mission amongst our parishes, schools, organizations, and other Catholic institutions. I want to walk with you as co-missionaries of the Lord.
As St. John Paul II often said, “Jesus Christ is the answer to which every human life is the question.” He did not leave us orphans. He is with us – Emmanuel, really and truly present in the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life. Amid the trials and tribulations, the struggles, and sorrows, He is our “comfort and joy.”
