Four Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College students started the year by deepening their Catholic faith at the annual SEEK Conference – a five-day experience of prayer, adoration, the sacraments and speakers.
Students Chloe Field, Sydney Kaelin, Charlie Harr and Molly Coomer were among the more than 26,000 young Catholics who attended the annual conference in Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 1-5.
“Now I realize how constantly present the Lord is in our lives – always there and always working, even when we may not immediately recognize it,” said Molly Coomer, a senior nursing major from Fredericksburg, Ind. “A powerful example of this was how our entire trip became fully funded through parish donations and grants from the archdiocese. One of our biggest concerns as college students was whether we would be able to afford the opportunity, and the Lord truly showed up for every one of us.”
Organized by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, the conference was held across three U.S. cities – Columbus, Ohio, Denver, Colo., and Fort Worth, Texas. The theme, “To the Heights!”, was inspired by the recently canonized Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati.
“Sometimes it’s easy to feel as if there isn’t a community to share the Catholic faith with, especially when it comes to finding friends the same age,” said Kaelin, a freshman graphic design major from Salem, Ind. “Attending SEEK was inspiring because I got to see how large a community there actually is. And the best part was adoration. It is hard to describe the feeling of kneeling in awe with thousands of people, in front of Jesus fully present (in the Eucharist).”
The SMWC students participated in the conference through St. Joseph University Parish in Terre Haute and were accompanied by SMWC alumna Amy Langham ’00, ’10MAPT, of Terre Haute.
“Being able to share the experience with current students was both humbling and joyful,” said Langham, who serves as a volunteer with St. Joseph University campus ministry. “It’s been a gift to invest in their lives, build genuine relationships, and help point them towards Christ as they navigate college. Watching them grow in their faith has been especially rewarding and has deepened my love of working with college students.”