Steubenville East Youth Conference

Quick Links:

Letter to Teens

Dear Friend in Christ,

Steubenville East 2005 is coming! It's a terrific youth event you don’t want to miss! You will come on fire with a Spirit-filled energy that will keep you in high gear for months to come!

Right from the outset, Steubenville East has met with fantastic success. 1,800 youth and chaperones participated in 1997. 2,500 participated in 1998. 3,300 participants attended in 1999. 4,400 participated in 2000! Come join the 6,000 teenagers expected in 2005! This experience will warm your heart and fill you with hope!

Over the last 5 years, Steubenville Conferences nationwide exploded from 5,000 youth participating in 1995 to over 18,000 in 1998. Steubenville East is one of 7 sites stretching from Arizona to the East Coast where this Spirit-filled program is being offered. I am pleased to invite you to attend Steubenville East II, held at the La Salette Shrine in Attleboro, Massachusetts. The theme for the 2005 Summer Youth Conferences is "Experience the Glory"

If you come with us, I know you will thoroughly enjoy the weekend, be challenged by it, and grow in our Catholic faith. If you’re wrestling with whether or not God wants you to go, put it aside…all of it…and come with us to Steubenville East!

God has called you forward, to be a pioneer, and He will provide. Whether that sounds ludicrous to you or not, I don’t know, but I can only ask you to trust in God. He wants you to go, and He will see to it that you get there.

Quick Links:

Letter to Parents

Dear Parents,

The trip to Steubenville East 2000 is fast approaching and I believe you should know as many details about this exciting and life-changing conference as possible. This page contains many important details, so please read it carefully. Extremely important information is highlighted for you.

There will be many groups from around the US and Canada attending the Steubenville East High School Age Youth Conference. This conference stresses the teachings of the Catholic Church, fidelity to the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, the importance of the Sacraments and Christian Prayer. Mass is celebrated daily, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered throughout the weekend. There will be talks by guest speakers, time for recreation, and small group discussion. This weekend progresses with the highlight being the Saturday evening prayer service with Eucharistic Adoration. It is at this service that many teens truly experience the love that the Lord Jesus has for them, and the need they have to either commit or recommit their lives to him. The weekend will close with Sunday Mass, lunch, and departure.

It is likely that your youth will see and hear many forms of expressive praise during the weekend. Expressive praise can be characterized by raising hands, praying individually out loud, praising God out loud, praying or praising in tongues, dancing and clapping. Expressive worship is joyful, exciting and need not scare you or your youth. It is similar to the dancing that David did in the garden before the Lord, or the singing and praying the Apostles did in the Upper Room at Pentecost. An upcoming meeting is devoted to familiarize your youth with this form of worship, not common at Transfiguration.

Throughout the weekend, the chaperones/leaders will be facilitating small groups to help your teen discuss and process what he/she will be experiencing. I pray that it will be a tremendous and unforgettable experience for all of the teens, and I am honored to be a part of their spiritual journey. To supplement this, I need your support in a very important area: PRAYER. Please pray extra-hard for the openness of your teen to the work of the Spirit and the other wonderful things that God has in store for your son or daughter. Also, please pray for our travel safety, and for the Lord’s will to be done in the lives of each of the kids attending the conference.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 622-0504. Thank you, and may God bless you with his peace.

Quick Links:

Letter to Chaperones

Chaperones must be 21 and older and approved by the Youth Ministry Coordinator.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Cor 1:3) I am overjoyed that you are interesting in being a chaperone for Steubenville East! Your very first step as a Steubenville East Adult Chaperone is to commit this venture to the Lord in prayer, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Open your heart to the Lord and share your intentions with him. Tell him what you would like to happen, then listen for His response. You may want to spend time in the presence of the Holy Eucharist, praying fervently for your role as a chaperone and for those youth that will be going that have yet to commit their lives to Christ, and for those that will be re-committing their lives to Christ. God will be faithful to point you in the direction that will be best for you, and where you are at spiritually. Prayer should be a continuous activity on your part from now until Steubenville East and beyond.

The goal of the Steubenville Youth Conferences is "To evangelize youth with the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and to deal with the many challenging aspects of their lives according to the teachings of Holy Scripture and Church Tradition." Chances are you were asked to be a chaperone by the youth minister – or perhaps you saw the enthusiasm of the youth and decided to volunteer your time. Or maybe your son or daughter asked you to be a chaperone. Whichever scenario is true for you means one thing: you’re not here by accident. You’re here because God wanted you to be here. You needed Him, and He needed you. The youth need you, and you need the youth. Confused? Pray on it. Know that you have been "hooked like a fish," and that you now have two choices: to fight against the "pull" of the Fisher of Men, or to allow yourself to be reeled in. God wants YOU to surrender to Him completely.

The heart of Youth Ministry is the heart of the Youth Worker (you), and at the heart of Youth Ministry is Jesus Christ, "The Youth Minister," the Fisher of Men. When we allow ourselves to be reeled in and used by Him, we are but the tools He uses to change lives. And that is what will happen on the Steubenville East Weekend. You will see youth "change" their lives before your eyes. You will see them arrive on Friday morning tense, anxious, relaxed, elated, angry, happy, sad, confused, and many other things. You will see them come out completely different. Throughout the weekend, you will see the Holy Spirit work overtime like you may have never seen before. Once youth open their hearts to Jesus Christ just a little bit, the Holy Spirit makes Himself at home and starts working.

You are not excluded from the work of the Holy Spirit. God calls you in a way that is different than the youth. God desires to have a spiritually intimate relationship with you. God called you here to talk to you, to listen to you, heal you, bring you joy, take your troubles, take your sorrows, and guide you on your faith journey. Guess what? You too, will be changed on this weekend. Change is an important part of growth, because it challenges us to move outside of our comfort zone into unfamiliar territory. And, as "Roman Catholics," our comfort zone is primarily, and unfortunately, Sunday Liturgy. There are so many wonderful aspects of the Catholic faith that we just don’t take advantage of. Steubenville East will present you with many wonderful aspects of our Catholic Faith you may or may not have been aware of.

If perhaps you are feeling a little uneasy about being a chaperone, maybe the Lord is testing you now. You’ve said yes to him so far; will you say yes now and in the future? Steubenville East is not an easy ride for you, a chaperone. It entails modeling "letting go and letting God" to the youth we will be serving, who will be watching your every move.

God Bless you!

Quick Links:

What to Bring

We can't wait to see you at La Salette Shrine's Steubenville East High School Age Youth Conference! Sleeping quarters are single-sex and on the ground in a large circus-like tent.

Please Remember to Bring the Following:

A sleeping bag and pillow

A foam roll-up pad or air mattress (definitely)

A flashlight

Insect repellent

2-3 changes of clothes.

Toiletries

A washcloth and towel

An umbrella and/or rain poncho

A water bottle for the hot weather

A Bible

A notebook or paper and a pen

Spending money - not more than $75.00. There is a a gift shop, bookstore, and concession stands on the Shrine grounds.

A completely filled out (and signed) Liability Release Form. This is not the one to forget!!!

Money is due MAY 12.

In order to prevent theft and loss, please do not bring any valuables that cannot be carried with you at all times.

Please do not bring radios/CD's (Walkmans) with you. We are here on a new adventure!