First-time N.C. pilgrims deepen relationship with Jesus at SEEK24 conference
ST. LOUIS — A 22,000-member chorus chanting “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus” swirled into the air enveloping America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis Jan. 4 as hearts and minds were lifted to God in worship. Following a 500-priest procession, it was one of many soul-stirring moments of SEEK24, a popular youth and young adult conference held Jan. 1-5 and organized by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). The event’s theme was “Be the Light,” and it drew record attendance, energizing pilgrims more than ever.
“Chanting the ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ made me tear up. It was like a small slice of heaven,” says Liz Herpy, youth minister at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro. “The Mass is heaven on earth, and hearing everyone chanting with all of themselves and singing to God was incredibly moving.”
Fresh off celebrating its 25th anniversary, FOCUS is a campus- and parish-based organization that aims to create missionary disciples through a variety of programs and events. United in their love for Jesus, SEEK attendees had the opportunity to worship, listen to talks from Catholic leaders, join in Eucharistic Adoration, learn more about Catholic ministries and religious orders at the exhibitors’ booths, and reunite with friends from around the country and the world.
With about 20,000 paid registrants, there was a 28% increase over last year’s conference. Registrants included college students, lay leaders and record numbers of seminarians, bishops, priests, and religious brothers and sisters. Overall numbers swelled higher as the week went on, reaching 24,000 attendees on Jan. 3 when everyone in St. Louis was invited to attend two keynote speeches for free, followed by silent Eucharistic Adoration.
Many attendees say their faith lives are transformed by the conference, including three first-time pilgrims from the Diocese of Charlotte – a local college student, a Catholic nonprofit leader, and a parish youth minister. They recently shared their SEEK24 experiences with the Catholic News Herald.
SHORTCUT TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Belmont Abbey College senior John Carayiannis (right) took time away from his wrestling season to attend the SEEK24 conference. Jake Burns (left), the FOCUS missionary at the school, invited the recently confirmed Carayiannis to the event. When John Carayiannis was invited to SEEK, he was a little hesitant. The college senior was in the middle of his wrestling season at Belmont Abbey College and wasn’t sure he had time for a five-day trip to St. Louis. However, circumstances changed when he partially tore his LCL right before Christmas, temporarily sidelining him from competing.
“Still, the conference wasn’t pushed too much,” he says, “Our missionary, Jake Burns, told me about it, I liked what I heard, and that’s why I wanted to go.”
Carayiannis had other inspiration, too. During his reversion to the Catholic faith and right before he entered RCIA last year, he listened to all the talks Father Mike Schmitz had given at the conference and wanted to hear him speak in person.
Carayiannis grew up in the Catholic faith but fell away and was never confirmed. When it came time for college, his choice to attend Belmont Abbey was based primarily on wrestling. The fact that it was Catholic was just a plus, he says. Now he’s leading a Bible study on campus and is on fire with the faith.
Hearing Father Schmitz – host of the widely popular “Bible in a Year” podcast and director of youth and young adult ministries in the Diocese of Duluth, Minn. – talk in person at SEEK was surreal for him.
“Even though he doesn’t know who I am, he has helped me grow in my faith and learn so much, and it was amazing,” Carayiannis says. “It took me a second to realize that, wow, this is real.”
Carayiannis joined approximately 50 pilgrims from Belmont Abbey and says he was especially moved by the keynote speech of Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.
“If you’re sad, anxious, burned out, or overwhelmed, maybe you’re not dead wrong. Maybe you’re responding reasonably” to the fact that Satan is real, said Monsignor Shea.
“But Jesus came to break the power of Satan!” he continued.
“The wound of sin is deep in us, but it’s nowhere near the deepest part of us. Much deeper in our baptized soul is a place for God … and we’re capable, through baptism, of life with God and God living in us.”
Carayiannis says he recommends the conference to all young people.
“It will 100 percent be worth it in the end,” he says. “The amount the conference builds you up, grows your faith, and brings you closer to Christ in such a short period of time is just remarkable.”
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Important ministries also find opportunities for growth at SEEK. MiraVia, a Charlotte-based nonprofit serving pregnant college women, was one of the exhibitors at the conference.
“The highlight was being surrounded by 22,000 college students at Mass who showed the utmost reverence for our Eucharistic Lord,” said Debbie Capen, executive director of MiraVia. “Hearing the stadium fill with their voices gently singing the ‘Salve Regina’ at the conclusion of each Mass is an experience I will never forget.”
MiraVia also hosted a breakout session called “Greater Expectations” where they taught attendees how they can help pregnant students on their campuses. One of
MiraVia's former residents, Emilia Pippen, spoke during the session to provide her perspective and answer questions.
“It was beautiful to see her testimony bring tears of joy to so many faces,” Capen says.
“I learned there is tremendous hope for the future of our nation and the Church. The theme ‘Be the Light’ was perfect because you could practically see the love of Christ radiating from these young people. They would even stop by our booth to learn about the work of MiraVia and then ask how they could pray for us.”
Capen also received spiritual support for MiraVia’s work from clergy in attendance. At one point, she happened to be walking by as Cardinal Timothy Dolan was arriving on the main floor for a media interview.
“I was astonished at how approachable he was. He motioned for me to come over when he saw me standing nearby. I had MiraVia’s website pulled up on my phone and showed it to him while introducing myself. He said, ‘Oh yes, MiraVia, you do wonderful work!’”
Capen asked if he would bless the organization, and Cardinal Dolan agreed.
“He took my phone and said a blessing while making the sign of the cross with his thumb on the image of our building. I knelt down and he gave me a blessing, too,”
Capen says. “He reiterated how important the work that we do is and to keep it going. Then he took my hand in both of his and thanked me for asking for his blessing.
For such a public figure, I was impressed by his sincerity and his joyful interactions with everyone around him.”
RECONNECTION AND PURPOSE
Liz Herpy had always wanted to go to the SEEK conference. As a parish youth minister, however, she thought she was now past the intended age group until two friends who work for FOCUS invited her.
When she arrived in St. Louis, she soon realized how wide-ranging the demographics of the conference truly are. She says she saw hundreds of people in her track from their mid-20s into their 70s as well as families with babies in tow – all there to learn more about reaching the people they serve.
“It was really beautiful and inspiring to see everyone come together to learn how to make missionary disciples,” Herpy says.
In her work at Our Lady of Grace, Herpy comes across a few college students in her ministry. However, she says, she mostly sees young Catholic adults, many of whom are single and are discerning what God is calling them to do next. Others are starting to live their vocations as young married couples.
The talks she attended informed and inspired her to better reach all those who cross her path, she says.
The event was also a Catholic family reunion for her as she came across friends she’s made throughout her youth and while discerning a religious vocation with the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church in Connecticut.
“I grew up in Cleveland, and I saw a lot of people from Ohio who I was friends with. They were either Capuchins or priests from the Diocese of Cleveland,” Herpy says. “I even saw friends I made while discerning religious life in Connecticut. It was such a blessing to see them flourishing. Even with 22,000 people there, it’s still a small Catholic world.”
What’s her takeaway from the conference?
“There’s a real call to live a life totally for the Lord no matter your state in life. As a lay person, I ask myself how I can truly live my life totally for Jesus and bring as many souls as possible to Him, including through my workplace,” she says. “It’s easy to forget that in the busyness of our day-to-day lives. SEEK was a great reminder and source of renewal.”
Next year’s SEEK conference, “Follow Me,” is set for Jan. 1-5 in Salt Lake City.
— Annie Ferguson
CHARLOTTE — Clergy and faithful in Charlotte reacted with joy Sunday to the news that two Nicaraguan bishops have been released from a political prison and are safe in Rome.
Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa and Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna were among 19 political prisoners deported from Nicaragua on Sunday.
Two of their priests who were similarly exiled last year – Father Ramiro Tijerino and Father Oscar Benavides – are now ministering at several parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte. During Mass on Sunday, Father Tijerino happily shared the breaking news of the bishops’ release.
“I join the joy of many Nicaraguans and the priests who were freed,” Father Benavides told the Catholic News Herald on Tuesday. “But, at the same time, I ask that we continue prayers for Nicaragua.”
Father Tijerino and Father Benavides were arbitrarily jailed for several months before being suddenly deported to the United States in February 2023. They are among more than 200 Catholic clergy and religious recently forced out of Nicaragua by its president Daniel Ortega. Bishop Álvarez was supposed to be deported with them, but at the last minute he refused to board the plane and was subsequently sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment in a notorious political prison in Managua. Bishop Mora was arrested last month for saying at Mass that he was praying for Bishop Álvarez.
Since coming to Charlotte in February 2023, Father Tijerino and Father Benavides have been calling for peace in Nicaragua and encouraging people to pray for the release of the bishops and other political prisoners.
On Sunday afternoon, the Vatican and the Nicaraguan government announced the release of the two bishops, 15 priests and two seminarians.
Tijerino
BenavidesMoments later, Father Tijerino was entering Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte to celebrate Mass when he heard the news. He rushed over to tell Sister Joan Pearson, who was in attendance at the Mass and works with the Charlotte diocese’s Hispanic priests. She has played a key role in helping the two Nicaraguan priests settle in Charlotte after Bishop Peter Jugis offered them sanctuary.
“He was so excited. He hugged me and said, ‘They are in Rome. They just arrived. They are safe!’” Sister Joan recounted late Sunday. “You could just see the joy in him.”
During the intercessory prayers at the Mass, Father Tijerino shared the news with the entire congregation and gave thanks to God. He also thanked everyone who prayed and negotiated for the churchmen’s safe release.
After Mass, parishioners rallied around Father Tijerino, Sister Joan in tears.
“I am so happy,” Sister Joan said later Sunday evening. “This has been our prayer, that the bishop, and the priests and the seminarians would be released…and now they have!”
— Catholic News Herald
Pictured at top: Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa walks outside a Catholic church in Managua May 20, 2022. After more than 500 days' detention, the Ortega regime released the prelate, who has been the Nicaraguan government's most prominent critic, from prison Jan. 14, and sent into exile along with 18 other imprisoned churchmen. Bishop Álvarez safely landed in Rome Jan. 14, the Vatican confirmed. (OSV News | Maynor Valenzuela, Reuters)
Bishop Rolando Álvarez released, exiled from Nicaragua after over 500 days of detention
MEXICO CITY — Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa has been released from prison and sent into exile along with 18 imprisoned churchmen as the Nicaraguan government expelled its most prominent critic, whose presence behind bars bore witness to the Sandinista regime descent into totalitarianism, along with its persecution of the Catholic Church.
Vatican News confirmed Jan. 14 at 10:41 p.m. Rome time that with the exception of one priest who remained in Venezuela, all released priests, including Bishop Álvarez and Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna, have arrived in Rome “in the last few hours” and are “guests of the Holy See.”
Nicaraguan independent media 100% Noticias posted a photograph on X, formerly Twitter, of the two freed bishops concelebrating Mass in Rome.
Independent Nicaraguan media reported Jan. 14 that the churchmen had departed Nicaragua on a flight for Rome after the government reached an agreement with the Vatican for their release and exile. Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Báez of Managua – who left the country in 2019 – also confirmed the news at his weekly Mass in Miami, and was visibly moved.
“This is the power of the people of God's prayers,” he said. “The criminal Sandinista dictatorship of (President) Daniel Ortega has not been able to defeat the power of God.”
The Nicaraguan government acknowledged the churchmen’s release in a Jan. 14 statement, which “deeply thanked” Pope Francis and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, “for the very respectful and discreet coordination carried out to make possible the Vatican trip of two bishops, fifteen priests and two seminarians.”
The statement continued, “They have been received by Vatican authorities, in compliance with agreements of good faith and good will, which seek to promote understanding and improve communication between the Holy See and Nicaragua, for peace and good.”
The statement struck an unusually respectful tone – far from the government's frequent accusations of terrorism and coup mongering against Church leaders, who attempted to unsuccessfully facilitate a national dialogue after mass protests erupted demanding Ortega’s ouster. The Nicaraguan government also severed relations with the Vatican and expelled the nuncio, Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, in 2022. The Vatican subsequently closed its embassy in March 2023.
“We recognize the chance for direct, prudent and very serious dialogue, a responsible and careful dialogue,” the government statement said.
The release of 19 churchmen – including Bishop Mora and more than a dozen priests detained during a wave of detentions over the Christmas period – provoked reactions of joy among Nicaraguans in exile, along with statements of defiance.
“’Get up quickly.’ The chains fell from his wrists,” Bishop Báez said on X, formerly Twitter, quoting Acts 12:7, which recounts St. Peter’s miraculous release from prison.
“With great joy, I thank God that my brother bishops, priests, and seminarians are out of prison. Justice has triumphed. The power of the prayer of God's people has been displayed.”
Ambassador Brian A. Nichols, assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs in the U.S. Department of State, said on X that the regime “expelled 19 unjustly detained Catholic clergy, including Bishop Álvarez.”
“We are reassured to see the release of these religious leaders. All people have the right to worship at home and abroad. We continue to call for the release of all those unjustly detained and the restoration of the fundamental freedoms of the Nicaraguan people,” Nichols emphasized.
Bishop Álvarez has become the face of resistance in Nicaragua, raising his voice against the increasing intolerance of the Sandinista regime – which has subdued the business community, forced the free press out of the country and attempted to control the Catholic Church.
The bishop spent more than 500 days in custody after police arrested him in August 2022 during a pre-dawn raid on his diocesan curia, where he had been holed up protesting the seizure of Catholic media outlets. In February 2023, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison on charges of conspiracy and spreading false information – one day after he refused to leave the country.
Bishop Álvarez refused subsequent attempts at exiling him – as expulsion or refusing priests reentry to the country after traveling abroad became a common tactic.
“The dictatorship feels safer or more comfortable with religious people outside the country than inside the country,” Arturo McFields Yescas, a former Nicaraguan diplomat in exile, told OSV News.
“When they are inside (the country) they consider them a threat, a danger, a counterweight to their official narrative. And when they are outside, (the regime) feels that they no longer have that critical voice, or that voice of truth, which spoke to the people and people listened to,” he said.
— David Agren, OSV News
BELMONT — Belmont Abbey College is expanding their graduate studies program in 2024, adding a Master of Arts in Classical and Liberal Education to the Catholic college’s expanding curriculum.
The new degree program aims to provide strong formation in classical pedagogy, the Great Books, and liberal arts, founded in Catholic intellectual tradition.
The college will welcome its first cohort for this new program in the Fall of 2024.
“At Belmont Abbey College, we believe in the development of the whole person – mind, body, and soul,” said Dr. Joseph Wysocki, dean of the Honors College and interim provost.
“During the undergraduate years, we help instill a foundation of critical thinking in our students so that they can go forth and lead virtuous lives," he said. "At the graduate level, individuals come to us with career and industry experience and a desire to lead.
"The new Master of Arts in Classical and Liberal Education takes this idea of educating the whole person and edifies educators on how to implement this approach so they can form future generations.”
Belmont Abbey College is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2024 semester.
For program information and to learn more about how to apply, go online to www.belmontabbeycollege.edu.
— Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — The 2023 Diocesan Support Appeal campaign raised $6.77 million from 12,902 donors across the Diocese of Charlotte – surpassing the campaign goal of $6.5 million by 4 percent for the second year in a row.
The theme of the 2023 Diocesan Support Appeal, “To Serve is to Love,” encouraged Catholics to help thousands of people in need across the Charlotte diocese. Inspired by Philippians 2:5-9, people are called to follow Christ’s example of humbly regarding others as more important than themselves and to serve one another.
Overall, 16 percent of registered parishioners across the diocese gave an average donation of $525, up from an average gift of $495 in the 2022 campaign, and 74% percent of parishes and missions across the diocese reached or exceeded their campaign goal.
Parishioners in all 92 parishes and missions in the Charlotte diocese fund the DSA.
Parishes that exceed their goal keep the extra funds they collect, while parishes that fall short of their goal in donations from parishioners make up the shortfall from their operating budgets.
Some of the parishes receiving rebate funds include: St. Therese in Mooresville, St. Paul the Apostle in Greensboro, St. Peter in Charlotte and St. Mary Help of Christians in Shelby.
“It is wonderful to see our diocese continue to grow in both population and diversity and how the DSA has evolved to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of our local communities,” said David Walsh, the diocese’s associate director of development. “Everyone’s combined support helps our ministries and programs grow and make an impact beyond what one parish could do alone.”
The 2023 campaign continues a trend of the DSA campaign goal being achieved every year in the diocese. The 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 DSA campaigns also broke each prior year’s fundraising total and campaign goal, despite the pandemic.
— Spencer K.M. Brown
Offices and Ministries supported by the DSA
30% EDUCATION
30% CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE
13% MULTICULTURAL MINISTRIES
12% VOCATIONS
7% OTHER
7% DSA CAMPAIGN COSTS