When were you enamored with Jesus?

By Father Mark McCormick
Director of Vocations

To kick off the new year the Newman Centers from Black Hills State University and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology sent forty-five plus students and FOCUS missionaries to the annual SEEK Conference, which was held in two locations this year: Salt Lake City and Washington DC. We went to SEEK in Salt Lake City.

In the two locations SEEK 2025 drew more than 21,000 participants, young adults, families, hundreds of religious and priests, with 46 bishops in attendance. At SEEK there are so many opportunities for our college students to deepen and learn more about their Catholic faith.

I visited with one young adult at SEEK, who was not raised religious at all. SEEK was his first experience of the Catholic faith. Can you imagine his first Mass was with over 17,000 worshippers in Salt Lake City, praising the Lord in the Word and in the Eucharist, in song and in communion, united as one in Christ? One of his comments was that he did not realize that the Catholic faith was so alive.

SEEK is not only for college students but also for parish leaders. The “Making Missionary Disciple Track” at SEEK is designed to equip parish leaders with the tools and knowledge to actively share their faith and make new disciples of Jesus Christ within their communities. It was amazing and powerful to see so many parishes’ teams from around the country, gathered around tables, sharing the Gospel with each other.

We began every morning with the celebration of the Eucharist, followed by Collegiate Men and Women talks. In the afternoon there were two impact sessions that one could attend. The evenings were taken up with keynote addresses by well known Catholic speakers such as Arthur Brook; Sr. Mary Grace, SV; Fr. Mike Schmitz; Msgr. James Shea; Sr. Marion James Heidland, SOLT; Jason Everett; Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN; and Dr. Edward Sri. These talks can even be viewed at www.seekreplay.com.

On Saturday morning Bishop Austin Vetter, from the Diocese of Helena, Montana, preached on John 1:35-42. In that passage the Gospel writer remembers that they were called by Jesus at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Bishop Vetter asked us to pray about our 4 o’clock moment, in which Jesus first enamored us. Like Andrew, who introduces and brings his brother Simon to Jesus, “We have found the Messiah.”

I asked those from S.D. Mines what their 4 o’clock moment was when Jesus aroused their own hearts to follow him. I was struck with these two responses in particular:

Laney Crook, who is a freshman at S.D. Mines from Houston, Texas — “It was an amazing and eye-opening experience. I did not realize how much God was missing in my life until SEEK. At adoration I sat on the ground, and I finally felt seen fully and loved fully. I felt at home. I was challenged by the amount of changes I need to make in order to become a better daughter of God.”

Anthony Flores, who is the new Director of Development at S.D. Mines — “When I finished “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, it was the first time I said, “I’m a Christian!” And began my friendship with Jesus … that has turned into a love story.” What is your 4 o’clock moment in which Jesus enamored you?