Young adults revel in God’s sheer goodness

I want to be a bridge to heaven, to Christ, for everyone I interact with. My patients, my coworkers, my family, whoever I’m around, I want to have that light. I want people to see what I’m doing and to want what I have in God.”

Victoria Gibson

It sounds crazy to think how God in all his glory and divinity can be fully present in the Eucharist. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true or that it’s something too big for him, because he’s God.”

Maria Wibbenmeyer

We have nothing to fear. Nothing can stand in the way of our spreading the Gospel. We can live it, and people will see that.”

Austin Stewart

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Silence and incense mixed with the breath of the Almighty.

Candlelight shimmered upon the sanctuary steps like sparks over a glassy sea.

The souls of over 400 young adults rested on their knees with the angels in silent vigil.

Then the music began: “You deserve glory! You are worthy of it all!”

Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, led by Father Paul Clark with music by the Vigil Project, marked the successful conclusion the Missouri Catholic Summit for college-age young adults from throughout the state.

The daylong summit, held Feb. 28 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Jefferson City, was sponsored by this diocese and organized by college students at St. John Henry Newman Parish in Columbia and the Catholic Newman Centers in Kirksville and Rolla.

It included keynote presentations; Mass with Bishop Ralph B. O’Donnell; plenty of time for meals, games, fellowship and individual prayer; and a reverent, uplifting experience of Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

The theme was “Sheer Goodness” — from the Preface to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life.”

Admission was free of charge.

“The Lord gives us these moments of hope through the Sacraments and in our lives,” said Bishop O’Donnell, “so that we might trust in the core of our hearts, especially when it’s difficult, that God is faithful.”

Young people from ages 18-25 reveled in the opportunity to interact and worship with fellow Catholics at this exciting but challenging stage of their lives.

“There’s something so powerful about a multitude of young Christians together in one place at one time,” said John Wibbenmeyer from Perryville in the St. Louis archdiocese.

“These are the kind of opportunities we need for young people, for more connection, more interaction, more understanding, being with each other, talking, explaining our problems, the issues we face today, making friends and learning to be the presence of Christ, the face of God for others,” said Gabriel Pecaut, who recently graduated from the State Technical College of Missouri in Linn.

“Community is such an important part of being a Christian,” said Maria Wibbenmeyer, a sophomore at Truman State University in Kirksville.

“God gives us this time with other people for a reason and puts us on the same mission to build each other up,” she said. “For me, that’s a huge part of keeping my faith.”

“The gift we become”

Upbeat Christian music played in Cana Hall as participants line-danced, visited, and picked up information from various Catholic ministries and organizations.

Some people played volleyball on the St. Joseph Cathedral School athletic field, while others wandered the grounds, enjoying the weather.

Father Andrew Auer, associate pastor of St. John Henry Newman Parish in Columbia, heard Confessions all day.

Sister M. Karolyn Nunes of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George (FSGM) served as emcee for the summit.

“God, infinitely perfect and blessed himself, in a plan of sheer goodness, freely created you to share his own blessed life,” she reminded the assembly.

“Do you want to know what that feels like? It feels like one heart and one mind giving him praise for who he is,” she said. “Giving him praise for his goodness, giving him praise for the gift of living in his goodness.”

She described the Catholic Summit’s vibe with a German word: “gemütlichkeit: good people, good times, no agenda, just being together.”

“God’s goodness and faithfulness will never fail,” she proclaimed. “And for us to dwell in the House of the Lord for years to come — that begins today!”

Keynote presenter Pete Burak, vice president of Renewal Ministries, made it clear that the story of God’s Kingdom and the story of this fallen world are not compatible.

“They mix like oil and water,” he said. “The world says the only glory you will ever experience is in this life. Jesus says, ‘You want glory? I’ve got glory, but you’ll need to pass through death into my eternal glory.’”

Doing so requires God’s supernational gift of faith and grace.

God’s love is unconditional and transformational, “but the experience of that love requires a response.”

“So, what story are you living?” Mr. Burak inquired. “What do you believe? What do you want to believe? Who will you follow?”

Sr. Karolyn spoke of how Jesus walked on water and invited Peter to step out of the boat and walk with him.

“And there was Peter, walking on water with Jesus,” she recounted. “But like so many of us, Peter got distracted by the wind and the waves and took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink.”

But then, he called out for Jesus to save him, and Jesus stretched out his hand and lifted him up.

“Jesus calls each of us to get out of the boat, to trust him, follow him and get back into the boat with him, ever-different from how we were before,” she said.

She pointed out that saving people is how God gets to be the fullness of who he is, “so let him be who he is so that you can be who you are.”

“That’s the gift that we become,” she said, “not just to him but also to one another. Because we live all of this in community.”

Getting filled up

Siblings Kylleen Pierce and Victoria Gibson came down to Jefferson City together on U.S. 63.

Miss Pierce is a member of St. Pius X Parish in Moberly. Mrs. Gibson is a member of St. John Henry Newman Parish in Columbia. They grew up in Higbee, south of Moberly.

Both said it can be hard to find people their age who are committed to practicing their Catholic faith and putting it into action.

“There are lots of distractions geared at our generation,” said Mrs. Gibson.

“Being in college means you’re busy,” said Miss Pierce, who was recently accepted into medical school. “Making your faith a priority and having it grow is a lot, especially when you have schoolwork or other work to do.”

She had a lot of homework that weekend, coupled with an exam on Monday. But she was able to set that aside and be fully present to the day’s activities.

“I’m glad I’m able to be centered here today and have my focus on God and not be distracted by other things,” she said. “I really need this time to spend with God so I can be filled up and do what he needs me to do.”

It also provided a good opportunity to intercede for their oldest brother, who’s battling cancer.

“We’re praying for his healing, if it is God’s will,” said Mrs. Gibson.

Connor Reinkemeyer, a St. Martins native who recently graduated from Missouri State University in Springfield, spent his birthday at the Missouri Catholic Summit, including a two-and-a-half-hour drive each way.

Having completed a degree in criminology with a minor in religious studies, he’s working in peer ministry at the university’s O’Reilly Catholic Student Center while preparing to discern a possible call to Priesthood.

What stood out to him most about the Summit was the experience of community.

“Everybody coming together and celebrating,” he said. “I think it’s a way for young people to be able to practice their faith and learn more as they go along.”

“A ton of people”

Brock Hulshof, a native of Benton in Southeastern Missouri, recently graduated early from the University of Missouri.

“I could have stayed and got a few more minors of certificates,” he noted. “But in prayer, God kept calling me. It was like, ‘Brock, you’ve done what you needed to do in the college setting.’”

He’s now working in the Catholic Center of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in Springfield while preparing to enter formal discernment for Priesthood for that diocese.

He invited two of his best friends from Southeast Missouri to the Missouri Catholic Summit with him.

“And there’s a whole bunch of people from Springfield here, as well,” he said. “Everyone is so happy and joyful to be here. It gives me chills to see people I know and people whose friends I know. At events like this, it’s like one to two points of connection, and that’s how you get to know everybody.”

Austin Stewart, a senior studying business marketing at the University of Missouri, hopes to enter formal discernment for the Priesthood for this diocese after he graduates.

“There are a ton of people here for the Lord,” he said. “The faith is very present.”

“The keynotes have been amazing,” he said of the Summit. “The fellowship has been amazing. There’s a spirit of joy, the joy that only comes from the Lord.”

When friends asked him to volunteer to help with the event, he didn’t hesitate.

“I know it was years in the making,” he said. “They were talking about it when Archbishop McKnight was still here, and here it is, having come to fruition.”

He hopes the summit will become a regular event.

The goal, he believes, is “for the Lord to work in each and every one of our hearts, so we can continue living out the faith and spreading the faith into our communities, our families, our workplaces, our schools and really bring people to Jesus.”

Savoring the mystery

Miss Wibbenmeyer traveled to Jefferson City with a group from Kirksville.

She was impressed with how well organized the Summit was, including the balance between structured activities and time to pray, meet and explore.

“They had great people come to talk,” she said. “I was blown away by it.”

She spent the day exploring a question Mr. Burak posed in his keynote presentation: “If someone didn’t know you, would they be able to tell that you’ve given your life to Christ?”

“It’s kind of a wake-up call for things I need to work on,” she said, “to be bolder about how I live out my faith.”

She hopes never to forget how Sr. Karolyn paraphrased the words to a popular song: “God and his love may be too good to understand, but not too good to be true.”

“It might be too big to understand how big God’s love is, but it’s not too big for me to accept,” said Miss Wibbenmeyer.

She carried that serenity into Mass and Adoration.

“It sounds crazy to think how God in all his glory and divinity can be fully present in the Eucharist,” she stated. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not true or that it’s something too big for him, because he’s God.

“And I can’t deny his presence when it’s so overwhelming during Adoration, and seeing everyone so absorbed with the presence of God there,” she said.

Ashley Plancarte, a member of All Souls Parish in St. Louis County, traveled about two hours to get to the Summit.

A friend invited her, “so I said ‘yes’ to the Lord today,” she said.

She believes her connection to God will continue to grow stronger because of that “yes.”

Abby Obert, a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in O’Fallon and a senior studying occupational therapy at the University of Missouri, volunteered to help staff the event.

Turns out, that meant working the morning shift at the coffee bar.

“But I’m also here to just share community with fellow college students, college-age young people, and try to grow deeper in relationship with the Lord,” she said.

She said halfway through the semester was a good time for a restful day “in the midst of all the craziness of school and life.”

“I have a huge exam on Monday, and I haven’t thought about it once today,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been very present in the conferences and everything going on today and getting to truly rest and allow the Lord to work.”

The message that stood out the most to her was “God loves you ... full stop!”

“No matter what — no matter what you do, no matter who you are, no matter what things you run into — God loves you ... period!” she said. “He has always loved you and will always love you.”

Mr. Pecaut said there’s no substitute for “true, authentic human interaction.”

“That’s what we truly want,” he said. “To be able to meet other people who are of similar mind, who have similar goals, that’s really awesome.”

He will hold onto a message he heard in the talk for men: “We were created for greatness, but due to our fallen nature, our hearts have to stretch to be able to bring God’s love into our life.”

“So, if we make God our No. 1 priority, he will help everything else fall into place,” said Mr. Pecaut.

“Packing heaven”

Miss Wibbenmeyer hopes there will be more opportunities in the Church for young Catholics to meet, pray, worship and have a good time together.

“Everyone is looking for a place to belong and for people to love them,” she said. “We all go through struggles at one time or another. The only way to get through all of that is to experience the love of God. True love starts at the heart of God and with Jesus giving his life for us.”

“I don’t know what God wants with me,” her brother, Mr. Wibbenmeyer, stated. “But I do know he wants so much more than what’s going on right now in my life. And days like today give me confidence that I will find my purpose, that I will find the peace that I need.”

“I want to be a bridge to heaven, to Christ, for everyone I interact with,” said Mrs. Gibson. “My patients, my coworkers, my family, whoever I’m around, I want to have that light. I want people to see what I’m doing and to want what I have in God.”

Mr. Stewart said he hopes Catholics who are older and farther along in their faith journey notice what’s happening among young people in the Church, and that it gives them hope.

“It certainly gives me hope!” he said. “Hope that what we believe is true, that what we believe is good. There is an ultimate reality of eternal life, and it’s going to be awesome — better than anything we could ever imagine.”

He called to mind Jesus’s reassurance that although following him will be difficult, he has conquered the world.

“We have nothing to fear,” said Mr. Stewart. “Nothing can stand in the way of our spreading the Gospel. We can live it, and people will see that.”

The goal is nothing short of salvation for all.

“Bringing as many people to heaven as possible,” he said. “Packing heaven with all the souls!”

Miss Pierce hopes she never forgets the message of finding her worth completely in God, rather than how she does in school or who she’s friends with.

“Just fully submitting and knowing that I am enough and that he loves me how I am, and we don’t have to earn that — that’s what stuck with me today,” she said.

Mr. Hulshof believes the summit’s effects will endure.

“There are people here who desire Jesus’s Sacred Heart,” he said. “And it’s like, ‘Let’s go share it with the whole world!’ I think that’s going to give me and hopefully everyone else here the vision that we’re not alone, and that there’s good, and we can spread God’s sheer goodness wherever we go.”