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In total over 20,000 participated at SEEK25 in its 3 different locations; put on by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Over 17,000 Catholics were present at the SEEK conference primary location. This year the location was the U.S. State of Utah, in the Salt Palace Convention Center of Salt Lake City, from Janary 1-5.
In addition they had a satellite conference with more than 3,000 people in Washington from January 2-5, and another in Cologne, Germany, attended by nearly 500 people from December 31 to Jan. 2. This was the first year SEEK offered three separate locations and the first in Europe.
“The adventure of seeking is no stranger to Utah,” said Bishop Oscar A. Solis of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. He presided at the conference’s opening Mass and was joined by 489 concelebrating priests from across the U.S. In his homily for SEEK25’s opening Mass, Bishop Solis highlighted the historical significance of faith in Utah, including Indigenous peoples and early Catholic explorers and pioneers.
Participants were encouraged to join daily liturgies, pray in Eucharistic adoration and go to the sacrament of reconciliation (confession). They also heard impactful messages from inspiring keynote speakers, such as Father Mike Schmitz of The Bible in a Year and The Catechism in a Year podcasts.
“Sin is when I say, ‘Listen God, I know what you want. I don’t care, I want what I want,'” Father Schmitz said. When people sin, he explained, they try to find happiness without God; but true happiness can only be found in him.
Conference participants were also instructed and inspired in their faith. The Making Missionary Disciples track had presenters including from Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, and Trent Horn. Bishop Cozzens is board chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress, while Horn is a convert who works for Catholic Answers as an apologist.
The presenters covered SEEK25’s theme “Follow Me” in 42 impact sessions.
Topics in the sessions included gender identity, sexual brokenness and social narcissism, drug use and artificial intelligence. While additional sessions centered on relationships: particularly healing, accompaniment, the sanctity of life and of marriage. Other sessions helped supply tools to lay leaders for their home parishes with sessions on presenting the Gospel, teaching prayer, building missionary disciples, leadership and the priesthood.
The conference had a special Mission Way, where vendors connected students to religious orders, education and services and other Catholic organizations.
OSV News reported that, Father Steve Mateja, a priest of the Detroit Archdiocese, brought a group of about 40 Oakland University students and campus ministry staff to SEEK25. Among his group were non-Catholics: four Protestants and two self-proclaimed atheists, he said.
“One kid just turns to me yesterday in small group and he says to me, ‘I want to become Catholic. Can I be baptized?'” Fr. Mateja said. “That’s the reason why we’re doing this. It’s to bring kids to Jesus Christ, to help them know the encounter that will be lifegiving for not just a day, not just at a conference, but to take with them beyond this, in that relationship with Christ.”
FOCUS was founded in 1998 to promote encounters like these, founder Curtis Martin said at a SEEK25 press conference.
Martin referenced his experience with SEEK in Cologne. “There were people from many Western European countries, and it’s a dark and challenging place there,” he said. “And I will tell you: When you’re in a dark cave, and you just light one candle, it is a game changer.”
“That’s called discipleship: I’m following you as you follow Christ,” Martin said.
SEEK25 final Mass of the Jan. 2-5 conference in Washington, had Archbishop Nelson J. Perez of Philadelphia as homilist on how the feast of the Epiphany — observed Jan. 5 — shows “the source of our hope” in Christ at the start of the church’s Jubilee Year of hope.
He emphasized to the young people gathered that “at the heart of what it means to be a Christian disciple” is believing that Jesus died and rose from the dead. And “because he did, we also will too, and there lies our hope.”
Archbishop Perez added that despite the beautiful Christmas nativities often displayed on holy cards and outdoors, Mary and Joseph in real-life experienced a lot of trouble as they carried out God’s will even with dangers like King Herod’s slaughter of the innocents.
“In the midst of that is the Emmanuel, ‘God is with us,’ reminding us to not let our hearts be troubled; to have faith in him,” he said.
“We might go back to the place we came from, but I know that grace has touched you; and you and I will also go back by another way,” he said, with “a changed heart.”
“Never, never, never underestimate the power of the spirit of God working in you, through you and despite you,” he said
FOCUS revealed that SEEK26 will take place at three U.S. locations — Columbus, Ohio; Denver and Fort Worth, Texas — Jan. 1-5, 2026.
Bishop Earl K. Fernandez from the Diocese of Columbus said at a press conference Jan. 3 that he was excited his diocese would host SEEK in 2026.
“As a diocese, I don’t think we can be reactive; we have to be proactive,” he said. “And I see SEEK bringing a lot of energy, spiritual energy to our diocese, elevating our whole diocese.”
Edited from OSV News
In addition they had a satellite conference with more than 3,000 people in Washington from January 2-5, and another in Cologne, Germany, attended by nearly 500 people from December 31 to Jan. 2. This was the first year SEEK offered three separate locations and the first in Europe.
“The adventure of seeking is no stranger to Utah,” said Bishop Oscar A. Solis of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. He presided at the conference’s opening Mass and was joined by 489 concelebrating priests from across the U.S. In his homily for SEEK25’s opening Mass, Bishop Solis highlighted the historical significance of faith in Utah, including Indigenous peoples and early Catholic explorers and pioneers.
Participants were encouraged to join daily liturgies, pray in Eucharistic adoration and go to the sacrament of reconciliation (confession). They also heard impactful messages from inspiring keynote speakers, such as Father Mike Schmitz of The Bible in a Year and The Catechism in a Year podcasts.
“Sin is when I say, ‘Listen God, I know what you want. I don’t care, I want what I want,'” Father Schmitz said. When people sin, he explained, they try to find happiness without God; but true happiness can only be found in him.
Conference participants were also instructed and inspired in their faith. The Making Missionary Disciples track had presenters including from Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, and Trent Horn. Bishop Cozzens is board chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress, while Horn is a convert who works for Catholic Answers as an apologist.
The presenters covered SEEK25’s theme “Follow Me” in 42 impact sessions.
Topics in the sessions included gender identity, sexual brokenness and social narcissism, drug use and artificial intelligence. While additional sessions centered on relationships: particularly healing, accompaniment, the sanctity of life and of marriage. Other sessions helped supply tools to lay leaders for their home parishes with sessions on presenting the Gospel, teaching prayer, building missionary disciples, leadership and the priesthood.
The conference had a special Mission Way, where vendors connected students to religious orders, education and services and other Catholic organizations.
OSV News reported that, Father Steve Mateja, a priest of the Detroit Archdiocese, brought a group of about 40 Oakland University students and campus ministry staff to SEEK25. Among his group were non-Catholics: four Protestants and two self-proclaimed atheists, he said.
“One kid just turns to me yesterday in small group and he says to me, ‘I want to become Catholic. Can I be baptized?'” Fr. Mateja said. “That’s the reason why we’re doing this. It’s to bring kids to Jesus Christ, to help them know the encounter that will be lifegiving for not just a day, not just at a conference, but to take with them beyond this, in that relationship with Christ.”
FOCUS was founded in 1998 to promote encounters like these, founder Curtis Martin said at a SEEK25 press conference.
Martin referenced his experience with SEEK in Cologne. “There were people from many Western European countries, and it’s a dark and challenging place there,” he said. “And I will tell you: When you’re in a dark cave, and you just light one candle, it is a game changer.”
“That’s called discipleship: I’m following you as you follow Christ,” Martin said.
SEEK25 final Mass of the Jan. 2-5 conference in Washington, had Archbishop Nelson J. Perez of Philadelphia as homilist on how the feast of the Epiphany — observed Jan. 5 — shows “the source of our hope” in Christ at the start of the church’s Jubilee Year of hope.
He emphasized to the young people gathered that “at the heart of what it means to be a Christian disciple” is believing that Jesus died and rose from the dead. And “because he did, we also will too, and there lies our hope.”
Archbishop Perez added that despite the beautiful Christmas nativities often displayed on holy cards and outdoors, Mary and Joseph in real-life experienced a lot of trouble as they carried out God’s will even with dangers like King Herod’s slaughter of the innocents.
“In the midst of that is the Emmanuel, ‘God is with us,’ reminding us to not let our hearts be troubled; to have faith in him,” he said.
“We might go back to the place we came from, but I know that grace has touched you; and you and I will also go back by another way,” he said, with “a changed heart.”
“Never, never, never underestimate the power of the spirit of God working in you, through you and despite you,” he said
FOCUS revealed that SEEK26 will take place at three U.S. locations — Columbus, Ohio; Denver and Fort Worth, Texas — Jan. 1-5, 2026.
Bishop Earl K. Fernandez from the Diocese of Columbus said at a press conference Jan. 3 that he was excited his diocese would host SEEK in 2026.
“As a diocese, I don’t think we can be reactive; we have to be proactive,” he said. “And I see SEEK bringing a lot of energy, spiritual energy to our diocese, elevating our whole diocese.”
Edited from OSV News
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