“Each speaker has really reiterated how much the Lord just loves us unconditionally. Heather Khym said you have to be like a zipline: You have to be tethered to Him and trust in that security. You can’t get over any cavern without that. That’s what’s really resonating with my heart a lot this week, just to be first rooted in Him and confident in His love for me. And then, only then, can I really go out and serve other people and share His love with others.”

One takeaway is “We really need to be way more inclusive and really open up our friendships to all those around us, not just our best friend or that one person from Bible study, but open up to everybody to really enter and bring out new character traits of you, of other people around you, to foster good and healthy community. And I think I really want to take that piece back to Lindenwood, back to our Catholic Student Union.”

In the months after attending SEEK23 last year, “I was pretty well rooted in my faith and what I knew, but it gave me a whole new perspective on it. I was able to form my own faith life and form a daily habit of prayer, and be able to go to the sacraments regularly. It gave me that push, gave me that confidence, to know that my identity is in Christ.”

At SEEK24, “One thing that a speaker said that caught me by surprise is that we should have the same relationship with the Word of God as we do with the Eucharist. So first off, I want to get into a regular form of prayer with Scripture. And then I want to take that to my Bible study and push them to do the same. I think that we also need to work on taking opportunities when they arise. There’s always chances to grow deeper, but if you don’t take them, then they don’t bear fruit. So have that confidence and take that leap.”

“These aren’t just hype talks, they’re more, ‘how are you actually going to live this out in your life?’ talks. I went to a breakout session with Msgr. Shea, and he talked about being a saint. …We’re living in a post-Christian worldview, and he talked about how the saints from thousands or hundreds of years ago didn’t do this because it was easy, they did it even though it was really hard. That’s where the encouragement came in. We’re here for a purpose, we’re not here just to mosey through life.”

One takeaway is “I want to go to the people who need help and love. And I feel like we’ve been hearing that a lot in our Church recently: to love others. And I feel like a lot of these speakers have been telling us to do that. Like no matter where you are, Catholics should never scream evil — they should always scream love and joy.”

Last year as a freshman, “I wasn’t super involved at Newman, and I wasn’t super involved with my faith. All it took was one person in my sorority inviting me to come to Mass, and then join the Bible study. I have met this group of girls who are Catholic and have have the same values that I want to possess and are good role models for me. It’s inspired me to keep striving for more.”

A first-time SEEK attendee, Paige said, “from where I was last year to where I am now, I feel like I have grown so much. I want to go back and help to bring more people just how they brought me. There are so many girls I know in my sorority and outside of it who were baptized as Catholic but don’t practice. I feel like sometimes it’s reaching out and inviting them. That’s what really changed me.”

SEEK24 “has given me more of an awe for God. I’ve been so in awe of His goodness in everything. Especially during adoration and sitting there, I was just so delighted to be with Him. And you don’t even have to say anything. And He just delights in you as well. I could have sat there all day.

“I want to love the people around us better — at Newman and outside of it. We don’t have to try to convert all the people in our lives, but just love them, and the rest is God’s job. It’s how we can be His hands, heart and feet here.”

As a return SEEK attendee and helping as one of several host campuses this year, “last year I was all about what can I receive and how can that help me grow. This year, my main focus was based on how I am serving and how that can help others grow.”

After SEEK23, Carter and several other men from Mizzou started an Exodus 90 group. This year at SEEK, he learned more about “encouraging men to live out their vocations and what they are called to. After hearing that these past three days, what I am taking the most out of it is, not only do I need to lead myself there and get myself to God as a good man, but also the brotherhood aspect in being there for my fellow men and helping lead them through their struggles. We can’t do it on our own.”