Person from Conception to Natural Death

VIRTUAL CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

SUPPORTS MILITARY YOUNG ADULTS

BY CASSANDRA “CASEY” LEE

Every year, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS) participates in the Fellowship of Catholic University Student’s (FOCUS) annual Catholic conference. This year’s conference, SEEK21, was unique in that it followed suit with many other national gatherings and took place virtually 4-7 February 2021. What remained the same was the Archdiocese’s commitment to partake in the event and support military young adult participants. The AMS served as a SEEK21 sponsor, which included the Office of Evangelization and the Office of Vocations working together to host a virtual booth where conference participants learned about the Archdiocese’s mission and the need for vocations to the military chaplaincy. In the booth, several videos shared information about discernment retreats, the life of a chaplain, and young adult ministry in the military. Throughout the conference, the AMS staff and AMS Co-sponsored Seminarians were available to meet with SEEK21 participants for question and answer sessions virtually.

Archbishop Broglio hosted a Holy Hour for Vocations in conjunction with SEEK21 on Saturday, 6

February at 7 PM Eastern time. The holy hour was live-streamed on the AMS Facebook page. All SEEK21 participants who visited the AMS sponsor booth and military young adults registered for the conference were invited to unite in prayer to increase vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

The Archdiocese supported this effort by inviting military young adults to gather for a small in-person group or a small digital group. 134 military young adults participated in SEEK21 from several various military installations to include: Norfolk Station, VA; Kings Bay, GA; Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Yokota AB, Japan; Camp Humphreys, South Korea; Laughlin AFB, TX; Luke AFB, AZ; Wiesbaden, Germany; Fort Polk, LA; NAF Atsugi, Japan; Fort Drum, NY; Fort Hood, TX; Camp Foster, Japan; and West Point, NY.

Of the small in-person groups, the experience varied with location and availability of chapel support. Seymour-Johnson AFB had a small group that was only able to participate virtually due to social interaction restrictions; however, the chapel hosted an Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for SEEK21 participants. The small group at

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ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT HELD IN THE SEYMOUR JOHNSON CHAPEL.

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SSGT. RYAN CAREL AND MRS. DARBY CAREL LEADERS OF THE SEYMOUR JOHNSON SMALL GROUP.

Camp Arifjan viewed some of the keynote sessions live when the timing matched off-hours from individual work schedules. Norfolk Station’s small group facilitated the SEEK21 experience in the small group leader’s home, and they had the support of one of the priest chaplains with a holy hour and Mass.

Yokota AB planned and organized their SEEK21 experience for two weeks after the scheduled conference due to the time difference, which would not have allowed them to livestream the keynote sessions. This allowed the young adult group to put a safety plan together to utilize the virtual conference’s chapel facilities. Father Mark Bristol, U.S. Navy chaplain, facilitated a SEEK21 experience on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, currently deployed at sea. Although internet connectivity was intermittent, he hosted a holy hour in conjunction with the International Prayer Vigil. Six Sailors participated in the holy hour, and for many of them, it was their first experience of adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Father Bristol shared that in the experience, “the Holy Spirit reminded us that we, even though we were in the middle of the ocean, we’re not alone.”

Military young adults who individually registered were invited and participated in a digital small group that the Office of Evangelization facilitated on a video teleconference application. Each day, the small digital group met online to pray and reflect on the keynote and impact sessions.

The FOCUS conferences always provide an opportunity for the faithful to encounter and grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church. SEEK21 was no exception to this, and the change to a virtual conference facilitated a small community experience that has impacted the lives intimately of many military young adults. V

SEEK21 SMALL GROUP AT CAMP FOSTER WITH FATHER JACK FITZPATRICK, LTJG, CHAPLAIN CORPS, U.S. NAVY. CAMP ARIF-JAN SMALL GROUP WATCHING A KEYNOTE SESSION.