Steubenville Conferences

Tap here to download a printable version of these questions, found on pages 14-16 of the Steubenville Live Resource Guide.

Reflection & Discussion Questions

These questions are provided to guide your reflections and discussions after each session and can be used in a small group or family setting.

If you are participating on your own and not able to join in discussion with others, try writing your reflections down in a journal to share with someone later.

A printable version of these questions can be found on pages 14-16 of the Steubenville Live Resource Guide.

Friday Session | Jesus Our Hope

Invite your small group to spend a few minutes with their eyes closed, imagining the scene of the Gospel story and themselves as one of the apostles on the boat. Read it first to remind them what they heard in the talk. What did you see, smell, hear, taste, and/or touch? What was the sea like? What was the boat like? How did you feel? What did you do? What did Jesus look like? What did Jesus do?
What two words would you use to describe your relationship with God right now?
How have you seen Jesus working in your life during the past few months?
What different types of reactions to stress and anxiety have you seen during the pandemic?
Describe a “storm” you have experienced in your life. Did you experience Jesus’ presence? How?
What’s a situation, fear, or anxiety in your life of that you’ll need to let go to be fully present to what God wants to say to you this weekend?
How would you define hope? What does it mean to say that hope is a gift?
Have you had an experience of losing hope or being let down by a person or a situation? Did that affect your understanding of God?
In the Letter to the Hebrews, it says we have hope as an anchor. How does Jesus anchor us during difficult times? Where have you seen Jesus anchor you in your life?
What is one thing you would like God to do in your life?

Saturday Session 1 | Hope Does Not Disappoint

What is the difference between the hope the world offers and the hope Jesus offers?
What are some things, people, situations, etc., in which you have placed your hope? Have you been disappointed?
What does God promise us?
How can you relate to Abraham? Have there been situations in your life where you have been called to trust?
What is one practical thing you want to do to help you grow in trust and hope in God’s faithfulness?
Is there someone in your life who has been an example of trust in God? How did they exemplify trust?
What do you think Jesus would say to you when you are confused, uncertain, afraid, etc.?

Saturday Session 2 | Hope in Prayer

How do you typically like to pray?
Do you find it hard to pray? Why?
How can you turn to Jesus in prayer during fears, anxieties, challenging situations, etc.?
Describe a time when prayer helped you in a difficult or uncertain situation.
Have you ever experienced peace or rest in your time of prayer? How would you describe that experience? What was it like?
What was your experience of the prayer time after the talk?
Did God say anything particular to you? Did anything stick out to you in the time of prayer?
How can you incorporate what you learned in the talk into your everyday life?
How do you want to grow in prayer in your daily life?
How can you pray at home?

Saturday Session 3 | Hope Alive

Invite your small group to spend a few minutes with their eyes closed, imagining the scene of the Gospel story and themselves as Peter. Read it first to remind them what they heard in the talk.
What did you see, smell, hear, taste, and/or touch? What was the sea like? What did Jesus look like? How did you feel? What did you do? What did Jesus do?
What would change in your life if you belonged to Jesus and started living more for him?
Describe a time in your life where you can relate to Peter stepping out of the boat.
Why might it be challenging to “step out of the boat” and follow Jesus? How can Jesus help you with those challenges?
Jesus rebukes Peter for his little faith, yet Peter was the only one who got out of the boat. How do you think the rest of the apostles felt?
What do you think is the relationship between faith and trust in this story?
Hope longs for a future good that is difficult to attain. Supernatural hope longs to be united to God for all eternity and is impossible to attain without God’s grace. How does God’s grace work in your own life? How would you define grace and its work?
Despair is a sin that opposes hope; it is the thought that your sins are greater than God’s mercy. What causes people to lose hope? Why do you think some people fall into despair? What can people do to overcome despair? (Note: We are not talking about depression, but despair.)
Describe a time in your life when a challenging situation or suffering ended up having a good outcome.
What did God do in your heart tonight during eucharistic adoration? Did he speak anything specifically to you? (Note: Even if you didn’t feel anything, God is still working in our lives and calling us to an intimate relationship with him.
Next time you are faced with fear, uncertainty, suffering, and/or anxiety, what will you do? How will you respond?
What did you hear or experience this weekend that gives you hope?

July 17, 2020July 17, 2020

Live Chat, Q&A and Polls

During the livestream, this is where you will find the interactive features such as the live chat, Q&A, and live polls!

Tap here to participate in the Live Chats, Q&A, and Polls!

Worship Song List

Worship Song List for 2020

Below is a list of songs that will potentially be played at some point during the conference weekend.

Find these songs on your favorite music streaming platform and create a playlist so you can be more familiar with the music and joyfully join in during the times of sung worship. Or if you are providing live worship at your parish, share this list with your worship team!

Abba 
All the Poor and Powerless 
Amazing Grace 
Be Lifted High 
Beautiful is Your Love 
Christ is Come 
Creator of the Stars 
Divine Mercy 
Do What You Want to  
Fierce 
Fight my Battles 
Fragrance of Your Love 
Freedom  
Glorious Day  
God of Revival 
Good, Good Father 
Great are You, Lord 
Here at the Cross 
Holy God We Praise Thy Name 
Holy Spirit 
Hope Comes Alive 
How He Loves 
I am Not Alone 
I will Exalt You 
In the Silence 
King of My Heart 
Living Hope
No Longer Slaves 
O Come to the Altar 
Reckless Love 
Relentless  
Revelation Song 
Rise and Sing 
Set a Fire 
Sing Hallelujah  
Stand in Your Love  
That We Might Live 
This is Amazing Grace  
Wake 
Way Maker
We Come to You 
What a Beautiful Name 
When I see You 
Where you Are  
Who You Say I am 
Wildfire  
You are the Light

July 17, 2020March 3, 2021

Steubenville Live Code of Conduct

Please read the following rules carefully, as they provide information about engaging in the interactivity aspects of Steubenville Live, the livestreamed high school youth conference hosted by Franciscan University of Steubenville, in a way that is respectful and lawful. By using, or submitting material to, Steubenville Live (via the below detailed interactivity tools and methods) you agree that you have read, understood, accept, and agree to abide by, the below rules.

The interactive tools and methods include:

The live chat, live Q&A, and live polls accessible by logging into the livestream of Steubenville Live.
Prayer intentions, group discussions (available via the “Connect” button on the Steubenville Live app), features/games (available via the “Interact” button on the Steubenville Live app) and any other buttons available via the Steubenville Live app that may allow interactivity with other viewers, groups, or individuals.
Any social media posts (graphics or text) containing Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville Conferences, or Steubenville Live references, tags, and/or hashtags.

Please use all platforms and tools available for interactivity in congruence with Steubenville Live with great charity and responsibility. We, the Steubenville Conference Office, are pleased to allow our Steubenville Live viewers to interact with us and one another, and it is our mission to uphold an environment of positivity and encouragement throughout the duration of Steubenville Live. Furthermore, by engaging in these interactivity tools and methods, you agree to post, send and receive messages, and content that are proper and related to the particular topic being streamed at Steubenville Live.

The purpose of these interactive tools and methods are as follows:

1. Live Chat – The live chat allows Steubenville Live viewers to engage with one another throughout the duration of the conference weekend – to create a space for community, positivity, and support for one another. Avoid crude, explicit, provocative or suggestive language.
2. Q&A – The Q&A opportunities are provide education and deeper understanding of the content being discussed throughout the talks and sessions during Steubenville Live. Please use these opportunities to ask questions that will further your own and other’s understanding of the Catholic faith. Avoid crude, explicit, provocative, or suggestive language.
3. Polls – The Steubenville Conference Office will utilize polls throughout Steubenville Live to collect live viewer data so we can better understand our viewers and their needs. Please respond to such polls with honesty and integrity.
4. Steubenville Live App – We have created all elements of the Steubenville Live app with the intention to allow for a highly engaging and interactive virtual conference. This app provides Steubenville Live participants with access to all the necessary information and interactive features you will need in order to have the best possible conference experience.
5. Social Media – The use of social media within the Steubenville Live experience allows interaction between participants, ministry team members, and staff and creates a space for participants to share about their experience of the event. Avoid crude, explicit, provocative, or suggestive language.

When using these interactivity tools and methods (as defined above), you agree that you will not post, send, submit, publish, or transmit material that:

You do not have the right to post, including proprietary material of any third party, such as files containing software or other material protected by intellectual property laws (or by rights of privacy or publicity);
Advocates illegal activity or discusses an intent to commit an illegal act;
Is vulgar, obscene, pornographic, or indecent;
Does not pertain directly to this event (Steubenville Live);
Threatens or abuses others, libels, defames, invades privacy, stalks, is obscene, pornographic, racist, abusive, harassing, threatening or offensive;
Seeks to exploit or harm children by exposing them to inappropriate content, asking for personally identifiable details or otherwise;
Harvests or otherwise collects information about others, including e-mail addresses, without their consent;
Violates any law or may be considered to violate any law;
Impersonates or misrepresents your connection to any other entity or person or otherwise manipulates headers or identifiers to disguise the origin of the content;
Falsifies or deletes any author attributions, legal or other proper notices or proprietary designations or labels of the origin or source of software or other material contained in a file that is permissibly uploaded;
Advertises any commercial endeavor (e.g., offering for sale products or services) or otherwise engages in any commercial activity (e.g., conducting raffles or contests, displaying sponsorship banners, and/or soliciting goods or services) except as may be specifically authorized on by Steubenville Live;
Solicits funds, advertisers or sponsors;
Includes programs that contain viruses, worms and/or Trojan horses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications;
Disrupts the normal flow of dialogue, causes a screen to scroll faster than other users are able to type, or otherwise act in a way which affects the ability of other people to engage in real time activities via this site;
Includes MP3 format files;
Amounts to a pyramid or other like scheme, including contests, chain letters, and surveys;
Disobeys any policy or regulations including any code of conduct or other guidelines, established from time to time regarding use of these interactivity tools and methods or any networks connected to the site on which Steubenville Live will be streamed; or
Contains hyperlinks to other sites that contain content that falls within the descriptions set forth above.

Consequences

Should anyone be found to misuse the interactive tools and methods (defined above), the Steubenville Conference Office reserves the right to delete and/or report such inappropriate comments, questions, responses, and/or posts from the live chat, Q&As, polls, Steubenville Live app, and/or social media. Should a viewer be found to misuse the interactive tools and methods on numerous occasions, the viewer will be banned/blocked from utilizing the interactive tools for the duration of the conference.

Sean Forest

Sean Forrest is a missionary, author, singer/songwriter, and evangelist. He co-founded Haiti180 and serves as president. Haiti180 serves the poorest of the poor through its orphanage, school, nursing home/elderly care, and state-of-the-art medical clinic. To come on a mission or to help, visit haiti180.com.

July 17, 2020November 24, 2020

Submit Your Prayer Intentions

Prayer Intentions

Submit your prayer intentions here! These will be prayed for at Mass during the conference and by the Steubenville Conferences team at our staff prayer times.

Tap here to submit your prayer intentions!

July 17, 2020July 17, 2020

Give Us Your Feedback (Surveys)

During the conference, we will post links to mini surveys after each session. Check back here to give us your feedback and let us know how what your experience has been!

Friday Session

Saturday Session 1

Saturday Session 2

Saturday Session 3

Final Feedback

Visit the Virtual Marketplace!

Check out our official virtual marketplace! With the promo code HOPEALIVE all vendors will offer a 15% discount off of your purchase!

Tap here to be taken to the Steubenville Live Virtual Marketplace!

July 17, 2020June 12, 2023

Surveys

Check back soon; we want your feedback!

Scavenger Hunt Ideas

Scavenger Hunt

Hunt around your parish to find the following items. This can be done in small groups or individually. Ensure that every group has a camera of some kind, as some of the items require pictures! If you are participating from home, see how many of these you can find around your own house or neighborhood!

Statue/icon/image of Mary – say a Memorare for someone you know that is sick
Favorite place to pray
Image/statue/medal of your patron saint – say a prayer, asking for their intercession
Depiction of the Holy Spirit (candle, dove image, etc.)
Crucifix – meditate on Christ’s Passion for a moment
Green space (flowers in or outside of church, backyard at home) – thank God for his beautiful creation
Sanctuary of your church – stop and pray
Something Franciscan (e.g., FUS gear, tau cross, three-knot rope, St. Francis statue, picture of Assisi
The most beautiful rosary you can find –say a decade of it for your parish or family community
Retreat/Steubenville T-shirt – share a memory with your group from that retreat/conference
Bible – take a picture of your favorite verse
Saint book – share your favorite quote from that saint
Encyclical or the Catechism
Your youth group or family (selfie time!)
Take a picture of your best chalk art and submit it (mentions us and use the hashtag #Steubielive)
Take a picture outside the sacristy and say an Our Father for the priests
Take a picture with the vocations poster and pray for vocations
Take a picture of your favorite piece of art/statue in your church or your home

Virtual Scavenger Hunt at Home

You don’t need to leave the house to have a fun scavenger hunt! This list has many items that are probably already in your houses (or fridges!). To raise the stakes, try offering a prize to the first person in your group to submit pictures of everything on the list. The list below is just suggestions, so feel free to get creative and make your own list for your group or family!

Soy sauce
Steubenville T-shirt from last year
A family pet
A stuffed animal
The biggest coffee mug you can find
A textbook
A board game
A piece of sports equipment
A pool noodle
A box of pasta
A candle
A decorative pillow
A houseplant
A magnet
A deck of cards
A flashlight
Toilet paper (extra points for every roll)
A toaster
Chips and salsa

Schedule Information

All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
The livestream will begin 30 minutes to an hour before the programming, to give you time to test your connection.
Throughout the livestream programming and pre-session and post-session shows, we are excited to offer live polls, a live chat, Q & A, behind-the-scenes looks, ministry team interviews, man–on–the–street interviews, additional videos, and more!
There will not be small group time during the scheduled sessions–only as an option during Recharge/Break time. We encourage you to meet with your group prior to the livestream as well, for more opportunities for community building.

2020 Theme | Hope Alive

“Hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:5

Many of us live in the midst of uncertainty, suffering, and loss, and it can be difficult to find hope that will last. Often, in our desire for peace and joy, we place our hope in the wrong things and only find disappointment. Jesus Christ offers us a hope that does not disappoint. When we place our hope in him, he walks with us in our loss, helps us endure, redeems it, and makes us come alive. Step out of loneliness, sadness, fear, and anxiety today and experience hope alive.

July 17, 2020July 9, 2020

How to Lead a Small Group

Remember to:

Keep your questions open-ended. Avoid yes/no questions.
Be comfortable in the silence. Silence is okay in a small group. Sometimes people need time to process the questions before answering them.
Avoid talking too much. This is a time for your group members to process their thoughts. If they have questions or need mentoring, give a shorter answer and let them know you can talk more together after the small group time. Remember that this is a journey and allow them to be where they are in the journey. Exemplify patience!
Choose the questions you think are best for your group. The questions in the next section are meant to prompt you to ask further questions and facilitate conversation among the group. You do not need to ask every question. Feel free to ask follow-up questions as your group members process their experiences. You can ask even more specific questions about the keynote content.
Focus on your small group. Your primary concern should be developing relationships with your small group. If everyone does this, each group member has someone that is focused on getting to know them.

Some Dos and Don’ts:

Don’t be afraid; you’ve been given this small group for a reason.
Don’t be dominant; this is your group members’ time to process the talks.
Don’t push too hard; take note if someone isn’t talking and approach them outside of small group time.
Don’t make your small group your identity.
Don’t be afraid to let your group members sit in silence.
Don’t move on from a fruitful conversation just to get through all the small group questions.
Don’t get into individual conversations that exclude the rest of the group.
Do love your group members for who they are and where they are.
Do find out about the family lives and spiritual lives of your group members.
Do seek out the quiet ones and get them involved.
Do listen more than you speak; watch your group members and respond to their needs.
Do create an accepting environment.
Do be real; be yourself.
Do pray for each member of your small group.
Do model the behavior you expect from your group members.
Do ask open-ended questions that need more than a one-word answer.

Friday | Live

5:30 pm (EDT)

Live Stream Begins

*Note: The live stream will begin at this time to allow you to test your connection. Programming will begin with the Steubenville Live Pre-show.

6:00 pm

Steubenville Live Pre-show

6:30-9:15 pm

Gathering Music
Welcome and Introduction
Keynote: Jesus Our Hope
Eucharistic Adoration
(approximately 8:20-8:50 pm)
Confession Preparation

9:15-9:30 pm

Steubenville Live Post-show

Theme T-shirt | Order Yours Now!

Show Your Steubenville Spirit!

Keep the hope alive and commemorate your participation in the first-ever virtual Steubenville youth conference with our exclusive Hope Alive t-shirt!

Pricing (does not include shipping):

1-9 shirts: $20 per shirt
10-29 shirts: $18 per shirt
30+ shirts: $16 per shirt

The final day to order is July 20th so make sure to tap here to order yours now!

July 17, 2020July 20, 2020

Thematic Overview

Friday Night | Jesus Our Hope

Jesus Christ is our hope. He is present to us, even if we do not always feel his presence. Through the Scripture passage about the calming of the storm at sea (Luke 8:22-25), we want to illustrate that Jesus is present in the storms both within us and outside of us. Our hope is in him alone; this offers us great peace and joy. This hope is an anchor to our soul.

Saturday Session 1 | Hope Does Not Disappoint

Jesus offers us a hope that does not disappoint. When we place our hope in worldly things or idols, they will fail and disappoint us. God is faithful to his promises, and to fully see that, we must understand what God has promised us. We will unpack God’s promises and offer practical ways to fully trust in God’s faithfulness–what it means to truly have living hope.

Saturday Session 2 | Hope in Prayer

Our prayer life is the foundation of our relationship with Jesus Christ. In times of trial, we turn to him, our rock. We want to share why and how to pray, especially in the midst of suffering and uncertainty. “My soul, be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope” (Psalm 62:5).

Saturday Session 3 | Hope Alive

By his death and resurrection, Jesus has overcome sin and death. He is alive and invites us to share in his life. Through the Scripture story of Jesus calling Peter to step out of his boat and walk on water, we want to illustrate Jesus’ call for each us to keep our eyes fixed on him and hope in him in the midst of fear. Jesus sends his Holy Spirit to give us courage and strength to step out of the boat and hope in him.

How to Pray with Someone

Ask the person if anyone has ever prayed with them before. If not, first explain prayer ministry and intercession: It is asking someone to pray for them, and instead of the other person praying alone later, he or she will pray for them out loud right away.
Ask them if there is anything specific on their heart for which they would like prayers.
Begin with prayers of gratitude for the person, for God’s love of them, and for what God is doing in their heart.
Offer their intentions out loud. Always bring them to Christ and direct your prayer and focus to him.
Note: If a Scripture or an image comes to mind that might be helpful for the person, discern whether it will be received well. If you decide to share it, make sure to explain that God will sometimes speak through Scripture or images and encourage them to continue to pray with it and see how God is speaking to them through it.
Close the time with a prayer that can be prayed out loud together (Hail Mary, Our Father, Glory Be, etc.).
Encourage them to continue to seek God in prayer. Also, encourage them to continue to talk with someone about what God is doing in their life and, if needed, help them to seek additional help through counseling, spiritual direction, mentorship, etc.

Family Discussions (For Parents)

Many parents find it difficult to start faith discussions with their teens. Often, it is something that was not a part of their own upbringings. If this is you, here are a few tips to help to ease any of your worries about having a fruitful faith-based discussion with your children:

Say a prayer to the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide your children and help them to be open to his grace.
Young people have profound spiritual hunger. While they might not have a strong devotion to the Catholic faith, they are looking for meaning and purpose in their lives. Talking to them about their thoughts and feelings regarding the faith helps them to seek and find the answers they need.
Even teens who are engaged in their faith have many deep questions and concerns. Being a young person today is hard. Much of what is going on in their lives is hiding beneath a veneer of “having it all together.” Sometimes it only takes one question and one moment for them to let you into their lives.
Despite what many in the media say, you still are the strongest influence on your children. Even just asking a question communicates that you care.
Give your teens freedom to be honest. Their answers may not be perfect, but you want honesty and authenticity. Affirm their honesty.
Spend more time listening than talking during small group time.
Be authentic about your own spiritual journey. Share about your faith when you were a teen. Answer the questions honestly along with your teens.
Be patient with your children if they don’t open up to you right away.