Here I Am Lord conference
A young woman’s cynical comment about a dismal future has prompted an annual vocations conference in the Chicago area, and now the meeting is expected to draw three thousand young persons.
The annual Here I Am Lord conference, to be held March 5 – 8 in St. Charles, IL, about 30 miles west of Chicago, promises to change the lives of young people seeking their calling in life. “They will learn that marriage, single life, the priesthood, religious life as a brother, sister, and nun are all vocations in the eyes of God and the Church,” states the group’s website at www.hereiamlord.net.
The annual conference, started in 2002 by St. Patrick Catholic Church director of youth ministry Mike Zak, was begun on an inspiration that resulted from a teenage girl’s pessimistic statement that her milestones in life would include college, a job, marriage, and then divorce.
“Her comment struck a chord with me because it spoke of the realities that so many of our young people face: The reality of divorce,” Zak said.
The youth director talked over his concern with another youth minister, who said that the answer lay in teaching others about the idea of vocations – finding one’s God-given calling in life. Zak found himself saying, “Somebody should be doing something about that! Somebody, but not me.”
Despite his reluctance, Zak found himself organizing what would become the nation’s largest parish-based youth conference. The conference this year will feature well-known lay persons as well as priests and religious. Held in the Rockford Diocese, the program is working with parishes in the nearby Joliet Diocese as well. Three thousand youth, from grade school into those in their 20’s, are expected to participate.
The event’s website, at www.hereiamlord.net, serves as a good starting point for youth seeking their vocation in life. It features photos of religious communities as well as other sources for finding God’s will in one’s life.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
