Is Faith Still Alive in America?

After Pope Francis’s trip to the United States, Fox News ran a segment posing this question: Is faith still alive in America? When you listen to the statistics—like that only 24% of Catholics attend Mass now as opposed to 55% in 1955—you might have your doubts. But this secular news segment told a different story (CARA study, Georgetown).

The special profiled Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a faithful young religious order of Dominican Sisters, and Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio.

The host was surprised by the vibrancy of the students’ faith and their love and dedication to the Church, but anyone familiar with Franciscan University knows that they have long been a center of religious enthusiasm, both through their university as well as their adult and teen conferences held in Ohio and around the country.

If you asked a participant of a Steubenville Conference whether faith was dead in America, they wouldn’t hesitate before answering: “Come and see.”

Every summer, thousands of Catholics make the pilgrimage to Franciscan University to have their faith renewed, their spirits refreshed, and to be equipped to not only live the faith but to share it with others. Like the vastly popular youth conferences also offered by the University, the five annual adult conferences strengthen men and women in their vocations and reignite their love for the Lord.

You wonder whether faith is still alive in America? Glance into the Defending the Faith Conference, where men and women dedicate a weekend to prayer, community and delving more deeply into their faith. At Defending the Faith and the dynamic Power and Purpose conference, whether they are listening to an inspiring speaker, praising the Lord for His greatness or spending time in the beautiful Franciscan University Grotto, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is working here.

For those who teach the faith, the St. John Bosco Conference offers intensive tracks on how to communicate the faith effectively. These participants don’t just go to Church on Sunday, they love their faith so much that they regularly sacrifice time and effort to teach it to others. Then, at the Applied Biblical Studies Conference, men and women don’t just study the Bible, they seek to understand these timeless truths and apply them to their lives. They recognize that the Bible is a invaluable gift from God, relevant to each of our daily lives.

And then there are the clergy members who live out their vocations so fully that they even spend their time off with God! The Priests, Deacons, and Seminarians retreat draws men from around the country who want to refuel their own spiritual lives so that they can greatly increase their capacity to serve others.

So if you’re wondering whether there is any faith is left in America, here is just one place that can demonstrate what all the fruits that a life lived with Christ can offer. Registration for the 2016 conferences opens October 12, 2015. You can check them out at www.steubenvilleconferences.com.