By Gigi Duncan
Jan 5, 2026 / 16:28 pm
For thousands of college students, SEEK 2026 was more than a conference; it was a call to bring faith, courage, and joy back to their campuses and communities.
More than 16,100 students attended the Columbus, Ohio, event alone, part of a nationwide gathering by FOCUS that drew over 26,000 participants across Columbus, Denver, and Fort Worth, Texas. Over five days of Masses, adoration, talks, and fellowship, students were encouraged to reflect on how God is calling them to live their faith boldly in daily life.
The final day in Columbus featured keynotes from Catholic speaker and host of the Hallow app’s “Hallowed Be Thy Day” Lisa Cotter and Pete Burak, vice president of Renewal Ministries and co-director of Pine Hills Boy Camp. Their talks, like those of many presenters throughout the conference, focused on discipleship, evangelization, and a courageous response to God’s call.
Answering the call to evangelization
Cotter reflected on her first 250-person SEEK experience as a student over two decades ago, remembering: “I looked around thinking, ‘There are a lot of people here.’ Look at SEEK now with over 26,000 people! That’s ‘Jesus math.’”
Though she said she initially resisted a full-time mission with FOCUS out of fear, she eventually embraced the call to evangelize, sharing the faith with college students across the country. At SEEK, she encouraged participants to build relationships, live in truth, and invite others to encounter Jesus through the Holy Spirit. “Go home and do the same,” she said. “Tell them there’s a God who loves them, who sees them, who knows them, and who wants peace, joy, and hope for their lives.”
Burak, blending humor and personal reflection, echoed this call to action by using his experience on the University of Michigan basketball team to illustrate the importance of action. “I loved being on that team. I loved what we practiced — but when it came time to play, I hesitated,” he told students.
He drew a powerful lesson from St. Peter, whom he described as “brilliant, impulsive, chaotic. One moment he’s bold enough to walk on water, the next he sinks. He sees the Transfiguration and wants to build tents. He denies Jesus and then boldly proclaims him as Lord.”
Burak emphasized that Peter’s flaws did not disqualify him: “God can use our messy, impulsive, and broken parts to accomplish great things. Your mistakes, your doubts, your moments of fear — they don’t stop God from working through you. Look at Peter: impulsive, emotional, bold, scared. God said, ‘That’s exactly who I want.’”
He encouraged students to bring that courage home and to grow in faith while stepping into mission. “Growth fuels mission, and mission fuels growth. The Church and the world need you to say ‘yes,’ even when it feels messy or scary,” he said.
Students reflect on SEEK
For many attendees, this message as well as the conference as a whole left a lasting impression. Sydney Cushen, a student from Florida Atlantic University, described a radical conversion last year that led her to commit to attending SEEK. “I feel so at home here — like this is exactly where God wants me to be,” she said.
Her classmate Coreen Germinal, a returning attendee from last year’s Salt Lake City conference, reflected on the importance of community and personal encounters with God. “Adoration with 16,000 people was incredible. The priest with the monstrance walked directly in front of me — Jesus was right there, only a step away,” she said. She also noted the inspiration she found in unexpected reunions with friends and former mentors now living out their vocations.
Students from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Emmett McMorrow and Isaac Tremmel, highlighted the power of prayer and fellowship. “From the whole conference, I’ve learned that we’re not meant to do this alone. We need each other, and we need to all lean on the Lord together,” McMorrow said.
Tremmel added: “There’s a greater appreciation for peace and silence. Even in the busyness, we were encouraged to take time in our lives to pray.”
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Gabriel Wiechart from Michigan State University said the conference’s joy and respect among attendees stood out. “All the religious sisters and priests seem very joyful, and the students seem very happy and grateful to be here,” he said. “I hope my fellow MSU students and I can bring that back with us. That Christ-like joy naturally draws people in.”
‘Do not be afraid’
In the closing Mass, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, urged students to continue seeking Christ in daily life. Drawing on the feast of St. John Neumann, he encouraged them to trust God’s call, saying: “Do not be afraid. When Jesus calls you to follow him, he will give you the strength to persevere in whatever path he calls you to follow.”
The bishop also referenced Servant of God Michelle Duppong, a former FOCUS missionary whose cause for canonization is open, noting: “God continues to raise up saints for his Church today. Your life, your witness, can be part of that story.”
He reminded students that their faith was not merely for themselves but for the communities they would return to: their campuses, workplaces, and families. “Will people notice a difference in the way we live our lives?” he asked. “Will they see the joy of God’s love in our hearts, manifested in the fervent practice of our faith and in the way we treat each other with compassion and love?”
Bringing SEEK home
As students prepared to leave Columbus, the challenge of SEEK remained clear: Faith is not meant to stay at the conference. Cotter and Burak, along with Paprocki and the other speakers and religious leaders throughout the week, emphasized a life of discipleship grounded in courage, prayer, and relationships.
For young people, the takeaways were already taking root.
“No matter where you go, there is space for faithful young adults. I also realized ways I can be bolder in sharing my faith,” Cushen said.
Germinal added: “The Church is not dead — it’s very much alive, and the next generation is being actively formed.”
