Western Kentucky University students attending SEEK25 in Salt Lake City, Utah, take a group picture before the send-off Mass and before flying home on Jan. 5, 2025. COURTESY OF STEVEN MAHONEY

BY WKC STAFF

Editor’s note: SEEK25, a conference organized by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) took place in two locations this past January. A group from Western Kentucky University’s St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center attend the Jan. 1-5 conference in Salt Lake City. Below are several reflections from WKU students who attended. To learn more or register for one of next year’s three SEEK locations, visit https://seek.focus.org.

God is patient

By Carrie Peredo

I am a senior studying interior design at Western Kentucky University. I grew up a cradle Catholic, resenting early Sunday Mass and going through the motions of the Catholic faith. At 14, my parents divorced, and my father became absent from my life. By 18, I had left home and turned to alcohol, drugs, and toxic relationships as coping mechanisms. One random Wednesday in my sophomore year of college, I attended a bible study led by a FOCUS missionary to try and understand how Jesus’ sacrifice could really absolve all of humanity’s sins.

I believed my lifestyle had harmed God too much for forgiveness. After the study, my missionary, Margaret, spent three hours with me, discussing my doubts and ultimately inviting me to SEEK to help me find answers. This year marks my third and final SEEK conference as a student. God has been incredibly patient with my journey, transforming me from the broken girl who walked into a random bible study three years ago into the woman Christ so patiently and lovingly formed me into today. As I near graduation, I’ve prayed about my next steps. At SEEK 2025, during Adoration surrounded by 20,000 young adult Catholics, I felt God call me to missionary work, and through my melancholic tears, I accepted the call. FOCUS’s outreach provided me with resources to grow and sustain my faith, even in this new world where it’s more normalized to disregard Christ than to seek Him out.

I met Christ and so many other virtuous friends at SEEK. SEEK isn’t afraid to discuss the hard topics we so often sweep under the rug. I personally love and have reaped the benefits of FOCUS’s mission to serve the young adults of the world.

A banner of St. Joan of Arc, the patron saint of SEEK25, is seen as participants walk between sessions at Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Jan. 3. COURTESY OF MICHAEL VON HAEFEN

Running alongside each other

By Michael Von Haefen

Attending SEEK25 in Salt Lake City was more than just a conference; it was a transformation encounter with God that deepened my faith and reshaped my perspective on my relationship with Him.

At first, I was a little nervous about going to SEEK. I had a general idea of what to expect from what my sister had told me, but I didn’t know who else was going or how much I’d enjoy it. That all changed the moment I got off the plane and headed to baggage claim.

As I picked up my bag and scanned the crowd, I spotted someone I knew – Brennen, a guy from my bible study. He was with a large group of girls and guys from our Newman center. In that instant, I felt reassured, like God was already guiding me through this journey. I joined their group, and from that moment, the trip truly began.

At the conference, many talks resonated with me, but my favorite was Sarah Swafford’s session on relationships. She spoke about living with gift and grit, emphasizing the importance of giving your struggles to the Lord. She said to put them in a box, lay them at His feet, and then start running – looking not back, but side to side to see who’s running with you. Those are the people you should surround yourself with.

Her words inspired me to reflect on myself and the people in my life, leading me to reconsider who I should truly invest my time in. Moving into 2025, I’ll focus on surrounding myself with people who bring joy and help me grow closer to God. SEEK was an incredible experience, and I’m already looking forward to signing up for 2026 to deepen my faith and build even more meaningful friendships.

WKU students gather in front of the “You Are Here” art display outside the Salt Palace Convention Center on Jan. 5, 2025 on the final day of SEEK25. COURTESY OF WKU NEWMAN CENTER

Near Christ’s heart

By Mary Pikar

I was so excited to go to SEEK25. I had been the year prior and loved it. I hoped SEEK25 was going to give me the same experience that the year before did. And in more ways than one, it did, especially during Adoration.

When Adoration night came around, I was sitting on the floor. God put it on my heart to text my brother, who was going through a hard couple of years. As I was texting him, I couldn’t stop shaking. I wasn’t cold. I wasn’t nervous. Then suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm. It was one of the missionaries from school, Juliette. She asked if everything was okay and I told her I couldn’t stop shaking and that I was crying because my brother was going through a hard time and I felt I couldn’t help. She pulled me in for a hug. At first this seemed like an ordinary hug until I remembered a forgotten prayer from last year’s SEEK. Last year I was struggling having a relationship with Jesus because I felt abandoned. I felt like I couldn’t have a relationship with Him because He was not with me in flesh and blood. I believed in the full presence in the Eucharist; I still felt lonely. I wanted Jesus to hold me and to let me know everything was going to be all right. I knew Jesus wouldn’t necessarily come to me in His own flesh, so I prayed that He would send someone to give me a hug and to somehow let me know that was the hug from Him.

Suddenly my tears of sadness turned to tears of joy. Juliette was the answer to my forgotten prayer. Then a certain lyric stood out to me from one of the songs that was playing. The lyrics were: “I just want to be near Your heart.” Juliette was holding me on her left side and in that moment I heard her heartbeat and I knew that everything was going to be all right and immediately I stopped shaking. When Adoration concluded, I was still in awe of what happened and felt more on fire for Jesus than ever before.

This experience will never leave me lonely again. Even when it’s hard having a relationship with Jesus, I hope my story can help others see that Jesus is with us even when we don’t see or feel Him. It can be difficult to understand His overwhelming love for us. But he does love us, and he will show it in the most random moments just like He did for me.

Originally printed in the February 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.