As many rang in the New Year with gatherings and festivities, young Catholics from around the United States gathered in three cities – Columbus, OH; Denver, CO; and Fort Worth, TX – for SEEK 2026. This annual gathering of primarily college students and young adults also includes priests, religious, lay leaders, seminarians, and bishops.
More than 26,000 attendees gathered in the three host cities, with over 5,000 attending at our location in Fort Worth. I participated with a few other Redemptorists of the Denver Province: Fr. Chuong Cao, vocation director, Deacon Steven Urban, and my fellow seminarians Cody Hill, William Pasold, and Antonio Montoya.
Throughout the event, we handed out brochures, pins, and other trinkets while speaking to young people about discerning their vocation, and possibly a vocation to our Redemptorist way of life. What we could really see in Fort Worth and undoubtedly it was the same in Denver and Columbus was how young and vibrant the Catholic Church is in America. SEEK demonstrates that young people are the heart of today’s Church. Even in his opening message, Pope Leo XIV emphasized having a personal encounter with Jesus; spend a moment with him.
When I spoke with Deacon Steven about his first time experiencing the energy of so many young people at SEEK, he said that he was “impressed by the number of people and the energy that they had for learning and sharing.” He was surprised by the opportunities for confession available every day, as well as the number of people taking advantage of those opportunities. Seeing 50 priests hearing confessions of young adults in one room was a unique experience. “As I prepare for my ordination to the priesthood, SEEK gave me a lot of hope for the future of the Church. I look forward to returning to SEEK and joining the priests to hear confessions,” Steven said.
Although we were stationed at our booth promoting Redemptorist vocations, we also had the opportunity to attend the keynotes and various other presentations. Speakers liked Sr. Josephine Garett, a sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth, shared how they encountered Jesus Christ, and how we can come to encounter God as our father.
They connected with the young adults present. As a 23-year-old Redemptorist, I felt right at home praying, listening, and encountering with all of the participants.
SEEK gave all of us an opportunity to reflect on our own vocation stories, our own encounters with God, and most importantly, our lives as Redemptorists. Hopefully, sharing our own stories with so many young men and women will prompt them to respond to God’s call either as a Redemptorist, a Redemptoristine, or a Partner in Mission.
by Andrew Tran-Chung, C.Ss.R.
courtesy: Denverlink, Volume 19, Issue 03, January 23, 2026
SEEK 2026 is a major Catholic conference organized by FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), designed specifically for young adults and college students. The event is focused on helping participants encounter Christ through prayer, sacraments, inspiring talks, and community. The name “SEEK” reflects the central question Jesus asks in the Gospel: “What are you seeking?”—inviting attendees to reflect on their faith, vocation, and personal relationship with Jesus.
