Are you going to SLS20? If you’ve ever been to a FOCUS youth conference, you’ve no doubt been greatly encouraged.
That is, greatly encouraged by seeing ten thousand or more young Catholics around the country singing, praying and listening to so many good talks and participating in the joyful liturgies.
(Photos are from FOCUS’s SEEK2018 conference in Chicago)
SLS20 in Phoenix in December, sponsored by FOCUS, promises no less. The SLS20 website states that,
In a world that tells us anything goes, the Gospel of Christ’s love, mercy, and redemption needs to be shared and lived out more than ever before. We are called to know, love, and share Christ in every moment of our lives. We were made for this mission. At SLS20, be inspired and equipped to speak the Truth with conviction and receive the encouragement and training you need to become the missionary disciple you’re made to be.
The website of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy recently carried an article, “How to Prepare for the Experience of a Lifetime!” In it, readers are treated to tips on how to best prepare for the SLS20 conference. It contains a video of one of the speakers, Fr. Mike Schmitz, in which he outlines “4 Helpful Rules for Discernment.” The Mercedarian Friars USA have made an attractive infographic which summarizes the “4 doors of discernment.” They are:
- A Good Door? Is this a morally good choice? Or at least a neutral one?
- An Open Door? Is this a real possibility for me? If I’m trying to become an NBA basketball player, this door may not be open to me.
- A Wise Door? Who am I meant to be? Will this decision help me reach where I should be going?
- Do I Want It? Our heart’s desire is important. I need to take responsibility and make a decision.
Difficulty in making one’s vocational decision
The last door, “do I want it” is the one that most people get upset about, Fr. Mike Schmitz says in the video. This is true, because in our culture today, young persons seem in a quandary about finding and making a decision about their vocation, or their path in life. Thus, young Catholics who are committed to their faith often stumble when it comes to making big decisions.
Other speakers at the conference, such as Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, have also addressed this question. It seems to me that part of the problem is that there is a reluctance to make commitments in our culture. When you make one decision, such as marriage, or which college to attend or which job to take, you block out the other opportunities. But this is the only way you can move forward in your life.
This cultural indecision is widespread, not just within the Christian community. Thus, we see that fewer people in general in Western countries are choosing to get married. They choose the non-committal route of just living together. They don’t consider that this is just living in sin.
While we would not expect committed Catholic young people to do this, this cultural milieu of indecision affects their vocational choice as well. They express a willingness to follow God’s will, but seem unwilling to acknowledge that they are expected to pull the trigger in life’s decisions as well. One of the possible causes is that in their upbringing, parents have made too many decisions for them. Perhaps they have not demanded of them the decision-making themselves. They have hand-held them, helping them too much in making preparations for school classes, college preparations, and so on.
You might want to read my article on the three lessons I learned at the FOCUS2018 conference.
This is why the Mercedarian Friars’ article will help young people make progress on the vocational path, even if they do not attend the conference.
SLS20 – meet religious communities
Besides great speakers, musicians and uplifting liturgies, the SLS conference offers the opportunity to meet with scores of men’s and women’s religious communities around the country. There is a lot of growth and depth of spirituality and ministry among many of these communities. Often young people have little or no opportunity to see how God is working so strongly in our country today in their own home towns. At one of FOCUS’s annual conferences, they can see the growing numbers of young persons choosing these communities.
The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be at the conference with a display table. The vocation director is Fr. Daniel Bowen, O. de M. Fr. Daniel is one might say, full of the fire of the Holy Spirit. A convert to the Catholic faith, he says on the Order of Mercy’s biographies page that he was received into the Church on Easter Vigil at St. Gregory the Great Parish in South Euclid, OH in 1994. He recalls,
I will never forget that glorious evening, and that is also why the Easter Vigil Mass is still my favorite of the year…. in August 2006 I left my career, possessions, friends, and family and entered the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy.
Is your vocation with the Order of Mercy?
Are you a single Catholic man in the US age 18 – 35? Do you think that God may be calling you to religious life as a friar? Please visit the vocations page of the Order of Mercy, “Become a Mercedarian.” And if you are coming to the SLS20 conference, stop by their booth!
