More than 21,000 people have begun the new year seeking Jesus at the biggest Catholic young adult conference of the year in the U.S., being held in two locations. SEEK25, organized by Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), runs Jan. 1–5 in Salt Lake City and Jan. 2–5 in Washington, D.C.
The four-day program brings together Catholics from across North America. This year’s registration hit a new record with 17,274 paid participants in Salt Lake City. In addition to the second location in Washington, D.C., with a sold-out crowd of 3,355 registrants, SEEK also has a smaller conference in Cologne, Germany, this year with 486 registered attendees.
A large chunk of attendees in Salt Lake City have come from FOCUS campuses, where FOCUS missionaries help build Catholic communities on campus. About 11,084 students from FOCUS campuses were registered for SEEK, an increase of 16% since last year. Another 1,672 students came from non-FOCUS campuses, an increase of 36%.
The event also brought 46 bishops, up from the record-setting number of 44 last year.
While SEEK is geared to college students, adults on the “Making Missionary Disciples” track also attend the event as well as families with young children.
At the conference center, Salt Palace, SEEK attendees were full of life, lining the walls, filling the hallways, cheering and waving flags representing their various universities.
The exuberant crowd of mostly young adults grew quiet when the opening Mass began, which took place the night of New Year’s Day on the feast of Mary, Mother of God. The hymn “Sing of Mary” rang out as well over 100 priests processed through the main hall, including Salt Lake City’s Bishop Oscar Solis. It took two processional songs for all the priests to process in, kiss the altar, and take their seats.
During the homily, Solis focused on the new year as well as the 2025 Jubilee of Hope.
SEEK is known for its keynote talks, which this year are being livestreamed by EWTN.
The first keynote of the conference was Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor and author, who spoke about happiness. In his talk, Brooks highlighted how satisfaction isn’t permanent, and happiness comes from having meaning in life.
“Having meaning is key,” he told SEEK attendees. “The why of your life is paramount.”
Brooks noted that many in our culture have encountered a loss of meaning, which he connected with the mental health crisis. It’s hard to find happiness when you don’t know the “why” of your life, he said.
Sister Mary Grace, SV, an Australian Sister of Life and another keynote, focused on meaning, Christ, and God’s rest. She noted that all of us are “seeking true rest” and that “God can insert glory into every single story, to the exception and the exclusion of no one.
“Resting in peace was never just reserved for the faithful departed, or the retired, or those able to afford it,” Sister Mary Grace told the attendees. “Genesis itself reveals that God spent six days creating, but the culmination does not come to the seventh, when God rests and we take rest in him. God’s rest is the only remedy for heavy hearts.”
The conference continued in full swing on Thursday, Jan. 2, with a morning rosary followed by Mass. Incense still hung in the air as participants divided into separate halls for the men’s and women’s breakout sessions. Hoards of men marched off for a session with Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, president of Franciscan University, while the women gathered for a talk by Fallon Scanlan, a longtime FOCUS employee who spoke on what it means to be a woman.
The rest of the day was filled with breakout sessions from speakers including Tammy Peterson, podcaster and wife of psychologist and author Jordan Peterson, who spoke on gratitude and her recent conversion to Catholicism, and Trent Horn, Catholic Answers apologist and author, who shared his conversion story in a talk called “Why We Are Catholic.”
Between breakout sessions, attendees wandered around the “Mission Way,” a large section of booths manned by representatives of Catholic apostolates, colleges, and religious orders.
Taking the stage in the evening is Father Mike Schmitz followed by opportunities for prayer and community, including swing dancing and line dancing.
