For the past 20 years, FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) has welcomed more than 80,000 people to encounter the person of Jesus Christ and give their lives to him at its national conferences. This year’s SEEK21 is a conference like never before. In the midst of new obstacles, FOCUS is taking this unique opportunity to reach more people with the Gospel, casting its nets wider with renewed ardor and boldness and witnessing to the world that the Church is very much alive.
The new, interactive SEEK21, Feb. 4 – 7, 2021, is a small group conference, giving thousands of students, missionaries, alumni, parishioners, mission partners and benefactors opportunities to engage through a live experience built around attendees participating in their faith journey together at Catholic centers, parishes or living rooms where they are. They will gather as small groups to ask the big questions about joy, peace, hope and salvation. Never before has there been a Catholic conference of this magnitude focused on the Kerygma — the Gospel message itself. The energizing SEEK21 video is here: tinyurl.com/seek21. Registration is open at seek.focus.org.
Accompaniment is the heart of SEEK21 and this event is designed to help each person grow in community with others. SEEK21 welcomes people from every stage of their faith journey and every walk of life — anyone who wants to encounter Jesus Christ in a more personal way and share their faith with others.
FOCUS teams on each of the 171 campuses and nine parishes across the U.S. and Europe will organize group gatherings. On campuses, teams will collaborate with university chaplaincies to encounter and engage students in creative ways, such as setting up a space for live music, organizing spike ball and cornhole tournaments, building a quote wall and creating a selfie station.
SEEK21 can be scaled up or scaled down, depending on specific needs, restrictions and local guidelines, giving each host location flexibility to meet according to state and local regulations. Participants will be encouraged to follow necessary regulations and regularly review the CDC for guidance on social distancing and mask use.
Based on the description of the activity of the early disciples in the book of Acts, chapter 2:42, SEEK21 is built on a foundation of in-person small group experiences to encourage prayer, the sacraments, recreating and leisure activities, experiencing the talks together and diving deep into life-changing conversations. SEEK21 will provide attendees with opportunities to connect live with the main stage emcees, meet and interact with other groups from across the country and the world, and connect with sponsors, speakers and other students, alumni or other parishioners.
Speakers will fly to live audiences in different cities every day. Speakers for SEEK21 include Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, Sr. Bethany Madonna, S.V., Fr. Michael Schmitz, Curtis Martin, Dr. Jonathan Reyes and Dr. Edward Sri. Many additional speakers and entertainment will be announced soon.
Tens of thousands of Catholics around the world will join in a worldwide prayer vigil begging God for an outpouring of His Spirit, healing in today’s culture and our Church, and for the evangelization of all nations. Attendees will rally together as a Universal Church to experience Eucharistic Adoration in unprecedented ways, which includes live adoration happening simultaneously across the globe.
The cost is $50 for students at FOCUS campuses through Dec. 15. The registration price for non-students is $129 for individuals and a special group price of $449 for up to 10 participants. Special group pricing for parishes is available as well. Every registered attendee will receive a physical companion box to guide them along the journey, both during and after the event. Post-event resources will ignite and stoke the fire of evangelization, helping launch students, alumni, parishioners and all attendees into mission post-SEEK.
More information and registration are at seek.focus.org.
