In early January, hundreds of college students from colleges and universities across the Archdiocese attended the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) SEEK Conference in Columbus. SEEK is a five-day gathering where thousands of young adult Catholics come together to encounter Christ through prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, the sacraments, and dynamic speakers. In addition to students, many parish leaders from the Archdiocese participated in the “Making Missionary Disciples” track.
The SEEK experience offered a visible sign of the Holy Spirit at work in our Archdiocese. Young adults are being transformed as missionary disciples, and parishes are intentionally building cultures of mission. We invite you to be part of this movement. Strong college campus ministries are present at all of the major colleges and universities in the Archdiocese—both Catholic and secular—and a rich variety of young adult ministries can be found throughout the region. We are eager to support parishes in becoming more welcoming and engaging for young adults.
Next year, the FOCUS SEEK Conference will once again be held in Columbus. We encourage parish leadership to consider attending the “Making Missionary Disciples” track and to invite young adults from your parish to participate. In the meantime, we would be glad to partner with you as you continue to grow a young adult–friendly parish culture.
Fr. Matthew Summe
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AND REMINDERS
Behold Friday, February 13 | 7:00 PM St. Monica St. George
Mount St. Mary’s Seminarians & Queen City Catholic invite all young adults to join us for an evening of Adoration, prayer teams, music, the opportunity for Confession, and a social with beverages, food, and fellowship.
National Marriage Week February 7-14 is 2026 is National Marriage Week!
The celebration of National Marriage Week is an opportunity to focus on the beauty of building a strong and dedicated life together through the sacrament of matrimony. World Marriage Sunday will be celebrated on February 8th. This year's theme will be "Man and Woman, He Created Them: Together with Purpose."This theme honors the unique gifts of men and women, and how these gifts are expressed in a spirit of complementarity.The USCCB Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, & Youth is offering various resources to all dioceses for those discerning marriage, engaged individuals, and those already living the vocation of marriage. Resources include an at-home week-long retreat, a marriage-centered Lectio Divina, a preaching resource, and flyers for parishes. Visit USCCB and For Your Marriageto access the resources.Please reach out to Adriana Vasquez, the Managing Director, of the Marriage & Family Evangelization team at avasquez@catholicaoc.org with any questions.
Sacramental Hub for Young Adults
We are launching a sacramental hub for young adults in the Cincinnati area. Join us for a bi-weekly night of Adoration, Confession, and Mass. The next meeting date is Tuesday, January 27.
The Rite of Election of Catechumens (and the Calling of Candidates to Continuing Conversion) will be celebrated as usual on the First Sunday of Lent, February 22, 2026.
This important Lenten ritual is for catechumens preparing for full initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion) at the Easter Vigil 2026. Also invited are those baptized Christians who are seeking to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church this Easter and have been preparing alongside the catechumens. (Please remember that non-Catholic Christians may be received into full communion any time during the year.)
Celebrations will take place at 2pm (English) at Immaculate Conception Church in Dayton and 2pm (English) at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter-in-Chains. Archbishop Casey will preside for a single celebration in Spanish at 7pm at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Liberty Township.
Families of Parishes may choose from any of the liturgies for their group to attend, based on geography, timing, or language; there will be no deanery-specific assignments.
Please RSVP by Jan 31 to ensure the names of catechumens and candidates are included on the website, as well as adequate seating for parish groups.
Seek RRM Not IVF for Infertility A Message from Deacon David Ulmer
This first week of ordinary time we read in the book of Samuel about Hannah and her aching, longing for a child. Today, about 1 in 4 women (aged 15-49) with no prior births face difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. Even though advances in restorative reproductive medicine (RRM) are growing, many women are still being directed toward in vitro fertilization (IVF) as the answer.
Catholic teaching deems IVF intrinsically immoral because it separates procreation from the conjugal act, reducing it to a technical procedure. It typically produces excess embryos destined for destruction or freezing—acts equivalent to abortion and gravely sinful. The cost is not only high financially, but it undermines the dignity of the person and the value of life in society.
Bishop Burbage of the Diocese of Arlington has a beautiful pastoral message on the Christian family, in vitro fertilization, and heroic witness to true love.
