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Over the few days leading up to the New Year, I attended the Rise Up conference in Halifax. The Jesuits of English Canada were one of the sponsors of the event and I was asked to attend on our behalf, while our vocation director went to the sister conference in Saskatoon. This annual event, organised by Catholic Christian Outreach, brings together hundreds of university-age students from across the country to listen to engaging speakers, to worship together with song and sacrament, and ultimately to make a deeper commitment to the Lord. The theme this year was Mary’s “fiat”―her acceptance of the angel Gabriel’s message―and the example she gives all Christians to say “yes” to God’s personal invitation in their lives.
It was exciting to be among around three hundred participants and organizers on fire for God and deeply committed to the Church. I was manning the Jesuit vocation table and spoke to a good number of young people at various stages of vocational discernment. All had great desires. But rather than drawing on these discussions, let me offer some thoughts on the conference more broadly, which had two, related strengths.
