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Steubenville South: An Event

© Kathryn Morse

Steubenville South, an annual event in Alexandria, Louisiana, hosted by the Alexandria Diocese of the Catholic Church attracts about 4,000 youth to central Louisiana each summer.

This year's Steubenville South happens June 22-24 at the usual place, the Rapides Parish Coliseum. The young people and chaperones will be housed in St. Menard High School (boys) and Alexandria Senior High School (girls).

"God . . . there is no other" is this year's theme with verses from Isaiah 45: 4 and 5:

". . . I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.

I am the Lord and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you . . ." (NIV)

Last year Jim Beckman was the main speaker and he returns this year to lead the Saturday morning session. Other speakers include Fr. Dave Pivonka and Karen Reynolds from Franciscan University, Tony Searl from the Caribbean Island of Trinidad, Fr. Jose Robles-Sanchez from Puerto Rico (and another repeat speaker at Steubenville South), Lisa Militello, and Peter Faulk.

Bishop Sam Jacobs is the Saturday night speaker. The Saturday evening session which begins at 7:00 p.m is open to the public. Sunday morning is also open to the public. At 8:00 a.m., praise and worship begins followed by the 10:30 a.m. closing mass.

This seven year-old event has become a new "tradition" and is held the weekend before the Fourth of July weekend. The Diocese of Alexandria's Bishop Sam Jacobs was instsrumental in bringing "Steubenville" to Louisiana.

The regional Steubenville conferences are an outgrowth of an annual event held at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, Named after the city of Steubenville, the word Steubenville when used by Catholic youth usually relates to the event rather than the place, as in "Are you going to Steubenville?"

The first Stuebenville event was in 1976 with Franciscan University cooperating with the National Catholic Charismatic Conference for Young People.

An attendee of a Steubenville event wrote in 1997:

Yes, I went with a youth group and my son from our Parish. Students bring sleeping bags and sleep in large tents. There are speakers on chastity, much praising and singing led by youth-minded, up-beat musicians. Mass is like none other you have attended: Spirit-filled and geared for a youthful audience. The most powerful part for us was the Benediction and Healing service. A priest from New York, gifted in