STEUBENVILLE – More than 150 young people, clergy, and chaperones from parishes across the Diocese of Scranton spent the weekend of July 10-12, 2026, discovering they are far from alone in living their Catholic faith.
A Diocesan delegation of 155 pilgrims – including 113 youth, 35 chaperones, one deacon and six priests – traveled by bus to the Steubenville Youth Conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio.
Through engaging speakers, Eucharistic Adoration, worship, music, and the Sacraments, the students joined thousands of other young Catholics from across the country for a weekend centered on growing closer to Christ.
For many, including 18-year-old Hannah Rocco of Saint Eulalia Parish in Roaring Brook Township, it was their first experience at the nationally recognized conference.
“I’m super excited,” Rocco said before departing. “I’m excited to meet people from other parishes. I’m hoping for good Adoration and prayer time, but mostly the connection.”
That desire for connection was echoed by brothers Michael and Ayden Biagi, who participate in the life of Saint John Paul II Parish in Dunmore.
“I’m looking forward to growing in my faith,” Michael said. “I think it’s going to bring a whole lot of people together that are all the same age and show us that it’s okay to not be like the rest of the flock and follow what the world wants and instead follow what God wants us to follow.”
His younger brother, Ayden, looked forward to meeting other Catholic teenagers who openly share their faith.
“I’ve never done an experience like this,” he said. “I’m excited that you can profess your faith and not be like – is this person going to judge me based on this.”
Father Thomas Dzwonczyk, Assistant Pastor of Saint John Paul II Parish, accompanied the Biagi brothers and several other young people from his newly consolidated parish, calling the conference an opportunity for them to deepen their faith while forming lasting friendships.
“For them to experience this and say it’s okay to be ‘on fire’ for Jesus, and then to bring that back here to the Diocese of Scranton, it’s going to be wonderful,” Father Dzwonczyk said. “I hope they realize there are people right here who are taking the faith seriously and want it to be a major part of their life.”
As they returned home, the pilgrims expressed their gratitude to the faithful of the Diocese of Scranton for their prayers and support of the Catholic Ministries Appeal which makes experiences like this possible.