Over 26,000 young Catholics attended the annual SEEK Catholic Conference presented by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) on January 1-5, 2026 across the cities of Columbus, Denver and Fort Worth.
Many students rely on SEEK as a place to grow in deeper intimacy with the Lord, community with other Catholics and leadership and formation via impactful speakers and talks.
Among those who had a great experience and profound encounter at SEEK was Benedictine College student John Bolin ‘27.
Despite attending SEEK two years in the past and the financial and temporal sacrifices it required, Bolin decided to show up in Columbus, paying homage to the impact it had brought him before.
“At SEEK, Jesus reminded me of who He was and of who I am,” Bolin said.
Bolin had a particularly remarkable experience during adoration on night three of SEEK. He felt the Lord inviting him to continue following Him, but in a deeper and even more profound way.
Bolin shared that the warning Christ heeds in Revelation 2:5—to not abandon your first love (God)—particularly stuck with Him throughout his experience with Jesus in the Eucharist that night.
Coming back from SEEK, Bolin stressed the importance of “praising the Lord in the storm” and the reality of spiritual warfare.
“The devil wants to tell us the lie that these things didn’t happen or that I shouldn’t share them with others,” Bolin said.
Bolin urges the importance of returning to the place of encounter, remembering and reminding yourself of what He’s given you, and sharing that with others.
To those who didn’t have a particularly profound encounter, Bolin assures them that the Lord was still at work and did something unique to that individual.
To those considering going to SEEK in future years, Bolin offers a reminder that “Jesus can’t be outdone in generosity. It might require a lot of money and a lot of time, but that sacrifice can’t be outdone by the Lord’s generosity. There are graces He still wishes to pour out to you.”
Bolin was only one of the many hearts the Lord reached at SEEK. Imagine what the Lord could do with your ‘yes’ to Him like He did theirs. Step out and faith and sacrifice everything—He will always bless it and only give you more.
