This year’s Keynotes & Workshops

“Take courage! I have overcome the world.”

- JOHN 16:33

Our mission is to build "Courageous Missionaries" that will go out into the world unafraid to live out the Gospel. The last few years we have focused on hope and building up the kingdom and this year our mission is to build missionaries of action. We want our young people to be the catalyst of today, to be inspired to lead, to serve and to do.

Keynote 1:
When Life Throws You a Knuckleball

JJ Niekro

The knuckleball is like a butterfly floating through the wind: unpredictable, hard to understand, but ultimately the most beautiful pitch in baseball. So is life in Christ’s victory. John chapters 15 and 16 examine the strength needed for the Christian, Jesus’ near departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Paralleling my baseball career with these two chapters, I’ll show how total surrender in obedience to Christ produces true spiritual and physical courage, even though it may be hard to see at times. I’ll use real stories from the baseball locker room and field that give ways to courageously and confidently live out the Gospel, including how surprised we might find ourselves when we boldly defend our faith and become the saint that God has called us to be.

Keynote 2:
“If You Build It, He Will Come”

JJ Niekro

The quote, taken from the very popular baseball movie Field of Dreams, speaks of Ray Kinsella’s dreams to build a baseball field so his father could play with him from Heaven. This perfectly encapsulates our encounter with God: create space for Him, and He will come. Young adults are at a complex stage of discernment, new journeys in life and constantly changing situations. We must focus on simple, interior ways to purify our souls: frequenting the Eucharist and Confession, reading the intellectual tradition of the Church, becoming involved in parish life and sometimes “being comfortable being uncomfortable.” Through an intense baseball career, family tragedy and career change, I’ll speak on ways I’ve created this vulnerable, interior space that has provided me stability throughout my young adulthood.

First Round of Workshops

The Courage To Say Yes
(Beginner)

Ramuel Villardo

What if answering God’s call begins with one small yes? Through honest storytelling, interactive reflection and lessons from Covenant House Toronto, Spiritual Care and martial arts, this workshop invites you to explore how God can use your gifts, passions, struggles and experiences to serve others. Learn how to identify what might be holding you back, discover how healing and formation prepares you for mission, and leave with one concrete step toward the life God may be calling you to live.

The Bible is your Shield
(Intermediate)

Fr. Paul Magyar

Discover the Bible and meet the Jesus to whom it points as Fr. Paul dives deep into the bible and it's history. In this workshop you'll learn how the Bible is your shield, strengthening you with God's truth against doubt, temptation, fear and spiritual opposition. Rooted in history and faithfully preserved, it is honest about life and centred on real people, places and events. More than a book of facts, Scripture reveals Jesus and invites you into a relationship with the living God. His Word is living and effective, offering truth, wisdom, hope and guidance.

Rooted and Ready
(Advanced)

Fr. Eric Rodrigues, Fr. Kevin Belgrave

This panel explores how to thoughtfully and respectfully respond to those who have questions, wrestle with doubts or do not believe in God. Through meaningful conversations, practical approaches and faith-based perspectives, we’ll discuss how to address questions, navigate doubts and share our beliefs with grace, understanding and confidence while building bridges rather than barriers.

"And The Darkness Did Not Overcome It": Advent As An Education To Hope

(Family With Children 0-10 Session)

Anna Boyagoda

"The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it." For hundreds of years, the People of God waited expectantly for the One who was to come. The prophets showed them how to wait by reminding them of God’s promise and of His faithfulness to His covenant. A mix of presentations for children and helpful notes for their parents and caretakers, this session will explore how the three-fold coming of Christ that we celebrate in Advent can act as an Education to Hope in your home.

Second Round of Workshops

Called to Love

Mercy Cacdac, Bart Demczuk

What are we called to in our relationships? Called to Love invites us to see singlehood, friendships and dating not as stages to prove ourselves or seek gratification, but as three paths to holiness where God asks for the courage to be real, vulnerable and pursue true unconditional, selfless love.

Understanding that growing in holiness is a lifelong journey, Bart and Mercy will draw from their own personal experiences in hopes of encouraging young adults to take the next step on their journey. Together, they will explore the purpose of our relationships and how each relationship can become an opportunity to grow in love, build authentic community and ultimately draw closer to our most important relationship: our relationship with God.

Listening Someone Into Life: How to talk about pro-life in a way that radiates love

Sr. Marie Veritas, SV

Each of us is made for love; we ache to be seen, known and understood. In this seminar, Sr. Marie Veritas, SV, unpacks a new way of talking about pro-life issues - one that gets underneath the hot-button topics and speaks to the heart of the matter. Because pro-life isn’t about labels; pro-life is about people. So much of the conversation about abortion is dominated by misconceptions and political rhetoric. But what if we could take a step back and think about pro-life in a different way? This session invites participants into a new vision of pro-life ministry, one grounded not in slogans, but in authentic relationships, genuine dialogue and intentional accompaniment.

Perseverance through Marriage

Pete & Stacey Leitmann

Marriage asks us to choose one another not only when life is good, but when life is exhausting, disappointing, uncertain, or simply ordinary. Peter and Stacey share honestly about the courage it takes to persevere through the different seasons of marriage—and how a relationship rooted in covenant, grace, forgiveness and Christ can keep choosing love even when love requires something from us.