Steubenville on the Bayou annual youth celebration

The idea that there may literally be no room at the inn for the thousands of teens, group leaders and chaperones who attend this year’s Steubenville on the Bayou Catholic Youth Conference is a stressful possibility for all those involved.

“Every year the groups come in and we normally fill up all of the hotels in Houma, as well as Thibodaux. But what we’ve run into this year is that the government and BP relief workers have come in and they have all of the hotels,” explained Shawn Lapeyrouse, assistant conference coordinator.

With the conference set to take place June 18-20, and participants driving in from not only Louisiana, but also several other states, including Texas, Illinois, Mississippi, Florida and Tennessee, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux has started encouraging groups to make other housing arrangements.

“Because of the fact that we are under a state of emergency and that the government needs the rooms, we want to be supportive of the situation,” Lapeyrouse said. “We realize how much it is affecting our area.”

With a massive amount of help from Nicholls State University, St. Mary and neighboring parishes, the local tourism bureau and many others, some of the groups have secured alternative sleeping quarters.

Lapeyrouse predicts that some complications regarding the housing situation will occur on the weekend of the event, but she accepts any stresses as part of the job.

“It is one of those things that does get stressful,” the assistant coordinator said. “But we love what we do and we know it is what God has called us to do. We know that it is what we are supposed to do.”

This year’s Steubenville on the Bayou will take place at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. This marks the 5th year for this particular event.

The theme of the 2010 youth conference is “The Word Became Flesh,” based on the biblical passage John 1:14, which celebrates the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Steubenville events revolve around the sacraments such as Reconciliation, Mass and Eucharist.

According to Sally Dubroc, conference coordinator, the lineup helps young adults understand Catholicism and to realize that other teens are also taking their faith seriously.

“They leave with a better understanding of the power of the sacraments because we stress the sacraments throughout the weekend,” she explained. “They also leave with an understanding that the church is really big, and that their peers across the country are also trying to get closer to God, to invest themselves in the sacraments and to learn more about their faith.”

Participants also experience a balance of both zeal and adoration at the conference, according to Dubroc.

“It’s about being joyful. Christ was about joy. He wasn’t humdrum, but at the same time he commanded respect and reverence,” she said. “The teens come in and they are all excited and they get to sing and dance and hear some really invigorating talks… At the same time, when the Blessed Sacrament is in the room or when there is that time for reverence and respect, the teams show it unlike anybody I’ve ever seen.”

The teenage participants range in grade level from 9th grade to their first year of college and for every 10 youths, one chaperone is obligatory. A group leader, who is in charge of setting up all arrangements, must be assigned to each team.

Volunteers that are needed to assist with first aid, transportation, security and food serving are required to be over the age of 21 and need to have Safety Environment Training through their parish. So far, over 200 adult volunteers have registered, however, more are still needed.

Nearly 75 additional volunteers have signed on as part of the Mercy Crew. The group includes several people who previously attended the conference as a participant. They have a retreat a few days before the conference in order to prepare for the event.

“Those young adults that are from 18-26 can come in and serve on our Mercy Crew,” said Dubroc. “We found that the way people in that age group work the best is through service, so we offer them this opportunity to come together for retreat and to serve.”

Popular Christian musicians Joshua Blakely and Kelly Pease perform on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, and a variety of musicians take stage during the tent ministries, which are scheduled for mealtimes.

The Music Ministry group performs throughout the entirety of the event, according to Lapeyrouse.

“The group is led by Paul Hood and a number of other local musicians, including Lonnie Lapeyrouse,” she said. “It is a compilation of musicians who all have the same goal – to lead people in worship closer to Christ.”

The 2010 Bayou Host is Ennie Hickman, a full-time domestic missionary from Houston. Other speakers for the event include Chris Stefanick, director of the Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry for the Archdiocese of Denver; Mary Bielski, founder of All4Him ministries, Damon Owens, founder of Joy-Filled Marriage NJ and Father Dave Pivonka, author of “Spiritual Freedom: God’s Life Changing Gift” and “Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus.”

Bishop Sam Jacobs, creator of both the Steubenville South conference in Alexandria, La., and the Steubenville on the Bayou conference, will also be present. He will give the homily during Mass on Sunday.

Steubenville on the Bayou is co-sponsored by the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux and Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio – the namesake of the conference. It is one of 18 conferences the university holds annually throughout the country, plus one in Canada.

With the conference just around the corner and the threat of housing issues looming, Lapeyrouse maintains a positive outlook.

“Everything truly is for a reason. With the hotel situation, I think it is God’s way of having the conference spread into the community even more,” she said. “Parents and the communities have become much more involved.”

Teens looking for a group to join, people interested in volunteering and those seeking more information can contact the conference office at (985) 850-3171 or visit www.steubenvilleonthebayou.com.

Youth at last year’s Steubenville on the Bayou share a message with Bishop Sam Jacobs, creator of the Houma-based conference and Steubenville South, which is held in Alexandria, La.