Students from La Salle University had the opportunity to attend The Well: Young Adult Conference hosted by The Office for Ministry with Young Adults (OMYA) and found renewed closeness to their faith.

In November, several students from La Salle University had the opportunity to attend The Well: Young Adult Conference, hosted by The Office for Ministry with Young Adults (OMYA) at the Sheraton Hotel in Center City.  They left with a feeling of closeness to both their faith and faith community and a renewed drive to share that experience with their peers.  

The conference included keynote speakers from around the country, music, Adoration and Confession, and was concluded with a Vigil Mass celebrated by the Archbishop of Philadelphia and held at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.  

Katie McGovern, ‘26, Drew Tocatlin, ‘27, and Chiz Ogbodo, ‘26, were three of the students who attended, their first time at a conference like this. McGovern and Tocatlin heard about the conference through La Salle’s Office of Mission and Ministry. Ogbodo, a nutrition major and public health minor, had a headstart on attending.  

“I got involved in the summer as I heard about an event involving young Catholics in the Philadelphia area,” he said. “I applied for it three to four months early.”  

All three wanted the same thing from the conference: to get closer to their faith, as well as meet others in the Philadelphia Catholic community.  

The theme of The Well was “you also are my witnesses, because you have been with me” (Jn 15:27), with the OMYA saying “The scripture passage of the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus at the well embodies this theme of WITNESS! Similar to the Samaritan woman, we are thirsty to find our belonging and identity in Christ. As we are nourished by the words of Christ that teach us everything about ourselves, we are more fully equipped to share our witness of the good news.” 

“The year’s theme resonated with me because I want to be a true witness of God,” biology major McGovern said.  

Ogbodo agreed.  

“The theme of being a witness for Christ means much to me since there aren’t many African American Catholics and I want to be able to be a good witness for them,” he said. “I want to help people of my background be open to being Catholic.”  

Tocatlin, also a biology major, described the theme as “awesome.”  

The day was full of information, relationship building, and faith. The concluding Mass was a highlight for many of the students who attended, including Ogbodo, who had the opportunity to be a lector.  

“It was a Solemn High Mass which meant the Bishops, the Priests, and the Deacons were there to celebrate Christ’s sacrifice with us,” he said. “It was a great experience to read the first reading at that Mass.”  

The Explorers left the conference filled with positivity, and the desire to go again.  

“The conference restored my faith in Catholicism and showed me that there are so many people who are witnesses of God,” McGovern said. “I would go again as this was a great way to unplug and spend some time with God.”  

Ogbodo also felt renewed by his attendance.  

“The Well solidified my Catholic Faith,” he said. “It also made me realize there’s a lot of Catholics on fire for Christ in Philadelphia.”  

Tocatlin talked about the impact the conference had on his personal relationship with his religion.  

“My biggest takeaway was Jesus helps you to be more fulfilled than you can imagine,” he said.  

–Naomi Thomas