Editor's Note: I asked my friend Liz-ah to share her experience of the National Catholic Singles Conference with you. Here is what she had to say.
The National Catholic Singles Conference educated my heart on singleness in a refreshing and healing way. The whole focus of the conference was not the dating fest that I expected, and there was very little attention paid by the presenters to meeting someone and falling in love.
Instead of focusing on how to get out of the single life, the whole conference placed a lot of emphasis on taking advantage of this stage in our lives, as backwards as that may seem to some of us. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to take all of life seriously and live everything to the full, but I had never really developed that mindset when it came to being single.
Rather, I would throw myself Friday afternoon pity-parties, and whine, complain, and beg in prayer—because being lonely and single with the intense desire for relationship is both painful and frustrating. The NCSC helped open my eyes and shift my focus to the beauty of a season (even a very long season) of singleness.
My favorite presentation was about prayer in the single-state. How do we get the most out of this time? By using it to develop the only relationship that can sustain through the presence or absence of all other relationships: our relationship with the Most Holy Trinity. We spend so much time worrying about being single, but really, this is a unique time in our life.
We were reminded (or taught for the first time) about having a spousal relationship with Christ and His Church, and then we were given the opportunity to practice the idea through Adoration and the Mass. It was a great gift to be united with so many similar-state Catholics around the One who unites us at the core of our beings.
What did you think the conference was going to be like?
I was mostly excited to go to the conference; it was a mystery to me that I couldn’t wait to discover. I expected the nervous tension and a few awkward moments, but I didn’t expect to be blown away and humbled by the speakers, inspired to live my single life more seriously, and to take advantage of this time while growing in openness for whatever was in store next.
What was your favorite part of the conference?
My favorite event of the weekend was the dine-around. Everyone who wants to participate signs up for the restaurant of their choice, and then everyone who signs up for the same restaurant carpools there and eats a meal together. There is something so human and so freeing about sharing a meal together; it was really a lovely evening!
Who attended the conference?
There was a surprisingly diverse crowd present at last year’s NCSC—there were many singles of all different ages, from other 20-somethings like myself to many in there thirties and forties, and even a large group of people in their fifties and sixties, and some even older. The “single-again” group was something I hadn’t anticipated, but I thought their presence was especially beautiful. To go through any significant relationship and then to re-enter the single world would be more than a little intimidating, so their presence at the conference was particularly inspiring and beautiful. If you are feeling lost because you’re in the “single-again” category, the NCSC is a beautiful beginning to the possibility of freedom and great growth in and through your state.
If you're interested in attending the upcoming NCSC in Phoenix next month, find out more information here.
