Chris Stefanick
Anita Draper
Catholic Herald staff
Just back from emceeing World Youth Day in Poland, Chris Stefanick will energize the Diocese of Superior 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 28, when his Reboot Live! tour stops in Spooner.
“I was ecstatic,” Loree Nauertz said when she heard Stefanick agreed to come to town.
A parishioner at St. Francis de Sales, Spooner, Nauertz approached Fr. Ed Anderson more than a year ago about hosting the prominent Catholic speaker, whose mission is “igniting a bold, contagious faith in the heart of every Catholic in America.”
After a lengthy online application process and a lot of paperwork, Stefanick’s organization, Real Life Catholic, agreed Spooner was a good fit for his tour.
Nauertz has heard Stefanick, a former youth minister in La Crosse who is based in Colorado, speak several times.“He’s so down to earth,” she added. “He’s passionate, and I love that. He just reaches people at all levels.”
He’s also a gifted storyteller, she said.
“I think what his amazing gift is – he’s talking about the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news for everyone, no matter what your age,” Nauertz said.
Although Stefanick is often billed as a youth minister, he speaks on a range of topics that will appeal to ages 12 and older. In Reboot Live! talks, Stefanick explores “the beauty and genius of the Gospel.”
The event will take place at Spooner High School, capacity 1,600 people. Tickets are $19.
Nauertz said she knows it’s a lot of money for this area, but she’s hoping some people will pay $20, so the extra dollars can be used to lessen the cost for others.
She is also trying to get her Protestant friends to attend because she sees this as an opportunity for Christian unity.
She hopes they’ll come, enjoy listening to a good speaker, and start a dialogue to discuss any disagreements they have with Catholic thinking. Ultimately, she wants to encourage unity.
The disunity among Christians “is not good,” Nauertz said. “It’s not good for our culture either.”
Stefanick’s goal is to help Catholics develop a deeper relationship with Christ. Even going to Mass every Sunday “doesn’t necessarily translate into a deeper relationship with Christ,” she continued.
For Nauertz, the search for meaning in life is simply a search for God.
“I think people are hungry for the truth,” she said. “I think people are looking for Jesus, and maybe they don’t know what they are looking for.”
Stefanick talks a lot about being on a journey – walking together, helping one another. Life can be difficult, Nauertz said.
“I think a lot of times people think they have to be perfect to go to church, and nothing could be further from the truth,” she said. “Let’s just all acknowledge that we’re all broken.”
Hardships will come, she added. “Life is hard, but I cling to God knowing he’s my hope and my salvation, and he’s got it all figured out. It doesn’t have to make sense to me.”
Tickets are $19 and can be purchased at parishes in Superior, Spooner, Hayward, Rice Lake and Ladysmith. They are also available online at: http://reallifecatholic.com/reboot-live-
participants.
