STEUBENVILLE — At a time when young adults are told they must choose between professional success and family life, between ambition and holiness, or between faith and cultural relevance, Franciscan University of Steubenville is convening a national conversation to challenge that narrative. The university will host the conference, presented by Franciscan’s Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life, entitled “Work, Family and Faith: Toward an Integrated Life,” March 20-21, bringing together nationally-recognized Catholic thinkers, cultural leaders, Millennial and Gen Z voices to articulate a richer, more human vision of vocation.

“At the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life, our mission is to illuminate how truth shapes every dimension of human flourishing,” stated Anne Hendershott, director of the Veritas Center and professor of sociology. “This conference embodies that mission by helping attendees see that their careers, their families and their fidelity to Christ are meant to reinforce one another and become a powerful witness in the world.”

Keynote speakers will include Mary Rice Hasson and Terry Schilling and feature panelists Alessandro DiSanto, Deborah Savage, Patrick Brown, Catherine Ruth Pakaluk and Rebecca Rook. The conference is in response to a generational moment defined by cultural confusion, economic uncertainty and unprecedented pressure to privatize faith and postpone family life.

“We are hosting this conference because the next generation is entering a workforce shaped by instability, cultural confusion and pressures that often undermine faith and family life,” Hendershott said. “Young people of faith are hungry for a vision of adulthood that does not force them to choose between ambition and holiness, or success and family. The church has something far richer to offer, and this conference helps them see that their gifts, aspirations and deepest commitments belong together.”

The event seeks to show that a life rooted in Christ is not only possible in modern society but urgently needed. Registration and full details are available at franciscan.edu/work-family-and-faith-toward-an-integrated-life.