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STEUBENVILLE -- The 2026 Festival of Friendship, a weekend-long series of conversations, exhibits and performances, will take place from 5:30 p.m. Sept. 18 through noon Sept. 20 at the Studio, 36 Villa Drive, Steubenville.
Sponsored by the nonprofit organization Revolution of Tenderness and organized by a group of friends from the Catholic lay movement Communion and Liberation, the festival will explore the theme of listening and belonging.
Drawing its title from a poem by e.e. cummings, "(now the ears of my ears awake and / now the eyes of my eyes are opened)," the festival will explore the idea that belonging to a welcoming community can sharpen and focus people's attention because it is an experience of unconditional love that enables people to truly see and hear what is in front of them.
The festival will explore the theme through a variety of events, including a presentation on listening to jazz by jazz journalist Ted Panken; a conversation about parenting and listening with Tania Geist, Justin O'Connor and Lucia O'Connor; an address on "Hearing the Cry of the Poor" by North Carolina State University professor Alberto De Simoni; an exhibit presenting Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete's book on suffering, "The Cry of the Heart"; and a discussion about human development in light of Pope Leo XIV's recent encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas," featuring Molly McGovern, founder of the Friendship Room of Steubenville; Jackie Aldrette, executive director of AVSI-USA; and the Dorothea Project.
Revolution of Tenderness, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in 2023 by Steubenville resident Suzanne M. Lewis, who died in December 2025. Executive Director Rebekah Feeley is continuing the organization's work.
Through the Studio, Revolution of Tenderness organizes and sponsors a range of events and activities, including cultural festivals such as the Pittsburgh Encounter and Festival of Friendship; free art and music classes for children and adults; free summer camps for children; and serving as host for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program for Catholic parishes in Steubenville.