Faith over Fear: Student-athletes challenged to put faith into action on and off the field

More than 150 student-athletes from seven high schools and three elementary schools gathered at St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral in Freehold on Oct. 6 for the Catholic Athletes for Christ Fall Leadership Conference. The event, held under the theme "Faith over Fear," focused on leadership, resilience, and teamwork.

Bishop David M. O’Connell celebrated Mass for the participants and urged the students to demonstrate their Catholic faith in both sports and daily life. He told the athletes that others should see more than their athletic performance, noting that their faith should be visible in how they play and how they handle both winning and losing.

Keynote speaker Jack Litsky addressed the students, sharing lessons on prayer, friendship, sportsmanship, and teamwork based on his experiences as an Olympic torchbearer and a survivor of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.