Teens reminded God has a plan for your love, for your life

By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -

PEMBROKE PINES | At the Greater Love Conference held March 19, 2025, at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, John Guerra, a student from Mother of Our Redeemer School in Miami, stood on a stage where he was asked to explain one thing about love.

“It is a wholehearted dedication to another person,” he replied.

A boisterous cheer erupted from the audience of more than 2,000 eighth-graders, teachers and chaperones who had gathered there from almost every Catholic elementary middle school in the Archdiocese of Miami. Whether having previously known, or having just learned it, John’s answer was on the right path in understanding some of the lessons taught at this year’s Greater Love Conference.

Formerly known as Chastity Day, the annual event explores the Church’s teachings regarding love, sex, and chastity. Organized by the Archdiocese of Miami Office of Evangelization and Parish Life, the event brought in guest speakers Bridget Hanafin, Aimee and Colin Maciver, and Mary Stevens to help teens learn and approach the matters from a Christian perspective.

In consensus, one of the greatest messages that each speaker reminded them was that God has a plan for each of them.

“And it is a good one,” said Aimee Maciver in her presentation.

She shared that in July 1994, she got on a bus from her hometown in Louisiana, and Colin, her future husband, got on a bus from his home in Rhode Island. Both buses were headed to the same youth conference.

“We heard the same talks, looked at the same Jesus, and had no idea what God had in store,” said Colin.

They do not recall meeting at the event, but later they did meet in person, and they eventually married. Moving in to their new home, Aimee found her old scrapbook with photos, concert tickets, movie stubs, and other things she had kept. In the collection, she found a chastity pledge card from the 1994 conference. Colin also had the same card, and the dates on both matched.

“We were going through two different lives, going through things that were difficult for both of us at the time, and God was already there putting all these pieces together. It’s not too long away that God is going to fulfill you beyond the ways that you can imagine with something good and beautiful in your life,” Aimee said.

While there may be doubts in the journey, Colin encouraged students to turn to Romans 8:15 for inspiration, which reminds us: “You have not received a spirit of slavery to fall back into your fear. You have received a spirit of adoption to cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’”

“You don’t have to be afraid,” said Colin. “You don’t have to be afraid to say yes to love in all of its demands, because you can be perfectly secure that God loves you and has a plan to blow your mind with goodness. He has a plan for your love and for your life.”

Competing with social media trends that are controversial and portrayed as “normal,” it can sometimes be confusing for teens to navigate and understand what is morally correct. They are often pressured and rushed into situations they are not ready for.

“Middle school is a time of insecurity and impatience, and a time of wanting to grow up quickly. That is why we have events like this to help students prepare and make good decisions once they leave our ‘little schools,’” Mary Stevens said.

With a background in social work and an expertise in child welfare and development, Stevens’ session focused on morality, marriage, and human development. She warned students that having sex before marriage risks heartbreak, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unplanned pregnancies, that sometimes end in abortion.

“People are trying to divert God’s plan and rewrite it and do things before they’re ready. If you’re in love and you’re eventually going to get married, then true love waits because true love protects and true love honors,” Stevens said.

And if a mistake has already been made, she believes it is never too late to start over and return to God’s plan.

“Don’t be distracted or rush ahead of His plan and miss the person He sends for you. Please trust Him and always make choices that protect your future and your heart. And always remember that you are worthy of pure, selfless, and life-giving love,” Stevens said.

In Bridget Hanafin’s session she explained that life-giving love was part of God’s plan when He created man and woman in His image and likeness.

“God has created us out of love for love, and we see this played out every single day. We are called to holiness, but we are also given the gift of free will to decide,” Hanafin said.

She told eighth graders that there is no age restriction as to when they can begin a journey to holiness and heaven, adding that through our daily actions and interactions with those that surround us, we can all unlock the beauty of humanity and help make the world a better place.

“Have the strength and courage to go into your life and say, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Be disciples, be evangelizers, share Christ and share His love,” Hanafin said.