“What do the Lithuanians have to do with the Vietnamese?” Bishop McManus asked at the Mass. “The commonality between these two great countries is the gift of faith,” for which many of their forebears suffered. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” the bishop said, and spoke of sharing faith with one’s family.

“We want our students to see themselves as people who can make a difference – even in small ways like prayer,” Sister Jeanne explained. “They’re learning that … they can be missionaries of hope.”

It is titled, “Evangelium Vitae: Celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Gospel of Life and its Enduring Legacy in Roman Catholic Moral Theology.”

“I thirst for the salvation of souls” (expanding on Jesus’ words from the cross), was the theme of the conference, held Saturday at St. Joseph School. About 370 participants came from Massachusetts and neighboring states for worship, talks, fellowship, and visiting of exhibitors’ tables, according to organizer Corinn Dahm.