As high school went on, my faith became important to me, and that's thanks to my amazing youth minister Ellice, and the Confirmation program we go through our sophomore year. It's because of that retreat and program that I became genuinely interested in my faith, and that if was for myself, not for my family. After going on retreat, I then went to NCYC (National Catholic Youth Conference), and I was on a God high, as my youth group likes to call it.
After this, I became a regular fixture at our Peer meetings, and lead the Freshman and Confirmation retreats. When it was coming to the time for me to head to college, I was worried about how my faith would be. I was worried that there wouldn't be a parish close to campus, that I would be uncomfortable in a new environment, and that I wouldn't have the community I had back home.
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I am blessed with the hand I was dealt for continuing my faith in college. My new home parish is about a block away from my current residence hall, and I can leave as late as 10 minutes before mass, if I am running late, and still get there in time. Though my new parish is different than my parish at home, it's different in a good way that makes me appreciate both. Finally, the community I was afraid I wouldn't have. I have been immensely blessed with my community. St. Francis has a Newman Center, and the people I have meet through it has had such an impact on me in my short time with them. These people are the people I consider myself closest to at college.
My faith, unlike many college students, has grown in the past six months. I attend daily mass and evening prayer at least once a week, I go to weekly mass when I choose to and regularly visit the chapel to pray.
I am thankful for where I am today with my faith, and I am looking forward to seeing how it grows over my remaining time in college at Saint Francis.
