Grace Davis, Rostro de Cristo in Guayaquil, Ecuador
After graduating from college in 2017, I chose to spend a year as a volunteer with the program, Rostro de Cristo. Rostro de Cristo is a program based in Guayaquil, Ecuador and is rooted in a mission to “inspire a lifelong commitment to a faith that works for justice through transformative, intercultural experiences living the Gospel of Christ in solidarity with marginalized communities.”
While living in Arbolito, a neighborhood on the margins of Guayaquil, I was invited each day to cultivate authentic relationships, listen attentively, and share life with those around me. My neighbors in Arbolito offered me spaces of belonging, in their lives and in their homes, during a time when so much of my surroundings felt unknown. The communities that I was privileged to be a part of in Ecuador embody the Gospel so clearly in their daily lives – through the way in which they love so generously, extend compassion to others, and offer hospitality to anyone seeking a place. As my relationship with God expanded in Ecuador, I was invited more deeply into faith rooted in love and community – a faith that inspires and sustains me in my work and advocacy for a more just world.
These various communities and my neighbors continue to teach me that ministry is about being fully present to another and offering your most authentic self in each encounter. My experience in Ecuador and the relationships formed there led me to the CSTM in hopes of continuing to explore my ministerial identity and further develop skills to support communities I care about. I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect further with the CSTM community on my time in Ecuador and my theological studies have truly been brought to life as I am able to integrate these many significant stories and people into my life at the CSTM.
Amanda Schar, Mercy Volunteer Corps, Philadelphia
I had two goals for my year of service with the Mercy Volunteer Corps: professional development and personal formation. After college I still had so many questions– what career did I want and what further education would it require? What type of person did I want to be? What type of life did I want to live? MVC, my service site, my community members, and the Sisters of Mercy all started helping me to answer these questions, but a year wasn’t enough time. When I was looking at graduate programs there were a lot of schools that could give me a solid education, but that wasn’t all I wanted. I needed a community that was willing to sit with me and help me dive deeper. The CSTM’s MA/MSW dual degree program connected me with people who understood that my faith is an inextricable part of my call to social work. The community of the CSTM, both inside and outside of the classroom, has encouraged me to continue exploring. To question why what I’m doing matters. To push myself to continue growing, even when it’s uncomfortable or a little bit scary.
Katie Ward, St. John Paul II Catholic School, Minneapolis
As I came to the end of my two years teaching fourth grade at St. John Paul II Catholic School in Minneapolis, MN through the Alliance for Catholic Education Teaching Fellows program, the question, “What’s next?” weighed on me. I loved my school community, our students, families, and staff team, and we had been through so much together through the pandemic, distance learning, and ongoing movements for racial justice in our city. All of these experiences had left me with many questions, both about Catholic education and about my own vocation, and I found the CSTM as a place to land and sit with those questions and callings. At the CSTM, I have encountered friends, courses, professors, and professional work which has allowed me to engage more deeply with my experience as a teacher and consider where I am led. In every class, every conversation, I find myself drawing on my experience in the classroom, questioning how what I learn at the CSTM could shape education and what my role is in that. Through my time at the CSTM, I have found that I have had space to more deeply understand my experience in the classroom and carry my understandings with me as my vocation continues to unfold.