Joining the Catholic Student Advisory Board: a commitment to faith and community

Far left: Eva Lucchino (C’19) with the 2018-19 CSAB board after their year-end dinner.

Having attended Catholic schools my entire life, my faith has always been an integral part of my education. As a second grader, I memorized the Act of Confession. In eighth grade, I studied the Nicene Creed. When I was a high school senior, I learned about Catholic Social Teaching.

When I arrived at Georgetown the religion classes that formed me in my faith were gone and my parents weren’t around to ensure I went to Mass every Sunday. Suddenly, it was my responsibility to commit to my faith, and, for me, it was not an easy decision. During my freshman year, I struggled with who I wanted to be and how I wanted to spend my time. And my relationship with my faith diminished.

However, at the beginning of my sophomore year, I recommitted to my faith. I felt that my life at Georgetown was incomplete, so I became involved with Catholic Ministry. I was a leader on the Catholic first-year retreat, Loyola where I met marvelous staff members that helped me recognize that I wanted to deepen my spiritual life. I started to attend Mass more frequently, engaged with other members of the Catholic community, and reflected on my personal relationship with God. While I had not found a home for myself in Catholic Ministry during my freshman year, recommitting to my faith and actively seeking opportunities to get involved helped me find one in my second year.

With each passing semester, I felt more certain of the place I had made for myself and my faith at Georgetown. While studying abroad in Manchester, England in the spring of 2018, I reflected on my time at Georgetown and my hopes for senior year. I wanted to deepen my involvement in Catholic Ministry, so I applied to the Catholic Student Advisory Board (CSAB).

CSAB seeks to build community among Catholic students and provide opportunities for students to explore and deepen their faith. My experiences in the Catholic community had been very formative, particularly as a retreat leader, but I knew from my struggles freshman year that finding one’s place is not always easy. Motivated by my personal journey, I hoped to create programming to welcome people into the community and help them realize that there really is no one way to be Catholic at Georgetown.

Serving on CSAB has been an incredible experience. I have had the opportunity to work with people with different faith experiences from my own and to learn more about the diversity of faith experiences that exist within Georgetown’s Catholic community. Engaging in reflection with other members allows for open and productive discussions about faith, both generally and at Georgetown. I also have been able to give back to a community that has prayed with me, challenged me, and supported me.

As I prepare to graduate I feel empowered to continue deepening my personal relationship with God and exploring my spirituality as an individual. I look forward to the adventures that await me in new spiritual communities. My spirituality provides me with a sense of purpose and guides my plans for the future thanks to Georgetown and to Georgetown Catholic Ministry.

by Eva Lucchino (COL ’19), an English major in the College.