Hoya Faith Groups: Exploring Faith in Community
For the second consecutive semester, Campus Ministry is supporting Hoya Faith Groups (HFG) for those students that are interested in exploring their faith in a communal setting. From “Jedis and Jesuits” to “Spirituality and the Arts,” and a study of C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity,” there are six diverse faith communities where students will meet for nine weeks to delve into their spirituality and its role in their lives. This semester, I have the privilege of leading an HFG called “Life After Sunday or: How I Learned to Embrace my Faith and Live Authentically.” The purpose of this group is to discover together how embrace and develop an authentic faith on a college campus, making it a central piece of our identity and how we live. As busy and blessed as we are in our daily lives at Georgetown, I have always found it necessary and most fulfilling to keep my faith as my foundation and continue to grow in my relationship with God. This is easier said than done, and I hope that by offering this group I might be able to join my peers on their spiritual journeys so that we can travel together in pursuit of the “more” (or “magis,” in the Ignatian tradition) that we seek.
As more evidence of God’s working on campus, ten students, representing all four years and all four schools at Georgetown, took the time to listen, reflect, and ultimately join the faith community that I have the privilege of leading. We recently met for the first time and I can honestly say that it was an amazing experience for me, and hopefully for them as well. Rooted in the Ignatian tradition, our group has embraced Saint John Paul II’s call to “move into the unknown…fearlessly knowing that God is with us,” and discussed spiritual wellness, finding balance, and discovering who God is calling us to be. This semester, we will have the opportunity to delve deeper into these topics, while also exploring discernment, seeking out the good in others, and recognizing what sets our hearts on fire.
Having attended World Youth Day in Kraków, Poland this summer with a delegation from Georgetown, I hope that I am able to bring Pope Francis’ message of saying “yes” to God and His plan, and “yes” to growing in faith to those in my HFG. Judging by our first meeting together, I truly think that this faith community will do just that.
Written by Bryant King, F’18