United Catholic Youth Ministries
  • About UCYM
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)
    • Protection of Children & Youth
    • Who We Are
    • Leadership >
      • Our Team
      • Boards and Councils
      • Join Our Team!
    • Calendar
    • Renew My Church
    • Donate
    • News & Updates
    • Store
  • For Youth
    • Start Here
    • Anti-Racism Pilot
    • Leadership Academy >
      • Start Here
      • Leader-in-Training
      • Saints-in-Training
      • Discipleship Learning
      • Peer Ministry
      • Youth Minister Formation
    • Campus Ministry
    • Archdiocesan Programs >
      • Holy Fire
      • NCYC
      • Totus Tuus
      • Spirit Day
    • For Children >
      • Children's Liturgy of the Word
      • Confirmation
      • Religious Education
      • Vacation Bible School
    • Retreats >
      • Emmaus Retreat
      • Kairos
      • Metanoia
      • Offline
      • 24-Hour No Phone Retreat
    • Youth Council
    • Youth Group
  • For Young Adults
    • Start Here
    • 20s & 30s Group
    • Alpha
    • College Outreach
    • Podcast
    • Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)
    • SEED
    • Theology On Tap
    • World Youth Day 2023
    • Young Adult Council
  • Hispanic Ministry
    • Start Here
    • Consejo Hispano
    • Hispanic Celebrations >
      • Day of the Dead
      • Hispanic Heritage Month
      • Our Lady of Guadalupe
    • Pastoral Juvenil
    • Quinceañera Ministry
    • Resources >
      • V Encuentro
      • USCCB
  • Service
    • Start Here
    • Care for Creation >
      • Start Here
      • Archdiocese of Chicago
      • Community Garden
    • HER Drive
    • Snack Drive
    • SNAP Gap
  • Resources
    • Worship Opportunities
    • Archdiocesan Agencies >
      • Start Here
      • Amate House
      • Care for Creation Ministry
      • Catholic Relief Services
      • Domestic Violence
      • Kolbe House Jail Ministry
      • Pastoral Migratoria
      • Respect Life
      • St. Kateri Center of Chicago
      • USCCB
    • Covid-19
    • Equality for Women in the Church
    • LGBTQ+ Community >
      • AGLO
      • God Is On Your Side: A State from Catholic Bishops Protecting LGBTQ Youth
      • New Ways Ministry
      • Outreach - An LGBTQ Catholic Resource
    • Mental Health Awareness
    • National Eucharistic Revival
    • Need to Talk?
    • Partnerships >
      • Blessed Sacrament Youth Center
      • Catholic Athletes for Christ
      • Coalition to End Homelessness in Evanston
      • Evanston Cradle to Careet
      • Evanston Latinos
      • Interfaith Action of Evanston
      • Laudato Si' Action Platform
      • New Ways Ministry
      • Tyler Clementi Foundation
      • Sheil Catholic Center
    • Synod on Synodality
    • Vocations >
      • Start Here
      • Cava
      • Archdiocese of Chicago
      • USCCB
  • Lent
  • Staff Login

UCYM News & Updates

The place for the latest news about what's happening with UCYM!

"Fearless in Faith" by James Holzhauer-Chuckas, ObSB

7/2/2022

 
This reflection can be found in the publication "Young Adults Journey with God & Faith" in the Voices of Hope series with the Society of Helpers.
Young Adult Journey with God - Voices of Hope
File Size: 1717 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

“God became one of us so that we may become more like God.” Growing up, this quote from St. Athanasius of Alexandria always pointed me to ways of finding hope, especially in times when there was plenty of reason to lose hope. Living an authentic Catholic faith hasn’t always been rainbows and butterflies, but it’s not always supposed to be. The Apostle Peter, Jesus’ right hand, was the best among the Apostles and models for us that, even in moments when we doubt or even deny Jesus, we can always turn back and follow Jesus again. Sometimes, this can be scary. Life can give us plenty of reasons to find an easier way than faith to guide us, but it is our hope that leads us to the love of Christ and how that love becomes alive in our daily decisions.

The love of God has had many faces on my journey. Starting with my moms, who embody God for me, adopted me, chose me, just as God chose me. The lessons they taught me, the way they put forward their faith as a guide in their actions was something that rooted faith in me. It wasn’t always through going to church, but the constant return to the Gospel that always gave me such hope. As I got older and my family started to fall away from the church for very just reasons, specifically parish life, I had fears that I would lose my way, but I kept my hope in many things and, as my interest in studying theology grew, I turned to the Word of God. A fun fact: the phrase, “Do not be afraid” is written in the Bible 365 times. For me, especially after discovering this, it became a daily reminder from God to live fearless and not just to trust in God’s mysterious ways, but to be aware and be in touch through discernment. That was a daily choice, and it still is. Every day, I wake up and have hope in God through my relationships with family and friends.

My relationship with the Church has been complicated. Due to my strong advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, women’s rights and ordination, and tensions with the idea of not only existing within but serving in a patriarchal hierarchy that has often resulted in alienating those who I love, I often found myself clashing with my peers, teachers, clergy, and others who hold stronger to the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church without any considerations for reform. I also found in the Church, however, many friends, mentors, clergy, and, eventually, my religious community (The Order of St. Benedict), who had common elements on their journey that allowed for mutual accompaniment. In the same vein, I also learned the importance of the universal call to accompaniment of my sisters, brothers, and siblings in Christ who don’t share my views and that, though our approaches may be different, we are to work together for the common good.

​My parish growing up starts its mission statement with “All are welcome.” In the Body of Christ, we are all welcome because we, though different, form one body together. This is something I have held onto and will never let go of. That welcoming, that togetherness in Christ, is faith because though we do not all worship the same, have the same theological approach, or follow the same vocational calling, we are all bound to each other by the love of Christ, the same love that we are supposed to embody for others so that they, too, might have hope in a world that severely needs something to believe in, something to place our hope in. Every day, I strive to give hope to anyone whose path I cross.

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    January 2023
    July 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020

    Categories

    All

Contact & Visit Us

San José Sánchez del Río Center | Main Office
St. Nicholas Campus of St. John XXIII Parish
1108 Washington Street
Evanston, IL 60202

St. Francis of Assisi Center | Satellite Office
St. Athanasius Campus of St. John Newman Parish
​UNDER CONSTRUCTION
2510 Ashland Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201

Phone: 847-719-9071
Email: 
​office@ucym.org

Mailing and Delivery Address
806 Ridge Avenue
c/o UCYM Office
Evanston, IL 60202

Main Office Hours
Monday 3-8 pm
Tuesday 3-8 pm
Wednesday 3-8 pm
Thursday 3-8 pm
Friday 3-9 pm
Saturday by appointment
Sunday by appointment

Quick Links

Closed on Sunday Podcast
​​Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Leadership Academy
Protection of Youth & Children
Renew My Church
Quinceañera Ministry
​
SEED
Youth Group

Connect with Us


Picture


​WATCH OUT FOR SPAM!

Any email sent from us will either be sent by Flocknote (mail@flocknote.com) or by a member of the UCYM staff or Ministry Team using an email address firstname@ucym.org. Please send other email to Spam and please let us know at office@ucym.org if you receive any spam messages so that we can alert others to a possible scam.

​© United Catholic Youth Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

Picture
Site powered by The Archdiocese of Chicago
  • About UCYM
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)
    • Protection of Children & Youth
    • Who We Are
    • Leadership >
      • Our Team
      • Boards and Councils
      • Join Our Team!
    • Calendar
    • Renew My Church
    • Donate
    • News & Updates
    • Store
  • For Youth
    • Start Here
    • Anti-Racism Pilot
    • Leadership Academy >
      • Start Here
      • Leader-in-Training
      • Saints-in-Training
      • Discipleship Learning
      • Peer Ministry
      • Youth Minister Formation
    • Campus Ministry
    • Archdiocesan Programs >
      • Holy Fire
      • NCYC
      • Totus Tuus
      • Spirit Day
    • For Children >
      • Children's Liturgy of the Word
      • Confirmation
      • Religious Education
      • Vacation Bible School
    • Retreats >
      • Emmaus Retreat
      • Kairos
      • Metanoia
      • Offline
      • 24-Hour No Phone Retreat
    • Youth Council
    • Youth Group
  • For Young Adults
    • Start Here
    • 20s & 30s Group
    • Alpha
    • College Outreach
    • Podcast
    • Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)
    • SEED
    • Theology On Tap
    • World Youth Day 2023
    • Young Adult Council
  • Hispanic Ministry
    • Start Here
    • Consejo Hispano
    • Hispanic Celebrations >
      • Day of the Dead
      • Hispanic Heritage Month
      • Our Lady of Guadalupe
    • Pastoral Juvenil
    • Quinceañera Ministry
    • Resources >
      • V Encuentro
      • USCCB
  • Service
    • Start Here
    • Care for Creation >
      • Start Here
      • Archdiocese of Chicago
      • Community Garden
    • HER Drive
    • Snack Drive
    • SNAP Gap
  • Resources
    • Worship Opportunities
    • Archdiocesan Agencies >
      • Start Here
      • Amate House
      • Care for Creation Ministry
      • Catholic Relief Services
      • Domestic Violence
      • Kolbe House Jail Ministry
      • Pastoral Migratoria
      • Respect Life
      • St. Kateri Center of Chicago
      • USCCB
    • Covid-19
    • Equality for Women in the Church
    • LGBTQ+ Community >
      • AGLO
      • God Is On Your Side: A State from Catholic Bishops Protecting LGBTQ Youth
      • New Ways Ministry
      • Outreach - An LGBTQ Catholic Resource
    • Mental Health Awareness
    • National Eucharistic Revival
    • Need to Talk?
    • Partnerships >
      • Blessed Sacrament Youth Center
      • Catholic Athletes for Christ
      • Coalition to End Homelessness in Evanston
      • Evanston Cradle to Careet
      • Evanston Latinos
      • Interfaith Action of Evanston
      • Laudato Si' Action Platform
      • New Ways Ministry
      • Tyler Clementi Foundation
      • Sheil Catholic Center
    • Synod on Synodality
    • Vocations >
      • Start Here
      • Cava
      • Archdiocese of Chicago
      • USCCB
  • Lent
  • Staff Login