Zach Zajo

Zach Zajo

PhD Candidate, Chemical Engineering

“The small group provided not only a space for meaningful friendships but also helped me transform my faith. Before, my faith had often felt like a set of practices I simply followed. Through the fortnightly discussions and connections with others who were wrestling with similar questions, my faith evolved into something much more personal and authentic—a genuine source of strength and guidance.”

Reflecting on my time at Stanford as a graduate student, I can see how profoundly the Catholic community here, especially the Graduate Catholic Students’ Association (GCSA), has shaped my experience. Coming to Stanford as an international student, I initially struggled to find my footing—a challenge made even harder by the isolation of the pandemic. But as soon as things began to open up, I joined an on-campus graduate student small group. Looking back, I can say this was one of the best decisions I made at Stanford.

The small group provided not only a space for meaningful friendships but also helped me transform my faith. Before, my faith had often felt like a set of practices I simply followed. Through the fortnightly discussions and connections with others who were wrestling with similar questions, my faith evolved into something much more personal and authentic—a genuine source of strength and guidance.

Beyond the spiritual growth, some of my favorite memories at Stanford are thanks to the GCSA. Whether we were going out for dinner, watching movies, playing pickleball, or taking ski trips to Tahoe, the community offered me a real sense of belonging and joy that helped make Stanford feel like home.

The Catholic community also introduced me to my spiritual director, Fr. Bob, who has been a true guiding light throughout my time here. Fr. Bob generously met with me weekly, listening with kindness and offering perspective on everything from spiritual concerns to personal and professional challenges. His guidance has helped me through difficult moments, showing me how God is always present in our lives—even during times when His presence feels distant. Through his wisdom, Fr. Bob taught me to see that God is constantly at work within each of us, untiringly guiding us, and this has been an invaluable source of comfort and inspiration.

As I look back, I feel immensely grateful to the Catholic community at Stanford, whose support has truly been a cornerstone of my time here. This community has given me friends, mentors, and memories that I’ll carry with me long after I leave Stanford.

Antonio Tomasso

Antonio Tomasso

Post Doctoral Scholar, Stanford School of Medicine

“At CC@S, you can find a place you can call home. Jesus’s words ‘Don’t be afraid, I am with you’, are reminders that He is really with each of us, no matter what, especially in our hardest moments.”

A few weeks after arriving at Stanford, I joined a leadership workshop with the Catholic Community at Stanford (CC@S). Through role-play exercises, we began to get to know each other, and I quickly felt a sense of connection. CC@S’s events, from volunteer activities to study groups and social dinners, are open to everyone. Through CC@S, I’ve met so many warm-hearted people who’ve helped ease my transition from Europe. I’ll always be grateful to God for placing Fr Bob in my path; his kindness and support came at a time I needed it most, and it meant the world to me. My stay at the Woodshop in Redwood City with other Catholic students deepened my sense of gratitude and belonging. In the study groups, I learned the practice of the examen, those quiet moments of reflection, prayer and sharing our joys and struggles became a powerful way to pause, reconnect, and grow in faith together.

What I love most about CC@S is its universal spirit, truly reflecting the openness of the Catholic faith. Everyone is welcome, from lifelong Catholics to those just curious about God and Jesus. At CC@S, you can find a place you can call home. Sunday Mass at Memorial Church brings this sense of unity to life, with so many students coming together in prayer. For me, it’s a moment to open my heart and find inner peace during Holy Communion.

As Blaise Pascal said: "Our heart has a vacuum in the shape of God that can only be filled by God", and you can feel this deeply here. Jesus’s words “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest", and "Don’t be afraid, I am with you", are reminders that He is really with each of us, no matter what, especially in our hardest moments. With Jesus, every challenge can be overcome. When all seems lost, He takes our hands and warms our heart, if we open ourselves to Him.

In CC@S, you can find some of your closest friends, as I did, and together, we’re growing and facing life’s challenges in the presence of Jesus.

Emma Casey

Emma Casey

Class of ’25

“CC@S has been a source of support and spiritual nourishment through the highs and lows of Stanford. It is where I came to know Catholicism’s beauty, coherence, and ability to permeate all aspects of life.”

My Catholic faith has always been important to me, but my grasp and appreciation of it was limited when I started my freshman year. I went to church on Sunday without fail, but I mostly viewed it as a set of rules to follow and tasks to complete.

Over the last three years at Stanford, my faith gradually moved beyond the one-hour block on Sundays and started to permeate my daily life. Fr. Dominic and Fr. Xavier helped me notice God in the beauty of a walk around lake lag or the surprise of running into a friend on the way to class. The students at CC@S showed me how daily mass can provide pause and spiritual nourishment amid the rush of the quarter system. The Catechesis provided through speaker events and CLT helped me grow in self-understanding and challenge the conventional values of Silicon Valley. I learned that my worth comes from my creation in the image and likeness of God, not my GPA, ability to find professional success, or perception by others. The anxiety I once felt around finding my vocation — which I conflated with knowing my long-term career path —  was replaced by the peace of knowing my call is simply to know, love, and serve God in the moment at hand.

CC@S has been a source of support and spiritual nourishment through the highs and lows of Stanford. It is where I came to know Catholicism's beauty, coherence, and ability to permeate all aspects of life.

Arnaud Tran

Arnaud Tran

MS ’24, Energy Science and Engineering School, Doerr School of Sustainability

“I found Fr. Bob who suggested that I try the Spiritual Exercises, a nearly 8 months adventure, which lasted beyond my time in Stanford and also accompanied me during my 3 months trip back home: between Shanghai and Paris on the Silk Road. The amazing thing about this retreat was how the reflections suggested by Ignatius were incarnated in my daily life.”

CC@S has had a profound impact on my experience at the Farm. I am a recent MS graduate in Energy Sciences. After a transformative pilgrimage at WYD in Lisbon, I wanted to engage in spiritual direction when I returned to campus in September, and it was there that I found Fr. Bob who suggested that I try the Spiritual Exercises. As it is a nearly 8 months adventure, it lasted beyond my time in Stanford and also accompanied me during my 3 months trip back home: between Shanghai and Paris on the Silk Road.

The amazing thing about this retreat was how the reflections suggested by Ignatius were incarnated in my daily life. For example, I truly felt in the apostles' shoes after Pentecost when I was able to communicate warmth and love with a toothless old muslim man who was my neighbor during a 24-hour train journey in the Karakalpak desert. Although we had no common language, Adilkhan and I shared a real moment of communion. There were times when I had doubts and felt abandoned, for example when I was exploring the Kirghiz passes by bike after two days of rain and wind against me. But like the time when, after two days of walking alone in Montenegro, I discovered a shelter with no one but myself and the innkeeper, who was like an angel put on my path by Providence, God has always come to me in unexpected ways. My lesson? Take the risk of meeting God, he'll come to you!

I also had the opportunity to make unique friends with the graduate men's small prayer group. In the image of our church, we were very different people, which was a real source of fruitfulness for our interactions, whether it was during a Lectio Divina, a hike or a raclette dinner (typical French dinner based on melted cheese).

Through these unique experiences and the new relationships built, I truly met Jesus and God as I never had before. So I am truly grateful to the Catholic community, staff and donors who made this journey possible.

Joel Kiernan

Joel Kiernan

Class of ’24, MS ’25 Mechanical Engineering

“Meeting people my age who were incredibly passionate about their faith was transformative for my faith. Through CLT, I’ve met some of the most grounded people I know at Stanford. Not only did CLT give me an even greater appreciation for the faith-filled community at Stanford, it also led me to helping create initiatives to help others grow in faith.”

My faith took on a new dimension in college – purely thanks to CC@S. Before college, faith was an individual or family pursuit; my home church didn't really have a youth community. That completely changed in college. Meeting people my age who were incredibly passionate about their faith was transformative for my faith. My freshman year was over the pandemic. I still remember getting a cold email from Fr. Dominic asking to chat for 15 minutes. One thing led to another, and I was logging onto Zoom every Saturday morning for a lovely discussion with a men's small group. After that year, I joined the undergraduate Catholic Leadership Team, and served there for three years. Through CLT, I've met some of the most grounded people I know at Stanford. Not only did CLT give me an even greater appreciation for the faith-filled community at Stanford, it also led me to helping create initiatives to help others grow in faith. This, in turn, helps grow my own faith. Taking an active role in my own faith, and in encouraging others' faith, is thanks to the great community and inspiration I found at CC@S.