Exploring Our Faith

High school student David Candes shares the impact you have had on the high school students of CC@S.

FAITH. PEOPLE UNDERSTAND AND EXPRESS THIS IN DIFFERENT WAYS, but its dictionary definition is to have complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Our Sunday morning religion sessions help us explore our faith.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” As friends, as wolves in a pack, we can be there for each other to lean on when we dare to take that first step.

In Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 (ages 3-12) we fill up a toolbox with knowledge, prayers, and methods. We listen to stories of the Bible and learn practices of the Church. However, in level 5 (our new high school level) we analyze those “stories” to realize that they are so much more than just stories. We talk more in depth about why we do the things that we do at mass and the controversy behind some of the Church’s practices. In Level 5, we learn how to use those tools from our tool box. In level 5, we learn faith. We recognize that God is always within us. We learn how to speak with God and incorporate him into our daily lives. We learn to understand how Jesus’s message can help us and those around us become better people. Not only do we learn this from our perspective, with discussions led by our instructors Alan Chiu and Mark Ruzon, but also from the perspective of others with a deeper or different understanding of how our world functions today and how we can improve it. We have been led in discussions about religion and science, the formation of conscience, justice issues of immigration and poverty, the theology of heaven and the afterlife, and an inter-faith dialogue with representatives of the Quaker tradition. These guest speakers not only open our eyes and our minds, they also open our hearts. The small groups we work in help us to understand our faith not only with God but with one another forming bonds and friendships that will last eternally and in a simple phrase, we can do more together.

David Candes, 10th grader and veteran of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, was instrumental in expanding the program to high school students.

In Silence, a Symphony

I participated in the Catholic Community at Stanford’s Silent Directed Retreat at the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose Motherhouse on February 17-19, 2017. Led by Fr. Xavier, Lourdes Alonso and Nancy Greenfield, the retreat included Stanford undergraduate and graduate students and Permanent Community members. The Sisters of Mission San Jose were gracious hosts and witnesses to Christ, and we shared time with them at Taizé prayer, Mass, Evening Prayer, and meals. It was wonderful to be among such a faith-filled and prayerful group.

When I tell people that I attended a silent directed retreat, they imagine that I spent the whole time in total silence. Thankfully, that was not true. We entered into silence by refraining from conversations with fellow participants and others by way of email, social media, phone calls, text messages, etc., in order to enter into conversation with God. The silence was informed by reading and reflecting on God’s Word (Lectio Divina), Taizé prayer, Mass, morning and evening prayer, guided mediation, confession, Eucharistic adoration, and daily conversations with a Spiritual Director. Each day flowed through a rhythm of silence and song. On the last day, I took a walk throughout the beautiful grounds; and in the silence, I found a great symphony.

The retreat proved a poignant experience for me. I was grateful to free myself from the distractions of everyday life for a weekend to listen to God speaking to me. The retreat allowed me to rest in the peace of Christ. I experienced a deep and joyful peace throughout the weekend. I left feeling renewed, filled with joy, trusting in God’s plan for me, and more attentive to all the ways in which He is speaking to me and working in my life.

I also left feeling more connected to, and grateful for, the Catholic Community at Stanford. We are so very blessed.

Feeling the Presence of God

Over the course of my four years at Stanford, the Catholic Community at Stanford has been a source of spiritual nourishment, warm community, and genuine mentorship. I feel God's presence when I am sitting in Memorial Church and hearing Father Xavier’s and Father Emmanuel’s homilies. On Tuesday nights at Old Union, I especially feel God's presence when I am at adoration gazing at the monstrance. I feel God's presence when I am holding hands with the ladies in my Catholic small group and am asking the Lord's intercession for our intentions. And I feel God's presence when I attend activities such as the Special Dinner when students of different years gather for food and fellowship. In particular, I am blessed to have had the opportunity to draw closer to Christ through the weekend silent retreat in March at the San Jose Mission of the Dominican Sisters.

During the guided silent retreat, I joined other undergraduates, graduates, and permanent community members for a weekend of prayer, spiritual direction, and the Eucharist. In between spiritual direction sessions with Lourdes Alonso, I frequently explored the beautiful grounds. The retreat allowed me to find God in the silence of nature.  In this off-campus retreat, I was able to better understand the verse from Matthew 11:38: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." God calls each of us into a closer relationship with Him, but sometimes we need some silence to hear His invitation. As students with demanding schedules, it is difficult to hear His call, let alone respond to it. I see Jesus as a gentleman who is standing outside the doors of our hearts, knocking and waiting to be invited in. We must open the door to our hearts to let Him in.

Normally, I maintain a Google calendar that is like a jam packed Tetris board and every day I am bombarded by texts, emails, Facebook notifications, etc. Such intrusions do not exist in the peaceful refuge of the silent retreat.  At last, in the quaint gardens in front of the retreat house, I could clear my mind. I reflected on my many blessings-- my loving family with five other siblings, my exceptional educational experience, and all the friends, mentors, and communities that supported me throughout my undergraduate journey. The sense of peace and joy emanated from a strong sense of God's loving presence. Lourdes encouraged me to journal about these moments so that I could return to them when life got busy again. Another aspect of the retreat was Ignatian discernment which guides us to reflect on our present circumstances so that we can be aware of what God is calling us to do. After prayerful reflection, I felt the Lord was calling me to use my final spring quarter (since I had completed all course requirements for graduation) to go on a Marian pilgrimage with my maternal grandmother to Lourdes and Medjugorje. As I write this reflection, I am happy to report that we have just returned from a ten-day experience of a little taste of heaven on earth.

So thank you to the Catholic Community at Stanford for your friendship, support, and encouragement. I look forward to seeing everyone at graduation and staying in touch during the years to come!

A Connection with the Divine

Student leaders are inspired to come to know Christ and make him better know to others

It occurred to me during our small group discussion that “worry” and “trust” would be recurring and common themes during and beyond the retreat—we had read Luke the day before: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”; now, we had finished reading the story of Jesus walking on water, and were contemplating about the implications of its deeper meaning in our lives. I was enlightened by a conversation with a small group member, entering into a deep discussion about knowing when and how to “step out of the boat”. We agreed that staying within the safety of the comfort zone by having one foot in and one foot out doesn’t cut it. Following a new calling, she noted, entails learning to be bold; in order to venture out, one must eventually learn to set aside fears and doubts. It dawned on me then, the power of trust in helping us overcome the impeding consequences of worry. And so during the closing prayer, I prayed for her, that she would be able to wholeheartedly trust in what God has planned and find peace in what she feels called to do.

Walking outside at the end of the day, listening to the waves crashing against the cliff, and watching the sun set where the glistening sea surface meets the horizon brought on a sense of calm and spiritual awareness that kept me rejuvenated, unwaveringly peaceful, and wonderfully blissful this entire week. Returning from the retreat, I hope to live my faith not out of a sense of duty, but as a disciple of His son so that I might come to know Christ and make Him better known.

Victoria Fan (’18) is a junior at Stanford studying neurobiology and chemistry

Even the Youngest Have a Calling

CC@S's junior high students enter a new world, where they learn first hand God's call to love and serve the poor.

“We are called to act with justice, to love tenderly, to serve one another, and to walk humbly with God.” 

The Catholic Community's Junior High Group took those words from the prophet Micah to heart as they collected presents and served families through their Christmas Outreach Project at St. Justin's Parish in Santa Clara.  The kids learned to get around their stereotypes of who was poor and why. They came to work and to serve, and in return were rewarded with new friends and grateful hearts.

St. Justin's Parish has one of the largest daily outreach ministries in the Diocese of San Jose.  The weekend before Christmas people in need line up to “shop” for their children among donated gifts, books, and stuffed animals.  Food for a holiday meal is provided and there is an opportunity to choose a holiday outfit from donated clothing.  Our kids became helping angels as they wheeled carts around loading presents, gift wrapping, and transporting out to vehicles.  Language barriers did not stop their generosity.  Smiles and “thank you’s” flowed throughout the day.  Eyes and hearts were opened up to see that people are so much alike, no matter their economic background; we are all children of God.

“A memorable thing was when one family I was helping was picking stocking stuffers. The couple only picked one per kid, when they were allowed to take three.  When I asked if they wanted more, they said, ‘That's okay.  We have enough.  There are others who need it more than we do.’  That was really thoughtful that they were able to think of others before themselves, even in their situation.” —Keira C.

“You rarely see those less fortunate in your own communities in a context where you can actually interact.  This Outreach project gives this opportunity and it’s valuable.  Even though this situation was not something I often do, and it felt unusual, something was right with the world.  What we were doing felt more natural than one would anticipate.” —Andrew P.

“When I went to St. Justin's church to deliver gifts to the people who couldn’t afford them, it was like entering a new world.  So many people were there, and it was our job to help them all.  I felt honored.” —Xavier R.