Finding Friends In Your Faith

Heading off to college is a time filled with unease because it's beset with new and unexpected adventures. It is our turn to experience life on our own, to grow into the adults we were raised to be, and to encounter different opportunities God has set up f

or us. College is a time to express who you are, study what is important to you, partake in activities of interest, and to create friendships that will last a lifetime. It is important to find a group of friends who encourages you to practice your faith, strengthen your understanding of worship, and supports your journey when you find yourself needing help. This friend or even group of friends might take some time to find, but they are worth searching for, so do not be discouraged if you do not find them right away. People are often shy and nervous about sharing their beliefs, morals and values. In today’s society, it is hard to share with others what you believe in, because of the fear of being shamed for personal values.  I faced this problem a lot my first year of college. In my first year of college I had my brothers and their girlfriends that I attended weekly mass with and talked about faith with, but I still felt something missing. I felt like I needed a friend or group of friends in my faith that I could talk to. I was scared to tell other people about my faith, I was nervous if I expressed what I believed in, others would look at me differently. It was hard for me to reach out and find a group of people who had strong faith and believed in God. I have come to the conclusion it was partially my fault I could not find this group of friends because I was not putting myself out there, I was living in fear of being myself and I greatly regret that. My freshman year of college I felt very alone with my faith. Instead of finding my faith in college, I felt myself turning away from it and partaking alternate activities with people because I wanted to be that fun, kind, energetic girl everyone wanted to hang out with. Then, my sophomore year I met a friend and she taught me that you can be that uplifting, energetic, charismatic individual in every aspect of life as long as you are being yourself. My friend Alex Klare has helped me see the beauty of being yourself and the importance of being open about your faith. She has showed me how easy it can be to find a group of friends who share the sa

me beliefs as you as long as you can first put yourself out there to find them. Together we started discussing our beliefs and even shared them with others. Alex and I are on the soccer team together at Allegheny College and this year before each game we would come together as a team to pray. The team has never done something like this previously, so it was new to everyone. At first it was a little awkward because not everyone on the team shares our faith, but in time we found that no matter what religion people did or didn't practice, praying brought us together as a group. Doing something like this can be scary, but wearing our faith on our sleeve and not being ashamed of it, is what Jesus asks us to do. Finding friends in college that share your faith is so important because they can attend mass with you every Sunday, share readings with you daily, and inspire you to work harder in your relationship with God.

Dear God,

You are the one who shows us how to love, be a friend, and be a constant. You are those things to us. You love us and stay beside us no matter what. Tune our hearts to be more like yours. Help us love everyone around us well, even when we don’t feel like it. Give us the compassion and grace to push our friends to grow and soften our hearts to receive the same feedback. Help us find our inner circle and stick with them. Thank you thank you for giving us the blessing of friendship in our lives, so that we do not have to do life alone. 

Amen 

If you are having trouble finding a friend or group of friends in college do not be discouraged, that is why we are here, we want to help you journey closer to faith. Please do not hesitate to email us and we can help set you up with a group of students to explore your faith with.