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For 14 years, I was fortunate to receive a free education in a Catholic environment.

But with no Catholic post-secondary institution in the Greater Toronto Area offering my program of choice, after high school I’ve had to further my studies in a public university.

As my first semester at university comes to an end, it������Ƶapp evident to me how big a change it has been — but one that is not for the worse. Though my faith is no longer entrenched in my daily schedule at school, I now have the freedom to explore, practise and claim my faith as an adult.

As Catholics, it is important that we take the time to thank God and acknowledge His presence in our daily lives.

As a teenager, I was always really careful when praying to the saints. I had some friends who would always use the argument that praying to the saints is the same as worshipping them. I knew this wasn’t true, but I always played it safe, never really saying more than, “Saint so and so, pray for me.” While there was nothing wrong with this, I never allowed them to bring me closer to Jesus.

With the countdown on until Christmas Day and pressure to buy the perfect gift for friends and family in full swing, it can be easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas. But we must realize finding the true meaning of Christmas can only be done through rejection of materialism.

Western culture has inherited a slew of ideas from folklore, ultimately adopted by North Americans through mass media influences.

I’ve come to realize we can learn some of life������Ƶapp greatest lessons from the poor.  

Last spring, I travelled with six other students to Cuernavaca, Mexico, with Global Connections on an educational immersion trip organized by the Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry. For 12 days I lived the social justice teachings of the Church through hands on experience. I toured some of the poorest parts of the city, volunteered at a compost centre and served breakfasts to underprivileged school children.

As a Catholic and a pro-life supporter, it was disappointing to hear that the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) banned our campus pro-life club. Carleton Lifeline lost club status because the student union said being anti-abortion violates the university������Ƶapp anti-discrimination policy. In order to receive student union funding and recognition on campus, the club must become pro-choice.

The irony is obvious.

I am involved in the University of Saskatchewan������Ƶapp Newman Centre, a Catholic student group supported by the diocese. The Centre began in 1926 both to spread Cardinal Newman������Ƶapp message of the integration of faith and reason in education and to create a refuge for Catholic students in a time of hatred and suspicion towards Catholics.

I have been the youth ministry co-ordinator at my parish for the past year and it has been an exciting journey.

Running a youth ministry program can be daunting — I want everything to go according to plan. But too often I find myself being the one to make sure the youth leaders are listening to a talk or reminding them what activity is coming up next. And before any leader realizes they failed to do something, I have taken care of it.

If I only had an hour left to live, would I say my life was good? What would I call the purpose of living and what would I be bringing with me from this life? I certainly hope I wouldn’t say that most of my life was spent stressing over school work and trying to live up to other people������Ƶapp expectations. But I believe that is what many young Catholics would say.

There are experiences that leave  impressions on us for the rest of our lives. Last summer, while visiting the Vatican with my family, I was lucky enough to have had one of those experiences.  

Thus far in my life, I have been blessed to do more than my fair share of travelling around the globe. By the age of 15, I had set foot on three different continents, visiting several cities across North America, Europe and Asia. While it������Ƶapp exciting to marvel at the beauty of God������Ƶapp creation in every corner of the Earth, I was completely unprepared for the wonder and majesty of the Vatican.  

During lunch, as I’m talking with my friends, I hear the headlines that make their day. This goes something along the lines of: the latest stunt from a reality show on TV, the newest video game to hit store shelves and the best dancing couple to fend off elimination.