Page 10 - Corette-October-2021

Walking by Faith

The story of how my LASTing Project has allowed me to
grow in my faith and come back to the Church.

BY LILLY ABOUSSIE ‘22

As juniors prepare to begin their LASTing Project, to be. My faith had deteriorated to a pile of broken
often times a feeling of dread washes over many of concrete. After my less than productive pit stop on my
them as they feel there is one more task they have to faith journey in Washington DC to see my family, I re-
complete on top of the rest of their busy schedule. I turned home. In the middle of July, I began my LAST-
would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel the same way ing Project and suddenly my eyes were opened.
going into my service. However, I came to find that
the LASTing project became one of the most mean-
ingful, life changing experiences I’ve ever undergone. The location of St. Patrick Center can be jarring even
After a summer where my faith was at an all-time low, for a girl who has grown up in the City and has been
my LASTing Project was exactly what I needed: it has exposed to a lot in her lifetime. My mom dropped me
opened my eyes to the importance of faith and has off in front of the door of 800 N. Tucker Blvd., where
permanently changed me for the better. a crowd of large men were congregating just in front
Similar to most other tasks in my life, I procrastinated of the door. Cars were honking, so my mom had to
nearly all aspects of my LASTing Project: picking a site, pull away-- maybe I’m being a little dramatic but I
the service itself, and my lectio divinas. On a whim in thought this really was the end for me. Talk about a
Mr. Shoger’s Theology III class, I decided that I would lack of faith… The security guard promptly let me in,
do my service at St. Patrick Center, a local homeless and I headed upstairs to the kitchen to serve meals to
assistance organization located downtown. It was very the clients. I was in utter shock. While this wasn’t my
much an “I guess that’ll work” moment. I went on with first time volunteering with homeless people, I remem-
the rest of the school year, pushing my service hours to bered so many of the clients at another shelter looking
my brain’s back burner. miserable and despaired. However, that wasn’t the case
Spring passed and so did half of the summer. My at St. Patrick Center: the majority of the clients seemed
mental health began to plummet. Mentally, I started to quite the opposite.
get out of control with a lack of faith being a real driver I realized that if homeless people could see God even
of my anxiety and constant sadness. I had so many in the little things, like a hot meal, then perhaps I, a
questions about Catholicism: why did I even believe at privileged Catholic school student with a roof over
this point? If I am in a constant battle with my stress my head, could too find God in the miniscule oc-
and mental health, is God even real? currences of my life. Compared to the clients, I had
I was walking further and further away from God nothing to complain about. I went on with my service,
and the Church. I found myself constantly question- feeling refreshed that most of the people I was serving
ing some of the very basic tenets of the Catholic faith. weren’t terribly distraught. In addition to my time in
I was in such a detrimental state in my relationship the kitchen, I assisted on the loading dock where all
with God particularly proven through my halt in Mass of the donations are dropped off. The donation center
attendance and prayer saying. In my attempt to discuss faces the alley, a place where I saw some of the most
my feelings with my family, I felt ashamed and reduced heart-wrenching things I’ve ever seen. One of the cli-
to almost nothing as they began to claim that I was a ents changed openly in front of a bunch of men, which
bad Catholic going through a “crisis of faith.” Maybe I made me think back to junior year theology-- she felt
was, but I needed support- not belittlement. My trust shameless, and there was no dignity to be protected
in the Catholic teachings was not the brick wall it used after everything she’s been through.

10 Cor Jesu Corette page designed by Lilly Aboussie ‘22