One Church

"Tell me about a challenge you faced and how it influenced your faith."

“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” ~1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Coming from a military family, starting college with a virtual semester from home in the middle of a pandemic just felt like another move for me. Because of my age each time we moved, I ended up going to seven different schools in seven years, and every time that I started at a new school, I had to meet new people and form new relationships. However, as a “new kid”, there was a barrier between me and my classmates that was as if I were on a Zoom call, and everyone else was in-person since everyone else either already knew each other or had the shared experiences of growing up in the same area. Needless to say, it was difficult for me to form the meaningful or lasting connections that are an important part of growing up, but the Lord guided me through this challenge using one of the only constant factors in my life: church.

As we profess in the Nicene Creed each week at Mass, we believe in the Four Marks of the Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Each Mark is important in its own way, but I think the one often taken for granted within the Catholic Church is “one”. The Catholic Church is unique in that you can attend Mass anywhere around the world and it will always be celebrated exactly the same, no matter the language spoken or the culture of the area. This was huge for me and in the six places I’ve lived, both in and out of the country, it was one of the only consistent aspects of my life. Not only was Mass itself consistent, but the community surrounding each parish was as well, and it was made up of amazing people who already shared the same important core values and beliefs as myself. I knew that I could go to church and be surrounded by people who may not know me personally but could connect with me through the sacrament of the Eucharist each week. In this way, I was able to grow closer to God, and through His love, I found friends and family in each place that I lived.

Now as I transition to my second semester of college and first semester on Grounds, I can clearly see His influence once again. College is, as I’m sure all of you know, an extremely formative part of life and is filled with a litany of new experiences, good and bad, as students learn how to be completely independent for (usually) the first time. This transition was particularly abrupt for me since I took my first semester virtually from home and have gone from complete isolation from my peers to a game of catch-up to try to make up for the Fall semester. But as I meet all kinds of new people and see all of the different activities occurring around Grounds, I continue to be drawn to the Catholic community here, as I have at each place I’ve lived. The Catholic community stands out as a place where I can grow in my relationship with the Lord while being surrounded by individuals who are actively working towards the same goal. In this, the Lord is working through the fellowship of the community to guide me towards Him, and I know that I can trust Him to show me the right path here at UVA.

I’ve only been here for two months as of this week, but I know that I have already made some of my most meaningful friendships here through the Catholic community and these friends will stand with me over our four years here as we face the challenges and temptations of college together. God has shown me that I am not alone and never have been, and regardless of where I’ve been or how alone I’ve felt, His love and His guidance will always be present through His one Church.
 

I’m Julian Bowes and I’m a first-year who loves playing volleyball and the cello. I don’t really have a hometown, but I’ve lived in Florida, Italy, Tennessee, and three parts of Virginia (most recently Norfolk where I live now). My favorite place that I’ve lived in is, of course, Italy especially because of all of the traveling I got to do while living there.