If you would’ve told me eight years ago that I would one day become a youth minister, I would’ve laughed in your face. I had big plans to graduate high school, major in Communications at John Carroll and then become the next Stephanie Schafer. But that’s the funny thing about making plans for your life, they don’t always go as planned. I did in fact graduate high school and enter into the John Carroll community as a Communications major. I did achieve my high school dream to some degree when I worked at the Fish Radio station, but God most definitely had bigger and better plans for my life than I could have ever imagined. 

I have always been a very spiritual person, someone who loved their faith and appreciated my prayer life. It wasn’t until I moved to Euclid in the Spring of 2013 that God really changed my life. When I started coming to Ss. Robert & William’s Mass on Sunday evenings, I started to feel this prompting from the Holy Spirit. I felt like God was nudging me to be a part of the Life Teen program, which I immediately chalked up as a crazy idea that I had come up with on my own. A few weeks past, after attending that first Mass, and I just couldn’t shake the feeling. I eventually run into Chris Kelley at a family member’s graduation party, and he invited me to the young adult group meeting. Long story short, Chris asked me to join the Life Teen Core (soon to be Euclid Life Teen), and I never looked back.

I had never felt so passionate and convicted about serving the church the same way I did by helping with Life Teen. But it wasn’t until the Summer of 2014, when I was able to attend the Catholic Youth Minister Convention in Scottsdale, AZ that I truly felt God calling me to full time ministry. It was right around the time that “Oceans” By Hillsong United was really gaining momentum. I remember signing the lyrics, “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders,” and I could tell God was asking me to allow the Holy Spirit to do just that. I couldn’t figure out what exactly He was asking of me, but it felt really big, and I was really scared. Through a lot of prayer and discernment, it was made clear to me that God wanted me to enter into ministry full time. I didn’t waste a second looking for places that would hire me. I was eventually led to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Aurora, OH where I served as the high school youth minister for the past two years. I learned an incredible amount in the time that I was serving there, and I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for that experience. I am thrilled to be coming home to Ss. Robert & William and St. John of the Cross. I have truly missed my home parish in a way that cannot be described. I hope to continue down this road of completely surrender, to let the Holy Spirit continue to lead me where my trust is without borders. It’s been a wild ride thus far, I can’t wait to see what else is in store.