We have officially been living in Dublin for over a month as a community! We have said multiple times to one another that it has felt like we’ve lived here for three months, but also two days. Strange, right? In the short period we’ve experienced in Ireland, we have made sure to make the most of our days off and begin traveling to areas of Ireland outside of Dublin. Two weeks ago, I was able to visit family friends in Cork and experienced my first traditional Irish music session, where I sang “The Parting Glass!” It was a really beautiful time and moment on my trip, and I’m hoping to attend many more in the future. This past weekend I was able to travel to Galway with Maeve. I had visited once in May, but was only able to spend a few hours, so the overnight trip was extremely fun! We were able to visit various live music sessions and experience a market on Saturday morning. Walking around the area was beautiful and lively, and I will certainly go back to experience that part of Ireland once again!
This is the Galway Cathedral that Maeve and I visited on Saturday afternoon. It was very calm and a wonderful few minutes to spend in the day reflecting and in prayer amongst others visiting the cathedral as well.
One thing I have learned so far regarding my faith and constantly being surrounded by it is that everyone experiences their faith differently. Everyone’s journeys can fluctuate, and there is no ‘set path’. It has been truly beautiful to learn of how people have come to the faith either from an early age, or even more recently. My mom was someone who ingrained the faith into me from an early age, so I had constant exposure to the church and the environment quite young. I attended a Catholic private school until my sophomore year of high school, and then went to Stonehill College, which is a Catholic institution. When I was younger, I had never really thought about how someone could struggle with their faith and come back to it, or decide to join the faith later in life. When I attended Stonehill, I truly was immersed in all types of backgrounds and walks of life.
A deeply important aspect of faith is community. The community at Stonehill allowed me to grow deeper in my faith and interact with others my own age, which I had not had the opportunity to do previously. After arriving here, I found how normal it was to have ups and downs in one’s journey with God, as no true relationship, even between each other, is perfect all of the time. We have our moments of doubt and moments of strength, but I find it quite beautiful, no matter how tumultuous, we can always find our way back to Him. My experience so far at Newman University Church has really emphasized that all ages and walks of faith can join together to form a community of support, love, and upholding one another through their faith. I feel blessed that I am surrounded by such a wonderful group of people, and am excited to continue to navigate and understand my relationship with God on a deeper level.
