Serra Club Vocations Essay

Student draws closer to Christ through hardships, service to others

(Editor’s note: The Indianapolis Serra Club’s annual John D. Kelley Vocations Essay Contest ordinarily awards prizes each spring to winning essayists in grades 7-12 in the archdiocese. This week, have the winning entry in the 12th grade.)

By Sydney Cullina (Special to The Criterion)

Growing up in a Catholic upbringing since words were able to come out of my mouth, each aspect of my school, parish and family life have nurtured me into the woman I am today.

One of the often overlooked, yet earliest examples of appreciating the Eucharist I can remember is simple Mass attendance. While putting down the coloring pages my parents used to keep me engaged as a child or finding the urge to get out of bed on a Sunday morning might have struck me as an inconvenience before I started to see God’s true goodness, following my dad’s return from mental health rehabilitation is when this hour of God’s presence as a restart to the week really began to mean the most to me.

While the hardships my family endured battling addiction and mental health may have been a huge setback to the average atheist, this toll my family life had on me is what actually allowed me to embrace Christ in my life.

Being blessed with the ability to admire my parents’ demonstrated reverence and faith participation, I looked forward to looking up at the altar and finding comfort in the silence, feeling God’s presence in the body and blood, along with my loved ones, reaffirming that he has a plan for us even if we have yet to see it.

If every young person was as fortunate as I am to recognize one role model in their life to imitate their eucharistic devotion and used their setbacks in their family life as motivations to recognize the light God has prepared for them at the end of the tunnel, this would provide generations to come an endless amount of hope.

Two similar experiences I encountered on a deeper level that allowed me to experience a step closer to my vocational call was my childcare mission trip to Guatemala in June of 2023 and the opportunity to not only attend, but also lead a retreat for the junior class in November of 2023.

Although the body and blood of Christ may not have been present in these moments, Christ himself certainly was, through starving children’s smiles and “thank you’s” when receiving a snack, and through the introverted retreatants’ abilities to open their hearts and speak up following reflection time.

Both of these experiences allowed me to be a voice of reason for others and provide insight to a vulnerable group of individuals who needed God’s guidance and provided me with the insight that I want to continue this Christian leadership.

While it may be daunting to put yourself out there, I assure you that everyone’s faith journey looks a little different. Being an advocate of Christianity and a sense of encouragement both at the local and national level served as a reminder to me that God’s love is needed everywhere, and there simply is no measure to it.

Although our faith-based environments can help us to hold ourselves accountable for going to Mass, attending school retreats and reaching our service hours, personally I think the key is finding gratitude and God’s goodness in the littlest ways. And that comes from within our individual motivation to seek him.
 

(Sydney and her parents, Kameron and Sheila Cullina, are members of Christ the King Parish in Indianapolis. She recently completed the 12th grade at Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis and is the 12th-grade division winner in the Indianapolis Serra Club’s 2024 John D. Kelley Vocations Essay Contest.) †