Focus on Faith
Jesuits Make a Difference in My Life By Mary Carney
Finding God in all things
Mary Carney, Fr. John Dennis, SJ, and Kaitlyn Santhin at Loyola University Maryland
I can recognize the ways in which God is speaking to me, discovering where my passions lie and how I can apply those passions to a career. — Mary Carney
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Since I belong to a Jesuit parish, attended a Jesuit university, and now serve as a Jesuit volunteer in Portland, Maine, the words and phrases, “finding God in all things,” “men and women for others,” discernment, and the Examen have not just been told to me, but shown in the example of great Jesuits I have been fortunate to meet. Jesuits continue to influence my prayer life, my education and my devotion to service. Jesuits have helped me to realize that education, prayer and service significantly overlap in my experiences. It was not until college that I was really challenged to think critically about how my faith influences my way of life. My education at Loyola University Maryland was greatly influenced by the time I spent working as a campus ministry intern and my experiences of service. As an intern, I worked for Fr. Charles Frederico, SJ, who was also my mentor. He stressed the importance of vulnerability, of the Examen and of discern-
ment as I continued to find my role on campus, as I decided what my major would be, and as I figured out where to study abroad in my junior year. Fr. Frederico stressed the journey and how it is important to trust in God’s work in the decisions I was making. As a junior, I was significantly influenced by a week of service in the Philadelphia area. The day we spent in Camden, New Jersey, was the hardest day that week, but it was that day, after praying about it and discerning what I would do after graduation, that inspired me to apply to be a Jesuit Volunteer. I recognized the importance of counting on others and on God in the easy and the hard moments. My spirituality continued to grow and be challenged in my senior year. The question of “Who is Jesus to me?” was first asked on our intern retreat by the director of campus ministry, Fr. John Dennis, SJ. The journey for the answer to that question led me to take a course