For many students, faith is formed long before they can explain it.

It begins in small moments:

• A parent kneeling in prayer.

• Sunday Mass together.

• A rosary was prayed quietly at home.

• A mother choosing faithfulness day after day.

For Lucas, those moments mattered more than he realized.

“When I was around 6 or 7 years old, I saw my mom have great devotion to God and Mary through the Rosary and Mass,” he shared. “This moved me to learn more about my faith and about God’s love for me.”

Even as a child, he saw something real in his mother’s faith. And that witness stayed with him.

When Faith Feels Distant

As Lucas entered middle school, life became harder.

Like many young people, he began wrestling with emptiness, temptation, and the tension between wanting God while also being pulled toward other ways of living.

Even though he still attended Mass, he felt spiritually disconnected.

That tension left him feeling sorrowful and spiritually worn down.

Many Catholic parents know this fear.

• You raise your child in the faith.

   

• You pray for them.

   

• You bring them to church.

   

• And then one day, it feels like faith has become distant.

This is one of the most important realities facing young people today: faith retention is not automatic. The transition into adolescence and young adulthood can either deepen a student’s relationship with God or quietly pull them away from it. That’s why relationships, belonging, and Catholic community matter so deeply during these years.

Choosing God Again

Halfway through his freshman year of high school, Lucas made a decision.

“With the graces of God,” he said, he chose to turn away from sin and choose God completely.

He began going to Confession more regularly.

He returned more intentionally to Mass.

He also embraced devotional practices that had shaped his childhood—praying the Rosary and observing First Saturdays in reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Little by little, Lucas found his way back.

“From there on to today, Our Lady carries me through it with the strength of Christ, her Son,” he shared. “Some days feel harder than others, but in the end it’s all worth it for the One who loved me first.”

His story is a reminder that even when faith feels distant, God never stops pursuing His children. And often, the seeds planted by parents are what help lead students home again.

Why Stories Like Lucas’s Matter

At Newman Connection, we hear stories like this every day.

• Students searching for belonging.

   

• Students navigating transition.

   

• Students are trying to hold onto faith while stepping into a completely new environment.

The reality is simple: the moments after high school are some of the most vulnerable in a young person’s faith journey. When students leave for college, military service, or a new city without a Catholic community already waiting for them, many drift away quietly and alone.

That is why Newman Connection exists.

Through the Faith Forward movement, we help students get personally connected by name to Catholic communities before they arrive at their next chapter, so they are known, welcomed, and invited before isolation ever begins.

Because belonging should never be left to chance.

 A personal invitation.

 A campus minister reaching out.

 A Catholic friend waiting before move-in day.

 A place where someone already knows your name.

These moments change lives.

A Mother’s Faith Can Echo for Generations

Lucas’s story is ultimately a story about a witness.

A mother’s faith.

A family’s example.

A student rediscovering God’s love.

A community helping someone stay connected instead of disappearing.

This is the mission donors make possible every day through Newman Connection.

Your support helps students connect and be personally invited to their new Catholic community during the moments that matter most. So students can arrive already knowing each other and never walk alone.

Help More Students Stay Connected

If you have a high school senior preparing for college, military service, or their next chapter, help them connect with a Catholic community before they arrive.

Through the Faith Forward movement, students can be personally introduced by name to campus ministries and Catholic communities across the country, so they are known, welcomed, and supported from the very beginning.

Get Your Student Connected Today

If you believe every student deserves a Catholic community waiting for them during life’s biggest transitions, we invite you to support Newman Connection's mission.

Your generosity helps connect students to campus ministries, parishes, mentors, and lifelong faith communities through the Faith Forward movement. Together, we can help more students stay connected to Christ, and remind them they are never alone.