--- title: "From Searching for God to Finding Her Place: Addie's Catholic Faith Journey" description: Discover how Addie's journey back to her Catholic faith at Kansas State University shows the importance of connecting students with campus ministries. image: https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/3cb14ebe-ac2a-49cd-bd73-3633cf729fd2-share_your_story_photos-IMG_2201.jpeg --- [![Horizontal-2](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Horizontal-2.png?width=1679&height=428&name=Horizontal-2.png "Horizontal-2")](https://connection.newmanministry.com/) ![Students2.Blog.Header](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/Students2.Blog.Header.png "Students2.Blog.Header") # The Newman Blog #### Helping College Students Grow Their Faith. ## What's Happening - Filter By Topic - [All](https://blog.newmanconnection.org) - [Campus Ministry](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/campus-ministry) - [Faith Forward Stories](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/faith-forward-stories) - [Catholic](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/catholic) - [Faith Forward Movement](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/faith-forward-movement) - [Evangelization](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/evangelization) - [Student Stories](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/student-stories) - [Catholic Blog](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/catholic-blog) - [Lent](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/lent) - [Student Story](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/student-story) - [Faith Journey](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/faith-journey) - [Spirituality](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/spirituality) - [Prayer](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/prayer) - [Leadership](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/leadership) - [Saint](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/saint) - [Called+](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/called) - [Catholic Lifecycle](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/catholic-lifecycle) - [community](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/community) - [ministry](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/ministry) [Faith Forward Stories](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/topic/faith-forward-stories) # From Searching for God to Finding Her Place: Addie's Catholic Faith Journey ![](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/3cb14ebe-ac2a-49cd-bd73-3633cf729fd2-share_your_story_photos-IMG_2201.jpeg) #### Share [mailto:?body=https://blog.newmanconnection.org/catholic-faith-in-college-addies-story-of-coming-home](mailto:?body=https://blog.newmanconnection.org/catholic-faith-in-college-addies-story-of-coming-home) ![Newman Connection](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/%E2%80%A2%20LOGOS%20%E2%80%A2/Newman%20Connect%20App/Screenshot%202025-06-30%20at%208.28.46%20AM.png) Written By [Newman Connection](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/author/newman-connection) On Oct, 22 2026 5 minute read At 16, Addie felt something she could not explain. A longing that nothing in her life seemed able to satisfy. She had grown up Catholic, attended Catholic school, and eventually walked away from her faith. But something was drawing her back. So she took a small, uncertain step. She returned to Mass. Today, Addie is an active member of her Catholic community at Kansas State University, where she continues to grow in faith and discern where God may be calling her. **Her journey is a reminder that faith can take unexpected turns—and that having a Catholic community to turn to matters.** #### A Longing That Led Her Back to the Church Addie grew up Catholic, but faith was not a big part of her home. She says she was "born into a nominally Catholic family." In other words, her family was Catholic mostly in name. She went to Catholic school from age 5 to 11. Then she asked to leave. She pushed for a move to a public middle school "because of how vehemently I disliked the structure of my Catholic education." After that, she walked away from God completely. In that time, Addie says, she "embraced a firm atheistic stance and paid little to no attention to God." But at 16, something changed. She began to recognize "a great longing in me that could not be satisfied by anything in this world." Rather than ignore it, she began "tentatively going to Mass again." She did not have everything figured out. She simply kept showing up. Over time, her faith deepened, and she made the decision to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. What began as a quiet return to Mass was becoming something much bigger.   #### Finding a Catholic Community Where Faith Could Grow ![Addie with her Catholic priests](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hs-fs/hubfs/3cb14ebe-ac2a-49cd-bd73-3633cf729fd2-share_your_story_photos-IMG_6577.jpeg?width=2230&height=2896&name=3cb14ebe-ac2a-49cd-bd73-3633cf729fd2-share_your_story_photos-IMG_6577.jpeg) Addie's renewed faith did not end with Confirmation. She began serving as a lector at daily Mass, proclaiming Scripture and becoming more involved in the life of the Church. She also received a full scholarship to attend SEEK 2024, a national Catholic conference bringing young people together to encounter Christ and grow in their faith. Now a student at [Kansas State University](https://connection.newmanministry.com/colleges/kansas-state-university/), Addie describes herself as "greatly involved with my campus parish." Her faith continues to shape her decisions, friendships, and future. She is even discerning a possible vocation to religious life. She is praying about whether God is asking her to give her whole life to Him in a religious community. Think about that transformation. A young woman who once wanted nothing to do with God is now asking how He might be calling her to serve Him.  **Addie's story shows us what can happen when a young person responds to God's invitation and continues growing within a Catholic community.** #### Why Catholic Community Matters After High School For young Catholics, graduation brings opportunity, independence, and change. But it can also mean leaving behind the parish, friendships, routines, and trusted adults who have supported their faith. Finding a new Catholic community is not always easy. Some students arrive on campus eager to deepen their faith. Others have questions, doubts, or are still discovering what they believe. And some simply do not know where to begin. That is why a personal invitation matters. At Kansas State University, [St. Isidore's Catholic Student Center](https://connection.newmanministry.com/colleges/kansas-state-university/) offers students opportunities for Mass, prayer, fellowship, service, and spiritual growth. Communities like St. Isidore's provide opportunities for young Catholics to build friendships, ask questions, encounter Christ, and continue discovering their place in the Church. Addie's journey is her own. Her story is not presented as a connection made through Newman Connection. But it reminds us why our mission matters. **Every young Catholic deserves to know there is a community ready to welcome them, wherever their faith journey stands today.** #### Faith Forward: Making the Introduction Before Students Leave Home What if more young Catholics knew where to find their next Catholic community before they even graduated? That is the mission behind [Faith Forward](https://connection.newmanministry.com/faith_forward_movement/), the national Catholic movement led by Newman Connection.  We are bringing together dioceses, Catholic high schools, parishes, families, and campus ministries with one shared goal:  **One million young Catholics personally invited and connected to their next Catholic community.** It is a simple but meaningful shift. Instead of hoping students find the Church after graduation, **we help the Church find and welcome them first.** And because of generous donors, Newman Connection provides this outreach and support at no cost to participating students, schools, parishes, and dioceses. Through Faith Forward, trusted leaders encourage graduating seniors to share where they are headed after high school. Newman Connection then helps make the introduction to Catholic campus ministry or military chaplaincy. From there, ministry leaders can personally reach out, welcome students by name, and invite them to get involved. It is a simple but meaningful shift. Instead of hoping students find the Church after graduation, **we help the Church find and welcome them first.** And because of generous donors, Newman Connection provides this outreach and support at no cost to participating students, schools, parishes, and dioceses. #### Help More Young Catholics Find Their Place Addie's story reminds us that God continues to work in the hearts of young people, even when their journey takes an unexpected turn. Some students arrive at college strong in their faith. Some are searching. Others may be one invitation away from discovering a Catholic community that changes their lives. We cannot know where every student's faith journey will lead. But we can make sure more students have an opportunity to be known, personally invited, and connected. **That is what your gift to Newman Connection makes possible.** You help us reach graduating seniors before they leave home, equip Catholic schools and parishes with free resources, and connect young people with ministry leaders ready to welcome them. Because behind every connection is a young person with a story still being written. [**Give Today — Help Keep Young Catholics Connected**](https://connection.newmanministry.com/?form=impact_giving) [**Learn More About the Faith Forward Movement**](https://connection.newmanministry.com/faith_forward_movement/) *Never let a student walk alone.* ### Recommended Articles: [Faith Forward Stories](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/topic/faith-forward-stories) ##### [Finding Catholic Community on Campus 12 Hours From Home](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/finding-catholic-community-on-campus-12-hours-from-home) 15 Oct, 2026 ![Picture of Newman Connection](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/%E2%80%A2%20LOGOS%20%E2%80%A2/Newman%20Connect%20App/Screenshot%202025-06-30%20at%208.28.46%20AM.png) [Newman Connection](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/author/newman-connection) [0 Comments](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/catholic-faith-in-college-addies-story-of-coming-home#comments-listing) [Faith Forward Stories](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/topic/faith-forward-stories) ##### [Morgan's Story: Becoming Catholic at Kansas State](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/morgans-story-becoming-catholic-at-kansas-state) 9 Oct, 2026 ![Picture of Newman Connection](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/%E2%80%A2%20LOGOS%20%E2%80%A2/Newman%20Connect%20App/Screenshot%202025-06-30%20at%208.28.46%20AM.png) [Newman Connection](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/author/newman-connection) [0 Comments](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/catholic-faith-in-college-addies-story-of-coming-home#comments-listing) ### Subscribe to our newsletter We hate spam. 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