integration 2 assignment: Opportunities for Growth Opportunities for Growth Difficulties, progress, laughter. I have been challenged both inside and outside of the classroom here. This semester at Notre Dame has been one that has been filled with change as I adjust to college and living away from home in this new part of my life. I went to a high school that was relatively small, so one change is that at Notre Dame there are generally large amounts of people near me, whether at the football games, on my way to class, or in the dining halls, which has been a different experience for me. I suppose I just did not really think about this facet of my experience before coming here. As this semester draws to a close, my first classes here end soon. I have encountered new friends, chances to do things I care about, and opportunities to grow in my Catholic faith. Friendships have enhanced my time here. At Notre Dame, I have found other people who care about the Catholic faith and like to pray. While I have other friends that I know from other places such as my dorm, there are people that I would consider myself to have a deeper connection with. I share common values with them. Additionally, I have had meaningful conversations with them, and I have learned from them. I often pray with my friends and we sometimes eat together. Having friends that practice the faith with intentionality is a blessing. I have encountered opportunities to do things that are important to me here. For instance, I enjoy exercising, and I know that it is important for my well-being. In my dorm, I have access to an elliptical machine and to a treadmill. In addition, I can run around St. Mary’s Lake and St. Joseph’s Lake; I can run and see other parts of campus as well. I also like to play the oboe; I had the option to not continue playing it in college. However, through being in symphonic band, I continued to play. Also, the pro-life cause, protecting life from conception to natural death, is important to me and being a part of the Right to Life Club here on campus has provided me with opportunities to learn more, to pray with the group, and to get involved. Encountering opportunities to do things that I care about has benefitted me during my time here. I have encountered ways to grow in my faith here. I had been wanting to attend a Latin Mass, and I finally went to the one in Alumni chapel less than two weeks ago. Also, at my dorm, Pasquerilla West, there is a Rosary every school week. I appreciate having a Chapel on the floor below mine. I also appreciate the presence of a Catholic newspaper on campus, The Rover. To continue, “catholic” means universal and the Catholic Church is present across the world. Indeed, “In the Pentecost story, at the very birth of the Christian church, each bystander could understand the utterances of the other, even though they were expressed in the tongues of different and unknown languages...Rev. Bryan Massingale observes...when the Holy Spirit descended upon that crowd, differences of race, language and culture were not canceled or annulled, nor were they obstacles to unity” (“Should Catholic Schools Teach Critical Race Theory” by Christopher J. Devron, S. J. - Moreau FYE Week Ten). Additionally, the opportunity to go to Adoration and Confession are blessings that I have here. The opportunity to attend daily Mass is an incredible blessing as well. Through the Catholic Sacraments, Catholics hope to encounter Jesus: “Moreau wrote in 1849 that ‘Jesus Christ should be our model since our likeness to the Divine Master is the foundation of our journey to eternal glory’ (CL, 36)” (“Hope - Holy Cross and Christian Education” by Fr. James B. King, C.S.C. - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). Blessed Basil Moreau recognized that we must be like Jesus. During my time here, I have experienced challenges to my faith in various ways and I have sinned; nonetheless, I must remember not to lose hope but to continue persevering and letting God heal me. The weather has certainly changed since my arrival here, and I have changed too. I have connected with others who share a passion for the Catholic faith, and I have had the opportunity https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/03/critical-race-theory-catholic-high-schools-black-lives-matter-240792 https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/03/critical-race-theory-catholic-high-schools-black-lives-matter-240792 https://campusministry.nd.edu/assets/105621/ https://campusministry.nd.edu/assets/105621/ to do things that I care about. Next semester, how I get involved in things that I care about will most likely look different, but I will nevertheless continue. Each week brings new challenges, and the challenges of the future are unpredictable. From Julia Hogan’s perspective, “when you let your self-worth depend on the approval of others, disappointing them feels like the most devastating thing in the world” (“Why Letting Go of Expectations is a Freeing Habit” by Julia Hogan - Moreau FYE Week Nine). I would say that I am fairly independent and self-motivated, but if I feel at some point that I am basing my happiness on the expectations of other people in an unhealthy way, I should change my mindset. Also, I’m a part of a variety of communities here at Notre Dame including through clubs and classes. According to Parker J. Palmer “‘Community is that place where the person you least want to live with always lives.”’ (“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community” by Parker J Palmer - Moreau FYE Week Eleven). He continues, indicating that this is because we see characteristics that we do not like in ourselves in other people. Navigating relationships with people I do not like is challenging, and it is something I could improve upon. Also, I have been recommended by several people to seek counseling; however, thus far I have not done so--this is also something that I could do. I can continue growing in my relationships with my friends and learning from them. I certainly have many areas to grow in in the future, and I need to grow in my faith and know that I can trust that Jesus will be with me and that I need to look to Him. https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/ http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/