Rio Experience Profound, Changes Teen's Life

The People of Faith feature is compiled by Steve Halbig, who asks a series of questions of people of the diocese – some who have reached the “age of wisdom” and some who are younger.  All will share stories of faith.

This month’s People of Faith features Emily McAtee, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Southern Indiana and a 2013 graduate of Mater Dei High School in Evansville. Among other things, Emily talks about a change of life experience at the recent World Youth Day in Brazil.

The future

Currently, my plans for the future are to graduate in four years with a business degree focusing particularly on human resources. With my college journey just beginning, talk about the future has definitely been apparent in casual conversations. With that being said, I always get anxious talking about the future since it is all still uncertain. At the same time I realize that it has to be uncertain so I can trust in God. I catch myself being impatient, all the time being curious to what the future will bring, but I know I just need to trust in God.

Biggest influence

The person who has been the biggest influence in my life is a tough question.  But if I had to pick one person, it would be Father Christopher Droste. Although I have only known him for a short time, the positive impact he has made on my life is immeasurable. As I prepared and experienced a journey I will carry with me for the rest of my life, I was fortunate enough to get to know Father Christopher in the process. Traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is not exactly a trip down the road; it took a lot of patience. And for me, I was going on the trip to hopefully strengthen my relationship with God.

Growing up Catholic and attending Catholic schools were great, but I never seemed to have the close relationship with God that others seemed to have. The moment I decided to attend the first informational meeting regarding World Youth Day in Brazil, I knew I was saying ‘yes’ to opening my heart to God’s love.

When I first met Father Christopher he was not yet ordained, but as soon as I met him I knew he would be an amazing priestly figure I would hope to have in my life. I remember thinking how wise he was when discussing topics that prepared our World Youth Day group for the 10-day journey to Brazil.

Father Christopher also helped me to deal with my uncertainty for the future. He told me, "We need the future to be uncertain so we can begin to trust in God. If we knew what the future held, there would be no trust in what God has planned for us. Don't be scared of the future." I took those words to heart because as a freshman in college constantly being questioned about my future, it was reassuring to know that it is OK to be uncertain about some things. The unknown is freeing, because you are trusting in God.

Father Christopher has made a great positive impact on my life and I am sure many others. I am so glad I went to World Youth Day this past summer because it taught me lessons that I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life. I built lifelong friendships with the 11 other members of the pilgrimage group and most importantly, I am proud to say that without a doubt I strengthened my relationship with God.

Being a teenager

The best part about being a teenager . . . is there anything? The teenage years are hard. So far high school has been the quickest four years of my life, and although they were great, I would never go back. Personally, I think that the time period between a person’s freshman year and senior year of high school are the most difficult years a person goes through.

 I enjoyed high school, but I didn't exactly have my priorities straight. I would say the best part about being a teenager is being able to be carefree and bend the rules, not having to have too many responsibilities to worry about and also knowing that you're not all alone; you have your parents to lean on. Although at some points I acted as if my parents had no idea what they were talking about, I knew I always had them to depend on when times got tough.

Now that I am off to college, it is a lot different knowing I have my own responsibilities now. I have to go to the store and buy groceries, make sure I am awake for class on time, and know when it is too late to stay out when I have class the next morning.

Toughest part

The toughest part about being a teenager is at this age everything seems like the end of the world. Every teenager could agree when I say that fitting in to the group that is considered "cool" can be one of the most difficult and frustrating things. Making friends can be just as hard, and the fear of being labeled as "not cool" always runs through every teenager’s mind.

 I seemed to be in that mindset all through high school Little did I know that all the while I was not including others who were not considered "social.” Luckily by the end of high school I figured it all out and got my priorities straight. I recognized that being "cool" isn't what life is all about. It is about setting good examples, reaching out to people who may not ever get reached out too, and being nice.

I would have never been the person I am today if it wasn't for all the people who gave me a chance to reach out to them senior year. I am beyond grateful to have been able to get to know them before we all went our separate way. If I could give one piece of advice to teenagers, or even adults, it’s to reach out to someone you may not normally reach out to.

Mass attendance

Since my trip to Brazil, I have attended Mass every Sunday. Before that, it was about every other weekend. Honestly, before I went and had the experience of a lifetime in Rio, Mass was just a boring tradition I went to every so often to make my parents happy. I can now proudly say that I look forward to going to Mass every Sunday. A year ago I would've never imagined myself saying that. 

Importance of faith

Faith for me has always been present in my life, but I have not always recognized its importance. I was the girl who only prayed when I needed or wanted something, and the only reason why I knew about the life of Jesus and the history of the church was because I grew up in the Catholic school system. But at this point in time, my faith is stronger than it has ever been.

The transition into college is an example of that. I have had close friends move away and it has gotten more difficult to remain close with them. It has been tough having to adjust, but I have learned to keep myself busy and stay close to God. It is always nice to know that every Sunday I can just kneel and pray . . . lift all my worries and doubts up to the Lord and be able to just relax and close my eyes from the real world for a moment.

I am so happy I finally opened my eyes to God's love and realized that He is always there. I can trust in Him and know that whatever happens in these next four years of college is in his plan. Everything happens for a reason.

Priests are human

If I could change something, it would be the view on priests and other religious life. Priests are humans; they are one of us. Too often people portray them as these perfect human beings. I  think there is something wrong when teenagers are shocked if they see a priest drinking a beer.

Regrets

One of the most inspirational people I ever had the pleasure of knowing is my Grandpa Northam. In 2008, he lost his battle to sarcoma cancer, but his stories have lived on. One thing I will never forget him saying to me when I asked if he ever had any regrets in life was that in his life he never had regrets, only lessons. In my life, I can say that I have no regrets. Yes, I have made my fair share of bad decisions, but I have learned from them and continue to learn from them. Teenagers are bound to make mistakes, it's OK. The important part is learning from them and trying not to make them again.

Best wisdom on life

My best wisdom on life would be to never lose trust in God. My motto recently has been to not worry about the future, everything happens for a reason and worrying isn't going to change what happens.

Incredible experience

For me, the moment I lost all doubts in God and truly believed that He was real was when I was standing in Rio, in a crowd of 3.7 million people, staring in awe as Pope Francis drove down a street right in front of me. I stood there and recognized that this was the biggest crowd I had ever been in . . . and it was all for Jesus. Every person there was there to see Pope Francis, and worship our amazing and awesome God. I couldn't believe it. It was incredible. To me, I am kind of sad it took traveling to Brazil to finally open my eyes to God's never-ending love. I am beyond grateful for all the support our group had from others and especially for Sherie Cooley, who planned the entire trip.

Spiritual advice

I now carry a rosary with me at all times. It is something I got from my Grandma McAtee. I would definitely recommend carrying a rosary at all times. It is an object of comfort for me now. I know that God is always with me . . . and now I can always have something tangible to remind me of that.

Parents

I haven't always been as close with my family as I am today. I went through a period where my parents were nothing but my enemies. I always thought they were out to get me. A piece of advice I always tell teenagers younger than me is that parents actually know what they are talking about. If I would've just listened to them in the first place, I wouldn't have had to bear some of my struggles as long as I did.

Be yourself

Another piece of advice I would give is this: Always be yourself. My whole life I had always tried to be the person I thought everyone would like, and I never was completely happy when I did that. Now that I present myself as the person I want to be, I am much happier.

Finding God

I understand that it can be hard finding God. I struggled finding Him all through high school. I took theology classes and went to Mass every so often’ but I never opened my ears to what God has to say. Although it may not be obvious when He speaks to us, He will always find a way. For me it is in conversations with people I meet in my daily life. Other times it is as simple as seeing a hummingbird fly up to my window and I just have a feeling that God is present through that tiny, beautiful creature. I encourage others to listen, and open your eyes. God isn't going to write the answers to your prayers across the sky. He gives you the answers in the most hidden of ways . . .  you just have to keep your eyes and ears open for them.