December 2024

Saying Goodbye on December 8th

Hello, my dear young adult friends and students! My time at Newman Pasadena is coming to an end. I have served you for two years, and during that time I was so happy to grow with all of you in the faith. During our time together we learned more about the goodness of God the Father, the gift of Divine Mercy, the little way of St. Therese, and the amazing power of giving ourselves completely to Jesus through Mary (Totus Tuus!). We learned about the importance of quality time with God and creating space for silence and listening to Him. This year specifically we dove into the writings of Fr. Jacque Philippe, and listened to each others journeys as we meditated on his writings.

During all these amazing times, I think the most beautiful was spending moments with each of you and hearing your personal testimonies of finding and coming to God (or really how God came and found you). Your stories truly have been food and drink for my own soul. Seeing your hearts on fire for God and seeing everyone of you seek Him deeper in prayer was healing bread for my own journey. You are the light of the world; don't lose your light in times of testing and trials. God is using these moments to make you stronger and brighter in Him.

As I leave the Newman Center, I'm calling you to continue to do as He tells you, "...Seek first, the kingdom of God..." Seek His kingdom. Seek relationship with Him above all things. Seek Him in the very depths of your soul and with all the parts of your being. You will find if you do this, everything will fall into place. You will find your true self, your true purpose, and true joy in Him. I will let my older sister, Saint Teresa de Avila, be the final words of my departure, and the words for those being called into this Interior Castle:

“ This Beloved of ours is merciful and good. (...) he so deeply longs for our love that he keeps calling us to come closer. This voice of his is so sweet that the poor soul falls apart in the face of its own inability to instantly do whatever he asks of it. And so you can see, hearing him hurts much more than not being able to hear him… For now, his voice reaches us through words spoken by good people, through listening to spiritual talks, and reading sacred literature. God calls to us in countless little ways all the time. Through illnesses and suffering and through sorrow he calls to us. Through a truth glimpsed fleetingly in a state of prayer he calls to us. No matter how halfhearted such insights may be, God rejoices whenever we learn what he is trying to teach us. ”

With love,

Jerome Resurreccion

november 2024

To Take Him at His Word 

“In the history of Christianity, you can never have a revival without repentance,” Fr. Mike Schmitz exhorted us on the second evening of the National Eucharistic Congress. Growing up in a deeply Catholic community, I never doubted the necessity of repentance, but something about Fr. Mike’s words stirred me to a deeper examination of the beliefs and patterns in my life of faith that have been broken and are in need of repair. In particular, this Congress - fixed so intently on the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus - brought me face to face with the reality of God’s deep, unwavering, faithful love for me, and my lifelong struggle to believe in and receive this love. I might not have always been able to articulate the fear that God doesn’t love me, but it would manifest itself in a deep-seeded sort of gloom or inkling that God is barely putting up with me and is actually pretty annoyed. 

Father Mike’s call to repentance, along with the times of prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, gave me the light to see that this doubt in God’s love is part of the age-old curse on humanity. Since the beginning, Satan has worked to distort our image of God as Father, and I have, time and again, fallen all too prey to the temptations to believe the lie instead of the Truth. At the Eucharistic Congress, I felt my heart breaking open in a more authentic way than before, acknowledging my deep need for a Savior and for Jesus’s grace to help me take Him at His word and to build my life on the foundation of His love for me, rather than the fear that He is disappointed. Our whole lives as Catholics are staked on believing His Word “This is my Body…This is my Blood;” should I not also hold fast to the myriads of reminders throughout the Scriptures of God’s perfect love for me? Slowly but surely, I learn to echo the honest prayer in the Gospels: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Because of His grace, a heart full of repentance can also be a heart full of hope that, in His presence and by His grace, I can learn more and more to take Him at His word and to receive the full depths of His love.

Emily Messiter

October 2024

NEC: Pilgrimage of Healing 

It’s been over a month since I was blessed with the opportunity to be at the National Eucharistic Congress. The last International Eucharistic Congress was in the U.S. over 60 years ago, and to think that saints like St. Teresa of Calcutta being present makes this experience feel even more surreal. My heart is filled with gratitude at the impact this pilgrimage left on my spiritual life. 

For some time I struggled with feeling like I wasn’t intellectually good enough. I felt my knowledge couldn’t keep up with what my heart knew was true about our beautiful Lord’s true presence in the Eucharist. I received many spiritual gifts throughout this Eucharistic pilgrimage, one gift I was not expecting to receive was healing.

Each night as I listened to incredible speakers and had intimate moments of prayer during adoration. I felt united with the stadium in prayer. I realized that the desire to learn about Him isn’t bad, but above all He wants us. He wants our whole being to be with Him: heart, body, mind, and soul. He wants us to have that desire to share Him with the world, and bring his light to all places, especially the darkest corners. 

A reflection that deeply impacted me was when one of the speakers shared the story of St. Therese of Lisieux at her first communion. She cried when she received Jesus and her peers asked, “Why did she cry? Was there something on her conscience? Perhaps it was because her mother was not there she said, “As if the absence of my mother could make me unhappy on the day of my First Communion! As all Heaven entered my soul when I received Jesus, my mother came to me as well. Nor could I cry because you were not there, we were closer than ever before. It was joy alone, deep ineffable joy that filled my heart.” This story shocked me. The realization hit me that when we receive His body and blood, we are united so intimately to every person who receives Him, the saints, and every person we love and miss in heaven. For me, it's my father. It's not just I and Christ in that moment but us and Christ.

Emely Jacobo

september 2024

NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS REFLECtion

It has been over a month since the 10th National Eucharistic Congress. A moment of intense emotion and living faith, a true Eucharistic revival. There were thousands of devoted faithful with a clear focus: our Eucharistic Lord. At least, that is what it felt at the moment. I write this, and with the busyness of life, my own Eucharistic fervor has begun to wane. Still, He remains. “I will remain with you until the end of the age.” What did Christ mean when He said this? Was it perhaps a vague notion of a lingering memory? Perhaps a symbolic gesture of being present in the teachings he left for us? No, Christ did not leave us anything as cryptic as that. He says what he means: I will remain with you, his true presence ever more effably human and divine under the appearance of bread and wine. This past month’s reading has centered on John 6, the Eucharistic discourse. The disciples and those listening presented this same line of reasoning: “No way does He literally mean that.” Christ, however, stands his ground and does not budge on it, but rather doubles down even at the risk of his disciples leaving him: This is a hard saying who can heed it? He desires to remain with us at the risk of being left alone. And indeed unfortunately it comes to pass: “As a result of this many of His disciples no longer walked with Him and returned to their former state of life.” Sadly it occurs every time we decide not to see our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament when given the chance or when we do not actively do so. 

When Christ is left alone, He feels what he felt in the garden of Gethsemani, when His disciples were sleeping and he was being tempted. He longed for companionship, true friendship, and the love of his friends. How often do I leave Christ and am not there for Him? When I abandon Christ with my sin and indifference, his Heart feels a pain of separation. A feeling deeply shared with his Mother. September 15 celebrates the feast of our Lady of Sorrows. Her pains are those of a Christ unseen, unheeded, unloved. Isn’t this not what eucharistic reparation is all about? Not outlandish sacrifices but quiet presence with our Lord? Consoling him? Pray this month be one of Eucharistic reparation. Let us be present with Him.

Jesús Padrón & Emely Jacobo

August 2024

From our chaplain, Fr. Nicholas:

Dear Newman Center Pasadena Community,

As most of you know by now, my superiors have asked me to go to Duke University to exercise my ministry at the Duke Catholic Center. While I am excited about the new assignment, it is with a heavy heart that I leave the Newman Center in Pasadena. My time here felt too short.

I have immensely enjoyed our time together, getting to know students and young adults at Newman Night, the Dodgeball tournament, Mardi Gras and so many other fun and formative activities. It has been a grace to pray together, to celebrate Mass for you, and to hear your confessions. I am especially close to many who have come to Spiritual Direction over the years. You have filled my heart and taught me a lot about what it means to be a priest and a father. I will carry this experience with me for the rest of my life.

With your help, we have built up the Newman Center during these two years. I am happy to see how the small groups have flourished, how our events continue to draw in more and more people, and how many of you are involved in leadership and volunteer roles. There is no challenge too great for the Young Adults of Newman Center Pasadena. While it always hard to leave, I am excited for all of you to get to know the new chaplain, Fr. Daniel Wilson. 

Fr. Daniel Wilson is a priest of the Legionaries of Christ religious congregation. He studied at Cal State Fullerton and University of Dallas prior to entering the religious order and his priestly formation studies in Rome at Regina Apostolorum Athenaeum. He was ordained in 2002 and since has served as a spiritual director and retreat preacher for the spirituality of the Regnum Christi Ecclesial Movement in the diocese of Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, San Jose and most recently in Calgary. In 2016 the Legionaries of Christ was given a parish in Calgary, Canada which he served as the Associate Pastor for Sacred Heart Catholic church. In the diocese of Calgary, he worked together with the Regnum Christi Movement for collaborating with the post synodal diocesan renewal for the New Evangelization to engage the leadership of the laity through formation and personal accompaniment to strengthen the identity and missionary discipleship for marriages, family life, and youth Catholic outreach. He is proud to be a Catholic priest of Jesus Christ.

I hope to see many of you at my farewell on July 31^st and I will continue to carry all of you in my prayers, always.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

may 2024

Encountering the Lord in Solitude and Silence 

by: Jacob Meza

In the last year I have been fascinated with spiritual practice of solitude and silence. In reading the book Solitude and Silence: The Cloister of the Heart by Thomas A Kempis. He writes about how solitude and silence is not just for cloistered monastic monks and nuns. Silence helps us as lay people so we may truly hear and encounter the Lord. Today, we live in a world where we are constantly surrounded by artificial noise and human interactions, which are great. God gives us, but if not understood in their proper place and time can take away from all that the Lord is trying to speak to you and me. When we practice solitude and silence, strip away artificial noise and human interactions, we are in a privileged position to have no distractions and be free to let the Lord speak to our heart. In solitude and silence we are also changed to face the difficult parts of our lives and ourselves, for there is nothing to distract from all our difficult things God is asking for us, but it is in that moment we are called to work it out with God and let Him help us in our need.

We see many people in the Bible that encounter Our Lord in solitude and silence, Adam in the Garden of Eden before Eve is created (Gen 2:18), Abraham when God calls him to be the father of many nations (Gen 12:1-3), Moses with God in the burning bush (Ex 3:1-6), Jonah in the belly of the whale (Jonah 2:1-11). Out of all these examples listed I would like to take a deeper look at our Blessed Mother Mary in The Annunciation (Lk 1: 26-38). We read that God sends the angel Gabriel to visit a young virgin named Mary who he has found favor with in a town of Galilee called Nazareth. Before Mary is told that she will bear and conceive a son, becoming the Mother of God and changing the course of Salvation history by her “Fiat”. We can see by reading the text that is alone in a type of solitude before the angel Gabriel comes to greet her and she is in silence having no artificial noise to distract her. Mary is in the perfect position to receive gifts from the Lord since there is nothing to take her away from God at that moment, and heart is free to let the Lord speak intimately to her through the angel Gabriel. 

After the angel Gabriel has told her the message that God has freely invited her to accept, she works out the difficulties with what God has asked of her, with the question of how she will conceive a son even though she knows no man. We see that solitude and silence that Mary is most rational and honest to better understand when God has planned for her. Through the angel Gabriel, God tells her the Holy Spirit will come upon her and this is how she will conceive Jesus. Once she understands this and says yes, the Holy Spirit comes upon her and she becomes the Mother of Our Savior.   

Now since we have explored our Blessed Mother and her encounter with the Lord in solitude and silence, we must now ask ourselves a question. How can I learn and practice solitude and silence to hear the Lord? Let him speak to your heart and be ready to receive the gifts He wishes to give you. 

First, let us make time in our day to have solitude and silence with our Lord. This may be in the early mornings, which is my personal favorite time since it is before all who live in my house wake up and I begin my day, or in the night time before bed if this works best for you. Try if you can not use your phone or have artificial noise in the background like the TV or music.

Second, try to find a place where you will be able to foster contemplative prayer and silence. My favorite place is my bedroom which in a way becomes my monastic cell in the mornings. 

Third and finally, plan out your time of prayer. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours, praying the Rosary, reading Holy Scripture, and contemplative prayer are great ways to hear the Lord, especially in solitude and silence since you will have nothing to distract you from fully hearing the Lord speak to your heart. 

February 2024

Happy Birthday, Newman Pasadena!

By: Krista Corbello

“Like a bridegroom Christ went forth from his chamber...

He came to the marriage-bed of the cross,

and there in mounting it, he consummated his marriage.”

-St. Augustine

This month, Ash Wednesday falls on St. Valentine's Day, and I'd like to share the beautiful connection between the two. Ash Wednesday, of course, marks the beginning of the Lenten season in the Church, which is a penitential season. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return," is spoken to each of us while receiving the ashes. At first glance, this might seem a bit macabre, but to hear these words on a day the world celebrates love is actually pretty on-brand for us as Catholic Christians.

The lives of so many saints were oriented towards the suffering and death of Jesus (ask a Carmelite what death means for their spirituality). His Passion, Death, and Resurrection are the great expressions of His Love. Jesus didn’t die on the Cross only because He wants you to be a better person; he wants you in your entirety: your heart, your love, your everything. The cross, as St. Augustine points out so beautifully above, was the place that He won back His Bride, the Church! Our Lord wants to espouse you, and He wants you to receive Him in His entirety. 

As you prepare your heart for the Lenten season, I invite you to clear out anything that prevents you from giving yourself entirely to Jesus. Seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and frequent the Eucharist. Learn to be totally dependent on Our Lord and surrender everything! (And if you need it, here’s the surrender novena!) 

♡✟

It's been quite a journey since we re-opened the Newman Center doors in February 2022! This year, we had our first virtual fundraiser to share so many highlights of our ministry and community in the last two years. Our Lord is so good and merciful, and we are thankful for his providence! If you haven’t been able to watch it yet, I encourage you to do so. 

Because I’ve been here since we opened, I’ve had the great privilege of witnessing seeds grow into sprouts and then into blooms, not only with our programs, but more importantly in the hearts of our young people. One of my greatest joys is watching young men and women experience conversion and reversion in their daily lives, through the Sacraments and through friendship with one another. The Newman Center is a soft place to land for those who are aching for community, a place to love and be loved. Thank you to all who make this place special! 

january 2024

Emmanuel, God With Us in All Things

By: Jerome Resurreccion

Sometimes entering into a new year is very difficult…

While some people feel happy and excited about starting a new year, it can also be very difficult for others to go through. The world may be moving towards their new goals and plans with excitement and enthusiasm, but others may still be silently contemplating the struggles and pains of 2023. It could be the loss of your job, the delay of your plans, or still not knowing where God wants you to be.

For others the ending of a relationship, the loss of a friendship, or the moving away of someone close to you is what makes entering into this new year very hard. A new year is especially painful for those grieving the death of a loved one. Those who had someone pass away may wish to turn back time instead of moving it forward. New beginnings are not always happy, they can be really sad. And that’s ok.

As a young adult minister here at Newman Pasadena, I wanted to write to those of you who have experienced loss and pain this past year and let you know that you are seen and loved.

A new year does not always have to feel exciting and joyous. It can be a time of being honest with yourself and God about not feeling happy. It can be a time of turning to God with your sorrows and pains to let him know that you are angry and sad… even if it might be at Him.

As we begin 2024, I invite you to sit with God and share what makes going into this new year difficult for you. Be honest, be truthful…but also be reassured in the name Emmanuel: God is with us. [Not some cold nebulous force, separate from us, out in the cosmos…No].

God is with us.

Here at Newman Pasadena, we are so grateful for all the opportunities and moments of getting to walk with you on your journey, even when it has been difficult. From the Theology on Taps and Newman Nights to our First Friday Adorations and monthly socials, we have been blessed by your presence and thank you for being part of our community.

As we enter into this new year, let us rest on these words from Sacred Scripture and meditate on their reality throughout the year: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means ‘God is with us’”

-Matthew 1:23 & Isaiah 7:14