Interview with Katie Correa: On Youth Leadership in the Church

Today, we sat down with Katie Correa, who has served as President of Adelphi's Newman Club since fall 2009. Katie is a junior English major in STEP and hopes to become a high school English teacher after college.

Newman News: Who or what got you interested in Newman Club?

Katie Correa: "My mom said I should see if there was a Catholic group on campus, and I didn't listen to her. I didn't want to. But I checked it out anyway. I went up to the [Interfaith] Office, and I met [fellow students] Sean Magaldi, Joe Dujmovic, Allen Louissaint and Lilo Onwuzu, and they were really nice to me, and they told me to come back. And I'm so glad that I did."

NN: Why did you run for President of Newman Club?

KC: "I saw a lot of opportunity for Newman Club to grow. We were a small group, and I wanted to repay the kindness and energy shown to me as a freshman. There were a lot of graduating role models, and there was a chance for me to lead the club into new growth."

NN: What are your duties as president?

KC: "My first duty is to make everybody welcome - and that's not a duty. It's a pleasure. And that's my personal touch to the presidency. My major role is to guide the group in prayer and also to see the spiritual needs of the group and try to fulfill them through service and through pilgrimages, events and small groups. I try to see, 'What do people need?' and my role is to challenge everyone's spiritual level, whatever that might be."

NN: What is the most rewarding part of being president?

KC: "Seeing the growth of individuals in their spiritual lives. I get to see people during their struggles, and I get to pray with them to see when God touches their lives. So, that's why I want to be a teacher. I walk with them as they grow and am able to help when I can."

NN: What is the greatest challenge of being president?

KC: "I think the most challenging part of the presidency is being present to the fullest capacity possible, and what I mean by that is, I would like to be at every prayer service that we have and every activity that we have, but because we are so dynamic and exciting, I can't do that. So, it's hard to choose when I'm most needed when trying to balance schoolwork, as well."

NN: What was the best event Newman Club ever held, in your judgment?

KC: "The Senior Prom last year was, in my opinion, the best event we ever held. It was a dance at a nursing home in Long Beach. We entertained about 50 residents and their families with a DJ and dancing. It was rewarding because residents who hadn't walked or stood in months stood up out of their wheelchairs to rock out. One guy, who had Parkinson's, stood for the first time in eight months. Their families were inspired and amazed. Basically, the elderly showed us how to be young."

Newman Club President Katie Correa dances with a nursing home resident at the Senior Prom.

NN: Why should someone consider joining Newman Club?

KC: "If you want your life to be transformed, look no further. All you have to do is set your foot in the door, and the light of Christ is going to excite you and change you forever."

NN: Why should a non-Catholic consider joining Newman Club?

KC: "Everyone in Newman Club has struggled to make sense of the world, in one part of life or another. We support one another through these struggles, but we are also joyful in our faith and bring this joy to the world. We're all looking at different careers, but we're all rooted in the same passion to bring good to the world."

NN: What does it mean to be Catholic at a secular university, like Adelphi?

KC: "Being a Catholic at a secular university means being an example and being a witness. We are an example of the values that people 'think' are old-fashioned - temperance, fortitude, justice, compassion. We are an example of what it means to love and to live with integrity. In a classroom context, this may mean standing up for truth with humility and conviction."

NN: What is your advice to young Catholics, who may be unsure of their faith and uncomfortable professing it openly?

KC: "To a Catholic who is not yet firm in the faith and may be afraid to show it, I would quote from Pope John Paul II's first words as Pope: 'Do not be afraid.' Catholics are not a people of fear. The Cross gives us courage to go forth and spread the Good News of the Gospel. More concretely, I would say that no Catholic is perfectly fearless. Start small by living a Catholic life that is just, humble, gentle, couragous - and you will inspire others to do the same."

NN: If you could give any advice to the Church in how it reaches out to young people, what would it be?

KC: "The youth today are hungry for what I call 'hard-core' Catholicism, because we come from a generation in which it is considered uncool to believe in anything. A common myth is that the only way to attract youth to Catholicism is through upbeat music and inspirational slogans. That is a misconception. If you want the youth to love Christ, show them how Christ brought strength to those who suffered. Expose Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Get dynamic priests and religious sisters to hang out with the youth, and pray with them and for them. Young people are often referred to as 'the future of the Church,' but the truth is, we are the Church and are very involved in it. Young people need examples of strong Catholic role models, and so even when adults share their own faith journeys with young students, it inspires them to grow in their own faith."

(All photographs courtesy of Katie Correa.)