Hometown: Erie, PA
Email: Katie@ablaze.us
Favorite Bible Verse: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11
Favorite Quote: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” – Pope St. Paul VI
What does Ablaze’s mission mean to you? Growing up Catholic, I always heard that most kids my age fall away from the Church, and I worried that the same would happen to me. In high school, I encountered Jesus in the Eucharist in a radical way that inspired and challenged me to live a radical life of holiness and opened my eyes to the universal call to holiness in the entire Church. The more I have come to realize the true beauty and joy that is found in faith in Jesus Christ and in His Catholic Church, the more I have wanted to share it with all of those around me, especially young people.
Ablaze is an opportunity to follow the call God has placed upon my heart to be Jesus to the young people lost in a culture of distraction and indifference. It’s an opportunity to make a difference in a Church that so desperately needs missionaries in ordinary places—people who are on fire for their faith and unashamed to share the love of God with those around them, whether through a smile, words of encouragement, or just being present. It’s an opportunity to accompany young people on their own journeys of faith and truly show them that there is something greater than themselves worth living for.
What’s one piece of advice you would give your 15-year-old self? Don’t stress so much! Really, don’t. It’ll be okay. God has a plan, and He works one day at a time. Stay close, trust in Him, and one day you’ll look back and see just how much He has transformed your life for the better.
