By Allie Stockdale
One Friday evening, Father Ed Fitzpatrick (director of the Newman Catholic Student Center, Iowa City) asked me the question “Why is my faith important to me?” At the time, I didn’t really know what to say.
My original answer would have been because it is important to thank God for all the wonderful things he provides us both good and bad. For you can’t appreciate the good without the bad.
However, I had time to consider this question over the 24-hour Dance Marathon at the University of Iowa. And I realized that my faith gives me so much more; it gives me strength, courage, love, hope, patience, and the knowledge of someone “always having your back.” These are things that I need every day, and without them, I couldn’t survive.
Although the future currently looks scary, I know I have a strong faith to back me up, and live the next day.
(Allie Stockdale, a senior at the University of Iowa, was a ministry fellow with the Newman Center for the 2006-07 academic year. She ran a freshman transitions program to help freshmen at the university to make friends and become familiar with the Newman Center).
