Top 10 Tips to Beat the Post-Secondary Faith Blues

*Originally Posted by Lance Rosen at PiousPosers.com

Congratulations! 
You've made it to year 1 of Post-Secondary education!
(or two or three or four or five or six...)

If you're at the beginning of that litany (year 1), you may be super excited. Faith wise, you may be super pumped to live your faith out in the real world and meet others that do the same. You may be chomping at the bit to convert the world and set it on fire for the Lord. 

If you're at the latter end of that litany (year 4 or later), you may feel jaded, frustrated, or you may feel like every ounce of your faith has been squeezed out of you by that secular machine you pay thousands of dollars to every year... And no, I'm not talking about the local pub or the pizza joint down the road... well maybe.

Another option could be that you've gotten so far ingrained into a new 'student' lifestyle and friend group, that faith participation is a distant and foggy memory. I want you to know that it's never too late to return to the cross. No matter where you are in your journey, Christ is always at the door of your heart. #Truth

I recently sent out a single poll question to all of the post-secondary communities I could think of. Here's what it asked: 


I tabulated the results, made a Wordle (that weird word picture above), and added some supplemental information of my own. Here are my (and your) Top 10 Tips to Beat the Post-Secondary Faith Blues:

*These tips are not in order of importance. They are in order of how many times they were said.

10. Christian Music
Who doesn't love a little worship now and then? Am I right? And it doesn't have to be the slow dusty hymns that haunt the early morning Mass memories of your childhood. There is some awesome Christian music out there that is very high quality. Whatever your genre of choice, there'll be some tunes to tickle your fancy. Check out Billboard's Christian Charts or KLOVE for some inspiration. I get it, we all have our favorite "secular" bands that we have to listen to on a regular basis. But why not mix some Christian tunes up in the shuffle... see what I did there?

9. Worship
Mmm-mmm-mmm. I love me some worship. For those of you who are more auditory, praise & worship might be more up your alley. Speaking from experience, nothing slams my senses and helps me enter into prayer better than a good worship set in Adoration, or anywhere for that matter. Plus, it's worship of our Lord... what's not to love? These can be some of the most intimate moments you can have with the Lord; worshipping him like our biblical predecessors did - except with a guitar instead of a lyre and harp. Not that there's anything wrong with a lyre or a harp... I just think they might be tough to lug around. Guitars can have cases. It's been a while since I've seen a busker lugging around a lyre in a gig bag. Just sayin'...

8. Spiritual Direction
I can only speak for myself, but spiritual direction has been an amazing tool in my faith tool belt. Spiritual directors can be priests, religious brothers & sisters, or even trained lay people. Most of the people I know have priests or religious sisters as spiritual directors. 

So why spiritual direction? I like to think of it this way: In any job I have ever had, I have always had a go-to person. Whether you are job-shadowing, apprenticing, or training for replacement, there is always someone around who can help you and guide you. I have also had those types of jobs where it feels like they just throw you to the wolves, but there is usually always someone there to offer some guidance if you need it. This person may be a boss or even a co-worker, but there's usually someone. 

So why can't you have this same type of go-to person in the spiritual life? 
Why can't you have a trusted guide through your spiritual life? You can! Spiritual direction has really blessed my life. I have an 'old pro' supporting me and guiding me through the ups and downs of my spiritual journey. It's incredible. Now, don't get this confused with confession - there is a difference. There's also a difference between spiritual direction and counselling. For more information on spiritual direction, check out this video. 

What do you do to keep your faith strong in College / University?  

7. Eucharistic Adoration
Adoring Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament is a tremendous blessing. I could sit here and blab on and on about my love of Eucharistic adoration, but why not let the man tell you about its importance.

6. Events
There's nothing like going to an event like a retreat, rally, mission, or conference to get the old batteries recharged. Getting together with people who share your faith, listening to dynamic speakers, celebrating the Sacraments, and spending some time away from the hustle of everyday life, can be an amazing refresher. As a student, my wallet winces when I think about going to an event. There's hope! Ask around. Your local parish, Knights of Columbus council, or Catholic Women's League may be able to help you out. After all, you're striving to grow in holiness. Can you think of a better investment?

5. Accountability
Having someone holding you accountable is super important. You know that old question: "What kind of person are you when no one is around?" Having some accountability in your life can help form your conscience and give you extra support when you're feeling extra tempted. Having an accountability partner is so valuable. Find someone, ask them to be your accountability partner, and check in every week (or however often you need it). This shouldn't replace good spiritual direction or confession, but it gives you an ally in the battle. You will be able to help them with accountability as well.

4. Prayer
Prayer is communication with God. How can you build a relationship with someone without ever talking to them? It's that simple. If we want to build a relationship with Christ, we have to spend some quality time with Him. How do you maintain your relationship with your best friend or significant other? Quality Time! The same quality time strategy can be used with God! The coolest piece of advice I have been given is to make a plan containing appointments with God. You make appointments with a doctor right? Well, you can make an appointment with the Lord too! (Thanks Fr. Clair!) The best part is, you won't be waiting two months for your appointment, there's no waiting room, and you won't have to sit on an awkward bench covered in butcher paper...

3. Mass
As Catholics, the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. We believe that at every Mass we receive Christ's body, blood, soul, and divinity. The Eucharist is the fuel that our souls need to continue. When times get tough and your faith feels battered and bruised by your non-believing peers / school, come to the water! Come to the source! Come to Jesus. Many colleges and universities have a chaplain who is appointed by the local bishop to care for the spiritual needs of the students. How cool is that? If the chaplain is a priest, there is a good chance he says mass on campus at least a couple times per week. He probably even makes himself available to hear your confession too.  Check your local parish / diocese for details. 

2. Reconciliation
In regard to Reconciliation... oh man, where do I begin? The Church calls it a Sacrament of Healing. We all need healing. Sin distances us from God. Reconciliation repairs our relationship with God and brings us closer to him. When the priest says those words of absolution, our sins are wiped clean. Reconciliation allows us to return to a state of grace, allows us to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit in our lives, reunites us with the Body of Christ, and allows us to participate more fully in the spiritual life.

Don't think confession is for you? Watch this:

1. Community, Community, Community
As much as I am a fan of the show, it's not what I'm talking about. Who you surround yourself with is who you become. You might not think it's true, but consider this. Why do you think there are all of those articles floating around online that show dog owners looking like their dogs, or spouses who oddly look a lot like one another? Just sayin'... Seriously though, chances are you and your strong faith doesn't have what it takes to convert an entire group. 

There is strength in numbers. 
This statement is true on both sides of the coin. There is strength in numbers. If you are the only one with some sort of faith life among a large group of non-believers, it won't end well. There is also strength in numbers if you decide to become part of a larger community of other like-minded young adults who share your faith. This scenario has a better ending. Take my word for it. 

In many cases, there are Catholic / Christian clubs on campus. As I said earlier, there's probably a chaplain kicking around too. Get involved! There are so many Catholic campus ministries and programs out there. There is always something going on. I'm sure that on any given month, you would find things like Theology on Tap, scripture studies, social nights, and other great things happening in your neck of the woods to help you stay strong. There are even Catholic men's and women's houses popping up more and more if you want to live in community. The world is your oyster... unless you're allergic... then that's just unfortunate. But the choice is yours!

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A big thank you to everyone who participated in the survey. I am completely aware that there are way more strategies and resources than the 10 I mentioned. These ten were the ones that were stated the most in the survey, which means that real people just like you and I are using them. Tried, Tested, and True.

Stay Strong!

- Lance Rosen