By Charlie Robinson
As I begin my first Advent as a member of the Catholic Church, I would like to share how the Lumen Christi Institute changed my life.
Since my entry into the Church, I have been a participant in the Lumen Christi Institute’s incredible summer seminars and this fall, I joined the staff full-time. Supporters of the Institute facilitate a vibrant community of witnesses to the Catholic faith, who with their light, lead others to the fullness of the Truth.
In the fall of 2023, as a junior at Pepperdine University, my life changed in a matter of moments with the sudden death of my best friend, Peyton. I found that I lacked the spiritual depth to confront the deep sorrow of grief.
My upbringing instilled in me the belief in a loving God – one who promised to be near to the broken-hearted. But, without the sacraments or any concrete ways to participate in the life of Christ, faith came down to a state of mind. It was a feeling. Discouraged, I wondered: if Christ calls those who mourn blessed, why didn’t I feel blessed?
Amidst my questioning, my favorite professor – a distinctly Catholic teacher – assigned Saint Augustine’s Confessions for homework. Relief washed over me as I read that even in the life of a saint, sometimes God felt far; though the absence of feeling did not mean distance from Him.
I went to my professor’s office hours with the hope that I could learn more about St. Augustine. I learned of the Nova Forum, a Catholic institute in Los Angeles inspired by Lumen Christi. I took part in their programs, which are supported by Lumen Christi’s In Lumine Network grant. I took part in their programming and began attending Mass before sessions. The more I witnessed the sacraments, the more I saw God’s presence within them; I entered the Church shortly after.
Freshly out of college and freshly in the Church, I struggled to find a community where intellectual rigor met sincere faith. In my search for community, I applied for a week-long Lumen Christi summer seminar. After breakfast and daily Mass, my peers and I spent hours enriching our understanding of contemporary Catholic scholarship, while deepening our faith and friendship with one another. I enjoyed my week with Lumen Christi so much that when the opportunity came to work for the Institute, it was an easy yes. It is a great honor for me to serve the mission that led me to the Church.
I am grateful for the generosity of the Lumen Christi Institute’s supporters, who helped make my engagement with Catholic life and conversion possible. This community has allowed me, and many others, to know the friendship of the Catholic Church.
In closing, I’d like to offer you a prayer from Augustine’s Confessions that I pray will bless you into the end of your year: “Give us peace, Lord God, for you have given us all else; give us the peace that is repose, the peace of the Sabbath, and the peace that knows no evening.”
Charlie Robinson serves as the Development Associate at the Lumen Christi Institute. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Pepperdine University and participated as a Junior Fellow at the University of Southern California’s Nova Forum.