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| Sarah Ault photo by: me, Katrina Marie |
Sarah Ault
Class Year:
Class of 2012
Major(s) / Minor(s):
Theology Major with a concentration in Pastoral Ministry; Minor in Philosophy
Current on-campus activities:
Student Minister, Redline A Cappella, Music Minister (Coordinator of Retreat Music, student organizer of adoration, musician at mass)
Past on-campus activities:
Jumpstart Corps member (2008-2009) and team leader (2009-2010)
(Jumpstart is an organization that works with emergent reading, writing, and social skills in 3-5 year olds and requires a commitment of 300 hours a school year. "Jumpstart is working toward the day that every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed.")
Current off-campus activities:
Intern, the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry
Past off-campus activities:
Babysitter for family friends off-campus
Where is God present in your everyday life?:
I think that God is most present in my everyday life in the people around me. I try to see God in everyone. Also, a recent development in my life is finding God in the present moment a.k.a. really trying to be present in the moment and not be anxious about what lies ahead.
How do you take time to notice God's presence in your life?:
In relationship to the prior question, I try to notice God's presence in my life through the people around me. I try to really be present to them when we are talking, whether it is through a short encounter walking to class or through a long conversation. I also find God through music, whether it is Christian or secular (Obviously, being a musician, music speaks to my heart in a very special way. Sorry that was so cheesy)
In regards to current and past, on and off campus activities, what initially moved you to get involved? What were the feelings that moved you to serve in the way you have and do?:
I was so blessed to have a high school that really instilled the value of service in its students. Through all of high school, we were required to do 45 minutes of service every year. In doing that service, I realized how important it is to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. I think seeing the smiles on people's faces after I would do service for them was the motivation to continue to do service after graduation. Also, service is what we are called to do as Christians; as Theresa of Avila says, "Christ has no hands, no feet but yours." We are called to be Christ's face in this world, and a really good way to do that is through service.
As baptized Catholics, when we serve others we have the opportunity to grow in our faith and extend (and express) agape. By "being" love we are moving beyond ourselves and honoring the dignity of all human beings. What ways have you invited others to encounter Christ?:
I probably should have read this question before answering the previous one haha. The biggest way I try to invite others to encounter Christ is through the way that I live my life. One of my favorite quotes is "your life may be the only Bible some people read," and I really try to live by this. I have learned, especially in ministry, that the best way for people to encounter Christ is not through discussions or moments of teaching; it is through witnessing how I live my life. And this is by no means an easy task, nor am I the perfect model of it. But I do try. And I think that is what makes all the difference. We are called to be Christ to others, as you have said, and the best way to do that is through living our own lives after Christ.
As a young adult in the Catholic Church what challenges have you come across? How have you overcome them?:
I am at a point in my life where my biggest struggle is finding a way to translate the faith I had as a teenager to my young adult life. Along with this, being a busy college student causes me to constantly need to reevaluate my priorities and make sure that God is at the top of my list. I like to say that my problem is that I do a really great job of living with God, but not always a good job of living in God. What I mean by this is that it is so easy to acknowledge God's presence all around me, but actually relying on Him for everything is a different story. I have overcome these obstacles, I am overcoming these obstacles, by being diligent in trying to find solutions. Great answer, right? But I mean that I am still trying to work out the best way to make my faith "grown up." So far, the best way for me to overcome them is by playing music whenever I can. Also, I have begun to enjoy reading books about growing my faith and contemplating their meaning.
How often do you truly look in and examine your inner self?:
Lately, I have been examining my inner self a lot. I think it comes with the end of the semester and this point in our lives. But I tend to consider myself a pretty reflective person. I think because my life is so crazy all the time, contemplative prayer has become a very welcomed thing to me.
Did you attend private or public school prior to college? (If private, Catholic school?):
Private, all girls Catholic school from 5th-12th grade. (coed Catholic school prior to that)
What advantages do you see with a private (secular or religious) education? What disadvantages? What advantages do you see with public education? What disadvantages? [Can you expand on your own personal experience]:
In New Orleans, public school is not even an option if you want a good education. People go to Catholic school for a good education and not necessarily for the faith formation (though that was a big factor of why I wanted to go to Catholic school). As this is my experience, I am probably not the most qualified person to answer this question ;)
Why did you choose to attend a private non-secular institution for your higher education? What are the advantages and disadvantages with attending a university like CUA versus a secular private or public institution?:
Coming to a Catholic college was really important to me, especially since I knew that theology was a possibility (and now a reality) for a major. It was also important to me to come to a Catholic school so I could continue to grow my faith in a new way. For me, there aren't really any advantages to going to a secular school, since my major does not exist at a secular institution. I could see, however, for others, that being in a Catholic school could cause one to be in a bubble and disconnected from the "real world." Being in a secular school could put one's faith to the test and cause you to see how your faith would be outside of the Catholic school bubble (assuming that this person went to Catholic school prior to college).
