It’s dark inside, warm, the vast interior shrinking into the shadows. The candles at the front glow brightly, casting a wavering light on the crucifix that hangs on the back wall, the shadow of Christ crucified looming over us, fatherly gaze full of sorrow and compassion. It smells of incense; faint, sweet scent of prayer. There are almost two hundred people present, crowded into the pews on bended knees, but the church is almost silent, the only sounds that can be heard are the tapping of feet on stone floors, and the occasional breath of whispered prayers.

Nearly two hundred people are present

Milwaukee is a large city, but nonetheless, among all these people and all these places to be on this Wednesday night, we’re both here. It’s a chance encounter, an added bonus to the encounter we are seeking with God when we have come to pray—two people who served in the same mission field at different times. I blink, surprised to recognize a face in a city which, after almost four years of absence, has become strange. But here I was, and there was Scott. Sitting in the pew beside me was our founder, Chris Hoar, who snaps a picture of Scott and me. And then a few pews ahead there is Cathy Hoelter, from CARITAS Child Sponsorship Services. Can we really all be here by chance? On the surface, it appears so.

Scott and I both served on Catholic mission trips for CARITAS For Children in Nkokonjeru, Uganda. He was an intern there in the fall semester of 2012, and then was hired as Field Coordinator for Africa after graduation in 2013 until 2014. I served this fall (2014) and only just returned to the United States. We both agree that having the privilege to serve in Uganda was a life changing experience. And we both agree that our sponsored children enrich our lives in ways we never thought possible.

"...Gaze full of sorrow and compassion."

Well before I left for Uganda we were having a conversation that has stuck with me in a way I never expected it to. Scott told me that when I reached Africa, I would go with the intent to help, but before I left I would realize that it was the people I had come to serve who were helping me. I’m not sure I really believed him, but now I do, with a conviction I didn’t think I would ever have. The spiritual beauty of the people in Uganda, their joy even in the face of sorrow, and their unwavering faith shook mine to the core. I thought I was trusting when I stepped on a plane to Africa. I thought I was taking a leap of faith. And maybe I was in a much smaller sense than these people do every day. Every day is a leap of faith because the ground is giving way beneath their feet and they have to trust that God will be on the other side of the chasm.

But the truth of what I find most beautiful in this encounter—with God, with my faith, with the people who share it—is that we all have the chance to be part of something so incredible. Even if we served at different times, or maybe in different places, we still served with the same goal in our hearts. And I can look at each of these people and feel a connection to them, and I know that if ever my faith wavers, I can lean on theirs.

Scott and Maddy both served on Catholic mission trips with CARITAS For Children in Uganda.

Because their faith inspires mine. They believe with conviction that whatever it is they are doing is worth it, and that these people that we are all trying to serve and share God’s love with are worth it. When I see the love and the compassion my friends and coworkers have for not only these people but for everyone, it strengthens my faith and my hope. We’re surrounded by sin, and we hear about it on all sides, so when I hear about the crimes that are being committed against humanity I like to think of the people who are willing to do something to counter it, even if it is something as small as giving a few dollars, sponsoring a child, or giving months and years of their lives to make someone else’s better.

Cor Jesu is two hours of Eucharistic Adoration and Mass from 7pm to 9pm every Wednesday night at St. Robert of Newminster Parish on Milwaukee’s east side. It draws almost two hundred people, most of them young adults, but people of all ages and from all walks of life are represented. It’s not a stiff atmosphere, it’s one of welcome and of prayer. I loved it, because I knew that each and every person there was serving.

Maybe they serve in the mission fields in Africa, Haiti, parts of Asia, or in the poor communities here in the United States. Maybe they serve at their local parish, at a soup kitchen, or homeless shelter. Maybe they serve their friends who are in need, or make sacrifices daily for their families. And they are serving now by giving up two hours of their evening after a busy day to spend it in prayer with God. That’s what makes this encounter so incredible, like looking at a painting with every possible color. It’s the faith of everyone no matter where, when, or how they serve that it is worth it.