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Many of our Ut Fidem alumni have taken the opportunity to study abroad during their time in college. This opportunity brings forth new adventures, appreciation of new cultures, and a chance to grow as a person and Catholic.
Take Caroline Schultz for example. Caroline wrapped up her junior year at the University of Missouri by doing an internship in Brussels, Belgium for Fleishman Hillard EU, a public relations firm that reports on the European Union and Belgian Culture. Caroline worked a nine to five job while being immersed in a new culture in Europe. She was able to travel around the continent, while keeping and growing in her faith.
“I definitely grew in devotion to the rosary and our Blessed Mother,” Caroline said. “I was able to visit [Our Lady of] Fatima and was inspired to pray the Rosary daily. It was something I could count on amidst my foreign environment.” Caroline said for Lent she gave up listening to music in her Air Pods on her walk to work and prayed the Rosary instead.
Left: DCHS and Ut Fidem alumni of 2021, Caroline Schultz in Ghent, Belgium.
There is also a recent college graduate and Ut Fidem alumni, Will Melcher. Will studied in Gaming, Austria through Franciscan University. He took classes on Christian Marriage, Christian Moral Ethics, Word of God: Scripture and Tradition, Visual Arts and the Catholic Tradition, and Lyric and Dramatic Voices.
“I kept my faith by going to mass, learning about the church, scripture, and its stances through my classes, religious trips to Rome, Assisi, and Poland, and by visiting churches all across Europe,” Will said.
Left: Will Melcher, class of 2020 in Austria.
Moving to a foreign environment, even if just for a short time, can bring challenges such as a new routine, new people, and a new schedule. Having a foundation of faith helped these students.
“To be honest, it was really hard and was the first time I didn’t have any community to motivate me,” Caroline said. “However, because of the foundation I’ve built over the past few years, I was able to rely on God alone and focus on the simple things like the Mass, the rosary, and praying throughout my day.
Maggie Carlson is also a University of Missouri student who studies business. She spent a couple weeks this summer studying in Bergamo, Italy.
“I grew in my faith by realizing how much I take for granted being able to go to the chapel and pray or participate in the sacraments frequently,” Maggie said. “But I was also able to grow in my faith by traveling around Europe. It definitely put into perspective how big the world is, the beauty God created, and how He took the time to create us all uniquely.” Maggie said she continued to listen to the Bible in a Year podcast by Fr. Mike Schmitz while she was abroad. Maggie Carlson, DCHS class pf 2022 in the Swiss Alps.
Incoming Creighton University sophomore, Taylor Tallman, began her summer studying in Madrid, Spain. She echoes Maggie and Caroline, saying how being in a new place created challenges to make a new routine.
“It was definitely difficult to go from one routine to another while studying abroad, but I would always return to random prayer,” Taylor said. “When I would feel grateful for something I got to experience or was feeling worried for an upcoming test, I would always try to invite God into whatever emotions I was feeling.”
All of these students got to visit new places they may have not gotten the chance to otherwise. One common place was Rome and other places in Italy. “I was able to go to Rome for Holy Week and Easter, which was incredible. Seeing art, churches and attending services that are the foundation of our faith during the pinnacle of the liturgical season was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Caroline said.
Maggie visited what she described as lots of “breathtaking basilicas and churches.” “I was amazed at all the small details and could truly feel His presence,” she said.
Taylor said she tried to visit a new Church for Mass every Sunday with her new Christ-centered friends. “While I might not have understood every word, the Eucharist and the True Presence of Christ’s body, blood, soul, and divinity are always present. My faith has grown so much simply through the awe of realizing that Jesus is the same in every Catholic church,” she said.
Through continued prayer and focusing on God no matter where you are in the world, you can always develop and grow in your relationship with God if you continue to say yes to him. “No matter where I was, I felt like I was always surrounded by the presence of God and His beauty!” Maggie said. Taylor Tallman, class of 2023, and her little sister Emily, class of 2026 in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy.
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