Coming Back - by 7 Lakes Senior Katie Schneller

“Cradle Catholic”- the phrase used to describe people who were raised Catholic because their parents were Catholic, so it only makes sense that they are Catholic too. They  go through their baptism, first reconciliation, and first communion because well their parents are Catholic, so again it only makes sense. I always considered myself Catholic, and it wasn’t until my sophomore year when I first started turning my back on my faith and God, it was the one point in my life where I didn’t know if I would consider myself a Catholic.

My sophomore year of high school my Uncle was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Esophageal cancer is a rare form of cancer that is located in the esophagus. He was 37 years old, had two young kids, and had just landed his dream job- I couldn’t comprehend why such an incredible man would get such an awful disease. I started wondering why God would do this to my family, but I still remained hopeful. I would pray every night, asking God to just heal my Uncle. Then on July 7, 2014, only 7 months after his diagnosis, my Uncle lost his battle to cancer. When my parents told my brother and I, I was in a state of shock. When he passed away I slowly started turning my back on God. I was angry at him, confused on why He did this, and frustrated that He hadn't answered any of my prayers. I felt that since God didn’t seem to care about me, I wasn’t going to care about him. This attitude went on for about a year, until my friend Kelly Gesoff bribed me to go to Steubenville over the summer with the youth group. When i say bribe, I mean she basically said we were going to the Grand Canyon, so of course I wasn’t going to pass that up. I had no idea what I was about to experience, and it was honestly life changing. At Steubenville I had the opportunity to experience adoration for the first time. During adoration I felt God’s love for me for the first time in over a year and it was such a relieving feeling. I felt all the pain and anger I had been holding in for so long wash away. After Steubenville I got involved with every possible thing at the church, and made some incredible friends, who I don’t know what I would do without.

My faith journey still has a long way to go, but I am so grateful that I am on it. I was in the dark for a year, and it was one of hardest times of my life. I admit I still have bad days, but turning towards God with my problems instead of away from Him is so nice. Everyone goes through different obstacles in life, and everyone has their ups and downs, but instead of shutting God out, we need to go to Him and lay all of our worries, problems, and concerns at His feet. God always has our backs, even when we cast him out. Ultimately, I am so thankful that after everything, I was able to find my way back.


“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

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