Contributions by Cassy Beltran
In a world where young people often lose sight of the faith during their college years, Holy Spirit Newman Center in Phoenix serves as a beacon of hope. Ministering to students who attend Grand Canyon University and led by the Fr. David Loeffler, pastor, and religious sisters of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SCTJM), the Newman Center is engaging young hearts and minds and leading them to Christ.
In addition to fellowship, Bible studies, free meals and an intentional sense of communal life, Holy Spirit Newman Center places a unique emphasis on the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), the formation program that prepares adults to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. This past Easter alone, 22 students completed the program.
A way of life
When journeying through the OCIA process, those preparing to enter the Church receive formal formation about the precepts and beliefs of the faith. At Holy Spirit Newman Center, this formation takes on an additional aspect of integration through service.
“At Newman, OCIA is an immersion into Catholic life,” said Cassy Beltran, development and engagement coordinator. “Students are formed and catechized in a way to help them see that the Catholic faith is not just for Sundays, but an everyday choice.”
In addition to the typical study of the faith, OCIA participants at the Newman Center also participate in homeless ministry, nursing home visits, 40 Days for Life prayer opportunities, retreats, holy hours, daily Mass and one-on-one accompaniment.
“Students are invited into a Catholic way of life they can carry far beyond the OCIA program and even college,” continued Beltran. “In the many ‘yeses’ they say in the program, they learn to say ‘yes’ to whatever God has for them in the future.”
For Dee Fuentes and Austin Enenbach, two students who received the sacraments this year, the impact has been transformational.
An undeniable encounter
Dee Fuentes arrived at the Newman Center as a freshman in fall 2024. She was still early in her Christian journey, having been baptized in a Protestant tradition a few years before.
“I was only choosing my faith because of the friends I had,” she shared.
Invited to the Newman Center by friends, she had no idea what Mass was or what the Catholic faith was about. “I had so many questions,” she recalled. “I kept thinking, ‘what is this?’”
It was the kindness and guidance of Fr. Loeffler, the sisters and the community that drew her in.
“Everyone was always guiding me to prayer and to the Lord. They answered all of my questions with such joy and patience,” Fuentes continued.
During a retreat she attended in spring, Fuentes experienced an undeniable encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. After adoration, she lingered in the chapel, spending time in conversation with the Lord. What once felt unfamiliar became home in that moment.
“I was asking the Lord where He wanted me. And there, in front of the Eucharist, I started to cry. I knew that this is where I needed to be.”
Fuentes continued attending events at the Newman Center and found herself attending daily Mass and holy hours. By the end of freshman year, she knew the Catholic Church was where God was leading her.
“I went to a holy hour and in prayer I felt that this is it,” said Fuentes. “For the first time, I said out loud that I wanted to convert and it hit me deeply: this is where I need to be, this is home, this is my Church.”
Fuentes came home at the Easter Vigil, experiencing a deep peace particularly after receiving the Eucharist.
“My mind was running through everything during Mass,” Fuentes said, “and then in the moment I received the Eucharist, it was pure peace … No anxiety, no worries. Almost like something had left and Jesus was there, He was with me.”
The invitation that changed everything
For Austin Enenbach, an invitation to the Newman Center didn’t come until his final semester of college — but it couldn’t have been timelier.
On a seemingly normal Thursday night, Enenbach was eating in the Student Union when two Newman Center students invited him to an on-campus Q&A with well-known Catholic speaker, Mark Hart. Enenbach laughed, recalling how unlikely it all seemed.
“It was crazy because I wasn’t sitting in my regular seat. I wonder if God may have had someone take my spot on purpose.”
After the talk, attendees walked to Holy Spirit Newman Center for a time of Eucharistic adoration. Nervous to even cross the street, Enenbach almost stayed behind. But the kindness of the community around him drew him forward.
“What really stuck with me was how nice it was to talk to people about the faith …” Enenbach said. “One person talked to me the whole way back.”
Enenbach had searched for God in the past but drifted from his faith. But his encounter that night was different. “I had gone to other churches before, but kneeling in adoration, it really felt like worship, it felt like God.”
The encounter kept him coming back. Within a few short weeks, Enenbach began attending daily Mass and regular adoration. He also began reading about the faith and integrating a Catholic way of life into his everyday living.
“It is not just a Sunday thing, it is an everyday thing,” he said.
Enenbach formally entered the OCIA process, and as Easter approached, his excitement grew. Good Friday was an especially impactful moment for him, particularly as he reflected on his own unworthiness in light of Christ’s Passion. “Christ still loves me and gave His life for me,” he said. “Thinking of how great God’s love is brought me to tears.”
When the Easter Vigil finally arrived, it was marked by deep joy for Enenbach. Surrounded by family, friends and his Newman Center community, he received the sacraments with a huge smile on his face. Through the Church and the love of Christ, he experiences peace.
“It’s very fulfilling walking with a community that has its best intentions for me, being happy for me,” he shared. “Everything else will be fine, as long as I’m with God and where He wants me. I am good.”
As the Easter season came to an end in late May, there were already multiple students preparing to enter into OCIA to receive the sacraments next year.
“Through friendship, prayer, formation, retreats, service and life together, students are discovering the depths of the Catholic faith,” concluded Beltran.
“It is not simply something to know, but Someone to follow.”
