St. Thomas Aquinas – Home Away From Home

As a new graduate student at Purdue University and the greater West Lafayette area, transitioning from a familiar area with friends and family to a completely new one can be a daunting task. An unavoidable hole is created when leaving people that you love behind for a new adventure…or so I’m told.

By the grace of God, that hole has been filled.

After first coming to the town, I began to investigate some of the religious groups on campus, focusing on St. Thomas Aquinas (St. Tom’s). As a baptized Catholic and a former practicing non-denominational Christian, I felt a bit of emptiness regarding my faith and worship. I never really felt “at home” in the churches I attended in the past and knew a big change was necessary in my faith. I approached people at St. Tom’s (Eileen, Emma, and Kristin) and was greeted with very open arms. After having discussions about my faith and my reason for becoming a confirmed Catholic, St Tom’s immediately took me in and introduced me to the RCIA process. Shortly after, my new faith journey began.

I am extremely blessed to have become part of the St. Tom’s family. I never imagined having this strong of a connection with a church community and it truly feels as if my faith has grown an incredible amount in the few weeks I have been involved with the St. Tom’s parish. The family-like atmosphere shared between the priests, student and non-student Catholics has been very inspirational and heart-warming. I am very much looking forward to developing my faith at St. Tom’s and sharing in this wonderful faith journey with others at the church. I now understand that a major reason I am attending Purdue is to worship our Lord and Savior in this blessed community at St. Tom’s.

Andrew Kustas